Nine new NYC Michelin entries

Michelin added nine New York City restaurants to its 2026 guide in April, and five of them are in Brooklyn. (guide.michelin.com) The April 15 update split the new entries between five Brooklyn spots and four Manhattan ones: Entre Nous, Los Burritos Juárez, Bong, Vato and I Cavallini in Brooklyn, plus Le Chêne, Hwaro, Elcielo New York and Cove in Manhattan. (fox5ny.com) Michelin adds restaurants to its New York selection twice a year, then reveals Bib Gourmands and Stars later at its annual ceremony. The company says new entries appear on its site and app with a “New” symbol before any award decisions are announced. (guide.michelin.com) That means this list is not a star announcement. It is Michelin’s public signal that its inspectors are already tracking these dining rooms for possible promotion to Bib Gourmand or Star status later in 2026. (guide.michelin.com); (fox5ny.com) The Brooklyn group covers a wide spread of formats and cuisines. Michelin’s writeups highlight Entre Nous in Clinton Hill as a wine bar with a strong natural-wine program, Los Burritos Juárez in Fort Greene for border-style burritos from El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Bong in Crown Heights for Cambodian shared plates, Vato in Park Slope for house-made flour tortilla burritos, and I Cavallini in Williamsburg for Italian cooking from chef Nick Curtola. (guide.michelin.com) The Manhattan additions lean more heavily toward tasting-counter and fine-dining formats. Michelin describes Le Chêne in Greenwich Village as classic French cooking, Hwaro in Midtown West as chef Sungchul Shim’s 22-seat counter blending Korean flavors with French techniques, while other coverage identifies Elcielo New York in NoMad and Cove in SoHo as the other two additions. (guide.michelin.com); (timeout.com) Brooklyn’s share of the list stands out because it accounts for more than half of the city’s new additions in this round. The borough’s five entries also span neighborhoods from Clinton Hill and Fort Greene to Crown Heights, Park Slope and Williamsburg. (fox5ny.com); (guide.michelin.com) Michelin says its inspectors judge restaurants on ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, the chef’s voice, and consistency across the menu and over time. Those criteria apply to the guide’s restaurant selections broadly, not just to starred dining rooms. (fox5ny.com) For diners, the practical effect comes before any ceremony: a Michelin “New” tag can tighten reservations fast. For the restaurants, the next milestone is the full 2026 New York awards later this year, when some of these nine could move from new entry to Bib Gourmand or Star. (guide.michelin.com); (bizjournals.com)