Michelin Guide announces new restaurants in Türkiye

ISTANBUL

The 2024 Istanbul, İzmir and Bodrum selections of the Michelin Guide, one of the most prestigious restaurant evaluation systems in the world, were announced at a ceremony held at Zorlu Performing Arts Center on Nov. 9.

Michelin inspectors included 15 new restaurants in İzmir and 19 in Bodrum in the new selection, bringing the total number of Türkiye-based restaurants featured in the guide to 111, While three restaurants from İzmir and two from Bodrum received a Michelin Star, a total of eight restaurants, including two from Bodrum and six from İzmir, were given the Bib Gourmand award.

Among 25 restaurants in Istanbul selection, two restaurants received a Michelin Star and eight restaurants were honored with the Bib Gourmand award. This year, no restaurant received two stars.

Speaking at the ceremony, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, "We will add new destinations to the Michelin Guide. İzmir and Bodrum, which are among the important tourism destinations that stand out with their unique cuisine and original businesses, are now available on the list. Offering unique experiences to its guests with its historical and cultural heritage, Istanbul is a gastronomy city with a deep-rooted history and rich food culture. Our importance in the world gastronomy scene is gradually increasing with our chefs who blend this richness with new generation knowledge and creativity. One of the most visited cities in the world, Istanbul welcomed 13.1 million foreign visitors this year, with an increase of 11.61 percent compared to the same period last year. Our effective promotional efforts have also contributed greatly to this increase. The fact that Istanbul is chosen as the best city in Europe by the votes of the readers of the world's leading travel publications is a reflection of the increasing popularity of the city.”

Ersoy said that İzmir and Bodrum, the most important gastronomy destinations of Aegean and Mediterranean cuisines, are now in the Michelin Guide.

“We are extremely happy that İzmir and Bodrum, one of the world's leading destinations in luxury tourism, stand out as gastro cities. Gastronomy tourism attracts tourists from all walks of life and significantly increases tourism revenues. I congratulate all our restaurants and valuable representatives of our gastronomy world who joined the Michelin Guide this year,” he added.

This year the restaurants that received one star are Arkestra and Sankai by Nagaya in Istanbul; OD Urla, Teruar Urla and Vino Locale in İzmir; and Kitchen and İki Sandal in Bodrum.

Aida - vino e cucina, Circle by Vertical, Efendy, Fauna, Foxy Nişantaşı, Tavacı Recep Usta Bostancı, The Red Balloon, Adil Müftüoğlu, Ayşa Boşnak Börekçisi, Beğendik Abi, Hiç Lokanta, LA Mahzen, Tavacı Recep Usta, İki Sandal and Otantik Ocakbaşı received Bib Gourmand award.

In addition to the restaurants awarded with Michelin Star and Bib Gourmand, inspectors added 36 new restaurants, six of which are in İzmir, 15 in Bodrum and 15 in Istanbul, to the recommendation list. So, the number of recommended restaurants in the city increased to 52.