The Michelin Guide isn't removing Roxanne — for now
The Queen Village restaurant was shut down by the city for licensing issues this month.
Michelin will not be removing Roxanne from its storied gastronomic guide in light of recent revelations that the restaurant was operating without a food license since it opened in Queen Village, a representative told The Inquirer by email.
Instead, Michelin spokesperson Carly Grieff said, Roxanne “will be listed as temporarily closed” on the Michelin Guide restaurant and app. As of Wednesday, Roxanne’s entry appeared as it always has, praising chef-owner Alexandra Holt for “[prioritizing] flavor over fuss” with her experimental dinner party-style six-course tasting menu.
“Restaurants could learn a thing or two from this eccentric spot in Old Town [sic],” the Michelin Guide says of Roxanne. “Chef Alexandra Holt just wants to cook — and cook she can."
The Michelin Guide only delists restaurants in between its annual refreshes when they’ve closed permanently, said Grieff.
Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses & Inspections issued an active cease operations order for Roxanne — located at 607 S. Second St. in Queen Village — on April 6, citing the restaurant for failing to obtain a food license.
But an Inquirer search of L&I records revealed that Roxanne never had a food preparation and serving license — required of all restaurants in Philadelphia — since it opened in December 2024.
A search of Department of Public Health records also showed that Roxanne had never received a health inspection, another requirement for restaurants to operate in Philly.
“Roxanne did not ever submit a plan review application as part of [the] new stationary food business process. As such, Roxanne also never had a valid Food Preparation and Service License from L&I," Department of Public Health spokesperson James Garrow previously told The Inquirer. “Roxanne’s was never inspected [by the health department] because it was never legally operating.”
A formally trained pastry chef who previously worked in the kitchen of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Germany, Holt opened the first iteration of Roxanne at 912 Christian St. in September 2022. Its then-confounding eight-course tasting menu was a canvas for Holt to work through her emotions in real time, where she used different arrangements of deli meats, sauces, and pastries to make statements about politics or her own mental health.
A search of L&I and Department of Public Health Records also did not return a food license or health inspection history for Roxanne at 912 Christian St.
Roxanne would find its real footing two years later when Holt reopened the restaurant in Queen Village. There — and with a smaller, more-refined menu — Roxanne would earn praise from Inquirer critic Craig LaBan and a spot on The Inquirer’s The 76.
In 2025, Roxanne would become one of 21 restaurants to earn a recommendation in Michelin’s first guide to Philly. A step beneath a star, recommendations are doled out to restaurants that serve food “with quality ingredients that are well cooked,” according to the Michelin website. Industry insiders view the honor as a stepping stone for Michelin’s coveted stars.
The Michelin Guide only evaluates restaurants on its five famous criteria, Grieff said: the use of quality products; the harmony of flavors; mastery of cooking techniques; how the cuisine reflects a chef’s personality and voice; and consistency over time.
“It’s worth noting that inspectors are only evaluating the food on the plate,” Grieff wrote. “The Michelin Guide does not keep a record of a restaurant’s health inspections or licensing records as it’s not a part of the evaluation process for inclusion in the selection.”
The Inquirer has also updated Roxanne’s listing in The 76 with a note about Roxanne closing temporarily due to licensing issues.
The Michelin Guide has occasionally removed restaurants after the establishments have found themselves mired in controversy.
In July, the guide delisted the West Palm Beach restaurant Konro — which received one Michelin star — after its owner Jacob Bickelhaupt was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder and false imprisonment for allegedly assaulting his wife. And in February, the acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant Noma disappeared from the Michelin Guide following a New York Times expose that revealed a culture of physical and psychological abuse in the kitchen at the hands of founding chef René Redzepi.
Alexandra Holt previously told The Inquirer that she was working to rectify the licensing issue and hopes to re-open Roxanne by May 20.
Holt said she temporarily closed the restaurant prior to the cease operation order to see to health issues, and was blindsided by the notice (which was at one point covered with pink construction paper, a crime in Philadelphia). Holt maintained that Roxanne has always had a license to operate.
“I operate with a really small team, so all mistakes are definitely my mistakes,” Holt previously told The Inquirer. “I’m not the best at this [business] stuff.”
