2026 Michelin Ceremony: Bangkok Shows Its Evolution in Real Time

From Sühring’s historic ascent to Three Michelin Stars to INDDEE’s breakthrough and Gaggan’s charged return, the 2026 Michelin Guide Thailand ceremony delivered landmark moments.

(Above) The stars align on stage at the Michelin ceremony; (Hero image) Twin brothers Thomas and Mathias Sühring of Sühring celebrating their three star status.

Rumours an impending upheaval had floated for weeks before the ceremony. The energy was nervous. Something big was coming. Instead, Michelin delivered a ceremony shaped not by shock but by landmark moments that carried weight and clarity: the first Chef Mentor Award, Wilfrid Hocquet’ s confident rise, the return of Gaggan, and above all the ascent of Sühring. There were a few moments of ”why” and a handful of shoulder shrugs, but the mood remained unmistakably upbeat. This was the ninth ceremony in Thailand, and by some distance the best produced. The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok did more than put its best foot forward; it set a new benchmark for how a Michelin ceremony should feel.

Thailand’s culinary story has been building towards a defining chapter, and today the page turned. Sühring was elevated to Three Michelin Stars, becoming the only German restaurant outside Germany to hold this distinction. For a restaurant rooted in childhood memories and precise, technique-driven cooking, the achievement is both historic and poetic. It signals Bangkok’s expanding role not just as a stage for Thai cuisine but for global chefs too, a city where international cuisines can mature into their highest form.

Momentum continued across the room. Two restaurants joined the Two Michelin Star tier, led by INDDEE, now the second Indian restaurant in Thailand to achieve this level, alongside Gaa. Its menu of memories, regions and reinterpretations has resonated deeply with diners, and today it took its place in Michelin’s upper ranks. Anne-Sophie Pic at Le Normandie also rose to Two Stars, the work of Chef Pic and Head Chef Tamaki Kobayashi evolving with a calm precision that feels aligned to the dining room’s legacy.

But the atmosphere shifted most noticeably with the return of Gaggan. The applause began before the name was fully spoken. Gaggan’s original restaurant held Two Michelin Stars before closing in 2019, and in the years since Gaggan Anand has remained one of Asia’s most watched and admired chefs. His new restaurant’s promotion to One Star marks not just a comeback but a renewed statement of intent. The electricity around the announcement said everything.

The One Star category welcomed three newcomers. Bo.lan returned with a deepened focus on heritage and sustainability. Cannubi by Umberto Bombana for Italian cooking with a clean modernity and etcha for its borderless menu. Four restaurants rose from the Michelin Selected list, reinforcing how wide the city’s talent base has become.

Momentum gathered, too, in the Green Star category. GOAT, already a One Star restaurant, earned a Green Star for its thoughtful, future-facing ethos, shaped in close collaboration with farmers, fishermen and independent producers. Alongside PRU, Haoma, Jampa and Baan Tepa, it forms a small but influential group reimagining what responsible gastronomy looks like in Thailand.

New special awards broadened the tone of the evening. David Thompson, one of the most consequential figures in the story of Thai fine dining, received the inaugural Michelin Guide Mentor Chef Award. It recognised not only his achievements but his decades-long role in shaping the chefs who now define the country’s culinary identity. The Young Chef Award went to Suwijak Kunghae of Royd for his expressive Southern Thai cooking. Wilfrid Hocquet of Margo secured Opening of the Year, while Arsen Brahaj of Aulis Phuket was honoured for exceptional service.

Inspectors alo note wider shifts: deeper collaboration with small-scale producers, more confident regional Thai expression, a rising plant-forward movement and the steady growth of chef-driven casual concepts. Non-alcoholic pairings stood out as part of a new rhythm in dining.

The final numbers:
• 2 Three Michelin Star restaurants
• 8 Two Michelin Star restaurants
• 33 One Michelin Star restaurants
• 5 Green Stars
• 137 Bib Gourmands
• 288 Michelin Selected restaurants

Yet numbers alone cannot hold the energy in the room. Thailand did not get the upheaval many expected. It received something more meaningful: moments that signal maturity and a clearer sense of identity. With Sühring’s historic ascent, INDDEE’s breakthrough and Gaggan’s return, Bangkok continues to show why it remains one of the world’s most compelling culinary capitals.

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