Big Michelin wins in Brazil

Brazil now has its first three-star Michelin restaurants: Evvai and Tuju in São Paulo reached the guide’s top rank on April 13. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin announced the 2026 Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo selection at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, and said the two restaurants are also the first in Latin America to earn three stars. (guide.michelin.com) The same ceremony added one new one-star restaurant: Madame Olympe in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian coverage said no restaurant in Rio or São Paulo lost stars in this edition. (g1.globo.com) Michelin’s stars are its top restaurant ratings, and three stars are reserved for places the guide considers worth a special trip. Until this 2026 edition, Brazil had never had a three-star restaurant in the guide. (guide.michelin.com) That changed after years in which Brazil’s highest-ranked restaurants had stalled below the top tier. Exame reported that D.O.M. in São Paulo and Lasai and Oro in Rio kept two stars, with no new additions in that category. (exame.com) Michelin said the 2026 guide still covers only Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with 149 selected establishments in total and 12 new additions across all categories. (guide.michelin.com) The guide also expanded its Bib Gourmand list, which recognizes restaurants for strong value, by adding six places: Koral in Rio, and Jiquitaia, Manioca JK, Ping Yang Thai Bar & Food, Tabôa Cozinha Artesanal and Tanit in São Paulo. That brought Brazil’s Bib Gourmand total to 46, with 38 in São Paulo and eight in Rio. (oglobo.globo.com) Special awards rounded out the night. UOL reported that Pedro Coronha of Koral won the Young Chef Award, while Michelin introduced an Exceptional Cocktails Award in Brazil for the first time in this edition. (uol.com.br) For Brazil’s dining scene, the 2026 guide did two things at once: it pushed São Paulo into Michelin’s top global tier and gave Rio one new starred address. The next test is whether more cities enter the guide, or whether Rio and São Paulo remain Michelin’s only Brazilian map. (guide.michelin.com)