Michelin adds three London restaurants

The Michelin Guide added three London restaurants to its selection on May 20, giving Cometa in Fitzrovia, Rucola in Covent Garden and KHAO BIRD in Soho official inclusion in the guide before any future star or Bib Gourmand decisions. Michelin published the additions in a London update on its website, describing them as the latest restaurants approved by its anonymous inspectors. The move was part of Michelin’s rolling updates to its London listings rather than a standalone star announcement. Michelin said the three venues reflected the “variety and vitality” of the capital’s dining scene. ### Which London restaurants were added this time? Michelin named Cometa, Rucola and KHAO BIRD as the three restaurants added to its London selection this month. The guide placed Cometa in Fitzrovia, Rucola in Covent Garden and KHAO BIRD in Soho. Cometa is listed by Michelin as a Mexican restaurant linked to the Carousel team on Charlotte Street. Michelin said the restaurant took over the group’s former wine bar space and highlighted dishes including crab chilpachole rice with smoked eel cream. (guide.michelin.com) Rucola is described by Michelin as an Italian restaurant on the fifth floor of The Conduit club in Covent Garden. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin said the restaurant has a terrace overlooking the city and pointed to dishes including pici ai gamberi and tomato bucatini. KHAO BIRD is listed by Michelin as a Thai restaurant in Soho focused on Northern Thai barbecue cooking. Michelin said the site occupies what had been the neighborhood’s last adult cinema and called the food “well-priced,” with Northern Thai dishes at the center of the menu. (guide.michelin.com) ### Does a new Michelin listing mean a star? Michelin said restaurants are added to the guide throughout the year as inspectors find “new top-level dining options” across Great Britain and Ireland, while distinctions such as Stars and Bib Gourmands are revealed at the annual ceremony. (guide.michelin.com) That means inclusion in the guide is separate from receiving a star. The Michelin Guide’s Great Britain and Ireland 2026 ceremony took place on February 9 in Dublin, where Michelin announced the latest stars and special awards for the region. Michelin said London had 88 starred restaurants after that ceremony. ### How do these additions fit into Michelin’s broader London coverage? Michelin said London has more than 85 Michelin-starred establishments and more than 45 Bib Gourmands, underscoring the scale of the city’s existing coverage in the guide. (guide.michelin.com) The guide’s London restaurant page currently lists hundreds of restaurants across the capital and surrounding areas. (guide.michelin.com) The May 20 update also said the three new entries joined a longer list of London restaurants added earlier in 2026, including 2210 by NattyCanCook, Alta, LUSO, Mareida and MOI. Michelin’s February round-up of Great Britain and Ireland additions said 168 restaurants had been added across the guide in the previous 12 months. ### Why were these restaurants singled out by Michelin inspectors? (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s write-up emphasized range rather than a single trend. The guide said the latest London additions covered Mexican seafood-led cooking, classic Italian dishes served from a rooftop setting and Northern Thai barbecue in Soho. Michelin did not assign stars or Bib Gourmands in the May 20 notice. (guide.michelin.com) Instead, it published short inspector notes on each restaurant and folded them into the live London selection, where they now appear alongside the city’s existing Michelin-listed venues. ### What happens next for these restaurants? Michelin said new additions can appear year-round, but stars and Bib Gourmands are reserved for the annual Great Britain and Ireland ceremony. (guide.michelin.com) The next formal awards step for Cometa, Rucola and KHAO BIRD would therefore come through a future Michelin Guide ceremony for the region, if inspectors decide to award them. The Michelin Guide’s London update remains live on the guide’s website, where the three restaurants now appear as part of the capital’s current selection. Michelin’s restaurant pages also continue to track later additions and any eventual distinctions. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2)