Michelin Guide Taiwan 2023 list in full: indigenous Taiwanese cuisine recognised with award of third Michelin star to Taipei’s Taïrroir

In the 6th edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan, announced at a live ceremony on 31 August, a restaurant celebrating the best of Taiwanese culture and terroir was awarded a third Michelin star.

Taïrroir – a portmanteau of Taiwan and terroir – headed by chef Kai Ho from Taichung, opened in 2017 and has had two Michelin stars since 2019 (the restaurant received its first star in 2018).

Located in Taipei’s Zhongshan district, it is a destination for those looking to experience Ho’s take on Taiwanese ingredients and flavours, interpreted through classic French culinary techniques.

Much like its contemporaries, the restaurant places emphasis on the region’s home-grown produce, and works with the seasons.

Viota Ho, Taïrroir’s general manager, also received the special service award for her commitment to hospitality.

Angela Lai, who is responsible for the restaurant’s desserts, was previously awarded Asia’s best pastry chef by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants panel in 2021.

This is the first time a restaurant serving Taiwanese cuisine has been awarded three Michelin stars. Ho could be seen shaking his head in disbelief as he posed for photos on stage wearing his new three-Michelin-star chef’s jacket, and later said that despite the ups and downs, his passion and intention will never change.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m so happy. One small step for Singaporean cuisine,” said a visibly emotional Lim as he accepted the award on stage.

The two awards mark the end of Le Palais restaurant’s reign as the only one in Taiwan with three Michelin Stars.

Le Palais, a restaurant serving high-end Cantonese cuisine by Hong Kong-born chef Ken Chan, retained its three-Michelin-star status for a sixth consecutive year.

Chef Andre Chiang, who established two-Michelin-star restaurant RAW in Taipei, posted a black square on his Instagram account without a caption in the hours following the awards ceremony.

The post prompted a wave of supporters to question why the French-inflected Taiwanese restaurant had not also received three Michelin stars.

This year’s Michelin young chef award – given to an individual under the age of 36 who has impressed the inspectors with their culinary skills – went to Steven Su of Ban Bo, which also received its first Michelin star in the current guide.

The restaurant in Zhongshan, Taipei, has parlayed the breadth of local culinary traditions into a modern Taiwanese menu.

“Over the past year, our inspectors have been impressed with how [the] Taiwan food scene has bounced back, showing a resilience rarely seen worldwide,” said Poullennec in a pre-recorded video message earlier in the ceremony.

He made reference to Taiwan’s growing fine-dining scene, which he attributed to investors “committed to renovate or launch high-end restaurants, and ambitious projects by a new breed of young and talented chefs … or by experienced foreign chefs choosing to settle in Taiwan”.

“Thirty years ago, the best restaurants in Taiwan specialised in ethereal Chinese banquet food – think dishes like shark fin soup and Peking duck,” says Clarissa Wei, food writer and the author of coming cookbook Made in Taiwan.

“There was a clear shift in the 2000s, starting with the inauguration banquets of then-president Chen Shui-bian, who was the first president to prioritise locally produced ingredients on his menu.”

Wei notes that increasingly, Taiwan’s chefs are finding ways to represent their heritage through their cuisine, which is paying dividends.

“Fine-dining menus are designed to tell a story, and these days, the stories coming out of Taiwanese restaurants are reflective of the island’s rich, subtropical terroir. More and more chefs are honing in on the ingredients that make Taiwan unique.”

The full list of Michelin stars for Taiwan 2023 (asterisk denotes a new entry or promotion):

One Michelin star

1. A Cut, Taipei *

2. Ad Astra, Taipei *

3. Ban Bo, Taipei *

4. Danny’s Steakhouse, Taipei

5. De Nuit, Taipei

6. Fleur de Sel Restaurant, Taichung

7. Forchetta, Taichung

8. Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne, Taipei

9. Haili, Kaohsiung *

10. Holt, Taipei

11. Impromptu by Paul Lee, Taipei

12. Inita, Taipei *

13. Ken Anho, Taipei

14. Kitcho, Taipei

15. La Maison de Win, Taichung *

16. Longtail, Taipei

17. Mingfu Restaurant, Taipei

18. Mipon, Taipei

19. Mountain & Sea House Restaurant, Taipei

20. Oretachi no Nikuya, Taichung

21. Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama, Taipei

22. Shin Yeh Taiwanese Signature, Taipei

23. Sho, Kaohsiung

24. Sur, Taichung

25. Sushi Akira, Taipei

26. Sushi Nomura, Taipei

27. Zea, Taipei *

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Two Michelin stars

1. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Taipei

2. Liberté, Kaohsiung *

3. Logy, Taipei

4. Molino de Urdániz, Taipei *

5. Mudan, Taipei *

6. Raw, Taipei

Three Michelin stars

1. Le Palais, Taipei

2. JL Studio, Taichung *

3. Taïrroir, Taipei *