Shenzhen has been included in the world-renowned Michelin Guide for the first time with seven restaurants earning stars, marking a milestone for the young, migrant-dominated city’s rise on the global fine-dining scene.

Two restaurants focusing on Cantonese cuisine — The Bay by Chef Fei and Yun Jing — were awarded two stars. Five restaurants received one star, showcasing a more diverse range of culinary styles, including Chaozhou-Shantou (Chaoshan), Jiangsu-Zhejiang, French, and creative flavors, according to the list released on Tuesday.

In addition, 21 affordable spots serving local snacks and dishes in Shenzhen received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand recommendations. Their offerings include Chaoshan flat rice noodles (guotiao) and blanched pork (curou), Chongqing beef noodles, and Hakka tossed noodles.

Shenzhen’s list was released in collaboration with Guangzhou’s to form a separate regional guide, recommending 27 starred restaurants and 73 Bib Gourmand picks in total. However, none of the region’s restaurants has ever achieved the highest three-star rating ever since Guangzhou became a Michelin Guide destination in 2018.

Published by the French tire company Michelin since 1990, the guide has grown into a premier reference guide for global fine dining. Currently, there are roughly over 3,000 Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide.

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Under its rating system, one star signifies high-quality cooking worth a stop; two stars mean excellent cooking worth a detour; and three stars indicate exceptional cuisine deserving a special journey.

The guide also covers multiple regions in China. In addition to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, it includes Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as Hunan, Jiangsu, and Fujian provinces.

Currently, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has 125 Michelin-starred restaurants — 77 in Hong Kong, 21 in Macao, 20 in Guangzhou, and seven newly-added in Shenzhen — making it one of the regions with the highest density of such restaurants in China.

Praising Shenzhen’s “unprecedented” debut, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said that as a city of immigrants, Shenzhen brings together the flavors of home from people across the country. “All of these have been preserved in their authentic form, without being altered to cater to anyone.”

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The city also boasts chefs with an international perspective, who draw on global experiences to make bold innovation. Backed by substantial investment and professional management, Shenzhen has demonstrated a mature dining ecosystem in its very first year of being included in the guide, he added.

Shenzhen’s Michelin-starred restaurants:

Two stars:

The Bay by Chef Fei (Cantonese cuisine)

Yun Jing (Cantonese cuisine)

One star:

Chao Shang Chao (Chaozhou cuisine)

Ensue (Innovative cuisine)

Fumee (Innovative cuisine)

Opus 388 (French contemporary cuisine)

Xin Rong Ji (Zhejiang Taizhou cuisine)

Contact the write at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com