Didn’t get an invitation to the Michelin ceremony? It will be live streamed from the Kimmel Center.
The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau is encouraging watch parties for restaurant fans.
Hundreds of top chefs from five cities will exchange their whites for cocktail attire Tuesday night for the Michelin Guide’s Northeast Cities ceremony at the Kimmel Center.
Given that it’s an invitation-only event, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has struck a deal with 6abc.com to live stream the event on its website and apps to encourage watch parties.
The ceremony, expected to run about an hour, will begin at 7 p.m. after a cocktail reception.
The bureau’s official watch party will be at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, at 1310 Drury St., the city’s oldest bar and one of the oldest in the country.
“Our hope is that food lovers will gather to cheer on the chefs and restaurants putting our city on the world stage,” said Robin Bloom, PHLCVB’s senior director of communications.
The Northeast Cities ceremony will cover dining in Chicago, New York City, D.C., and for the first time, Boston and Philadelphia.
Though invitations have gone out to chefs and restaurateurs, it’s not entirely clear all attendees will come home with a prize.
Michelin operates in regions around the world from its headquarters in France and its U.S. base in Greenville, S.C.
On Nov. 3, Greenville hosted the 2025 American South awards, covering dining in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the preexisting Atlanta Guide. The guide recognized 228 restaurants in the region that night.
Philadelphia civic boosters had long sought Michelin’s attention, especially after its restaurant scene had been lauded routinely for at least the last decade by the James Beard Foundation and national food publications. In May’s announcement that it had struck a deal with PHLCVB, Michelin acknowledged that its notoriously fussy inspectors had already begun their work.
In Michelin parlance, better restaurants receive 1 star (“worth a stop”), 2 stars (“worth a detour”), or 3 stars (“worth a journey”). Casual restaurants deemed “good quality, good value cooking” are labeled as Bib Gourmand selections, while some restaurants are reviewed and presented without star ratings. There also are other categories, such as Green Star (sustainable gastronomy).
It was no small feat that Philadelphia landed the honor of hosting the Northeast event. In the announcement in August, Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s international director, referred to “the iconic city of Philadelphia” as “a shining example of hospitality.”