Las Vegas restaurants earned 24 distinctions in the inaugural 2026 MICHELIN Guide Southwest.
See the list of Michelin restaurants →When the Michelin Guide arrived in Las Vegas in 2008, it gave formal recognition to what diners had already begun to understand: Las Vegas had become one of America’s most audacious places to book a table.
During Michelin’s two-year run in Las Vegas, 17 restaurants earned stars. Among them was the only Las Vegas restaurant ever awarded three Michelin Stars—Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand—as well as two-star Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace and the one-Star Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, the first Chinese restaurant in North America to receive a Michelin Star. Michelin last reviewed Las Vegas in 2009, but the chefs, restaurants and ambition that defined that era helped turn the destination into a global dining capital.
Now, Las Vegas has made Michelin history again. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Las Vegas hosted the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Southwest Ceremony at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, unveiling the first-ever Southwest Guide and recognizing restaurants across Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Las Vegas restaurants earned 24 distinctions, including two new Michelin Stars. The timing couldn't have been more fitting. Las Vegas' dining scene has evolved far beyond its original celebrity-chef boom, with neighborhood restaurants, independent operators and resort kitchens all helping define the city's food identity — and the accolades had already been coming in: in June 2026, Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa at Encore Las Vegas won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.
The Restaurants That Made Michelin History in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is a culinary powerhouse, with the most concentrated group of star chefs and award-winning restaurants of nearly any city. Most insiders will tell you that the opening of Bellagio in 1998 was the city’s bellwether moment. In came big-name, award-winning chefs and restaurateurs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Sirio Maccioni, Michael Mina, Todd English, and Julian Serrano to change the city’s restaurant landscape forever.
The opening of Wynn Las Vegas in 2005 ushered in a new era for the culinary scene on the Strip: the hotel became an incubator for talent, propelling well-known chefs to culinary fame. And the 2006 arrival of two of Paris’ most acclaimed masters, Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, marked Las Vegas’ arrival on fine dining’s world stage. For chefs these days, opening in Vegas is the zenith of their careers. The city has become so muscular in the culinary world that it is the second U.S. city ever (after New York City in 2016) to host The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, a week-long celebration of the restaurants voted on by a 1,000-member panel from 27 regions around the world.
These restaurants received Michelin Stars during the Guide’s 2008 and 2009 Las Vegas coverage. Think of them as a hall of fame, not a current scoreboard: Michelin distinctions are based on ongoing anonymous inspections, and the city has not been reviewed since 2009. The Aug. 26 Southwest ceremony will mark the first new Michelin selections for Las Vegas in 17 years.
Joël Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand
Created by and named for the late Joël Robuchon—Gault Millau’s “Chef of the Century”—these MGM Grand neighbors offered two distinct expressions of the French master’s cuisine. The formal Joël Robuchon, inside The Mansion at MGM Grand, remains the only Las Vegas restaurant ever awarded three Michelin Stars. Its more relaxed sibling, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, earned one Michelin Star during the Guide’s Las Vegas era. Together, they helped establish a new standard for fine dining on the Strip: meticulous technique, theatrical service and a bread cart with enough gravitational pull to affect nearby planets.
Fun Fact: Joël Robuchon is one of three currently operating Las Vegas restaurants to hold Wine Spectator’s prestigious Grand Award. The others are Restaurant Guy Savoy and Delmonico Steakhouse.
Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace
Located inside Caesars Palace, Restaurant Guy Savoy earned two Michelin Stars during the Guide’s Las Vegas coverage, a distinction that reflected the technical precision and extravagance of Paris master Guy Savoy’s only U.S. restaurant. The room may be more modern and restrained than some of the city’s grand French dining rooms, but the experience still leans deliciously maximalist: Colors of Caviar, Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, and salmon prepared atop an “iceberg” of dry ice.
Insider tip: For a true gastronomic adventure, book the private Krug Chef’s Table inside the kitchen, which has its own menu paired with bubbly from the House of Krug.
Wing Lei at Wynn
The first Chinese restaurant in North America to ever receive a Michelin star, the Forbes 5-starred Wing Lei offers a mix of Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Szechuan dishes prepared at a world-class level. They’re served in a dining room bathed in shades of jade and gold, with a golden dragon statue overlooking an orchard of century-old pomegranate trees just outside a window. Peking duck, dim sum and wok-fried Maine lobster are among the most popular dishes. But don’t overlook seafood delicacies like abalone, sea cucumber and geoduck.
Michael Mina at Bellagio
The seafood-focused flagship of a celebrity chef who currently operates five Las Vegas restaurants (and dozens around the globe) has been in operation since Bellagio opened its doors, although it was originally known as Aqua. The recipient of chef’s only Las Vegas star ever, Michael Mina is by far his most elegant—and the best place in the world to experience signature dishes like his ahi tartare, lobster pot pie, and the caviar parfait he first served to his wife on their honeymoon. Executive chef Raj Dixit is constantly updating the menu with exciting new spins on ingredients from both the land and the sea.
INSIDER TIP: You have to walk through the Bellagio Conservatory to get to this restaurant, so plan to arrive a little early to enjoy it and snap some photos.
Vegas’ Award Season Is Already Underway
The Michelin Guide Southwest Ceremony is not the only major culinary moment on Las Vegas’ 2026 calendar. Earlier this year, the city logged a record 14 James Beard Award semifinalist nods across nine categories—its strongest showing to date.
By finalist time, Las Vegas had three names left on the board: Tamba, the modern Indian restaurant at Town Square, for Best New Restaurant; Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa at Encore Las Vegas; and Brian Howard of Chinatown’s Sparrow + Wolf, both for Best Chef: Southwest.
Thompson ultimately won Best Chef: Southwest, giving Las Vegas a James Beard victory just months before the city welcomes the inaugural Michelin Guide Southwest Ceremony.
Michelin stars are back in Las Vegas
For Las Vegas, the return of Michelin was less a debut than a reunion — one that arrived after years of expansion, experimentation, and a culinary confidence that no longer depends on anyone else's approval. On Aug. 26, the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Southwest Ceremony came to Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and the city was watching. And, naturally, making dinner reservations.
Check out the official Las Vegas Michelin Dining Guide to see all of the recognized restaurants including Michelin star recipients, Bib Gourmand selections and recommended favorites.