Michelin has launched the fourth edition of the bilingual MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau and not only does it reflect the sustained improvement in the quality of restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, it also highlights the increasing richness and diversity of the delicacies to be found in each city.

The latest Hong Kong Macau guide includes 281 establishments in Hong Kong (237 restaurants and 44 hotels) and 51 establishments in Macau (35 restaurants and 16 hotels). It includes 59 new restaurants (57 in Hong Kong and 2 in Macau) and 10 new hotels (7 in Hong Kong and 3 in Macau).

In Hong Kong and Macau there are now 5 three-star restaurants (4 in Hong Kong and 1 in Macau), 13 with two-star (10 in Hong Kong and 3 in Macau) and 51 one star establishments (48 in Hong Kong and 3 in Macau).

The MICHELIN inspectors have been continuously exploring the local dining scenes in Hong Kong and Macau to find a wide variety of establishments for our readers. Not only have they found many new stars but they have also discovered a wide variety of restaurants offering many different styles of cooking. We have expanded our coverage to take in new locations such as Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island and have also included two additional cuisines – Singaporean and Xinjiang – which further showcase the diversity of excellent food in Hong Kong and Macau.

The MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau 2012 is the perfect guide to finding the best restaurants offering excellent value for money. A total of 59 simple shop (2) restaurants (52 in Hong Kong and 7 in Macau) are included (c.f. 55 restaurants in 2011). These basic, local food stalls make up around 20% of the guide and include noodle shops, noodles and congee eateries, and Vietnamese food stalls. Some of them have even been awarded stars, making them the most affordable starred restaurants in the world.

The guide also features 64 Bib Gourmand (=) restaurants (59 in Hong Kong and 5 in Macau), chosen by the inspectors for their good value. 19 Bib Gourmand restaurants are new to the guide, indicating that there are still a lot of affordable restaurants with top-quality cuisine. These restaurants are particularly popular with our readers in these challenging economic times so the list of Bib Gourmands for gourmets looking for great food at an affordable price - a full three-course meal (excluding drinks) costing HKD/ MOP 300 or less – is a very valuable part of our guide.

Michelin stars are awarded purely for what is on the plate. To ensure consistency, our inspectors, who undertake all restaurant reviews anonymously, adhere to the standard five criteria for awarding stars in all areas and countries: product quality, preparation and flavours, the cuisine's personality, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu.  In this year’s guide, more than 70% of the restaurants selected offer Chinese cuisine, including Shanghainese, Pekingese, Sichuan, Hakkanese, Hang Zhou, Cantonese, and Chiu Chow. 

A restaurant that receives one or more stars is not only one of the best in its country, but also one of the best in the world.

• One star (m) means a very good restaurant in its category.
• Two stars (n) mean excellent cooking, worth a detour.
• Three stars (o) mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.