Shanghai's first ever Michelin guide, Michelin Guide Shanghai 2017, was announced yesterday with a total of 26 restaurants winning the prestigious stars: Chefs, restaurateurs, foodies and industry folk comment on the list.

The guide awarded one 3-starred restaurant, seven 2-stars and 18 restaurants one star, along with 25 Bib Gourmands. The guide also lists 71 other venues from street eats to Bund-side fine dining. 

Not surprising were the tidal wave of comments that came right after. It wasn't just from restaurateurs who felt they got snubbed; food writers and other industry types who thought the list didn't accurately reflect Shanghai’s dining scene shared many of the same criticisms. 

You can slice the list/book every way possible and in the end, you’d still have people complaining or upset about the final selection.Some restaurants received less than others, some received more.

Most of it was expected, but perhaps the most shocking was that some restaurants didn’t even make the cut of being listed in the book, like M on the Bund and Franck. Those and more restaurants that have been trying really hard and have contributed to the cornerstone of Shanghai’s F&B industry were left out of the Michelin list.

What is exciting though, is that this will motivate more chefs and restaurateurs to push forward, bringing more talent into the limelight.

We reached out to some of Shanghai’s top restauranteurs, owners, industry experts and people who have been working in F&B for over 10 years. We asked them to comment on the overall impressions of the first Shanghai Michelin Guide and here were some of their responses.