The Michelin Guide remains one of the world’s most authoritative restaurant rating systems, with its influence varying by region. In recent years, it has actively expanded into new countries and has now been present in Türkiye for three years. Its newly released 2026 selection for Türkiye still covers only selected provinces, not the entire country. I was in Hong Kong and unable to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Bosphorus in Istanbul, but that was even better as I could watch it live online and follow several Instagram accounts of chefs and gastronomy professionals, which gave me a detailed view of the evaluations and the entire event. No Michelin representatives were present in Istanbul this year either, so there were no press conferences or one-on-one meetings with the press to attend back in Istanbul.
Spanish and Thai attitude
Interestingly, this year, I found myself in the midst of other countries’ Michelin events. Likewise, just before the ceremony in Istanbul, I watched the ones for Spain and Thailand in successive order, which had also been announced recently. Before the Spanish list was announced, I had met many of the star-winning Spanish chefs in Barcelona and Donostia-San Sebastián, and some of them were present at the La Liste gala dinner in Paris. The day after the Thailand list was announced, I was in Bangkok and again met with a significant number of the chefs who made the list. Having watched both ceremonies from afar and heard the chefs’ comments and reactions firsthand, I got a chance to make comparisons. Expectations and realities differ from country to country, and the stars seem to shine brighter in some places than in others. First, I must say I was deeply impressed by the communal joy and genuine sense of solidarity among the chefs in both Spain and Thailand — an atmosphere of true camaraderie rather than competition. In Bangkok, for example, the twin German chefs, the Sühring brothers, were elevated from two to three stars, and this triumph was a shared one by all present at the ceremony, even though they were serving German fare rather than Thai food. Similarly, when controversial Indian celebrity chef Gaggan Anand was awarded a star, the room erupted in supportive applause despite his past anti-Michelin remarks. Everybody was commenting that Chef Tonn (Le Du and Nusara) and Chef Pam (Potong) deserved more than one star, so in a way, everybody was wishing for more for others. Similarly, the Spanish chefs always demonstrate strong solidarity. This year was especially a source of pride for them as the ceremony was held in Málaga and the most famous Málaga citizen, Antonio Banderas, was the event presenter. This was an unbeatable star dust that made the Michelin stars for Spain glitter more brightly than ever.
Stars will shine across the whole country
The Michelin Guide initially covered only Istanbul in Türkiye, focusing mainly on the city center. In its second year, the guide expanded to select Istanbul districts (still not the entire city) and portions of İzmir and Muğla provinces, leaving both provinces only partially covered. Everyone understood that Muğla effectively meant Bodrum alone, just as İzmir largely referred to Urla. It was as if İzmir consisted of no other districts, and Muğla was even referred to as Bodrum alone. The names of Muğla’s other tourist destinations, from Datça and Marmaris to Fethiye, were not mentioned at all. When Cappadocia was included this year, they apparently figured out that listing all the provinces covered by the area would be confusing, so they just simply said Cappadocia. However, where Cappadocia begins and ends — that is, defining its boundaries — is debatable. The provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas, and Niğde all have a share in Cappadocia. We are talking about a vast geography stretching from Ürgüp, Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos, Gelveri, Sinasos, and along the Ihlara Valley. It is frankly challenging for Michelin inspectors to cover such a large geographical area in both İzmir and Muğla, as well as in the grand landscape of Cappadocia. So the question on everyone’s mind was: “When will the Michelin Guide finally cover the rest of Türkiye?” The long-awaited answer finally came: Next year, the Michelin Guide will cover all of Türkiye.
Women power in Anatolia
The expansion of the Türkiye guide and the addition of new names give us hope for the future. Another hopeful sign is that we are starting to see more women appearing on the list. However, Pınar Taşdemir of Araka remains the only female chef who is awarded by a star. This year, Duru Akgül, the chef at Yakamengen III, who received the young chef award, solidified the power of women on the list. It also became clear that Muğla extends beyond Bodrum, and that the inspectors visited Datça as well. At the award ceremony, Duru Akgül said, “I don’t even know how they found us!” This gives hope that Michelin has begun to explore wider areas. Indeed, examples such as Ayşe Koçdemir from Nevşehir, Babayan Evi, receiving the Green Star and Nurhayat Yazgan from Aravan Evi making it onto the Bib Gourmand list, renewed confidence in the survey’s regional development. More importantly, these two women gave hope that businesses led by women from remote corners of Anatolia would make a difference. Another nod to women's power goes to Teruar Urla, which received the award for best service. The contribution of Ezgi Serdaroğlu (wife of chef Osman Serdaraoğlu) to Teruar Urla’s success is undeniable; meanwhile, the award also highlights the difference that a woman’s touch makes in service, prompting the saying, “Behind every successful man is a woman!”
How green are Green Stars?
Although there are discrepancies in the overall green system, this year has seen an increase in the number of Green Stars. In general, Green Stars have been overshadowed by disputes over clarity. Recently, the future of the green accolade has been debated in the international media, and the absence of the Green Star label has been spotted on Michelin websites. Even if a venue has the clover-like Green Star, it does not appear alongside other accolades, which is rather confusing. However, if a restaurant is awarded a Green Star, there is a statement by the chef on their commitment to staying green. Nonetheless, despite discrepancies in the overall Green system, the number of Green Stars has soared this year. It seems that being environmentally friendly has now become a general prerequisite. Osman Serdaroğlu of Teruar Urla, who has earned the Green Star in addition to the star he already held, clearly explained the transformation they have made in this direction. However, the Green Star of Hiç Urla seems to have vanished, despite its undisputable green credentials. This raises questions about the criteria for awarding this label. A clearer explanation of the Green Star criteria and increased transparency regarding the assessment process for inspectors is essential for enabling more venues to qualify and for more stars to shine greener.
