Food News
Michelin Boston restaurants are harder to get into — here’s when to book.
Boston’s inaugural Michelin moment has been the talk of the town, inviting congratulatory messages, discussions of disappointment, and already future outlooks. The teams at restaurants that made the guide, like Pagu, had to juggle the shock of winning, as well as respond to an uptick in emails and other communication about reservations.
To be clear, it’s a good problem to have, but chef-owner Tracy Chang noted it was pretty immediate after the Michelin gala in Philadelphia last Tuesday evening.
“We saw the boost happen within 24 to 48 hours,” after the ceremony, Chang said. “Percentage wise, we’ve seen a 20% jump in reservations, and that’s great. But of course, we still have to deliver, right? People are coming in with heightened expectations, and the pressure is on.”
It just got harder to get into your favorite Greater Boston restaurant, thanks to a boost in interest following the city’s first showing in the Michelin Guide, an effect of sorts that seems to have impacted other new Michelin places like the American South and Quebec.
That roster includes 27 restaurants in Greater Boston: One star, six Bib Gourmand, and 19 recommended restaurants.
Several chefs and restaurant owners confirmed that reservations were rolling in for the next few weeks, despite a slower holiday week coming up.
At Mahaniyom, which earned a Bib Gourmand Michelin rating and won the Exceptional Cocktail Program award, there aren’t reservations left for prime-time dinner spots through the next month.
“We open at 4 p.m., and now we’re seeing a lot of reservations at 4 p.m.,” said owner Chompon “Boong” Boonnak.
The only times that appear to be left on OpenTable are for weekday lunch at the small, 26-seat Mahaniyom.
Pagu, also recognized with a Bib Gourmand, has seating size on its side, so there are still seats to snag, depending on the date and party size. But Chang said on Thursday last week that the post-Michelin weekend had nearly maxed out with reservations.
“We’ve all been hurting this past year, so this is a real boost for us,” Chang said.
Urban Hearth chef-owner Erin Miller also has had to figure out the complicated puzzle that is fitting newly interested guests into her 24-seat restaurant, which now appears on the Michelin Guide as a recommended eatery.
The Cambridge restaurant is almost booked solid for the next couple of weeks, even on weekdays.
“What is telling is that we’re getting a lot of reservations into the new year that we might not otherwise get, and we’re getting a lot of phone calls because people see that we’re booked,” Miller said.
Boston.com didn’t hear back from 311, Boston’s only restaurant to receive a Michelin star, after emailing and calling the omakase restaurant to get more information about reservations. But The Boston Globe restaurant critic food reporter Devra First said in the Globe’s Camberville newsletter that 311 was booked until January.
Bar Volpe, Fox & The Knife, and Sumiao Hunan Kitchen staff shared similar news: Now that they’re Michelin-designated places, diners may have a harder time getting that 7 p.m. Saturday reservation.
It’s not all bad news, though. Nearly every restaurant staffer Boston.com spoke to wanted to make clear that diners can and should still try to get into their restaurants.
Mahaniyom may be one of the hardest restaurants to get a reservation for right now, but Boonnak said their bar seats are specifically reserved for walk-ins. He recommended coming for an early or late dinner in order to grab one, but also diners could grab a drink nearby at his other hot spot, Merai, or another bar if they get put on a waitlist.
Diners will also have more luck getting into Mahaniyom if they go for lunch, which offers the same menu of Thai tapas.
Both Urban Hearth and Pagu have some openings at the shoulder times, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., and even some weekend seats closer to 7 p.m. — though those spots are likely to disappear the closer you get to a given weekend day and time.
That’s for smaller parties. For parties with five or more guests, Miller recommended looking for a date even further out.
But Miller suggested the Michelin boost, though new to Boston, is really no different than any other guide or award in terms of the uptick in interest it generates in diners. Coming off of a recent run in the James Beard Awards circuit, which Miller was a finalist in the Best Chef: Northeast category, she would know.
“There’s always going to be the immediate kind of reflexes from whenever you get a media hit,” Miller said. “Then from there, it’s what you do with it and how you continue to keep the story present and alive.”
So give it some time. Still try to get into that award-winning restaurant. Or go to another favorite that didn’t quite make the Michelin cut. But whatever you do, these restaurateurs ask that you don’t let Michelin discourage you from dining out.
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