Latin America’s first 3‑stars

For the first time, Michelin has awarded three stars in Latin America — to Evvai and Tuju in São Paulo. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin announced the 2026 Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo guide on April 13 at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro. The guide said both restaurants moved up from two stars to three. (guide.michelin.com) Evvai is led by chef Luiz Filipe Souza, and Tuju is led by chef Ivan Ralston. Michelin’s restaurant pages now list both São Paulo dining rooms as three-star properties in the 2026 guide. (elle.com.br) (guide.michelin.com) Until this week, Latin America had Michelin-starred restaurants in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, but none with the guide’s top rating. Spanish outlet Cocinillas reported there had been 15 two-star restaurants across the region before this year’s ceremony. (elespanol.com) That changes the Michelin map for the region, which only returned to Brazil in 2024 after suspending its Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo guide during the pandemic years. In the 2025 edition, Evvai and Tuju were still among the restaurants holding two stars. (guide.michelin.com) (elle.com.br) Michelin described Evvai as a restaurant that blends São Paulo’s Italian heritage with Brazilian identity. In a separate inspector feature, the guide described Tuju as a “360-degree culinary adventure” built as a progressive tasting journey through the space. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2) Price is part of the story. ELLE Brasil and Cocinillas both reported tasting menus around €250, putting the new three-star experience in Brazil in the same luxury bracket Michelin diners expect in other global fine-dining capitals. (elle.com.br) (elespanol.com) Michelin’s own framing was direct: Brazil now has the first three-star restaurants in both the country and Latin America. After years of two-star ceilings, the guide’s top category has finally landed in São Paulo. (guide.michelin.com)