Michelin shakeup: France & Portugal
The 2026 Michelin Guide crowned Les Morainières in Savoie a new three-star and reaffirmed Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris with six stars across three restaurants — France’s guide now lists 668 starred restaurants, and Portugal added 11 new Michelin-starred places this year [Four Seasons; Le Monde; Travel Tomorrow]. Monaco hosted the Michelin ceremony for the first time, underscoring Europe’s shifting fine-dining map [Riviera Radio via web briefing].
Les Morainières was opened in 2005 by Michaël and Ingrid Arnoult in Jongieux, Savoie, and the couple’s guesthouse-style setting includes six bedrooms, according to Michelin’s press release describing their history. An inspector’s first‑hand account notes Chef Michaël Arnoult runs the kitchen almost single‑handedly and the dining room looks out toward the Mont du Chat, underscoring the restaurant’s mountain‑rooted identity (guide.michelin.com). The 2026 France & Monaco selection breaks down into 31 three‑star, 84 two‑star and 553 one‑star listings, with this edition awarding one new three‑star, seven new two‑stars and 54 new one‑stars (62 new Stars) and recognising 14 establishments for ethical practices, per Michelin’s release outlining the full roster. Among the headline downgrades, Paris’s L’Ambroisie lost its third star after a recent chef change, a shift flagged in coverage of the pre‑ceremony retrogradations noting the demotion. Outside Paris, observers counted widespread cuts and reshuffles: reporting compiled after the announcements put the number of single‑star losses at around 17 and flagged more than 20 previously starred venues that closed or changed concept, including names singled out in national press summarising the downgrades and coverage of closures. In Portugal’s announcements, Lisbon’s Fifty Seconds under chef Rui Silvestre was promoted to Two MICHELIN Stars while ten other restaurants received their first One Star at the national ceremony in Funchal, Madeira, as detailed on the Michelin Portugal pages and local coverage of the March gala confirming Fifty Seconds’ promotion and the Funchal event reporting the new cohort. The France & Monaco awards were staged at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum on March 16, 2026 — the first time the Principality has hosted the ceremony — an edition organised in partnership with the Government of Monaco and the Monte‑Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, according to event and Michelin announcements detailing the venue and partnership.
