Florida’s dining scene has stepped up once again in the 2025 Michelin Guide. Five restaurants across the state earned new Michelin Stars, including Orlando’s Sorekara, which now holds Florida’s second-ever Two-Star recognition.
Sorekara, located in Baldwin Park, is run by Chef William Shen, who presents a tasting menu shaped around Japan’s 72 micro seasons. Dishes range from playful courses, like one designed to mimic a 7-Eleven snack run, to more refined preparations, such as kegani from Hokkaido. The experience spans several hours and takes place during one seating per night, only a few nights a week.
In Fort Lauderdale, the Chef’s Counter at MAASS offers a front-row view into the kitchen within the Four Seasons. Chef David Brito leads a tasting experience that combines French technique with Japanese ingredients and local touches. The lineup includes a single seared diver scallop over truffle purée, a bowl of koshihikari rice with maitake mushroom and Comté foam, and kakigori topped with raspberries and candied nuts.
Miami’s Itamae Ao, a 10-seat counter restaurant by Chef Nando Chang, offers a focused approach to Nikkei cuisine, Chef Chang has taken classic Peruvian-Japanese flavor and incorporated them into his dishes. The menu includes dishes like lobster bisque with sweet potato gnocchi and creamy rice with Hokkaido scallops, with a focus on acidity and spice. Fish is flown in from Japan and aged on-site to enhance its flavor.
In West Palm Beach, Konro delivers strong, umami-forward cooking in a compact, counter-focused space. Run by Jacob and Nadia Bickelhaupt, the restaurant starts with small bites like foie gras mousse in a chicken-skin cone and moves through plates like barley risotto with enoki mushrooms and binchotan-grilled wagyu. A dessert of coconut and passion fruit sherbet closes the meal on a lighter note. Wine pairings are mandatory, and the pricing reflects the detail behind the experience.
Winter Park’s Ômo by Jônt is led by Chef Mike Commins and follows the ethos of the D.C. original, balancing French fundamentals with Japanese products and seasonal ingredients. Guests can pick from three tasting menus at different price points, with dishes like chawanmushi layered with sweet potato and kombu, and scallops prepared two ways. The dessert—a crisp chocolate and hazelnut kakigori, lands with subtle precision.
Two restaurants were also awarded Green Stars for sustainable practices, highlighting how environmental responsibility is increasingly part of the conversation in Florida’s fine dining circles.
With precise concepts, focused menus, and a high standard of execution, the new Michelin Star recipients show that Florida is shaping a more defined identity in the global culinary space.
