Do Any Beer Breweries Have A Michelin Star?

For a restaurant, earning a Michelin star is a huge deal, raising its prestige and bringing in more customers. This is especially true when it can't be neatly categorized — it stands out even more compared to the typical fine-dining establishments that have received the coveted award. For instance, there have been two fast food restaurants to earn a Michelin star. Both were food stands in Singapore — Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. The former lost its star in 2021 after rebranding. Similarly, there have been only two breweries — or more specifically, the restaurants attached to the breweries — that have thus far been honored by the French tire company's prestigious Guide. 

Both were in Chicago, but only one is still around. The first brewpub in the world to earn a Michelin star was Band of Bohemia, an establishment in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood that received its one star in 2016. It closed in July 2020 amid issues related to the pandemic and allegations the management failed to deal with a former chef's alleged misconduct. Then, in 2021, Michelin gave Moody Tongue, a brewery with two attached eateries located in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood, two stars, making it the only current Michelin starred brewery in the world. 

Cousins Jared Rouben and Jeremy Cohn opened Moody Tongue Brewing Co. in 2014 and later expanded into food with the Dining Room and the Bar. The 28-seat Dining Room features a 15-course tasting menu with beer pairings. Executive Chef James Bingham uses hyper-seasonal ingredients for  his New American cuisine with a global perspective. Meanwhile, the Bar offers a la carte menu items. The current Michelin Guide highlights such dishes as the black cod with makhani curry paired with an orange blossom Belgian blonde ale.

Moody Tongue received two Michelin stars in 2021. Michelin employs anonymous inspectors with experience in the food and hospitality industry who use guidelines that include the quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, consistency, and other benchmarks. Michelin reevaluates the restaurants every year (and there are plenty of Michelin Guide secrets all restaurant lovers should know). Receiving any Michelin star is a huge deal, but to receive two is an outstanding achievement.

What does each star mean? One means it's a high quality restaurant worth a stop, while two means its one that's excellent and worth making a detour for. Moody Tongue held on to its two-star status for three years. Then, in December 2024, Michelin announced its awards for the year, with Moody Tongue receiving a single star. Still, it remains the only Michelin-starred brewery-restaurant in the world as of this writing.