It’s Michelin season in New York! The Red Guide’s anonymous inspectors will unveil their list of the city’s top restaurants next week, awarding one, two, or three stars to venues they deem worthy. But today, Michelin releases the consolation prize: the Bib Gourmands, a collection of venues where patrons can enjoy two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. Any restaurant that receives a Bib is ineligible for a star.
The big news of the 2018 list is that the vegetable-forward Atla, one of the year’s most watched openings, is the recipient of the lesser award, the Bib. That means two of the world’s most prominent Mexican chefs, Daniela Soto-Innes and Enrique Olvera, are on the verge of being snubbed from the starred selections for yet another year — unless sister spot Cosme is upgraded.
Some will question whether Atla’s prices make it appropriate for the Bibs. This critic, in his two-star review, noted that “little more than a bagel schmear’s worth of vegan coconut yogurt” runs $14. That dish now costs $15, making for an expensive breakfast appetizer.
Others will raise an eyebrow at the presence of Greg Baxtrom’s nationally-acclaimed Olmsted on the Bibs for a second straight year. Reservations at the ambitious Prospect Heights venue book up a month out and dinner for one easily runs $90 or more.
Hao Noodle & Tea, the acclaimed pan-regional Chinese spot that opened in 2016, is another big entrant to the Bibs. Eater’s Robert Sietsema and the Times’ Pete Wells both awarded two stars the New York outpost of a Chinese chain in their own assessments.
Other new venues joining the Bib selections are: Alta Calidad, Bunker 2.0, ChouChou, Dumpling Galaxy, El Molcajete, Luzzo’s, Norma Gastronomia Siciliana, Patron, Pok Pok Ny (which once held a star), Tfor, and finally, 21 Greenpoint, an Italian-accented spot run by Bill Murray’s son, Homer.
The biggest opening missing from this year’s Bibs is Tim Ho Wan, the global dim sum chain that famously holds stars for two of its Hong Kong locations. New Yorkers greeted the institution’s arrival with three hour lines but lukewarm reviews. If Michelin awards Tim Ho Wan a star, local gourmands will likely wonder why favorites like Jing Fong or Joy Luck Palace didn’t receive the same honor.
El Atoradero, in turn, is perhaps the most surprising restaurant to be dropped from the Bibs. If it ends up being upgraded next week, the Prospect Heights venue, which Sietsema awarded three stars, would only be the second New York Mexican spot to earn a star; the first is Casa Enrique in Long Island City.
That promotion for El Atoradero would go a long way. A prominent criticism of the guide is that the starred selections tend to favor pricey American, European, and Japanese spots, while venues serving cuisines from Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, or the Caribbean are often relegated to the cheaper Bibs list.
This is also true of pizza, ramen, and barbecue, three of New York’s most beloved and affordable cooking styles, none of which have been awarded a star. That deficit likely won’t change this year, given some of the best in class spots in those three categories are well represented in the Bibs. This means no stars for Mu Ramen or Hometown Bar-B-Que in 2018.
Here are the New York City 2018 Bib Gourmands:
Achilles Heel
Al Bustan
Alta Calidad
Angkor
Arharn Thai
Atla (new)
Atoboy
Baker & Co.
Bar Primi
Beyoglu
Bunker
Buttermilk Channel
Casa del Chef Bistro
Chavela’s
Cho Dang Gol
Chomp Chomp
ChouChou
Ciccio
Congee Village
Cotenna
Dim Sum Go Go
DOMODOMO
Don Antonio by Starita
Donostia
00 + Co
Dumpling Galaxy
East Harbor Seafood Palace
Egg
El Molcajete
El Parador
Enoteca Maria
Falansai
Frankie’s 457 Spuntino
Freek’s Mill
Ganso Ramen
Gladys
Glasserie
The Good Fork
Gran Electrica
Gregory’s 26 Corner Taverna
Hahm Ji Bach
HanGawi
Hao Noodle and Tea
Havana Cafe
Hecho en Dumbo
Hide-Chan Ramen
High Street on Hudson
HinoMaru Ramen
Hometown Bar-B-Que
Hunan Bistro
Hunan House
Hunan Kitchen
Il Poeta
J.G. Melon
Jin Ramen
John Brown Smokehouse
J. Restaurant Chez Asta
Katz’s
Kiin Thai
Kiki’s
Kings County Imperial
Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen
La Morada
Land of Plenty
Larb Ubol
Laud
Lea
Llama Inn
Lupa
Luzzo’s
MaLa Project
Mapo Tofu
Mexicosina
Mile End
Miss Ada
Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too
Momofuku Noodle Bar
Momofuku Ssam Bar
Mu Ramen
New Malaysia
Norma Gastronomia Siciliana
Nyonya
Olmsted
Oso
Paet Rio
Patron
Paulie Gee’s
Pippali
Pok Pok Ny
Prime Meats
Prune
Purple Yam
Ribalta
Rider
Roberta’s
Rubirosa
Runner & Stone
Russ & Daughters Cafe
Rye
San Matteo
San Rasa
Shalom Japan
Sip Sak
Soba-Ya
Somtum Der
Sottocasa
Speedy Romeo
Spotted Pig
Streetbird Rotisserie
Supper
Sweet Yummy House
Szechuan Gourmet
Tanoreen
Tertulia
Tfor
Tong Sam Gyup Goo Yi
21 Greenpoint
Uncle Zhou
Uva
Vida
Vinegar Hill House
Xix
Zero Otto Nove
Zoma
The Following Venues Dropped Off the Bibs in 2018:
Basil Brick Oven
Biang! (closed)
Coppelia
El Atoradero
Gastronomia Culinaria (closed)
Il Buco Alimentari
Lil’ Frankies
Little Pepper
Lulo & Po (closed)
Manila Social Club (closed)
Pearl & Ash (closed)
Phoenix Garden (closed)
Porsena
Thelma on Clinton (closed)