A Delicious New Chapter for Cambridge: Restaurants Honored in The MICHELIN Guide
For the first time ever, the MICHELIN Guide has come to Cambridge — and our city’s restaurants have officially earned recognition for their exceptional creativity, consistency, and hospitality.
Cambridge’s restaurant community has officially earned Bib Gourmand honors and MICHELIN Recommended distinctions — a testament to the passion and dedication of our local chefs, teams, and restaurateurs.
Announcing Cambridge’s MICHELIN-Recognized Restaurants
We’re proud to celebrate the Cambridge restaurants making their debut in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide Northeast Cities, earning distinctions including Bib Gourmand and MICHELIN Recommended honors. These achievements reflect the extraordinary skill, passion, and dedication of the chefs, owners, and culinary teams who make Cambridge a standout dining destination — and whose creativity continues to elevate our city’s vibrant food scene.
MICHELIN Recommended
GIULIA
Located between Harvard and Porter Squares, Giulia is an intimate neighborhood trattoria where Chef Michael Pagliarini hand-rolls fresh pasta each morning. Known for its warm brick-and-wood ambiance and impeccable regional Italian cuisine, Giulia delights diners with luxurious small bites, inventive antipasti, and hearty dishes. Founded by Pagliarini—formerly of Via Matta—and his wife, Pamela Ralston, Giulia celebrates the craft of cooking and the transformative power of hospitality.
JAHUNGER
Jahunger invites customers on a culinary journey that brings the vibrant flavors and rich traditions of Uyghur cuisine to the table. A unique blend of Central Asian influences, has shaped a distinct identity that’s reflected in every aspect of their food. Each dish tells a story, and each meal offers an immersive experience of Uyghur warmth and generosity. With their award winning cuisine, Jahunger invites customers to explore the depths of Uyghur culture through the palate.
MICHELIN Recommended
MOËCA
Moëca is a neighborhood seafood restaurant. Their menu features global flavors that showcase what’s in season, now. They’re proud to partner with small boat fishermen around the world to bring guests fresh, responsibly sourced seafood.
MICHELIN Recommended
OLEANA
At Oleana, vivid flavors, aromatic spices and a commitment to the freshest ingredients compose a menu that celebrates the cuisine of Turkey and the Middle East. Small plates with big flavor, locally sourced meats and fish, artisanal wines, produce from our own farm and desserts that honor but upend tradition have garnered national attention and awards. Hailed as one of the country’s “most creative fusion practitioners,” Ana Sortun, owner and Chef at Oleana, was named the Best Chef Northeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2005, “a culinary genius” by Boston Magazine and in 2020 she was a James Beard finalist for Best Chef, general excellence.
PAGU
PAGU means “pug” in Japanese, and it is also a values driven yet playful neighborhood restaurant in Central Square led by Chef Owner and Lexington native, Tracy Chang. Tracy draws inspiration from her experience cooking Japanese, Spanish and Taiwanese food, and she is constantly iterating to make the menu more friendly to all diets while never sacrificing quality and flavor. PAGU is completely nut free, and dishes are designed to be easily modified to accommodate gluten free, dairy free, and vegan diets.
MICHELIN Recommended
PAMMY’S
Pammy’s is a New American restaurant inspired by the feel of an Italian neighborhood trattoria. Perched between Cambridge’s Central and Harvard Squares, Pammy’s is a cozy yet sophisticated neighborhood destination. For husband and wife team Chris and Pam Willis, who live right up the street, Pammy’s is an extension of their living room. They’ve brought together their love of great food, easy hospitality and chic vibe to create a lively space that is welcoming to all looking for a memorable meal. With dishes that lean heavily on Italian flavors but are not restricted by any rules of the cuisine, the food is unpretentious and delicious.
SUMIAO HUNAN KITCHEN
Located in the bustling and tech-driven Kendall Square, Sumiao Hunan Kitchen is a contemporary Chinese restaurant and bar introducing authentic Hunan cuisine. “Sumiao,” Chinese for “sketch,” stays true to its namesake by creatively melding tradition with modernity to bring forth an unmatched dining and social experience that is complemented by a stunning design draped in sentimental works of art. Sumiao Hunan Kitchen serves lunch, dinner, small plates as well as the seasonal weekend authentic specials for the most adventurous appetites. Their menu also features a wide selection of Asian-inspired spirits, cocktails and wine.
MICHELIN Recommended
URBAN HEARTH
Urban Hearth is a fine-dining, farm-to-table experience nestled in a cozy intimate dining room. Customers have the opportunity of eating globally-inspired, locally-sourced dishes crafted by Chef Erin Miller, as well as interacting with her throughout the course of the meal. Urban Hearth also provides a multitude of experiences such as seating at the Chef’s Counter, kitchen takeovers to highlight different chefs, as well as themed dinners spotlighting certain cuisines, ingredients and cocktails.
Understanding MICHELIN Recognition
MICHELIN inspectors visit restaurants anonymously, evaluating quality, technique, personality, and value. Each recognition level celebrates excellence in its own way. Together, these distinct honors - Bib Gourmand and MICHELIN Recommended - represent the diversity and creativity that define Cambridge’s dining scene — from fine dining experiences to beloved neighborhood favorites.
One MICHELIN Star
High-quality cooking, worth a stop
Two MICHELIN Stars
Excellent cooking, worth a detour
Three MICHELIN Stars
Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
Bib Gourmand
Outstanding food at a great value
MICHELIN Recommended Restaurants
A recommended restaurant offering quality cooking and service
MICHELIN Green Star
Awarded to establishments that implement daily commendable environmental practices
MICHELIN FAQ's
The MICHELIN Guide was first published in 1900 by the Michelin tire company as a free travel resource for motorists, offering maps, repair tips, and dining recommendations. Over time, those recommendations became the heart of the Guide, evolving into a trusted global reference for exceptional restaurants.
More than a century later, MICHELIN’s anonymous inspectors continue to uphold its reputation for fairness and excellence, using consistent standards to identify outstanding culinary experiences. Today, the MICHELIN Guide covers destinations on six continents and can most easily be accessed digitally or through the MICHELIN Guide app.
Restaurants are selected exclusively by MICHELIN’s full-time team of professional inspectors, who are employed directly by the company to maintain consistency and impartiality around the world. Inspectors do not accept invitations, advertising, or free meals, and they always pay their own bills to ensure independence.
The process begins with inspectors researching each destination to identify promising new restaurants, guided by local knowledge, recommendations, and their own expertise. They visit establishments anonymously — often multiple times and by different inspectors — to ensure fairness and accuracy.
After dining, inspectors submit detailed reports that are reviewed collectively during regular meetings. Awards and listings are based entirely on the quality of the food and overall dining experience, as judged against MICHELIN’s five criteria: ingredient quality, mastery of flavor and technique, the chef’s personality, value for money, and consistency between visits.
Importantly, there is no application process — restaurants cannot request consideration or pay to be included. Every selection in the MICHELIN Guide is earned purely through merit and the inspectors’ independent evaluations.
MICHELIN inspectors apply five universal criteria everywhere in the world: quality of the ingredients, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef expressed through the cuisine, value for money, and consistency between visits. These standards are used identically worldwide, which is why MICHELIN Stars have the same meaning in every destination.
“Tailoring” shows up in how those criteria are interpreted on the ground, not in changing the criteria themselves. For example, “value for money” reflects local cost of living (this is why Bib Gourmand price thresholds vary by country), while inspectors judge quality and technique across all cooking styles—from fine dining to street food—without favoring any particular trend or cuisine.
Crucially, inspectors focus on what’s on the plate. When they assess “quality of the ingredients” and “chef’s personality,” that often means appreciating seasonal or regional expressions where they’re central to the cooking—but the Guide does not require a specific provenance; it recognizes excellence whether it’s a neighborhood bistro cooking with local harvests or an international kitchen using specialty imports.
Yes. Inspectors dine anonymously and pay for their own meals to experience each restaurant as any guest would. This independence allows the MICHELIN Guide to remain objective and trusted worldwide.
Restaurants are revisited and re-evaluated annually to ensure they continue meeting MICHELIN standards. New establishments are added each year, while others may move up, down, or off the list depending on performance and consistency. This ongoing process keeps the Guide fresh, fair, and reflective of the evolving culinary landscape.
Why MICHELIN Matters
For over a century, the MICHELIN Guide has represented the highest standard of culinary excellence — a mark of distinction recognized by travelers, chefs, and diners around the world. Its arrival in Cambridge is more than an accolade; it’s a catalyst for growth, inspiration, and opportunity.
A Catalyst for Tourism and the Local Economy
Independent research by the firm, EY, confirms that the introduction of the MICHELIN Guide can have a measurable and lasting economic impact on the destinations it covers.
- 84% of frequent travelers trust the MICHELIN Guide when deciding where to dine, and 57% say they would extend their stay if a city offered MICHELIN-recognized restaurants
- 71% of travelers reported they would increase their spending at MICHELIN-recognized destinations — with many willing to spend an additional $45 or more per person, per meal
- These visitors bring ripple effects across the economy, boosting demand in hotels, transportation, local retail, attractions, and more
- In cities like San Francisco and Singapore, the MICHELIN Guide’s introduction coincided with workforce growth of 65% and 79% in starred restaurants, respectively
Beyond direct employment, every job created in a MICHELIN-recognized restaurant supports one additional job in related sectors — from suppliers and farms to logistics and hospitality.
*Statistics and economic impact insights are based on research commissioned by the MICHELIN Guide, including the EY “Beyond the MICHELIN Stars” impact study and MICHELIN’s published market data.
Empowering Chefs, Owners, and Culinary Talent
For chefs and restaurateurs, MICHELIN recognition represents years of dedication and craftsmanship. It validates their creative vision and raises the visibility of their teams and establishments on a global stage. Many chefs report that earning a MICHELIN distinction attracts new talent, inspires mentorship, and elevates local training and apprenticeship opportunities.
In destinations around the world, MICHELIN recognition has transformed local dining scenes into incubators for innovation — driving quality, sustainability, and collaboration across the entire culinary sector. For owners and teams, it means fuller dining rooms, stronger business performance, and pride in contributing to a city’s growing reputation for excellence.
A Shared Win for Cambridge
For Cambridge, inclusion in the MICHELIN Guide underscores what locals have long known: our chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals are shaping one of the most dynamic and diverse dining destinations in the Northeast United States.
This recognition is both a celebration of their craft and an investment in the future — one that will bring new visitors, create jobs, and strengthen the city’s culinary identity.
A City to Savor
From Kendall Square’s innovation to Harvard Square’s charm, Cambridge is a city that celebrates creativity, innovation and sustainability — in science, art, and cuisine. The arrival of the MICHELIN Guide amplifies what makes our community so special: bold ideas, local flavors, and a welcoming spirit that invites the world to pull up a chair.
The Cambridge Office for Tourism extends our congratulations to the Cambridge restaurants recognized in the 2025 MICHELIN Northeast Cities Guide — a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our chefs and culinary teams. Explore the full list of Cambridge’s MICHELIN-awarded restaurants here and discover why dining in our city is truly unforgettable.
With more than 300 restaurants offering diverse and inspired cuisine, there’s always something to enjoy in Cambridge — whether you’re dining at a MICHELIN-recognized establishment or discovering one of the many local favorites that make our city a destination worth savoring.
Find your new favorite restaurant in Cambridge — and taste what makes our city exceptional.
