From Blue Hill to Marea: Here’s Who Won (and Lost) Stars in Michelin’s 2020 NYC Guide

Jeremy Repanich

Click here to read the full article.

Dan Barber’s influential and iconic Blue Hill at Stone Barns finally has Michelin stars. The food world’s favorite tire company revealed its star selections today for New York City and—for the first time—Westchester County, with Blue Hill notching two stars in its first year of eligibility.

Also joining Blue Hill in the two-star ranks for the first time is modern Korean Atomix by the husband-wife duo of JP and Ellia Park. An intimate tasting menu at a small U-shaped counter inside a converted townhouse, Atomix—winner of Best New Restaurant for Robb Report‘s Best of the Best this year—elegantly turns banchan into fine dining fare. After earning a single star last year, Michelin was impressed on return visits. “When we looked at it initially, it was a restaurant that we had very impressive meals at and we thought had room for evolution,” an anonymous Michelin inspector told Robb Report. “When we visited this year and several meals confirmed that it is operating at a different level.”

More from Robb Report

“From a global perspective, it has been interesting to see the extension of good Korean food outside of Korea,” said the international director of the Michelin Guide Gwendal Poullennec. “We have a guide in Seoul and we have extensive knowledge of that type of food and in New York there are now four restaurants at the one- or two-star level.”

Eight restaurants earned a single star for the first time, including longtime food-world darling Estela by Ignacio Mattos. “This is a restaurant that’s been around for a number of years, and with Estela, we were really impressed with the level of consistency time and time again,” the inspector said. “We reevaluated our meal there and it was appropriate this year to reward the star.”

Jonathan Benno’s eponymous restaurant tucked in the back of the Evelyn Hotel earned a star for its Italian-French fine dining fare. Others getting their first star were Brooklyn wine bar The Four Horseman, Le Jardinier, Crown Shy, Odo, Oxalis and Ukiyo.

Michelin day in the city isn’t all good news. Sushi Ginza Onodera was demoted from two stars to just one. “This year we did have several meals at Sushi Ginza Onodera that did not confirm its two-star level,” the inspector said. He echoed those comments for Michael White’s Italian restaurant Marea, which was also demoted to one star this year. Then on the one-star level, Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud lost its star, as did Junoon and Mario Batali’s former flagship Babbo, which he was bought out of earlier this year.

Inside the massive new Hudson Yards development, which really touted its restaurant offerings around its opening, Michelin was less impressed. None of the establishments earned a star, with Thomas Keller’s TAK Room and David Chang’s Kawi earning the consolation prize of a Michelin Plate designation. So while the project has made a big dent on Manhattan’s west side, Michelin doesn’t think it has made much of a mark on New York’s food scene.

Here is the full list of Michelin stars for NYC in 2020:

Three Stars

Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Eleven Madison Park
Le Bernardin
Masa
Per Se

Two Stars

Aquavit
Aska
Atera
Atomix (New)
Blanca
Blue Hill at Stone Barns (New)
Daniel
Gabriel Kreuther
Ichimura at Uchū
Jean-Georges
Jungsik
Ko
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Marea
The Modern
Sushi Ginza Onodera

One Star

Agern
Ai Fiori
Aldea
Bar Uchū
Bâtard
Benno (New)
Blue Hill
Bouley at Home
Carbone
Casa Enríque
Casa Mono
Caviar Russe
Claro
The Clocktower
Contra
Cote
Crown Shy (New)
Del Posto
Estela (New)
The Finch
Four Horsemen (New)
Gotham Bar and Grill
Gramercy Tavern
Hirohisa
Jeju Noodle Bar
Jewel Bako
Kajitsu
Kanoyama
Kosaka
L’Appart
Le Coucou
Le Jardinier (New)
Marea (Demoted from two)
Meadowsweet
The Musket Room
Nix
Noda
NoMad
Odo (New)
Okuda
Oxalis (New)
Oxomoco
Peter Luger
The River Café
Satsuki
Sushi Amane
Sushi Ginza Onodera (Demoted from two)
Sushi Inoue
Sushi Nakazawa
Sushi Noz
Sushi Yasuda
Tempura Matsui
Tuome
Ukiyo (New)
Uncle Boons
Wallsé
ZZ’s Clam Bar

Best of Robb Report

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.