Perpignan hits Michelin
A restaurant in Perpignan that opened just six months ago was added to the Michelin Guide 2026—rapid recognition that signals the Pyrénées‑Orientales is punching up on the culinary map. France’s 2026 Guide also rolled out new three‑star additions and highlighted more accessible tasting menus elsewhere, underlining continued French culinary momentum. (actu.fr) (marmiton.org)
L’Épicentre — the Perpignan table run by chef Julien Montassié — opened on 26 September 2025 and is listed in the MICHELIN Guide France 2026 at 25 allée des Chênes, Parc Ducup (guide.michelin.com). (toques-roussillon.fr) Julien Montassié left Domaine Riberach’s La Coopérative in late 2024 after helping that house win a Michelin green star in 2022 and a standard Michelin star in spring 2025 while he led its kitchens (leparisien.fr). (leparisien.fr) L’Épicentre’s pricing is positioned for accessibility: weekday lunch menus at €27 and €34, and evening discovery/gastronomic tasting menus in five and seven services priced €56 and €79, according to local coverage and the restaurant’s site (actu.fr; restaurantlepicentre.fr). (actu.fr) The Guide MICHELIN France 2026 promoted one new three‑star restaurant — Les Morainières in Jongieux — alongside seven new two‑star and 54 new one‑star additions, bringing the national total of triple‑star houses to 31 (guide.michelin.com; jds.fr). (guide.michelin.com) Inspectors and coverage of the 2026 edition highlighted a clear turn toward more accessible formats — midday menus at lower price points, bistrots attached to starred tables, stronger local sourcing and more plant‑forward options — as an industry trend this year (jds.fr; marmiton.org). (jds.fr) Regional impact: the Pyrénées‑Orientales now counts four starred restaurants after the 2026 selections, even as at least one nearby establishment lost its star in the same update, underlining shifting fortunes for local houses (actu.fr; midilibre.fr). (actu.fr)
