The award given to the world’s most respected restaurants; the Michelin Guide (Guide Michelin) is coming to Istanbul. A press conference was held at Atatürk Cultural Center today with attandence of Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec. Poullennec announced at the press conference that restaurants in Istanbul will be evaluated by Michelin.

Istanbul will be the 38th international destination whose gastronomy is highlighted by Michelin Guide inspectors. The first restaurant selection of Michelin Guide Istanbul will be announced on the Michelin Guide website as of October 11, 2022.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guides, said, “Istanbul has dazzled the world for centuries with its history, culture, and intercultural character. As a first-class gastronomic destination, Istanbul will meet with gourmets all over the world with this step of the Michelin Guide. The Istanbul cuisine, nourished by ancient traditions and young, open-minded, and creative talents, left our team in awe.”

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy: “The Michelin Guide’s choices will support our efforts to position Istanbul as a ‘Gastrocity'”

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, “This interest shown by the Michelin Guide to the Istanbul food and beverage sector is an indication that Turkey is at the forefront of gastronomy tourism. The world metropolis, Istanbul is a gastronomic capital that offers the opportunity to taste the most distinguished flavors of not only Turkish cuisine but also world cuisines and has the potential to respond to all taste quests.”

The selection of restaurants in Istanbul will be made by professional inspectors according to the universal Michelin Guide method. Teams of inspectors will work completely independently and, while maintaining their confidentiality, evaluate the quality of food served by restaurants against 5 criteria to identify and recommend the best restaurants in the city. These criteria are listed as the quality of the products, the mastery of cooking techniques, the harmony of flavors, the character of the chef’s kitchen and the consistency between the menu and the visits of the inspectors.

What is the “Michelin star”?

The Michelin star awarded to the most respected restaurants by Michelin is used to measure the most successful food services in the world. It is based on the system that restaurants around the world are evaluated by a secret inspector team and rated with 1, 2 or 3 stars. One star means “A very good restaurant in its field”, two stars means “So perfect a meal that it is definitely worth changing your course” and three stars means “An outstanding cuisine is worth a special journey”. Having a Michelin star is considered one of the greatest achievements in the industry and means prestige all over the world. It is possible to increase or lose a star in the system. Stars only last a year.