It's Official: Michelin Guide Coming to Shanghai 2016

By Betty Richardson

This just in: representatives for Michelin have reached out to That's to confirm the release of a Shanghai Michelin Guide. Earlier in February, rumors surfaced that a Mainland version of the influential restaurant guide were in the pipeline, when images of a 2016 Shanghai Michelin Guide mock-up cover were posted to social media.

The post of a Shanghai Michelin Guide mock-up cover for 2016 that surfaced on social media in February.

However, the official press release sent to Michelin's WeChat account today included images of a cover for a 2017 Shanghai guide, and stipulated that the list of restaurants included would be revealed later in the third quarter of 2016.

An image of the Shanghai Michelin Guide 2017 from Michelin's official WeChat account.

Though the guide has been confirmed, there has so far been no concrete information on how exactly how the Michelin Guide will critique restaurants in Shanghai, namely whether local and non- 'fine dining' establishments would be assessed alongside upmarket restaurants, as in the Hong Kong Michelin Guide (the 2016 edition of which is the first to include a 'Street Food' category).

In an official press release, Michael Ellis, International Director of the Michelin Guides, exclaims that "The richness and quality of Shanghai's culinary scene completely won us over!", and that the city's "strong cultural heritage" and "range from popular to fine dining restaurants" is what gives Shanghai its unique edge.

The release also confirms that the Michelin Guides assess "only the quality of the cuisine." A hint that the Shanghai guide will include a decent selection of local cuisine as well as formal and Western restaurants?

Stay tuned for more updates on Shanghai's first Michelin Guide.

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