The MICHELIN Guide has expanded to the American South, and three Jackson establishments have earned recognition in this historic debut edition. While Texas, Atlanta and Florida were already on the culinary organization's radar, today's expansion includes Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee. The inaugural MICHELIN Guide for the American South features 10 one-star restaurants and one two-star restaurant — and Jackson is represented across multiple categories.

Elvie's Earns Bib Gourmand Recognition

Elvie's at Belhaven Town Center, the first restaurant from Chef Hunter Evans and partner Cody McCain, was awarded a 2025 Bib Gourmand, the guide's recognition for exceptionally good food at moderate prices. The Culinary Institute of America graduate and Union Square Hospitality Group alum has created something distinctly Southern yet globally informed. Inspired by French cafés and memories with his New Orleans grandmother — the restaurant's namesake — Evans crafts seasonal dishes from ethically sourced ingredients. Fresh Gulf oysters and crab claws share menu space with duck confit cassoulet and Gulf Coast bouillabaisse, while beverage director and sommelier Brandi Carter oversees a bar program featuring everything from Pepper Jelly Juleps to an off-menu absinthe selection.

Pulito Osteria Named to MICHELIN Recommended List

Chef Chaz Lindsay's Pulito Osteria, also at Belhaven Town Center, earned a spot among the American South's Recommended restaurants — a significant achievement for the Belhaven native who came full circle to open his Italian-inspired restaurant. After nearly two decades working alongside award-winning kitchens including Colicchio and Sons and Craft, Lindsay spent a pivotal year at Eleven Madison Park during its reign as the world's No. 1 restaurant in 2017, when it also held three MICHELIN Stars. He then ventured to Italy before returning home. His philosophy, learned while cooking north of Rome, centers on letting fresh, locally sourced ingredients speak for themselves. At Pulito, that means handmade pasta crafted without compromise, wood-fired pizzas and seasonal Italian cooking with an elegant Southern sensibility.

Sacred Ground BBQ Receives Bib Gourmand in Pocahontas

The recognition extends beyond Jackson's city limits. Sacred Ground BBQ in Pocahontas received a 2025 Bib Gourmand for Chef Derek Emerson's latest venture into Texas-influenced barbecue with Mississippi soul. Emerson, a longtime fixture in Jackson's culinary scene and former owner of Walker's Drive-In, brings his award-winning fine-dining expertise to a more casual format — prime brisket, dry-aged beef tips and pulled pork smoked over wood with the same attention to detail that built his reputation. With new restaurants opening in Jackson this fall, Emerson's recognition highlights the interconnected nature of the region's food culture, where talent and excellence aren't confined by municipal boundaries.

About the MICHELIN Guide

First published in France at the turn of the 20th century as a guide for early motorists, the MICHELIN Guide has evolved into the culinary world's most respected arbiter of excellence. Its selection process remains notoriously rigorous and secretive, with anonymous inspectors assessing restaurants for quality. The guide has long maintained a presence in New York, Chicago and other major U.S. cities, but this expansion to the American South — where MICHELIN's North American headquarters is located — marks a significant recognition of the region's culinary renaissance.

Mississippi's Path to MICHELIN Recognition

Mississippi's inclusion in the guide came through a collaborative effort. Visit Jackson, alongside Visit Mississippi, Coastal Mississippi, Visit Oxford, and Travel South USA collaborated on a collective bid to bring MICHELIN's inspectors to the state. For Visit Jackson, which advocates year-round for its restaurant partners, today's announcement validates what locals have known for years: Jackson is a culinary destination worth the journey.