Jacksonville lands three Michelin recognitions

Jacksonville officials said on August 5 that three local restaurants — Eggboy, Rue Saint Marc and The Bearded Pig — received Michelin Guide recognition, giving the city its first listings from the restaurant guide. News4Jax reported the honors were announced Wednesday and that Mayor Donna Deegan and Visit Jacksonville were set to present Michelin placards to the restaurants’ owners and chefs at City Hall. The recognitions follow Michelin’s June expansion into Northeast Florida, which brought Jacksonville into the Florida guide for the first time. ### Which Jacksonville restaurants were recognized? News4Jax named Eggboy, Rue Saint Marc and The Bearded Pig as the three Jacksonville-area restaurants that received Michelin Guide recognition on August 5. The outlet said Eggboy is in Atlantic Beach, while Rue Saint Marc and The Bearded Pig are in Jacksonville’s San Marco area. (news4jax.com) The restaurant operators identified in the report were Nicholas Presti and Zachary Presti, co-founders of Eggboy, with Raymond Johnston as head chef; Scott Alters, executive chef and proprietor of Rue Saint Marc, with beverage director Gaby Alters; and Chad Munsey and Michael Schmidt, co-founders of The Bearded Pig. (news4jax.com) ### Was this a Michelin star, a Bib Gourmand, or something else? Michelin had already included the Jacksonville market in its Florida coverage by June 2, when News4Jax, citing the Jacksonville Daily Record, reported that no stars were awarded to Northeast Florida restaurants but nine establishments received recommendations. That earlier list included Eggboy, The Bearded Pig and Rue Saint Marc. (news4jax.com) News4Jax described the August 5 event as official Michelin Guide recognition, not the awarding of Michelin stars. The report said a listing in the guide, even without a star, places a restaurant among venues recognized for quality, consistency and culinary distinction. ### Why did Jacksonville officials make a public event out of it? (news4jax.com) Mayor Donna Deegan and Visit Jacksonville were scheduled to present Michelin recognition placards at Jacksonville City Hall, according to News4Jax. The outlet said city leaders cast the recognition as evidence that Jacksonville’s dining scene was gaining national attention after years of being overlooked. (news4jax.com) The August 5 report tied that argument to a June 2025 FinanceBuzz study that ranked Jacksonville the most boring city in America among 75 major cities. News4Jax said the study cited the city’s culinary scene as a weak category and found that 54% of Jacksonville restaurants were chains, tied for the fourth-highest rate in the country. (news4jax.com) ### How does this fit into Michelin’s Florida rollout? June 2 was the first time Michelin included Jacksonville and the broader Northeast Florida region in the Florida restaurants it considers, according to News4Jax’s earlier report. That initial Northeast Florida list named nine recommended restaurants across Jacksonville, Amelia Island, St. Augustine and Gainesville. (news4jax.com) Michelin’s official site now maintains a Jacksonville restaurant directory as part of its U.S. guide, showing the city has been folded into the guide’s Florida coverage. The company’s main U.S. site also highlights its annual Florida selections and restaurant listings. ### What happens next for the three restaurants? The next public step is the City Hall placard presentation described by News4Jax, involving Deegan, Visit Jacksonville and the restaurants’ chefs and owners. (news4jax.com) Michelin’s Jacksonville and Florida directories will be the public record for whether those listings are maintained, expanded or upgraded in future guide updates. (news4jax.com) (guide.michelin.com)