The Michelin guide has announced its inaugural selection for the American South with 228 restaurants and 44 cuisines types awarded.

Ten restaurants earned a Michelin star, while Emeril’s in New Orleans scooped two stars, impressing the anonymous inspectors with its Creole cuisine – described as “cooking that bursts with personality and class and never at the cost of flavour”.

In addition, 50 Bib Gourmands, plus four special awards, were also revealed.

The awards were announced in a ceremony at the Peace Centre in Greenville, South Carolina, where restaurants were honoured onstage.

Atlanta now has the most Michelin one-star restaurants of any Southern city, with eight in total, while North and South Carolina each secured a single star respectively. In Charleston, three establishments took home a star, while in Nashville, three restaurants also joined the one-star club.

Georgia’s Atlas restaurant was described by inspectors as “impossibly elegant”, while the signature dish of uni gohan with otoro at the city’s Omakase Table restaurant was lauded as “decadent”.

Counter in Charlotte, North Carolina, January in Franklin, Tennessee and Luminosa in Asheville, North Carolina, were also awarded a Green Star for their sustainable practices, impressing inspectors with their “committed vision for the future of gastronomy”.

“The cuisine of the American South is a rich blend of cultural influences, brought to life by skilled chefs who have crafted some of the region’s most iconic dishes,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide.

“Our anonymous inspectors were deeply impressed by the region’s culinary prowess, and this inaugural selection reflects their findings – from Southern staples like barbecue, Creole and seafood, to international flavours.”

Full list of the new Michelin-starred restaurants in the American South 2025

Two stars

Emeril’s, New Orleans, Louisiana

One star

Saint-Germain, New Orleans, Louisiana

Zasu, New Orleans, Louisiana

Counter, Charlotte, North Carolina

Malagón Mercado y Taperia, Charleston, South Carolina

Vern’s, Charleston, South Carolina

Wild Common, Charleston, South Carolina

Scoundrel, Greenville, South Carolina

Bastion, Nashville, Tennessee

Locust, Nashville, Tennessee

The Catbird Seat, Nashville, Tennessee

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