The 2025 MICHELIN Guide highlights New York City’s top culinary talent, from rising stars to established favorites. The list showcases the evolving dining scene in the city, with new stars emerging and old favorites being renewed.
Sushi Sho earned top recognition, cementing its reputation as one of New York’s most celebrated restaurants.
NYC’s Sushi Sho Earned the Highest Award in MICHELIN Guide
The restaurant Sushi Sho in Midtown East has solidified its spot in the industry. The 2025 issue of the MICHELIN Guide to New York City has declared the establishment one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city, with the Three-Star news. Inspectors compliment it as being the master of the highest order, how smoothly the kitchen and service teams work together, and the consistency of performance is impressive.
The Three-Star distinction marks a milestone for New York fine dining and reflects Sushi Sho’s dedication to precise technique and top-quality ingredients.
An already MICHELIN-starred restaurant, Joo-Ok has been promoted to two Stars, with some restaurants earning their first one. Here is a complete list of restaurants that received different Stars in the 2025 guide.
Inside Sushi Sho’s Three-Star Success
Located at 3 East 41st Street, Sushi Sho combines expert craftsmanship with an intimate setting: an eight-seat Hinoki-wood sushi counter framed by carved wooden doors and towering ice boxes.
The atmosphere is refined and subtle; there is not much decoration, and it is all about the cooking process of the chef. Signature dishes are served over a chef-driven omakase. Some of the foods that diners usually praise include pressed sushi (bateira), where salt and vinegar-cured fish is stacked on top of rice and topped with seaweed.
There are options for Sashimi, such as Usuzukuri, thinly sliced hirame (fluke) with ponzu sauce. The menu emphasizes high-end fish and shellfish, refined texture, and measured flavor. Guests can explore the restaurant’s culinary history and reserve a table to experience its acclaimed dishes firsthand.
Methodology of How MICHELIN Stars are Awarded
MICHELIN Stars are earned through rigorous evaluation by anonymous, full-time inspectors who focus solely on the food.
The MICHELIN Guide has some universal standards that dictate its decisions. The quality of the ingredients, the balance of flavors, the command of the culinary art, the personality of the chef, as evidenced in their cuisine, and, above all, consistency, both across the entire menu and over time.
This ensures that a restaurant is not merely serving a single spectacular meal, but is maintaining the high quality of service on every visit.
Inspectors visit each restaurant multiple times, sampling different menu items at lunch and dinner on weekdays and weekends to assess overall performance.
The decision on Stars is also not a one-man show. After the inspections, a group discusses and agrees on the decision. There are differences in all three Stars as well; details of the rest of the procedures and various layers are explained here.
With new distinctions across the city and standout successes like Sushi Sho, the 2025 MICHELIN Guide highlights New York’s diverse and brilliant dining scene. The latest selections promote the image of the city as the world’s leading culinary destination.
