The MICHELIN Guide last year announced restaurants in Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi as part of their first North American regional edition titled MICHELIN Guide American South. 

Being recognised is a big deal for these establishments that are now highly recommended to locals and visitors who follow the influential series of travel guides sponsored by the French tiremaker Michelin.

Two MICHELIN Stars

Louisiana

Emeril's (New Orleans, Creole cuisine)

The young E.J. Lagasse, son of the indomitable namesake, now oversees a remarkable dining room that has celebrated Creole cuisine for more than three decades. His determination is palpable as he charts a new course, bringing contemporary refinement and vibrant originality to the fore. BBQ shrimp tarts, deep-flavoured gumbo and superb, golden-brown cornbread paired with French butter feel familiar and new at once. This is cooking that bursts with personality and class and never at the cost of flavour. Generously spaced tables and plush banquettes offer direct, unobstructed views into a gleaming kitchen fronted by floor-to-ceiling glass. All the while, a superb service team tends to every detail with warmth and generosity.

One MICHELIN Star

Louisiana

Saint-Germain (New Orleans, Contemporary cuisine)

The old adage about not judging a book by its cover couldn’t be more apt for this little restaurant in Bywater. An unassuming front advertising "natural wines and garden patio" leads to a quaint bar where Chefs Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith start the meal with a few pleasant bites. The contemporary tasting kicks into high gear with a griddled cornbread cake smeared with butter aged and cultured in-house. A series of petite courses follows, each one showcasing refined sauces and bold flavours. Carolina Gold rice with crab and ginger is a winter-proof knockout. Other hits include squab with creamed greens as well as a warm cheese soufflé bolstered by brûléed sugar.

Zasu (New Orleans, American Contemporary cuisine)

Chef Sue Zemanick is no stranger to the New Orleans dining scene, having spent time in the kitchens of some of the city's famed restaurants before opening Zasu in 2019. Set in an easy-to-miss cottage in Mid-City, it's an elegant oasis with a sleek dining room marked by wood floors, dark green walls and gold tones. The menu is tightly edited, featuring a dozen or so dishes focused on seafood and blending local flavours with French techniques. A scallop shell holds two perfectly seared scallops in a Thai chile-lime butter with watermelon radish for a refreshing opener, while tilefish on a bed of Swiss chard, sweet potatoes and beech mushrooms in a beurre blanc is a satisfying main course.

Tennessee

Bastion (Nashville, Contemporary cuisine)

Walk through the buzzy cocktail bar to find this stylish restaurant in the Wedgewood- Houston neighbourhood. Bastion offers a single tasting menu featuring contemporary Southern cooking that is approachable yet playful. Dishes arrive in waves, and the product focus is on full display in a stunning plate of yellow peach and tomato with strawberry miso mayo and mozzarella marshmallows, and in a summery pairing of candy-striped agnolotti filled with squash accompanied by a luscious bowlful of creamed corn. Black cod poached in champagne butter over kohlrabi noodles is topped with a parsley salad with bacon for a clever dish. Southern chess pie is bested with sake lees and cantaloupe sherbet for a terrific finale.

Locust (Nashville, Contemporary cuisine)

Reservations are a must at Chef Trevor Moran's compact, Japanese-influenced seafood spot. There is a simple elegance and a clear attention to detail in these dishes, all designed for sharing. Beef tartare hand rolls, a house classic, always delight. From there, explore more of the seafood like Maine diver scallops with shaved green apple. A Japanese omelette with shredded Jonah crab is simple but spot on, but don't skip dessert. The ever-changing iterations of their kakigori may present a block of the finest, powdery shaved ice filled with a dense passion fruit cream and caramelized honeycomb, then draped with rich milk foam and crowned with a confit egg yolk.

The Catbird Seat (Nashville, Contemporary cuisine)

Originally opened in 2011, this prized perch has ushered in a new chapter with its relocation to the top floor of the Bill Voorhees Building. Headed by husband-and-wife chef duo Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz, there is a youthful, maximalist vibe to this cuisine, and a degree of dedication to locality, seasonality and preservation. The meal is built around an array of stimulating small bites that may include such morsels as an elegant take on a chicken wing, here deboned, stuffed and dressed with sauce Perigord. A wee bowlful of crisped lamb neck set atop creamy Carolina

Gold rice and dressed with candy cap mushroom-infused broth and pickled radish pods is yet another tempting possibility.

Green Stars 

January (Franklin, American cuisine)

January, the flagship restaurant at Southall Farm & Inn was recognised for its commitment to sustainable practices, ethical and environmental standards, and leadership in stewardship of natural resources. 

Bib Gourmand

The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors gave several restaurants the Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognises eateries for great food at great value.

The full list for our region can be found below:

• Acamaya – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Bayonet – Birmingham, Alabama
• Cochon – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Cochon Butchers – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Dooky Chase – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Elvie’s – Jackson, Mississippi
• Hog & Hominy – Memphis, Tennessee
• Hungry Eyes – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Kisser – Nashville, Tennessee
• La Fete – Birmingham, Alabama
• Little Coyote – Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Lufu Nola – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Mister Mao – New Orleans, Louisiana
• OvenBird – Birmingham, Alabama
• Parkway Bakery & Tavern – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Peninsula – Nashville, Tennessee
• Pizza Grace – Birmingham, Alabama
• Redheaded Stranger – Nashville, Tennessee
• Saba – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Sacred Ground Barbecue – Jackson, Mississippi
• Sho Pizza Bar – Nashville, Tennessee
• SS Gai – Nashville, Tennessee
• Vito Focacceria – Nashville, Tennessee
• The Noble South – Mobile, Alabama
• Turkey and the Wolf – New Orleans, Louisiana
• Uzbegim – Nashville, Tennessee

All selections for the Michelin Guide to the American South can be seen here.

“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, Michelin Guides’ international director, via a news release. “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."