Michelin Guide 2023: Here Are the Local Winners

Stand25 Bistro, the only 2 Michelin star restaurant in the capital

Hungarian restaurants have retained their Michelin stars and ratings, and new ones have joined the ranks of last year’s winners. The new Hungarian edition of the Michelin Guide continues to feature two 2 Michelin stars and seven 1 Michelin stars, while 59 restaurants have been awarded Michelin recommendations, 14 more than last year. The number of Bib Gourmand and Green star restaurants has also increased. Across the country, 75 restaurants have been included in the French guide this year, writes Magyar Nemzet.

In Hungary, there is a growing number of restaurants using local and seasonal ingredients, both in the capital and in the countryside. Restaurants are a pillar of the basic tourism infrastructure and can also be an attraction in their own right, provided they offer the right quality.

This is borne by the fact that last year, for the first time, the Michelin Guide published a list of restaurants in the whole country, which has now put the country’s cuisine on the gastronomic map of visitors worldwide.

All of the restaurants that received a Michelin star or a Michelin rating last year were included in this year’s selection, while 14 new restaurants were also successful.

Based on the judgement of the testers, eight more restaurants in Budapest and six in the countryside will be able to display Michelin recommendation signs. The new awards also show that rural gastronomy has grown enormously in the last few years. This is one of the reasons why the number of Michelin-recommended restaurants has reached an all-time high, with 59 restaurants receiving awards this year. Furthermore, with Morzsa in Pécs (southern Hungary), the number of Bib Gourmand, or excellent value for money, restaurants has increased to seven.

Sustainability is also an increasingly important watchword in tourism, which is why the number of green star restaurants has also increased compared to last year, with a total of five restaurants across the country receiving this award this year.

Villa Kabala in Szigliget (northern shore of Lake Balaton) is a newcomer to last year’s ranking. The green star is awarded for every aspect of the kitchen-restaurant’s work, from sourcing ingredients to using local and seasonal produce, and waste management. As a result of the high number of accolades, Hungary has become one of the leading gastronomic centers in Central Europe, ahead of the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia.

The ratings could trigger a new wave of gastronomic tourists to visit our country, the Hungarian Tourism Agency said in a statement. Gastronomy is one of the most common factors influencing travel decisions. Michelin ratings give travelers confidence and boost the country’s image.

One-day visitor numbers have also shown impressive, often double-digit increases in destinations where restaurants have been included in the prestigious restaurant guide.

The first 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in the countryside, Gourmet Platán in Tata (northern Hungary), has not only seen a surge in interest over the past year. A more open-minded, more adventurous public has also appeared, visiting the city specifically for the restaurant. Their packages of activities, offered in partnership with local and regional service providers and attractions, are also boosting the turnover of local businesses.

The growing number of Michelin stars, plates, and Bib Gourmand nominations is an important signal to emerging young chefs and young people who are still considering their career choice that their professional development is assured at home and that tourism offers them attractive long-term challenges.

The following restaurants have been awarded two Michelin stars:

Platán Gourmet, Tata
Stand, Budapest

Those who received one Michelin star:

Babel, Budapest
Borkonyha Winekitchen, Budapest
Costes, Budapest
essência, Budapest
Rumour, Budapest
Salt, Budapest
42, Esztergom

The complete list of recommended restaurants and special prize winners can be found here.

Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image via Facebook/Stand25 Bisztró