2 Disney World restaurants added to Michelin’s Florida guide

Two Disney restaurants have been added to the Michelin Guide for 2023: Victoria & Albert’s, Disney’s premiere dining establishment at the Grand Floridian; and Toledo, the tapas, steak and seafood restaurant at the top of the Coronado Springs resort’s Gran Destino tower.

We won’t know whether either restaurant earned a coveted Michelin star until May 11, when this year’s award distinctions will be announced at a ceremony in Miami.

So far, no Disney restaurant has earned either a Michelin star or a Bib Gourmand award. (Capa, the rooftop steakhouse and tapas restaurant at the Four Seasons at Disney World, was awarded a star last year.)

Victoria & Albert’s is one of Disney World’s most highly decorated restaurants, having won AAA’s 5-diamond award more than 20 years running for its multi-course chef’s tasting menu. When the first Michelin Guide for Florida came out last year, the restaurant had been closed for 2 years, since the start of the pandemic. It reopened in July 2022, a month after Michelin released its rankings.

The guide’s review gives away at least some admiration for the cooking: “Chef Matthew Sowers’s tasting menus spotlight contemporary cooking with global touches and definitive Asian leanings,” the guide’s description reads. “You may enjoy the likes of Danish hiramasa, a bright take on a Peruvian ceviche enhanced with Okinawa sweet potatoes or seared Colorado bison over a house made granola comprised of amaranth, cranberries and rolled oats and sided by a maple-glazed turnip and sweet potato purée.”

Toledo came as a bit of a surprise. Toledo has a menu of tapas, steak, and seafood, and its setting on the roof of Gran Destino Tower is stunning. Its online reviews are a lot more inconsistent than the almost universally loved Victoria & Albert’s. (We’ve been there once, when it first opened, and weren’t wowed, but it’s been too long to hold that against it.)

MIchelin’s review notes that Toledo is “quite the looker with lofty ceilings in bold colors and geometric tiled floors.” After describing the menu offerings without giving away opinions, it notes that “though certainly not inexpensive, Toledo packs less of a punch to the wallet than other Disney restaurants.” 

A handful of restaurants on Disney property made Michelin’s list in its inaugural Florida guide in 2022, though none won awards. Those selections were: Morimoto Asia and the Polite Pig at Disney Springs; California Grill at the Contemporary Resort; Citricos at the Grand Floridian; Sear + Sea at the JW Marriott; and Ravello and Capa (the starred restaurant) at the Four Seasons.

In May, we’ll find out how these restaurants stack up against Michelin’s vaunted rating system.

Michelin awards 1–3 stars, or a Bib Gourmand award. Its stars are highly coveted; there are only about 200 Michelin-starred restaurants in the United States, and just 15 in Florida. Here’s how the guide describes each level of award:

• 3 stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
• 2 stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour.
• 1 star: High-quality cooking, worth a stop.
• Bib Gourmand: “Not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize.” The Bib Gourmand recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.

What’s still missing on Michelin’s list? We’ve heard rave reviews of Takumi-Tei, the fine-dining establishment at Epcot’s Japan pavilion. Takumi-Tei offers 2 omakase (“I trust you, chef”) multi-course meal options at a price point rivaling Victoria & Albert’s. Takumi-Tei also was closed for more than 2 years during the pandemic, only reopening in November. From what we’ve heard, it should be a lock for Michelin’s 2024 list.