Michelin Restaurants: London’s 2019 Star Announcements

London’s Michelin star announcements usually guarantee two things: (big) surprises and some entirely predictable new inclusions. But will there be any new three star designations this year — probably the most significant, independently ordained accolade a restaurant can receive — and will anywhere suffer the desperate, comparatively unpublicised, ignominy of demotion, or even losing their place on the list? And will this be the year that Clare Smyth finally earns a star (or two?) for her long-awaited solo debut, Core in Notting Hill?

This year’s Michelin Guide for U.K. and Ireland brings with it nine new stars for London — with a contemporary west African restaurant, a Basque grill homage, an east London wine bar, and a tapas bar and asador in Mayfair all awarded first stars — perhaps Michelin is finally, truly, changing its tyres. Or perhaps, with a Mayfair money magnet and a starry stalwart also acclaimed, it’s not that seismic a shift at all.

Here, Eater London tracks all the Michelin news for the 2019 guide.