There are, apparently, 53 (fifty three!) restaurants in Taiwan that received Michelin stars this year. This is after long-time Michelin darlings such as RAW have closed (and hence not received a star this year). This number of star-worthy restaurants seems high. Convince me otherwise!
Recommendations among this list are welcomed.
Guy
I’ll list one starred restaurant of interest to me: Nobuo in Taipei.
Michelin provides these details:
With a Japanese façade and a Scandinavian-inspired interior, NOBUO is all about breaking boundaries. Born in Taiwan and raised in Japan, the head chef revisits his cultural roots, marrying Franco-Japanese techniques with Taiwanese produce. The single tasting menu is visually minimalist but packed in intensity. The scallops stand out in texture and umami, the meat demonstrates well-honed French technique and the curry is inspired by his childhood memories.
Source: NOBUO – Taipei - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant
A meal at Nobuo apparently ends with the comforts of Japanese curry rice, pictured here:
Photo credit: Michael Fei
Michael Fei’s account of dining at Nobuo is, as usual, exemplary. He typically hates the mandatory set course menu trend in Taipei’s fine dining scene, so his praise in the account below (mixed in, of course, with critiques and suggestions) is noteworthy.
Guy
Some interesting finds I’d like to try
Pizza and Pasta - ANTICO FORNO
Mexican food - Pang Taco
sesame flat bread
fang guabao
Taiwanese breakfast
source with more options:
No idea if it’s any good, but they get points for the name. 
Randomly went to Pang Taco recently. It’s alright, but it’s so expensive and so small. Don’t really understand why it’s worth a star or whatever, but whatever, maybe my tastes are too plebian.
feels like Michelin ratings are now like ISO-9000s or IS0-12000s. just another racket to get money for ratings firm.
My views of Pang’s “Mexican” food are here, posted in September 2024:
Guy
Michelin nominated restaurants are usually a quality stamp expecting an awesome dining experience, but in Taiwan the Michelin brand has been eroded by too many good (not awesome) restaurants getting a star
I can’t wait to try some of them next time I’m back
Honestly it’s not a Taiwan thing. We like to collect stars and it’s not uncommon to go to a 1 star and feel disappointed in Europe.
2-3 you’re usually going to be safe but the 2-3 star ones are usually more of an event along with dinner.
Most of these don’t have stars…they made the guide for “good” options or however they define it. Their brand perception has certainly been diluted since they started doing this imo.
Antico forno is OK, would never put them on the guide, but whatever
