The Michelin Guide 2026 features 34 Latvian restaurants, including three new additions, as well as John’s Chef’s Hall and Max Cekot Kitchen, which have each retained their one Michelin star, Michelin Guide representatives informed LETA.
Of the restaurants listed in the latest guide, 27 are located in Riga and seven in other parts of Latvia.
Last year’s winners – Snatch, Shoyu, and Milda – have kept their Bib Gourmand awards, which are given to restaurants offering great food at an affordable price. They are joined this year by SMOR Bistro and H.E. Vanadzins.
The latest Michelin Selected Restaurants guide includes three new entries – SMOR Bistro, as well as The Catch and Masa in Riga – which are featured in the guide’s main selection for the first time.
The Michelin Selected Restaurants list continues to include Entresol, Chef’s Corner, COD, 3 Pavāri, B7, Akustika, Mo, Pavāru Māja, Tauro, Kest, Lowine, Stage 22, Ferma, Barents Cocktails & Seafood, Neiburgs, Tails, Zoltners, Barents, Seasons, John, Babo, Whitehouse, Riviera, Le Dome, and 36. līnija.
At the same time, the special awards were presented as follows:
Opening of the Year Award – Kaspars Barsukovs, SMOR Bistro
Young Chef Award – Timofejs Monahovs, Seasons
Service Award – Sergejs Siporovs and the team at The Catch
Sommelier Award – Ivars Kalniņš, Riviera
As reported, 31 Latvian restaurants were included in the Michelin Guide last October, when John’s Chef’s Hall earned its first star and Max Cekot Kitchen retained its star.
The restaurant Pavāru Māja has also retained its Michelin Green Star for sustainability.
Five new restaurants – B7, Babo, Lowine, Seasons, and Stage 22 – were added to the Michelin Selected Restaurants list.
Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants that offer exceptional food, based on five criteria: the quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, technical mastery, the chef’s personality as expressed through their cuisine, and consistency throughout the menu and over time.
Michelin stars are awarded for one year, after which the jury revisits each restaurant. A restaurant may lose or gain stars in subsequent editions.
One Michelin Star signifies “high-quality cooking, worth a stop”, two stars indicate “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, and three stars represent “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
According to information from Firmas.lv, A22hotel, the operator of the A22 Hotel and John’s Chef’s Hall restaurant, was registered in 2018 with a share capital of EUR 2,800. The company is wholly owned by Maksims Kusnarenko. In 2024, the company reported a turnover of EUR 1.331 million and a loss of EUR 75,680.
Max Cekot Kitchen is managed by Max Cekot Group, owned by Maksims Cekots (55 percent) and Natalja Golubova (45 percent). In 2024, the company reported a turnover of EUR 1.219 million and a profit of EUR 104,780, according to Firmas.lv. Max Cekot Group was registered in 2018 with a share capital of EUR 2,760.
Source: BNS
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