Two Naples Restaurants Earn Michelin Guide Honors
In 2026, Naples earned consideration from the Michelin Guide for the first time in the 100 years it's been handing out honors to restaurants of all types. When the awards were announced on May 28, two Naples restaurants earned Michelin Recommended status — Bicyclette Cookshop in North Naples and Tong Yin, located on the fringes of downtown.
These honors mark an important milestone for Naples dining. They generate wider acclaim for what locals and visitors already know: the city has an exemplary culinary scene, whose reputation is always growing.
The two eateries represent different realms within the Paradise Coast dining scene.
Tong Yin is a small Thai restaurant owned and operated by June Dispongsa and Somi Vasitom, two women who also own the Naples Asian restaurants Ichi Togarashi, Sendo de Cafe and Mimoto. Tong Yin, which opened in 2024, serves elevated Thai food that incorporates influences from other Southeast Asian cuisines.
The Michelin Guide credited Tong Yin for its “cozy, comfortable vibe,” adding that its menu “pulls from across the [Asian] region; classics like miang kham, drunken noodles with mussels and curries like khao soi with impressively tender hunks of beef short rib are some of the hits.”
Bicyclette Cookshop is owned by restaurateur Louie Mele and Executive Chef Kayla Pfeiffer, who helms the kitchen with an adventurous spirit. The New American restaurant specializes in “internationally inspired smaller plates,” Pfeiffer says. “It's really meant for people to come in and have a curated dining experience.”
She’s earned her stripes as a celebrity chef. In January 2024, Pfeiffer won the season finale of Food Network’s Chopped cooking competition. In March of ‘26, she competed in the series premiere of Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Food Fight, advancing to the final round.
The restaurant’s unusual name came about because Mele’s bike shop, Naples Cyclery, is located next door to The Bicyclette Cookshop. “We kind of just pulled it out of a hat,” says Pfeiffer.
Michelin wrote that guests will “find sincerity and creativity in ample supply,” adding that “the kitchen prepares a playful, inspired menu that is endlessly tempting. Where does one begin? Caviar with bugles and crème fraiche? Chorizo potatoes with chipotle hollandaise?”
In April 2026, Mele and Pfeiffer opened a second restaurant concept called Heyday Cookshop, located three-and-a-half miles south of Bicyclette. Pfeiffer calls it “a modern cookshop, collaborative kitchen and hi-fi listening room.”
It was 2021 when the Michelin Guide first brought Florida under its umbrella. The initial territories were Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Then came greater Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in ’25. A year later, Michelin announced it would include the entire state. It’s from that vast territory that two Naples restaurants scored their prestigious recognition.
Praise from the Michelin Guide does not come easily. You can’t buy it, lobby for it, or otherwise coax it into existence. The Guide’s inspectors dine anonymously. They evaluate restaurants on the quality of ingredients, mastery of technique, harmony of flavors, consistency, and the chef’s culinary personality. They do not take into account decor or luxury. That effectively means a diner has as much chance as a high-priced destination restaurant.
Of course, the most coveted honor is to earn a Michelin star (or stars). No stars were awarded to Naples restaurants in 2026, but that’s not unusual for a first-time market. The fact that Naples was recognized at all speaks volumes about its culinary scene. Besides the wider acclaim that Michelin Guide status generates, it also serves to elevate the efforts of all the restaurants in the area – something that’s good for restauranteurs, chefs, and of course, diners.
The proof is in the eating. We’re confident you’ll love your experience, no matter which restaurant you choose. Plan your culinary adventure in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades. And taste what makes this Paradise in Every Sense.