Malaysian foodies, rejoice! After years of waiting, Malaysia finally has its very own Michelin-starred restaurants!
At the Michelin Star Revelation 2023, held at Berjaya Times Square Hotel on 13 Dec 2022, Michelin announced that a total of 97 eateries from Kuala Lumpur and Penang made it into Malaysia’s inaugural Michelin gourmet recognition award ceremony.
Also read: The Best Street Food in Penang and Where to Find Them
Among the lineup of the first Michelin restaurants in Malaysia, four eateries became the country’s first-ever Michelin Star recipients.
In Kuala Lumpur, Dewakan KL, a popular fine dining restaurant that champions the flavours of Malaysian ingredients, was awarded a Michelin Star for its culinary innovation and excellence. DC Restaurant by Darren Chin was the other Kuala Lumpur restaurant that nabbed a Michelin Star. The Taman Tun Dr Ismail eatery offers classic French cuisine with a Japanese twist.
Over in Penang, the winners were Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery and Au Jardin. The former specialises in mouthwatering Nyonya cuisine and is a classic go-to foodie spot for Penangites and tourists alike while the latter dishes out modern European cuisine in an intimate 18-seater restaurant at Hin Bus Depot.
In addition to the four Michelin-Starred restaurants, the 2023 Michelin Guide also listed 32 Bib Gourmand restaurants in Malaysia, 15 in Kuala Lumpur and 17 in Penang.
Bib Gourmands are basically eateries that offer affordable food and humble hawker fare that are just as delicious as Michelin restaurants in Malaysia. Essentially, they’re recognised as top value-for-money eateries. Some notable eateries that made the list include Penang Road Famous Laksa and Green House Prawn Me in Penang, and Ah Hei Bak Kut Teh and Nam Heong Chicken Rice in Kuala Lumpur.
For the full list of Bib Gourmand restaurants in Malaysia, click here.
Apart from Michelin restaurants in Malaysia and Bib Gourmands, the Michelin Guide also listed 61 Michelin Selected eateries in the country. This relatively new distinction celebrates establishments that met certain criteria set by Michelin Inspectors but simply fell short of qualifying for a Bib Gourmand or Michelin Star at the moment.
Personally, I’d say that these eateries can better be described as “ones to watch” as the restaurants on this list may have the chance to be upgraded to Bib Gourmands or be awarded Michelin Stars in the future.
For the full list of Michelin Selected restaurants, click here.
Also read: Malaysia’s First Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill to Open in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia has long been known as a foodie haven and now you can find official Michelin restaurants in Malaysia! I don’t know about you, but that sounds to me like a sign from the universe to start planning a food tour to Malaysia!
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