Since the Michelin Guide began evaluating Florida’s dining scene in 2022, Tampa, along with Orlando and Miami, were the only cities included in the Sunshine State’s culinary spotlight. Unsurprisingly, Tampa racked up several nods, but with the Guide’s initial city limits tightly drawn, many deserving Tampa Bay establishments were left out of the conversation.
That changed in 2025, when Michelin expanded its scope to include more of Florida’s culinary talent by adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete–Clearwater to its prospect list. While neither snagged any stars to rival its sister city of Tampa, four restaurants earned a place on the Guide’s recommended list—paving the way for Pinellas County to make its culinary mark on a global stage.
Il Ritorno
David Lazer Benstock was born and raised in St. Pete—long before the city had a nationally recognized food scene. He started working in restaurants at 13, went to culinary school and built his career in fine dining kitchens in New York and Miami. But his heart was always back home.
After a visit with family and a glimpse of St. Pete’s emerging culinary identity, Benstock returned to open Il Ritorno. Its name, which translates to “the return,” nods to both his homecoming and new chapter as executive chef and owner of a fine dining Italian restaurant on Central Avenue.
More than a decade in, Il Ritorno has become a mainstay on best-of lists and the menu has evolved from rustic to refined, with just three permanent dishes: Benstock’s “Beat Bobby Flay”-winning Short Rib Mezzaluna, Bucatini Pomodoro and Steamed Mussels. Everything else changes seasonally, with three months of planning and tasting behind every update.
There’s also a reason why the restaurant is only open for dinner. Nearly everything is made from scratch daily—from the bread and 11 types of pasta to gelato, ferments and even miso. “There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into the prep here,” he adds.
Although he’s cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants and at the James Beard House, Benstock never expected Michelin would spotlight his hometown. “It’s really good for the area,” he says.
And while the recognition is an honor, it hasn’t changed their mission.
“Would we have liked to get a star? Absolutely. Are we going to keep doing what we do? Yeah. Maybe we’ll get the star next year, maybe not—but it’s never changed what we do. Once we found out we could even get the possibility of a star, we just kept creating every season,” he says. “It’s the same constant progression.”
The Tides Market
The Tides Market opened in 2021 with the idea of creating a space that felt like a Saturday morning market every day. Since then, it’s evolved into a hybrid full-service restaurant and market, where thoughtfully sourced local products—like St. Pete Ferments and Oliver Heritage Farms—are used in many of the restaurant’s dishes.
“Our motto at The Tides is ‘thoughtfully sourced, simply prepared,’ and that is something that has really resonated with people,” says chef and co-owner Jon Walker. “We believe that if you start with quality ingredients and treat those ingredients right, you’re going to get the best food.”
The shift from market to restaurant happened organically, as surplus goods were used in the kitchen to minimize waste. Walker, who fell in love with cooking in the kitchens of New Orleans, says the dream took shape after meeting his wife and co-owner Mary Kate while working in hospitality in Georgia.
Signature dishes like the award-winning grouper sandwich—made with Tarpon Springs grouper and a house Creole seasoning developed during Walker’s time in New Orleans—along with po’boys on Leidenheimer bread and the Grouper Romesco with crawfish arancini, helped earn The Tides a spot on the Michelin Guide’s recommendation list.
“Being recognized by the Michelin Guide is incredibly validating,” says Walker. “It feels like an affirmation of all the hard work, passion and care we put into what we do every day.”
A Florida native and longtime Safety Harbor resident, Walker credits community support for the restaurant’s success and sees the recognition as a win for the region’s growing culinary identity.
Fortu
The youngest St. Pete restaurant to receive Michelin recognition, Fortu—located in the historic Ponce De Leon Hotel and known for its small plates, scratch-made sauces and standout cocktail program—has been generating praise since its opening, dominating Creative Loafing’s 2024 “Best of the Bay” awards. The restaurant earned titles including Best All-Around Restaurant, Best Asian Restaurant, Best Chef, Best St. Pete Restaurant and Best Martini, and placed in the top three of several other categories.
From day one, the staff—most of whom have been with the restaurant since it opened—set their sights high. While Michelin wasn’t initially looking at Pinellas County, the team believed it could happen in the future and quietly pursued that level of excellence.
Signature dishes like the 36-hour marinated miso black cod, a rival to Nobu’s, and the use of premium A5 wagyu have helped Fortu stand out, but the Michelin nod is seen as a stepping stone, not a final destination.
“We’re not even content with just the recognition,” says Beverage Director David Mocilan. “We’re coming for the star.”
The recommendation has already boosted bookings and drawn new attention across the region.
“The Michelin recommendation was important because it automatically gives us a lot of recognition outside of St. Pete,” says General Manager Mark Armato. “People from Tampa are paying attention—and from all over Florida and the country.”
For a restaurant that’s only been open a year and a half, Fortu has quickly made its mark—and the team is just getting started.
Sushi Sho Rexley
While sushi in America can be good, brothers Arte and Rexley Kwok noticed it often strayed from traditional Japanese techniques. Wanting to bring a more authentic experience to the St. Pete area, they opened Sushi Sho Rexley seven and a half years ago.
More than just an omakase restaurant, Sushi Sho Rexley embraces what Rexley calls the “method of minus.” Unlike most cooking styles that emphasize creativity and complexity, sushi—done traditionally—celebrates simplicity and purity.
“Our method is highlighting the main ingredients, and it should be a harmony between the rice and fish,” Rexley says. “We don’t want to cover up with too many sauces. We don’t want to put like wagyu, toro, uni, caviar and truffle in the same piece of sushi. It will look pretty, but you don’t know what you are eating.”
He encourages diners to embrace the spirit of omakase. “Omakase literally means ‘trust the chef.’ You may have things that you don’t know or don’t like from previous experience, but we do things differently. Keep your mind open and try it. It may surprise you.”
The Kwoks were surprised when the Michelin Guide expanded to include St. Pete–Clearwater—and even more so when Sushi Sho Rexley earned recognition. But while they’re honored, Rexley says the mission remains the same.
“We will target the experience of the customers,” he says. “Customer experience will always be the first priority.”
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