In Taipei, one new 2-Star restaurant and five new 1-Star restaurants join the selection, along with two new 1-Star restaurants in Taichung, and the first MICHELIN Green Stars are awarded to two restaurants.

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TAIWAN, 25 August  2021 – Michelin is pleased to present today its full list of restaurants in the 2021 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung, together with the Bib Gourmand and MICHELIN Plate highlights. In this latest edition, a total of 177 venues in Taipei and 69 venues in Taichung have been selected by the MICHELIN inspectors.

“It has been yet another extraordinary year for everyone, especially for the food industry. In spite of the challenges, the chefs and restaurants in Taipei and Taichung have never ceased to impress our teams. By imagining new concepts, launching new initiatives, and creating means of preserving the link with their diners, both cities have shown agility, resilience, and creativity. These two destinations have also succeeded in maintaining their culinary skill at the highest level. We are so proud, and with this 2021 edition, we highlight and pay tribute to their talent while unveiling new gastronomic gems,” says Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of MICHELIN Guides. “I am also particularly delighted that the MICHELIN Green Star is making its entry into the MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung, highlighting the sustainable commitments of two pioneer restaurants. May this distinction encourage and inspire not only other restaurants, but also every keen gourmet.”

Taipei: 1 New 2-Star Restaurant

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, which has been awarded a MICHELIN Star for the past three years, has been promoted to Two MICHELIN Stars this year. Chef Florence Dalia, who has helmed the kitchen since 2019, is the first female head chef in the group’s Asian bases. She adds an ethereal touch to the restaurant’s distinctive cooking and re-invents French classics with skill, care, and a plenty of aplomb.

In the 2021 selection, there are a total of 7 Two MICHELIN Starred restaurants in Taipei, including Logy, RAW, Shoun RyuGin, Sushi Amamoto, Taïrroir, and The Guest House, all of which maintain their two MICHELIN Stars.

5 New Restaurants in Taipei Receive a First Michelin Star

Christened “By Night” in French, De Nuit’s décor is aptly furnished according to its name. The young kitchen team layers textures and flavors in every dish, while respecting the French traditions and the seasonality of ingredients.

Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne (Songshan) pairs re-imagined Taiwanese favorites with French bubbly, in the hopes of creating a different Taiwanese cuisine experience.

T+T, whose name is an abbreviation of “Tapas Tasting”, provides a creative take on Spanish tapas. The small plates display strong Asian roots, and its eclectic wine list carries some interesting choices.

Taiwanese restaurant Mipon specializes in refined home-style Taiwanese cooking that boasts intricate details and modern twists. At Mudan, seasonal ingredients from Taiwan and Japan are coated in a delicate batter and deep-fried to perfection. Mipon and Mudan were both promoted to a 1-Star rating from a MICHELIN Plate distinction.

With these new additions, Taipei has a total of 21 One MICHELIN Star restaurants.

Cantonese restaurant Le Palais maintains its standing as the only 3-Star restaurant in Taipei and Taichung. In total, the 2021 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung recognizes 29 MICHELIN Star restaurants in Taipei.

In addition to the six newly starred restaurants, there are 14 restaurants in Taipei that have newly entered the selection with a MICHELIN Plate distinction. They span a diverse range of cuisines, from contemporary European (CEO 1950), innovative (Embers, Holt, and MU:), Italian (Artbrosia), French (Bistro le Jardin), Taiwanese (44 SV and Sinchao Rice Shoppe), and Japanese (Tsuki Yo Iwa and Uke); as well as various styles that include yakiniku (Baho), steak (Fresh & Aged), sushi (Shan Chiu), and vegetarian (Yangming Spring Shilin) — proving that Taipei is indeed a dynamic and exciting gastronomic center that gathers culinary talents from all over the world.

Taichung: 2 New 1-Star restaurants

In the second year of the selection for the city of Taichung, Oretachi No Nikuya has yet again received a MICHELIN Star. The restaurant relocated in late March to a new venue just 15 paces away from its previous address and the awarding of a MICHELIN Star is recognition of the yakiniku restaurant’s continued high standards in its offer of prized Hida beef cuts and rare breeds, along with a secret menu for those-in-the-know.

Receiving a promotion to 1-Star from its MICHELIN Plate distinction is Sur, named for the young chef-owner’s vision to elevate everyday Taiwanese ingredients to haute cuisine through the use of modern techniques and a prix fixe menu that changes every season. 

Besides Oretachi No Nikuya and Sur, Fleur de Sel and Forchetta both maintain their one MICHELIN Star rating, bringing the total number of 1-Star restaurants in Taichung to four. Meanwhile, JL Studio maintains its distinction as the only restaurant in Taichung with Two MICHELIN Stars.

Apart from the Star-rated restaurants, two new restaurants in Taichung have been recognized with the MICHELIN Plate distinction. Sushi Ron offers two omakase menus in a historic Japanese-style mansion while Yakitori & Wine serves limited edition rare cuts of local Gui Ding and Sasso chicken. A total of 31 restaurants in Taichung are recognized with the MICHELIN Plate distinction in 2021.

A First in Taipei: 2 Restaurants Awarded with a MICHELIN Green Star

Two restaurants in Taipei — the 1-Star Taipei restaurant Mountain and Sea House and newly selected MICHELIN Plate recommendation Yangming Spring (Shilin) — were also awarded the MICHELIN Green Star this year for their dedication and commitment to sustainable cuisine.

The MICHELIN Green Star is awarded to restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide selections, which are at the forefront when it comes to commendable practices in sustainability. These restaurants propose to their customers gourmet experiences that combine both gastronomic and eco-friendly excellence, and are a source of inspiration for all food lovers and the whole industry.

In Mountain and Sea House, “farm-to-table” is the restaurant’s core concept. Its acumen revolves around the belief that heirloom local produce is the key to making delicious dishes. In addition to growing vegetables organically, the high-quality meat and seafood served are obtained only from farmers and fishermen who practice sustainable production methods.

Yangming Spring (Shilin) believes that vegetarianism is a culinary practice as well as a lifestyle to respect the environment. The restaurant applies a “cherish food” philosophy and practices sustainable habits such as recycling to reduce the amount of waste. They also hope to further promote this concept through publishing books, organizing talks, and running a concept retail shop.

The MICHELIN Young Chef Award and the first MICHELIN Service Award

Chef Yi Hua LIN 林佾華 of Sur in Taichung is the winner of this year’s MICHELIN Young Chef Award. Born in 1991, he graduated from a professional culinary university in Taiwan and shows an expert hand in designing a menu that reinterprets local culinary habits in each season. Weaving his own personal daily and childhood experiences, he uses commonly and locally sourced ingredients to both embody and reinterpret the Taiwanese culinary culture.

The MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung 2021 also includes a new MICHELIN Service Award, which aims to highlight a skillful and talented professional within the industry. This year’s winner is Jennifer, Wan Chen Ou 歐宛臻 of Le Palais in Taipei. With almost 10 years’ experience in Le Palais, she is passionate and enthusiastic in her work and is devoted to providing impeccable service to guests with a professional, thoughtful attitude and smile, which makes the whole dining service memorable.

Bib Gourmand and MICHELIN Plate Locations in Taipei

Two weeks ago, the MICHELIN Guide Taipei Taichung 2021 also announced its annual Bib Gourmand selection. A total of 68 restaurants in Taipei and Taichung were highlighted for providing a value-for-money gourmet experience. In Taipei and Taichung, this means that guests can enjoy three high-quality dishes (excluding drinks) for less than 1,000 Taiwan dollars.

In addition, the MICHELIN Guide Taipei Taichung 2021 spotlights a total of 33 street food venues in Taipei’s iconic night markets such as Ningxia, Raohe, Shilin, Linjiang Street, Gongguan, Jingmei, Yansan, and Huaxi Street. Among them, 23 are Bib Gourmand recommendations, whereas 10 have received MICHELIN Plate distinctions.

The MICHELIN Guide Expands to Two New Cities

MICHELIN also announced today that the guidebook selection will be expanded to include the cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung in the 2022 edition. Known as a city of culture, Tainan is famous for offering a plethora of small bites and seafood dishes. Simple shops and street vendors run by third and fourth generation owners often draw long queues with their local delicacies.

As an international port and industrial city, Kaohsiung is the perfect stage for the intermingling and evolution of diverse ethnic and culinary cultures including Hokkien, Hakka, aboriginal and military veterans’ village cuisines and more, resulting in colorful, unique and delicious edible creations. The city’s advanced agricultural and fishing industries, coupled with innovative uses of prized native ingredients from land and sea, form the backbone of its gastronomic traditions, making the city an unmissable magnet for discerning diners.

In total, the MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung 2021 selection includes:

Taipei

1 restaurant with 3 MICHELIN Stars

7 restaurants with 2 MICHELIN Stars (including 1 promoted)

21 restaurants with 1 MICHELIN Star (including 3 newly selected and 2 promoted)

35 Bib Gourmand restaurants (including 6 newly selected)

80 MICHELIN Plate restaurants (including 14 newly selected)

23 Bib Gourmand street food stalls

10 MICHELIN Plate street food stalls

Taichung

1 restaurant with 2 MICHELIN Stars

4 restaurants with 1 MICHELIN Star (including 1 newly selected and 1 promoted)

33 Bib Gourmand restaurants (including 13 newly selected)

31 MICHELIN Plate restaurants (including 2 newly selected)

For the full list of the MICHELIN Guide Taipei & Taichung 2021 and the latest MICHELIN Guide news, visit the official website of the MICHELIN Guide: https://guide.michelin.com/