The world-renowned Michelin Guide is finally coming to the Midwest, covering the cities of Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and the mid-Atlantic city of Pittsburgh. And while Cincinnati is curiously absent from that list, one local organization is working to correct the oversight.
Michelin started publishing its travel guides in the United States in 2005 and now covers cities, states and regions including New York, Chicago, California, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, the American South (sans Kentucky) and the American Southwest. On April 7, Michelin announced the creation of a new edition called the Michelin Guide: American Great Lakes edition, which will include the six cities mentioned above.
The Great Lakes edition came about thanks to the tourism boards of each of the included cities. And yes, they had to pay. Minneapolis’ tourism improvement district will pay $250,000 a year for three years to secure this honor, according to Fox 9, a local Fox affiliate in Minneapolis. Destination Cleveland, meanwhile, is paying $150,000 per year for the next three years, Emily Lauer, the organization’s vice president of public relations and communications told Cleveland.com.
I contacted Cincinnati’s tourism arm, Visit Cincy, to ask why Cincinnati was not included in the new guide, since it can be a tremendous boon for any city’s local tourism.
Julie Kirkpatrick, interim president and CEO of Visit Cincy, told me the city’s absence from the guide was due to “a missed email” in October of 2025. She said she and Visit Cincy are working “tirelessly” to correct the error and get Cincinnati into the American Great Lakes guide.
“Bringing the Michelin Guide to Cincinnati is one of our top goals. It’s a powerful signal to the world that our culinary scene is thriving, innovative and worth the trip,” Fitzpatrick told me via text. “It gives our visitors a trusted roadmap to experience the creativity, flavor and hospitality that define this region and we will work tirelessly to continue to advocate for our city’s inclusion with Michelin.”
Michelin would neither confirm nor deny that Cincinnati might still have a chance to be included in the guide.
“The Michelin Guide is always evaluating exciting new destinations for the Guide, around the world,” wrote Carly Grieff, who handles Michelin’s external communications, via email. “Once all the conditions are present to highlight the quality of the culinary scene in a given city, region, or country, the Michelin Guide begins its process. We look forward to expanding coverage and discovering restaurants in new areas, but we don’t have any news to share about new Guides destinations in North America.”
What is the Michelin Guide?
The Michelin Guide, which was launched in 1900, includes a star-rating system for restaurants (1 to 3), as well as a “Bib Gourmand” designation that recognizes establishments that serve good food at moderate prices, and “selected” restaurants, which, according to Michelin, indicates a chef is using quality ingredients that are well-cooked and provide “a good meal.”
Michelin publishes two separate guides. The “red guide” (with a red cover) covers restaurants that have received stars, Bib Gourmands or selected designations, while the “green guide” (with a green cover) is more of a general guide to local attractions, museums, hotels and restaurants.
But just because a city, state or region ponies up the money for its restaurants to be considered doesn’t guarantee inclusion. It simply means Michelin will send judges to the area to evaluate its restaurants.
‘Mission Michelin’
Many local chefs were surprised Cincinnati was not included in the American Great Lakes expansion, given the city’s restaurants are regularly finalists for James Beard Awards and have received substantial recognition from publications such as The New York Times, Bon Appetite magazine and Food & Wine.
“Cleveland’s great, but I think it was a massive oversight to ignore the breadth of culinary talent in our city, which has been getting some long overdue attention, especially in recent years,” said David Jackman, the James Beard-nominated owner and chef of Wildweed, in Over-the-Rhine.
Jeff Harris, a two-time James Beard finalist who owns Nolia Kitchen, in Over-the-Rhine, thinks Cincinnati is ahead of the curve already. But if Michelin comes, he said the restaurant scene will get more intense and competitive. He also thinks more chefs will want to open restaurants or stay in the city, instead of moving to work at Michelin-starred restaurants in other cities. Two years ago, Harris placed a sticker on his restaurant’s oven hood that read “Mission Michelin” so everyone on his staff could see it.
He said restaurants such as Nolia, Boca, Salazar, Sudova and Wildweed have given the city’s chefs national attention, “but bring Michelin here and it would bring attention to everyone.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati was left off Michelin Guide’s big Midwest expansion
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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