Regina Troy Barrios

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Michelin Guide

On October 30, the Philippines will finally be judged. At least, that’s how it will feel when the Michelin Guide unveils its very first selection for Manila, its surrounding provinces, and Cebu. The setting is the Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport World Resorts—grand enough for a debut ball, which is essentially what this is: the archipelago’s formal entrance onto the world’s most-watched culinary stage.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17581861302711.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>The MICHELIN Guide Ceremony: Manila and Environs &amp; Cebu 2026 will not be just another black-tie awards night. It will be a coronation, a carefully staged moment when the world’s most powerful red book tells us what we’ve suspected all along—that Filipino cuisine, in all its sprawling diversity, deserves a seat at the global table. For chefs who’ve been building reputations plate by plate, it will be a chance to see whether their restaurants are merely beloved, or canonized.Like every other Michelin ceremony, this one comes wrapped in theater. There will be a welcome reception, a parade of announcements—Selected Restaurants, Bib Gourmands, Stars, Special Awards—and then a cocktail party where some of Asia’s most decorated chefs cook for the newly anointed. Guillaume Galliot of Hong Kong’s three-star Caprice will be there. So will Darren Teoh of Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur, Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama in Chicago (the first Filipino restaurant ever to win a star), and Vicky Cheng of VEA in Hong Kong. The subtext is clear: the Philippines isn’t just being welcomed; it’s being placed alongside the region’s best.Michelin does not give its approval lightly. The anonymous inspectors apply the same five criteria here as they do in Paris or Kyoto: quality of ingredients, mastery of technique, harmony of flavors, personality of the chef, and consistency. It’s an exacting standard—sometimes criticized as rigid or Eurocentric, but undeniably influential. One star can transform a restaurant’s fortunes overnight. A Bib Gourmand can fill a humble dining room with reservations for months.For the Philippines, the ceremony is more than an industry gala. It’s an international broadcast (literally: the event will be livestreamed on Michelin Guide Asia’s YouTube channel) that tells the world what locals already know: the food here is unlike anywhere else, layered with history, improvisation, and soul. To some, the night will feel overdue. To others, it will be the start of a new kind of pressure—because once the stars arrive, the spotlight never leaves.On October 30, the chefs of Manila and Cebu will hear what the inspectors think. The rest of us will be watching, forks in hand, to see if Michelin has finally learned to taste the Philippines.

The MICHELIN Guide will unveil its first-ever selection for Manila, its environs, and Cebu on October 30, marking the Philippines’ long-awaited debut on Asia’s fiercely watched fine dining stage.

The MICHELIN Guide will unveil its first-ever selection for Manila, its environs, and Cebu on October 30, marking the Philippines’ long-awaited debut on Asia’s fiercely watched fine dining stage.

Who Made The Cut? Michelin Guide Names First PH Restaurants In October

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Who Made The Cut? Michelin Guide Names First PH Restaurants In October

Troy Barrios

Published September 18, 2025 12:10 PM PHT

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Updated September 18, 2025 05:07 PM PHT

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