[This article was translated by AI]
Michelin stars shine brightly, bringing honor to the Harbor City! The 9th edition of MICHELIN Guide Taiwan 2026 announced its star-rated restaurants and special awards on July 21. A total of 57 restaurants in Kaohsiung were recommended by the MICHELIN Guide, marking the city's best performance to date. The selection includes six One MICHELIN Star restaurants, one MICHELIN Green Star restaurant, 21 Bib Gourmand establishments, and 29 MICHELIN Selected restaurants. Notably, the restaurant Li.nu claimed Kaohsiung's first-ever MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award, adding another brilliant milestone to the local culinary scene. The Kaohsiung City Government stated that this achievement reflects its fruitful efforts in recent years to build Kaohsiung's brand as a "City of Gastronomy." Through continuous dining industry guidance, promotional initiatives, themed culinary events, and domestic and international marketing, Kaohsiung's culinary appeal has become a core incentive drawing travelers from near and far to visit the city.
Kao Min-lin, Director-General of the Tourism Bureau, stated that when the MICHELIN Guide included Kaohsiung in its evaluation scope for the first time in 2022, the bureau actively designated "culinary tourism" as a core strategy for international city marketing and urban tourism development. In 2023, the bureau organized the "MICHELIN Guide Star-Gazer Culinary Artisans Strategy Sharing Workshop," inviting Michelin-starred chefs, industry experts, and food writers to share their insights, guiding local restaurateurs across all facets—from ingredient selection and beverage pairings to service etiquette—to fully align with international evaluation standards. Meanwhile, the bureau vigorously promotes Kaohsiung's affordable street eats, everyday culinary classics, historic time-honored brands, and fine dining establishments. By combining Kaohsiung's premium local agricultural and seafood specialties with distinctive restaurants for cross-sector collaborations, the city has hosted a variety of themed culinary marketing events. From humble street food and cozy home-style dining to exquisite fine dining, Kaohsiung fully showcases a rich and comprehensive culinary landscape. This year, 57 Kaohsiung restaurants earned spots in the MICHELIN Guide Taiwan, with One-Star restaurants growing from four to six, alongside the city's first-ever MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award. Setting all-time records for Kaohsiung in star counts, listed establishments, and individual awards, these accomplishments highlight the city's impressive culinary power. In recent years, the city government has continuously pursued the vision that "food is tourism" and "the dining table showcases the city's brand." Through food festivals, local produce promotions, and international tourism marketing, Kaohsiung seamlessly connects dining, hospitality, shopping districts, top attractions, tour itineraries, and local souvenirs. By adopting a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach covering dining, lodging, sightseeing, shopping, transport, and leisure, Kaohsiung actively draws travelers from home and abroad, turning gastronomy into a major engine that drives city tourism, accommodation spending, and broader economic development.
Kao Min-lin stated that in the MICHELIN Guide Taiwan 2026, six restaurants in Kaohsiung earned One MICHELIN Star. Among them, "HAILI," "GEN," "Sho," and "the FRONT HOUSE" demonstrated mature and consistently exceptional culinary artistry, successfully retaining their Michelin stars. Meanwhile, "NIBBON" and "HABU" were promoted to One Star for the first time, bringing fresh vitality to the fine dining scene in the Harbor City. A four-time One MICHELIN Star recipient, "HAILI" also participated in the Tourism Bureau's 2026 Malaysia Tourism Promotion Event, traveling overseas to market the city and bring further honor to Kaohsiung. Chef William Kang remarked, "We are grateful to Kaohsiung for providing such a vibrant platform. HAILI views each year's recognition as a fresh starting point." The team will continue fusing Japanese and French culinary techniques with Kaohsiung's local terroir, showcasing the depth of Southern Taiwan's fine dining through local ingredients, meticulous detail, and refined service.
As the only Chinese restaurant in Kaohsiung to earn a Michelin star, "GEN" has not only maintained its One MICHELIN Star rating for three consecutive years but also welcomed renowned Cantonese Master Chef Lee Yun-hao, who brings 46 years of culinary experience to the team this year. Chef Lee emphasized, "A Michelin award is never the achievement of a single person, but rather the result of a team's uncompromised dedication to quality every single day." Chef Lee has refined the restaurant's menu structure, cooking temperatures, and sauce formulations while incorporating top-tier local ingredients from Taiwan and Kaohsiung, creating delightful innovations within traditional Cantonese flavors. Additionally, the restaurant has moved beyond its previous set-menu-only format, expanding into a comprehensive dining experience that offers à la carte options, set menus, and customized banquets. Among the dishes, the "Double-Boiled Chicken Wonton Soup with Bamboo Pith" features a sweet, rich, smooth, and hearty chicken soup that stands out as a true masterpiece—a must-order signature creation.
"Sho," a recipient of One MICHELIN Star, is the first overseas sister restaurant of Japan's "Den." As a highly anticipated fine dining establishment in Kaohsiung, it incorporates the chef's lively and playful personality into delicate, classic dishes, showcasing the unique qualities of Taiwanese ingredients to perfection. Meanwhile, newly crowned Michelin star recipient "HABU" draws inspiration from traditional Taiwanese herbal pharmacy culture. Its brand name is derived from "Herb" (ハーブ), built around the concept of nature's nourishment. By blending traditional Chinese medicine, botanicals, seasonal ingredients, and contemporary cuisine, "HABU" offers a fresh interpretation of herbal wisdom in modern dining. Another new star recipient, "NIBBON," which has taken root in Kaohsiung for six years, uses French culinary techniques as its foundation, expanding into distinctly Asian flavors while fusing ingredient creativity with seasonal imagination.
In the special awards category, the renowned French restaurant "THOMAS CHIEN" once again retained its MICHELIN Green Star, continuing to champion eco-friendly dining and local sustainability. Meanwhile, the MICHELIN Selected restaurant "Li.nu," alongside its head sommelier and restaurant manager, Bonnie Chiu, captured the prestigious "Sommelier Award." This marks the first time a professional sommelier in Kaohsiung has received this honor, highlighting that Kaohsiung's hospitality talent and service quality have attained world-class standards. Reflecting on the award, Bonnie shared, "Winning the MICHELIN Sommelier Award means taking the practical experience and nourishment accumulated over the past eight years and seamlessly blending them into a golden starting point for table hospitality."
The Tourism Bureau explained that in recent years, it has actively promoted "Kaohsiung Culinary Tourism" by staging a succession of vibrant events. These include Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Over Rice competitions, the TAKO Hotpot Festival, KAOHSIUNG Ice Festival, the Milk Tea Festival, Coffee Festival, Nabeyaki Noodle Competitions, the Crispy Fried Chicken Festival, 50-Year-Old Historic Eateries, and Top 100 Delicacies. Beyond launching the "Kaohsiung Food Map," the bureau has vigorously marketed the city abroad, hosting themed culinary experiential activities and evaluation competitions. These efforts have enabled Kaohsiung's gastronomic landscape to achieve a vibrant vitality where "a hundred flowers bloom, honoring both humble street food and fine dining." Furthermore, these initiatives have successfully attracted international media coverage and influencer familiarization trips, establishing Kaohsiung's cuisine as a top incentive drawing overseas travelers to Taiwan.
Carrying forward the excitement of Kaohsiung's Michelin accolades and merging culinary marketing with seasonal tourism, the Tourism Bureau is rolling out a dynamic series of themed events from summer through autumn. Highlights include the "2026 Cijin Kite Festival and Inflatable Water Park" opening this weekend on July 25; August's "Kaohsiung Family Amusement Park," "Kaohsiung Coffee Festival," and "Kaohsiung Cocktail DAY"; September's "Kaohsiung Milk Tea Festival"; and October's "Kaohsiung Crispy Fried Chicken Festival" alongside "East Kaohsiung CHILL IN THE WILD｜Jiasian." Domestic and international travelers are cordially invited to visit Kaohsiung and embark on a "Michelin Star-Studded & Culinary Journey," taking in the Harbor City's scenic mountains and seas while savoring its extraordinary flavors. For more tourism information, please visit the Kaohsiung Travel website, official Facebook and Instagram, or download the 'Kaohsiung GO!' App.