The Michelin Guide revealed its first-ever selection for the American Southwest on 26 August 2026 at a ceremony held at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, awarding stars to five restaurants across Nevada and Utah.
Vegas takes the spotlight
Restaurant de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas received two stars, the region’s top rating in this inaugural guide. Four restaurants received one star each: é by José Andrés and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, both in Las Vegas, Guy Savoy Las Vegas, and Monte in South Salt Lake, Utah. Las Vegas restaurants accounted for four of the five stars awarded, alongside a number of Bib Gourmand and recommended listings across the wider region.
The guide also handed out several special awards: John Germain, wine director at Reserve, won the inaugural Southwest Sommelier Award for his 8,000-bottle collection; the chef behind Phoenix restaurants Bacanora and Huarachis took the Young Chef Award; and Joseph Simonson of Campo at Los Poblanos won the Exceptional Cocktails Award for his harvest-inspired drinks.
Another region added to the map
The Southwest selection is one of several new US regional guides Michelin has rolled out in recent years, following earlier expansions into markets such as Colorado, Texas and Florida as the French guide continues building a presence across the country beyond its original coastal anchor cities. Each new regional launch follows the same format: an independent team of inspectors dines anonymously at candidate restaurants over an extended period before stars and other distinctions are decided and revealed at a single public ceremony.
Why It Matters
Michelin has expanded steadily beyond its traditional European strongholds in recent years, adding new American regional guides one at a time. A first Southwest selection puts Nevada and Utah dining on a global reference map for the first time, a designation that tends to draw international attention, and bookings, to newly rated restaurants and the cities around them.
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