Three St. Pete restaurants recognized by Michelin Guide, though none received stars
/The Michelin Guide held its annual Florida ceremony last night in Orlando, where three St. Pete restaurants received recognition.
The guide, which first came to Florida in 2022, features restaurants known for exceptional culinary experiences, awarding up to three Michelin stars to those with outstanding cooking. It also honors establishments that serve excellent food at more affordable prices with the Bib Gourmand distinction.
This is the first year the Michelin Guide has considered restaurants from Pinellas County.
Four restaurants—located in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando—earned their first Michelin star this year, raising Florida’s total number of one-star restaurants to 29. Sorekara in Orlando received two stars, becoming the second restaurant in the state to achieve that honor.
Five Tampa restaurants held on to their coveted Michelin star.
While no establishments in Pinellas County received Michelin stars or Bib Gourmand honors, three St. Petersburg restaurants were added to Michelin’s list of “recommended” Florida restaurants.
The newly recommended spots—all located in downtown St. Pete—are Il Ritorno, Fortu, and Sushi Sho Rexley.
The Michelin Guide’s reviews of the three St. Pete restaurants are as follows:
Il Ritorno’s Grouper with Blood Orange, Toasted Coriander, Charred Carrots, and Bloom Salad | Il Ritorno
Il Ritorno
For more than a decade, Chef David Benstock has led this fine dining Italian stalwart from the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. High ceilings, exposed red brick, and easy-going servers set a relaxed tone for a team that's full of ideas and keen to present them in attractive ways, How often do you see duck tortellini with shaved foie gras or a salad of radishes presented as a garden bed with soil and fences? Creative pastas are at the heart of this menu, alongside serious cuts of steak and lamb sourced from their butcher shop next door. Though some dishes can feel busy, there is boldness and flavor in spades. Luxury comes in the form of caviar doughnuts, Japanese wagyu, and a special tasting menu available only at the chef's counter.
Fortu’s Potato Mille-Feuille, a dish of delicately layered potatoes, perfectly compressed with Parmesan, and finished with a touch of truffle aioli | Fortu
Fortu
This attractive, high-energy dining room in downtown St. Petersburg is cool in all the right ways. Handsome wood finishes, sleek lighting, and large arched mirrors cut a sharp figure at the base of the Pone de Leon Hotel. Most importantly, this Pan-Asian kitchen backs up all this style with proper substance. Skip the raw bar in favor of plump, spicy pork wontons showered with crispy garlic and chili crisp. Glazed carrots in kimchi butter are both satisfying and sophisticated. And though the restaurant isn't technically a steakhouse, this might be the best place around to splurge on beef. Beautifully marbled cuts of Japanese A5 wagyu are seared and seasoned to extracting measure. Desserts, like walnut and apple torte, make for a sweet finale.
nigiri, part of Sushi Sho Rexley’s omakase-only offering | Sushi Sho Rexley
Sushi Sho Rexley
A block from the busy bar scene in St. Pete's downtown, Chef Rexley Kwok's sushi counter is equal parts skillful and approachable. This omakase-only spot features two options: a signature menu with a few more appetizers or a smaller menu with a tighter focus. No matter your choice, nigiri is the heart of a meal here, with standouts like koji fermented or a king salmon brushed with whiskey barrel-aged soy and with pickled scallions, it's exceptional. Hokkaido uni with just a touch of yuzu shines, whole spot prawn with oyster-fermented soy sauce is sided by a fried counterpart for an interesting twist. A fantastic handroll with crispy nori is a penultimate treat before a dessert of golden dragon fruit cocktail.
The recognition follows Visit St. Pete Clearwater’s recent celebration of the guide's expansion into the region, made possible by a two-year agreement with Michelin. The agreement, which costs $90,000 per year, is funded through the tourist development tax paid by overnight visitors.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater stated they were not given a list of restaurants under review but anticipated that inspectors would evaluate small and medium-sized establishments, hotel restaurants, and those located both on the beach and downtown.
In addition to last night’s honors, numerous St. Pete establishments have received other prestigious honors in recent years, such as Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence. Additionally, two chefs—David Benstock of Il Ritorno and Rob Reinsmith of Wild Child—have defeated Bobby Flay in Food Network competitions.
