Charleston chefs find out Oct. 21 where they stand with the Michelin Guide.
Michelin will reveal its 2026 American South selections that evening at an invitation-only ceremony at The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Michelin North America. Chefs learn there whether their restaurants have received a star or another distinction. The guide covers Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and metro Atlanta, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
Michelin says its anonymous inspectors pay their own bills and judge restaurants on five criteria: the quality of the products, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the chef’s personality as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency over time and across the menu. Restaurants can earn one, two or three stars, a Bib Gourmand for good food at a good value, a Green Star for restaurants at the forefront of sustainable practices, or a place on the guide’s recommended list.
At the guide’s first American South ceremony, held Nov. 3, 2025, in Greenville, three Charleston restaurants earned one star each: Malagón, Vern’s and Wild Common, The Post and Courier reported. Leon’s Oyster Shop, Lewis Barbecue and Rodney Scott’s BBQ received Bib Gourmands. Nine Charleston-area restaurants were recommended, including Chubby Fish, FIG and Husk.
The list has already changed. Rodney Scott’s BBQ on King Street closed May 3 as Pihakis Restaurant Group, which operates some Rodney Scott’s locations, faced a supplier lawsuit and liens filed by a landlord, WCSC Live 5 reported. In August, the cafe Babas signed a lease for the space, The Post and Courier reported.
Distinctions are not permanent. In Atlanta, Staplehouse lost its star in 2025 after moving its tasting menu out of the city, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
The state has money riding on the guide, too. South Carolina pays $350,000 a year toward Michelin’s coverage, including $62,000 from Explore Charleston, The Post and Courier reported.
“It’s really a life-changing moment,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said last year, The Post and Courier reported.
