The biggest night of the year for Southern restaurants came to Nashville Oct. 21, as chefs and restaurateurs from across the region gathered at The Pinnacle to learn who would earn a coveted Michelin star, who would keep one and who might lose one.
Three Nashville restaurants earned Michelin stars, bringing the city's total to six Michelin-recognized restaurants since the guide expanded to the South last year.
The ceremony, emceed by Charles Esten, who played country singer Deacon Claybourne on the drama "Nashville," marked the second year of Michelin's American South guide.
The guide debuted in 2025, bringing the internationally recognized restaurant rating system to Tennessee for the first time. Last year, Nashville earned three Michelin stars,
awarded to Bastion, Locust and The Catbird Seat, all part of the Strategic Hospitality restaurant group.
This year, 5th & Taylor, Junior and Present Tense also won stars.
Read our Michelin explainer here.
The recognition has already had a measurable effect on at least one of those restaurants.
Josh Habiger, chef and partner at Bastion, said the 24-seat Wedgewood-Houston restaurant has been full or nearly full every night since receiving its star in 2025, easing some of the financial uncertainty that comes with running a small restaurant.
"As a restaurant owner, you have like 100 problems every single day that you may have to worry about," Habiger said.
With the restaurant full essentially every night since the restaurant earned its first star, the chef said the typical issues that plague a restaurant, including costs and staffing, don't feel as insurmountable.
"If you know you're going to be full, it takes a handful of those 100 problems off your plate," he said.
The star also brought renewed attention to Bastion, which opened in 2016 in Wedgewood-Houston, an area that's transformed dramatically over the past decade.
In a city where new restaurants open regularly and competition for diners continues to grow, Habiger said the recognition helped introduce the restaurant to new customers while reminding longtime diners that it was still there.
"Another nice thing about getting the star last year was just kind of reinvigorating a 10-year-old restaurant," Habiger said. "We're like a senior citizen in the restaurant world."
When Bastion opened, earning Michelin recognition wasn't even a consideration.
"We literally said, we will never get a Michelin star," he said. "Michelin will never come to Nashville."
But Michelin's arrival in Nashville has helped make the city a destination for travelers willing to spend more on luxury experiences.
"Hosting the Michelin Guide American South Ceremony is a significant moment for Nashville and an opportunity to showcase our city's culinary scene on a national and international stage," said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
Data provided by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. points to the growing importance of luxury travel in the city's tourism market. According to Future Partners, 57% of recent Nashville visitors consider luxury experiences an important part of their trips. One in five downtown visitors traveling from at least 50 miles away belong to an affluent demographic with a strong interest in dining, travel and cultural experiences.
"The Michelin Guide carries tremendous prestige, and the attention it garners will continue to introduce Nashville's restaurants and chefs to travelers around the world," Ivey said.
Julio Hernedez's Maiz de la Vida earned its first Bib Gourmand. Before the ceremony began, Hernandez did not know what recognition he was up for, but he said being invited to Michelin was an honor.
Hernandez, born in Tlaxcala, Mexico, first launched his business making tortillas. He said any win for him was a win for immigrants everywhere.
"We have that on our shoulders, so we deliver," he said.
Strategic Hospitality's restaurants each retained their stars. No other Michelin stars were awarded.
Emeril's in New Orleans was the only Southern restaurant to leave the ceremony with two stars, first awarded at the inaugural event in 2025.
Here are the Nashville winners
Newly Michelin-recommended (these restaurants join already recommended restaurants in the Guide):
- 5th & Taylor
- Junior
- Present Tense
Nashville's newly awarded Bib Gourmand restaurant (joins the already established Bib Gourmand restaurants in the Guide):
- Maiz de la Vida
These restaurants retained their one Michelin star:
- Bastion
- The Catbird Seat
- Locust
Mackensy Lunsford is the senior dining reporter for The Tennessean. Reach her at mlunsford@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who won Michelin stars in Nashville? See the 2026 results
