Michelin’s Latin‑America leap
For the first time Michelin awarded three stars to restaurants in Latin America — Evvai and Tuju earned that top distinction in the 2026 guide unveiled at Rio’s Copacabana Palace. (elespanol.com) The same Rio coverage lists eight Rio de Janeiro entries in the 2026 guide and gives tasting‑menu price ranges from R$440 to R$1,380 (drinks excluded). (diariodorio.com)
Michelin has awarded three stars in Latin America for the first time, giving the 2026 honor to Evvai and Tuju in São Paulo. (guide.michelin.com) The awards were announced on April 13 at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro during the launch of the Michelin Guide Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo 2026. Michelin said the two restaurants are the first in Brazil and the first anywhere in Latin America to reach its top tier. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin’s own guide defines one star as “high-quality cooking,” two stars as “excellent cooking, worth a detour,” and three stars as “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” The Brazil 2026 selection kept 149 restaurants in the guide and added 12 new establishments. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com) Both new three-star winners are in São Paulo, not Rio. Evvai is led by chef Luiz Filipe Souza, whose menu mixes Brazilian and Italian influences, while Tuju is the São Paulo restaurant of chef Ivan Ralston. (guide.michelin.com, oglobo.globo.com) Evvai had held two stars in the 2025 guide before moving up this year. Michelin’s inspectors describe its “Oriundi” tasting menu as a dialogue between Brazil and Italy, with dishes including a white moqueca and a scallop course called Bomba de vieira. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com) Rio’s part of the 2026 guide was smaller but still expensive. Diário do Rio reported eight starred restaurants in the city, with tasting menus ranging from R$440 at Madame Olympe to R$1,380 at Lasai, before drinks or pairings. (diariodorio.com) In Rio, Lasai and Oro kept two stars, while Madame Olympe entered with one star less than a year after opening. The other one-star restaurants listed for Rio were Mee, Casa 201, Oseille, Oteque and San Omakase. (vejario.abril.com.br, diariodorio.com) Michelin’s Brazil guide still covers only Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, even as Michelin has expanded elsewhere in the region, including Mexico. That leaves this year’s headline concentrated in one country and two cities, with Brazil now holding Latin America’s first pair of three-star restaurants. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com) The ceremony was staged with Rio’s City Hall as a tourism event as much as a restaurant ranking. Michelin and local officials used the Copacabana Palace backdrop to pitch Rio as a culinary destination, even though the night’s biggest prizes went to São Paulo kitchens. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com)
