10 June 4-10, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | First in class North Miami’s Mutra becomes the only Michelin-starred kosher restaurant in the world. BY NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR T here were tears, hugs, and plenty of disbelief inside Mutra on the afternoon of Thursday, May 28. Less than an hour after the Michelin Guide unveiled its 2026 Florida selection, the North Miami restaurant shared an emotional video on Instagram showing chef Raz Shabtai and his team cry- ing, cheering, and embracing as they learned they had officially earned one Michelin star. The recognition is historic. Only one year after opening, Mutra has be- come the world’s only kosher restaurant cur- rently holding a Michelin star, a milestone that places the intimate North Miami spot in global culinary history. The award also makes Mutra the only Mi- ami restaurant to receive a new Michelin star in 2026. For Shabtai, the honor is the culmination of a vision years in the making: proving that kosher dining belongs in the world’s most prestigious fine-dining conversations. “We’ve always believed kosher dining de- serves the same ambition and creativity as any great restaurant in the world,” Shabtai said in a statement. “Growing up in Jerusalem, I was surrounded by incredible flavors, spices, and food that told stories. I wanted to bring that same feeling here, not only for the local Jew- ish community, but for all of South Florida.” The announcement came as Michelin un- veiled its 2026 Florida selection and expanded the guide statewide for the first time ever. For the first time, the Michelin Guide now covers the entire state, expanding beyond Mi- ami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches, and St. Pete-Clearwater to rec- ognize restaurants across the Sunshine State. The statewide expansion marks another significant step in Florida’s evolution into one of America’s most exciting dining destinations. “What began just a few years ago has grown into something truly remarkable,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide. “Florida’s culinary landscape continues to evolve, which led our anonymous inspectors on a journey from the Panhandle to Key West to uncover the best dining experiences and hidden gems to make up this year’s selection.” The full 2026 Florida guide includes 200 restaurants spanning 41 cuisines. But for Miami, the biggest story was un- folding inside a modest shopping plaza off Northeast 123rd St. Mutra is the latest restaurant from Israeli- born chef Raz Shabtai, whose culinary career has taken him from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to New York and now South Florida. Named after his late grandmother, the res- taurant draws inspiration from the multicul- tural food traditions of Jerusalem and the immigrant communities that helped shape the city’s cuisine over generations. Rather than focusing on the hummus-and- kebab stereotypes many Americans associate with Middle Eastern cooking, Shabtai’s menu explores influences from North Africa, East- ern Europe, the Levant, and beyond. The result is one of Miami’s most distinc- tive dining experiences. Located inside an unassuming North Mi- ami shopping center, Mutra has built a de- voted following thanks to its wraparound chef’s counter, seasonal menu, and highly per- sonal approach to hospitality. The experience feels less like dining in a restaurant and more like being invited to an intimate dinner party. Michelin inspectors praised the restaurant’s hyperlocal philosophy and highlighted dishes including its beet preparation with ajo blanco and beetroot sorbet, the signature lamb kebab with smoked eggplant cream and tomato oil, and chicken a la Tunis served with harissa- studded chickpea tomato stew and couscous. “Israeli Chef Raz Shabtai has brought his take on classic Middle Eastern cuisine to din- ers in sunny Miami,” inspectors wrote in their official notes. For many observers, the star represents more than recognition for a single restaurant. It challenges long-held assumptions that ko- sher cooking must fit into a separate category from contempo- rary fine dining. Mutra’s Mi- chelin star proves the two can coexist. The Michelin announcement ar- rived just days be- fore the restaurant unveiled its new seasonal menu on June 1. Built around Shabtai’s latest philosophy of “less is more,” the upcoming menu strips dishes down to their es- sential ingredients while placing greater focus on technique and product quality. New offerings include “Can’t Be Beet!,” a reimagined version of the restaurant’s signa- ture beet dish featuring white Albino beets prepared four ways: sorbet, espuma, ajob- lanco, and pickled. Another addition is “Double or Nothing,” a ravioli doppio featuring mushroom duxelles on one side and vegan feta foam on the other, served alongside Dover sole en papillote with local corn velouté and Calabrian chili oil. The menu also introduces Korean Mu- sakhan, a playful interpretation of the classic Levantine dish made with Yemenite lachuch flatbread, overnight short ribs, sumac-pickled onions, Korean vinaigrette, and fresh herbs. Mutra may have grabbed the headlines in Miami, but South Florida’s other new Michelin star comes with a familiar cast of characters. West Palm Beach’s Emelina earned one Michelin star just months after opening, giv- ing chefs Osmel González and Camila Salazar yet another Michelin distinction following the success of EntreNos, the acclaimed Mi- ami Shores pop-up that previously earned both a Michelin star and a Green Star. The restaurant is also backed by renowned restaurateur Álvaro Perez Miranda, one of the most influential figures in South Florida dining and the force behind acclaimed Miami restaurants including Hiyakawa, Midorie, and Michelin-starred Ogawa. Named after González’s grandmother, Emelina reimagines Cuban cuisine through a fine-dining lens. Rather than focusing on nostalgia, the restaurant asks a provocative question: What would Cuban cuisine look like if generations of chefs had been free to travel, train around the world, and bring those techniques back to the island? That vision has translated into one of the re- gion’s most ambitious tasting menus. Michelin inspectors praised dishes including Sebastian Silver oysters with yucca foam, Redland cherry tomatoes with Cuban oregano chimichurri, and a reimagined rabo encendido. The recognition is another major victory for González and Salazar, whose resumes in- clude time at some of the world’s most cele- brated restaurants. González trained at Spain’s Disfrutar and California’s three-Mi- chelin-starred SingleThread before serving as chef de cuisine at Ariete, while Salazar helped lead EntreNos’ sustainability program that earned the restaurant a Michelin Green Star. For Perez Miranda, who told New Times earlier this year that he believed Emelina could redefine Cuban cuisine on the world stage, the announcement looks like validation of that bet. Mutra and Emelina were the only two res- taurants in Florida to earn new Michelin stars this year. On paper, the restaurants could not be more different. One is a kosher Israeli restau- rant tucked into a North Miami shopping plaza. The other is an intimate Cuban tasting counter in West Palm Beach led by chefs rei- magining what Cuban cuisine could become. Yet both restaurants share something im- portant: neither is content with convention. At Mutra, Shabtai is challenging assump- tions about kosher fine dining and proving that some of the world’s most ambitious cooking can emerge from a deeply personal expression of culture and tradition. At Emelina, chefs González and Salazar, alongside restaurateur Perez Miranda, are pushing Cuban cuisine into new territory while building on the legacy of their Michelin-starred work in Miami. Together, the two restaurants represent the future of South Florida dining: chef- driven, deeply rooted in heritage, and un- afraid to rewrite expectations. As Michelin inspectors expanded their reach from the Panhandle to Key West this year, they found two of Florida’s most excit- ing stories right here in South Florida. One star landed in North Miami while the other landed in West Palm Beach. However, both made history. Mutra. 2188 NE 123rd St., North Miami; 786- 860-1213; mutramiami.com. Emelina. 424 Park Pl., Ste. 101, West Palm Beach; 561-247-5473; emelinawpb.com. [email protected] ▼ Café N.A. Photography Mutra in North Miami has earned a Michelin star, making it the world’s only kosher restaurant to hold the distinction. “WE’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED KOSHER DINING DESERVES THE SAME AMBITION AND CREATIVITY AS ANY GREAT RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD.”
