Last November, SoulGrown headed to Greenville, South Carolina for the inaugural ceremony of the Michelin Guide American South. It was there that the rest of the country learned what most of us in the South already knew: this region has a culinary story worth showcasing and celebrating on a global stage.
Now, a new chapter is about to begin. The Michelin Guide will unveil its 2026 American South selections on October 21 at The Pinnacle in Nashville, and SoulGrown will be there once again to witness the evening’s biggest moments and bring them home to Alabama.
Last year, Alabama made an impressive first showing. Fifteen restaurants earned a place in the inaugural guide, giving the state five Bib Gourmand distinctions and 10 Michelin-recommended restaurants. And while Alabama did not take home a Michelin star, Birmingham’s Bottega received one of the evening’s special honors when Pardis Stitt was named the recipient of the 2025 Michelin Guide American South Outstanding Service Award.
As we wait to see what the inspectors found this year, it seems like a good time to look back at where Alabama started—and to make a few predictions of our own.
Remind me, what is the Michelin Guide?
The Michelin Guide began in France in 1900, when brothers André and Édouard Michelin created a small guidebook to help motorists travel the country. It included practical information for travelers, including roads, hotels, gas stations and places to eat. Over time, the restaurant section became increasingly important, eventually transforming the little red guide into one of the world’s most influential authorities on dining.
The famous Michelin star system came later. Michelin began awarding stars in 1926, initially with a single star, and expanded to the familiar one, two, and three-star system in 1931. Today, anonymous Michelin inspectors evaluate restaurants according to five criteria: the quality of the ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef expressed through the cuisine, and consistency over time and across the menu.
Not every restaurant recognized by Michelin receives a star. The Guide also includes Michelin-recommended restaurants, which inspectors believe merit a place in the Guide for their good cooking, as well as the Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes restaurants offering high-quality food at a good value.
And then there are the stars. One Michelin star means high-quality cooking that is worth a stop. Two stars signify excellent cooking worth a detour. Three stars, the highest distinction, are reserved for exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.
What Alabama earned last year
For Alabama, the inaugural American South selection celebrated restaurants across the length of the state, from Huntsville to Mobile. Fifteen restaurants earned a place in the 2025 Michelin Guide, giving the state five Bib Gourmand distinctions and 10 Michelin-recommended restaurants.
Bib Gourmand
- Bayonet — Birmingham
- La Fête — Birmingham
- OvenBird — Birmingham
- Pizza Grace — Birmingham
- The Noble South — Mobile
Michelin Recommended
- 1856 – Culinary Residence — Auburn
- Automatic Seafood and Oysters — Birmingham
- Bottega — Birmingham
- Chez Fonfon — Birmingham
- Current Charcoal Grill — Birmingham
- Helen — Birmingham
- Hot and Hot Fish Club — Birmingham
- Rêve — Birmingham
- Purveyor — Huntsville
- Salt Smokehouse — Huntsville
Those distinctions put Alabama on Michelin’s culinary map for the first time, with Birmingham accounting for 11 of the state’s 15 restaurant selections. But what happens next?
Who might make the list this year?
Of course, there is no way to know what Michelin’s anonymous inspectors have seen, tasted, or discussed behind closed doors. These are my own predictions—the Alabama restaurants that have caught my attention and that I think deserve a closer look from the Guide.
Little Bird | Fairhope
(Little Bird/Facebook)
If I had to put one new Alabama restaurant on the national radar right now, it would be Little Bird in Fairhope. The restaurant recently earned a place on The New York Times’ list of America’s 50 best new restaurants, giving it some national momentum heading into this year’s Michelin announcement.
However, I’m not sure the restaurant even needs that momentum; the meal I had at Little Bird was one of the best I’ve enjoyed in my life. The cornbread, golden beets, and scallops were a few of my favorites, but everything on the menu was exceptional. There was thoughtfulness in every course, but beyond that, a soulfulness that Chef Bill has told me is impossible to fake.
The Hummingbird Way | Mobile
(Chef Jim Smith/Contributed)
In Mobile, The Hummingbird Way is another restaurant I’d be watching closely. Chef Jim Smith does everything with a level of excellence and intentionality that is immediately apparent. When I ate there, every plate was not only delicious, but seemed to have a story behind it, from the ingredients themselves to the way they were prepared and presented.
That sense of place matters when I think about Michelin recognition, particularly in Alabama. The state’s culinary identity is deeply connected to its agriculture, its Gulf Coast seafood culture, and its Southern traditions, and The Hummingbird Way has a strong understanding of what it means to cook from that place.
Acre | Auburn
(Acre/Facebook)
In Auburn, Acre has spent more than a decade establishing itself as one of Alabama’s most thoughtful expressions of contemporary Southern cooking. Chef David Bancroft’s menu draws heavily from the region, pairing polished technique with ingredients and traditions that feel distinctly Southern. The restaurant’s connection to its surroundings extends beyond the plate, with gardens and fruit trees on the property and long-standing relationships with Alabama farmers, fishermen, and other producers. That sense of place, combined with a kitchen capable of delivering both creativity and consistency, makes Acre a compelling contender for Michelin recognition.
Sea Bar | Birmingham
(Little Betty Sea Bar/Contributed)
CEO Courtney Hancock’s pick is Sea Bar, the seafood concept from Little Betty and Revival Restaurant Group in Mountain Brook.
Sea Bar is still young; it opened in March of this year. Culinary Director Kyle Biddy built the menu around oysters, crudo, daily catches, and wood-fired seafood, with an approach focused on sourcing, craft, and quality. The timing of the restaurant’s opening may play a factor in its consideration, since the Michelin inspectors had less than a year to visit. Still, Courtney believes that Sea Bar can not only hold its own among these restaurants, but may even crown our state with its first star. “Based on my experience dining at other Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S. and Asia, my opinion is that Sea Bar is the best contender Alabama has for earning its first star.”
Will Alabama see its first Michelin star?
Courtney believes Sea Bar is a strong contender for Alabama’s first Michelin star, a question that has become a frequent topic of conversation since the Guide’s arrival in the state. I’ve been asked many times which restaurant I think could earn that distinction.
Alabama had more than a dozen restaurants recognized in the 2025 selection, a remarkable inaugural showing for the state, but none received a star. So could 2026 be the year Alabama gets its first?
Personally, I think Birmingham’s Bottega may be the best bet.
Frank and Pardis Stitt have built Bottega around excellence in every detail, from the sourcing of ingredients to the unmatched hospitality. The restaurant has been a Birmingham institution for nearly four decades, and Michelin’s own inspectors clearly recognized the thought that goes into the experience when they included Bottega in the inaugural Guide and named Pardis Stitt the 2025 American South Service Award winner.
Another part of Michelin’s criteria leads me to believe that Bottega has a particularly strong case: consistency. As the Guide itself explains: “We take into account…consistency across the entire menu and over time. An incredible meal could be a one-off experience. We’re after those restaurants that deliver the same standard every time.”
Consistency is one of Bottega’s greatest strengths. It isn’t simply a restaurant where you can have an exceptional meal; it is a restaurant that has spent decades delivering a high standard of cooking and hospitality.
Regardless of what the Guide decides, fellow Alabamians—and myself among them—will continue to celebrate and support our incredible hospitality community. The awards are a meaningful nod to the hard work happening in kitchens across the state, but they don’t create the culture that makes these restaurants special. We already know that hospitality runs deep in the South, that some of the best cuisine can be found right here at home, and that our farmers, growers, chefs, and restaurateurs are carrying Alabama’s culinary traditions forward. Whether or not a Michelin star lands on their doors, the work happening here is worth celebrating.
