Early this September, Colorado celebrated its fourth year being part of the Michelin Guide. The announcement brought together restaurants largely considered to be the state’s best and brightest. The ceremony, which returned for its third year at Mile High Station, saw several hundred guests gather to celebrate the hard work and raw talent of the individuals who make the industry what it is.
This year, Michelin added fifteen new eateries to its statewide selection, bringing the grand total up to 63 recognized locations. Denver and Boulder had some big winners, with Rougarou and Pig and Tiger receiving Bib Gourmands, while Dear Emilia, Florence Supper Club, Heretík, Madeline and Casa Juani were all added to the list of recommended restaurants.
Michelin also expanded its coverage statewide, with Aurora’s Annette and Dân Dã, Breckenridge’s Radicato and Rootstalk, Colorado Springs’ Four by Brother Luck and The Penrose Room, and Telluride’s The National joining those listed under the Recommended designation.
Special individual awards included an Exceptional Cocktail Award for Kyle McNerney at Four by Brother Luck, an Outstanding Service Award for Joseph Freyre at the Penrose Room, a Young Chef / Culinary Professional Award for Radicato’s Cameron Baker, and a Sommelier Award for Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman at Heretík.
All nine restaurants that previously held stars maintained their rating. Milpero, the new chef’s counter from Fonda Fina Hospitality, was the only spot to receive a fresh star.
The event itself was surprisingly streamlined, especially for a room full of restaurateurs, chefs and bartenders not necessarily known for their brevity or temperance. Awards were delivered, photos were taken, and speeches, if they were given, were done later and in private. When all the dust settled, and both the triumphant and the snubbed returned to the same grind, folks were left with as many questions as they had answers.
Michelin isn’t like Jonathan Gold, Ruth Reichl or Anthony Bourdain, who all critiqued or glorified cuisine publicly. It also is decidedly not a popularity contest, even if it draws out many an opinion. It is an intentionally opaque rating system, and one that relies on diners who put their trust in expertise and rigor. In 2026, what is the value of the professional critic?
Michelin began producing guides 126 years ago. With the restaurant world, one that includes a vastly more vocal dining public, being almost unrecognizable when compared to the one from even twenty years ago, people are wondering: do we still trust the guide? How useful is it? Is it time to retire the tire?
So where does it fall short?
It’s pulling the Green Star
In May of this year, Michelin announced it would be removing the Green Star, an award it introduced in 2020 that recognized restaurants involved in sustainable sourcing, ethical supply chains and resource efficiency. “It’s a bummer, man. It was great to get recognition for our sustainability efforts,” said Hosea Rosenberg, whose Boulder restaurant Blackbelly has held the Green Star since first receiving it in 2023. This year, Blackbelly was recognized as a recommended restaurant for its fourth year running.
Caroline Clark, the Beverage Director for Id Est Hospitality, was also disappointed to see the Green Star dissolved. “Even if it wasn’t a perfect system, I’d be more interested in seeing that system improved than dismantled,” she said.
Kelly Whitaker, Id Est’s co-founder, CEO and creative director, would like to see the same values that powered the Green Star become more fundamental to Michelin’s scoring process. “I hope that to even get a single star, you should have to have some of that. It should be wrapped into the norm,” he said. Two of Id Est’s restaurants, The Wolf’s Tailor and BRUTØ, have also proudly hung the Green Star since 2023.
Its relationship with Sysco
In November 2024, Michelin first announced Sysco as its official wholesale food distribution partner. Since then, the corporate giant has been responsible for presenting the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award. It also supplies products to many of the official ceremonies. While Sysco’s influence is relatively minor on paper, there’s been significant backlash across the culinary community. While opinions have been mixed, most complaints focus on the disconnect between Sysco’s tendency towards homogenization and Michelin’s luxury ethos.
Some great restaurants got overlooked
In a world where we see the democratization of connoisseurship, no list is going to be without haters. And even the best selection will deserve legitimate complaints. In recognizing the whole state, Michelin set itself up to miss what many consider key players.
Adley, while grateful for the recognition received by Heretík, still found himself caught in a two-restaurant dilemma.“I’m super humbled. It’s been a really humbling week,” said Adley. “But it’s been bittersweet too. We’ve been up at Marigold gunning for four years,” he said of his well-loved establishment in Lyons.
“I know it’s a slow build, but there are some pretty obvious misses,” said Whitaker, naming Marigold, Aurora’s Molino Chido and Grand Junction’s Bin 707 Foodbar as clear contenders.
Clark says she’s mildly optimistic. “I hope they expand into places we thought we’d see this year,” she said. “I’m really rooting for the Western Slope.”
And where does it succeed?
It’s good for morale
Chefs agree that Michelin wins are a big boost for the staff. “There are a lot of benefits outside of what the general public sees,” said Barclay Dodge, chef and owner of Bosq in Aspen. Bosq was awarded one star in 2023 and has maintained it each year since.
“Walking that plaque back into the restaurant was a tremendous moment,” said Adley.
Brother Luck of Four by Brother Luck sees the win as something bigger than himself. “We did something historic. Us and The Penrose Room are the first ever to receive that recognition in the history of Colorado Springs,” said Luck. “What we’ve done leveled the playing field of what is considered luxury. Michelin now allows me to say ‘I’m an equivalent.’”
Clark sees Michelin’s potential to unite restaurant staff. “I want to make sure that this is doing what it’s supposed to,” said Clark. “And that’s elevating and validating the work that’s being done. It’s been a community builder even if it can be divisive.”
It’s good for business
Most restaurant owners say they see an immediate and significant upswing in reservations following a Michelin win. “We basically sold out of our availability two days after we first got recognized,” said Justin Fulton, chef and owner of Margot. “We were a sensation overnight,” he said, adding that they’ve remained busy ever since. Margot just retained its star for the second year after first being recognized in 2025.
It’s good for uplifting the state
A rising tide lifts all boats. It also can bring them closer together. “There’s a camaraderie thing within the state,” said Luck, adding that members of the BRUTØ team made a journey down to Four the weekend immediately following the announcement. Luck said it was a celebratory visit, where the teams broke bread more than they talked shop.
Casa Juani’s Kelly Jeun thinks Michelin’s presence can bring out the best in chefs. “We want that next level,” she said, adding that she and her husband Eduardo Valle Lobo are actively implementing new systems with next year’s star in mind. “Eduardo and I have worked in Michelin kitchens. He’s from Madrid, where Michelin is such a revered guide.”
Whitaker sees Michelin as a good platform for amplifying the message he’s already using his restaurants to enhance. “From our perspective, we do a lot of good for a lot of people at our restaurants,” he said. “We want this work to be shared with the world.”
For Whitaker, Michelin is another vehicle for telling the maker’s story.
It connects restaurants with an elite global tradition
No matter how you frame it, Michelin has over a century-long history of connecting diners with exceptional restaurants. A Michelin star allows new chefs to join a legacy of beauty and excellence in the history of gastronomy.
Fulton is proud to be part of the select few. “There are so many restaurants in the world, and there are so few that have a Michelin star. It’s humbling to be one of the ten restaurants of the same caliber in the state,” he said.
Luck is happy to see chefs starting to think bigger. “We get so caught up in local or domestic conversations that we sometimes don’t realize the gravity of the global stage,” said Luck. “Michelin has put Colorado in an international conversation.”
Rosenberg sees that there’s value, even in an imperfect list. “It’s helped bring attention to certain people,” he said, adding that though the spotlight favors individuals, Michelin at large has brought Colorado into a higher echelon. “People start to take you more seriously.”
It’s motivating and aspirational
Many chefs agree that the introduction of Michelin, and especially the winning of a star, encourages restaurants to get better. “When you’re performing on Broadway, you can’t mess up,” said Dodge.
Fulton says that winning has only inspired him to push Margot into a higher tier. “We have to keep fighting the good fight,” he said. “Now the real work begins”
How are restaurants responding?
When Johnny Curiel won his first star in 2024, his world got turned upside down. “When we got our first star at Alma Fonda Fina, I thought the world was going to end. I didn’t sleep for three months,” said Curiel. “I think I just wanted to push myself more than I already was.”
This year was different. The first weekend following the announcement, Curiel says he arrived at Milpero to find the team nervous. “They’re here for who we are and what we’re doing,” he assured them, adding that the meal had been booked out months in advance. People were there because the food is good, not because of the accolade.
Many of the winning chefs echo this same sentiment. Though a few admit to actively gunning for stars, all of them seem to agree that making great dishes is what really counts. “We’ve always done what we do, and we try to do it really well,” said Rosenberg. “We cook with great ingredients and make great food. I think we deliver on flavor. Flavor is paramount.”
“We want two stars, that’s our goal,” said Dodge. “But I don’t think I want three,” he laughed.
“We never opened this restaurant for Michelin anything. We’re still doing exactly what we want to do with it,” said Adley, adding that even though nothing’s changed at the restaurant, he’s still glad for the attention. “At the end of the day, it’s asses in seats.”
“It doesn’t change what we do every night,” said Dave Patterson, Vice President of Food and Beverage at The Broadmoor. “But hopefully it introduces people to the Penrose Room who haven’t dined there.”
“Our mentality remains the same. We just want to show how badass Mexico is,” said Curiel, adding that even though he’s delighted by the recognition, his confidence comes from elsewhere. “It’s just about being proud of what we’re doing, regardless of the outcome,” he said. “We made a promise to our guests that we wouldn’t change who we are. We’re always going to be Fonda Fina.”
Luck believes that even with Michelin’s exalted position, chefs make the awards more than the other way around. “There’s a misconception right now about the Michelin mindset,” he said. “Many of us have come in and decided to change the way we lead and the way we create culture. The brand doesn’t define the culture. The chef does.”
So maybe the point is this. Regardless of what Michelin may have overlooked, and even in light of some institutional shortcomings, the Guide’s presence is a nice reminder that it’s never a bad time to lift each other up, to compliment one another’s successes, and to toast the insane devotion it takes to keep this damn thing in motion.
A full list of Colorado’s Michelin winners can be found here.
Featured image courtesy of Shawn Campbell.
