Picture poached local oysters under a cloud of yucca foam, then dry-aged beef with green mango mojo and black bean sauce, served across a 16-seat counter where the kitchen is close enough to talk to. That is dinner at Emelina, and as of this year it is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Palm Beach County. It sits about 30 minutes up I-95 in West Palm Beach.

Emelina is one of two new stars Michelin added in Florida this year, which makes the drive feel a lot shorter. And it is not the only local name in the 2026 guide. Ten Palm Beach County restaurants made the list, from a wagyu butcher shop to a Cuban tasting counter. Here is what to know, and where to start.

The Star: Emelina

Emelina reimagines Cuban food, asking what the cuisine might have become with decades of free travel and influence behind it. The result is a 10-course tasting menu that starts at $275 per person from husband-and-wife chefs Osmel Gonzalez and Camila Salazar, who came up at Miami's Michelin-starred EntreNos. The restaurant is named after Gonzalez's grandmother. Expect dishes like cherry tomatoes with Cuban oregano chimichurri and macadamia milk foam, and a rabo encendido that reworks the classic oxtail stew. There are only 16 seats a night across two seatings, so this is a book-ahead situation.

The Two Value Picks (Bib Gourmand)

Bib Gourmand is Michelin's nod to great food without the fine-dining bill, and Palm Beach County landed two of them, both in West Palm Beach. Aioli is a casual counter-order sourdough bakery and cafe doing breakfast and lunch, where the inspectors flagged the black bean and tomatillo soup as the order to chase. Palm Beach Meats is an all-wagyu market and restaurant where the wagyu burger gets all the love but the wagyu lumpia is the sleeper. Neither one needs a special occasion or a reservation.

Seven More That Made the Guide

Rounding out the county's selection are seven Michelin Recommended spots, including Ela Curry and Cocktails in West Palm Beach, which is new to the guide this year. The rest are Buccan in Palm Beach, Coolinary and the Parched Pig in Palm Beach Gardens, Moody Tongue Sushi in West Palm Beach, Nicholson Muir in Boynton Beach, Stage Kitchen and Bar in Palm Beach Gardens, and The Butcher's Club in Palm Beach Gardens. Recommended means the inspectors singled these out as worth a stop, which is no small thing.

The Insider Move

Emelina's availability will likely get tighter now that the star has landed, so book as far out as Tock lets you and don't sit on it. If you want the Michelin experience without the tasting-menu commitment, start with the two Bib Gourmands: a sourdough breakfast at Aioli or a wagyu lunch at Palm Beach Meats, both on South Dixie Highway. That is Michelin-recognized food for the price of a regular weekday meal.

Why It Matters

2026 is the first year Michelin's Florida guide covered the whole state, not just a handful of metro areas like Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, and Palm Beach County showed up the moment the door opened. Ten restaurants in our backyard now carry a Michelin nod. The scene we have been watching grow for years is getting noticed.

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