Latino Michelin Restaurants for High-End Dining Experiences

gourmet cuisine dish served in fine dining restaurant

Dining at Michelin-starred restaurants promises a high-end foodie experience without comparison. Among the sea of options in the Michelin Guide, you’ll find plenty of Latino restaurants that offer traditional Latin American flavors or Latin American flavors with a bit of a spin to them. Elcielo Miami, Imperfecto, and Causa stand out with their Michelin stars. However, whether they have a star or not, these restaurants have the Michelin stamp of approval and they offer unique dining experiences. Here are some of the best options to consider:


Mexicosina

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Mexicosina, a Latin restaurant in New York.

Photo by Mexicocina_mezcaleria on Instagram

Located in New York and founded in 2008 by Antonio Vilchis and his business partner Ismael Gonzales, Mexicosina is a powerhouse in south-central Mexican food. This restaurant is known for its vibrant decor and authentic Mexican feel. Mexicosina has a “Bib Gourmand” distinction on the Michelin Guide, which means it’s a quality restaurant. The Michelin Guide recommends the tlayuda from their menu, a dish that consists of a crunchy tortilla base topped with refried black beans, chicharrón, Oaxaca cheese, and more. You will also find standouts like goat stew, lamb barbacoa tacos, delicious salsas, and refreshing drinks like horchata, agua fresca, and more.

Casa Ora

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Casa Ora, a Latin restaurant in New York.

Photo by casaoranyc on Instagram

Also located in New York, Casa Ora is a Venezuelan restaurant founded by chef Isbelis Diaz and Ivo Diaz, her son. This restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide is known for its great variety of Venezuelan dishes, which are as authentic as they get. They even serve their food on artisanal pieces made by Venezuelan artist Victor Serrano, providing an experience for all the senses. Their empanadas are one of the standout dishes, but other popular options include asado negro, arepas, bollitos pelones, and more.

Dama

A cocktail plate of Peruvian-inspired Calamari showcased within the interior of 'Dama' - a Latin restaurant in Los Angeles.

Photo by damafashiondistrict on Instagram

Located in Los Angeles, Dama offers Latin American and American Contemporary cuisine. The restaurant is known for its Caribbean aesthetic and for how satisfying the food is, which earned it a spot on the Michelin Guide. They have a varied menu that includes delicious options like dry-aged ribeye, which can be paired with salsa verde for heavenly tacos, arepas, tostadas, empanadas, and more. Dama also serves some killer cocktails with Latin American vibes like piña colada, “Latin lover,” and more.

Llama Inn

A plate of Rice with Seafood at 'Llama Inn,' a Latin restaurant in New York City.

Photo by llamainnnyc on Instagram

Another great option in the Big Apple is the Llama Inn, a Peruvian restaurant with a Bib Gourmand distinction. The Llama Inn is known for its modern ambiance and for taking Peruvian cuisine to another level. Chef Erik Ramirez brings his unique vision, providing fresh and fun dishes that elevate Peruvian staples like anticuchos, which are usually beef skewers, but Llama Inn offers options like beef hearts and scallops. They’re accompanied by coconut rice, corn, and salsa, reflecting Peru’s richness of ingredients.

Elcielo Miami

The 'Tree of Life' dish, celebrating the Naked Indian Tree's versatility from the Amazon rainforest, presented within the refined indoor setting of Miami's Latin fine dining establishment, 'Elcielo'.

Photo by elcielomiami on Instagram

Miami’s population is 70% Latino, so there are hundreds of Latin American restaurants to check out. If you’re going for a Michelin star experience, Elcielo Miami offers that. Founded in 2015 by Colombian Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, this restaurant is high-end and has earned one Michelin star. Chef Barrientos uses avant-garde cooking techniques and local organic products to offer an elevated experience of Colombian cuisine. “The Experience” consists of a variety of small bites that lead up to the main courses, telling a story with Latin American flavors. They’re known for their dramatic dish presentations and bold flavors, so it’s an unforgettable experience.

Azul Mariscos

A variety of seafood dishes served at Azul Marisco, a Latin restaurant in Chicago.

Photo by azulmariscoschicago on Instagram

Located in Chicago, Azul Mariscos offers a Pan-Mexican menu that will blow you away. Their specialty is Latin-inspired seafood dishes, so that’s what they’re known for. Among the most popular options on the menu, there’s the grilled pineapple stuffed with octopus, Chihuahua cheese, and a delicious Chipotle sauce, and their incredible seafood paella. Every dish they offer has well-rounded flavors and impressive aesthetic presentations, not to mention the ambiance is vibrant and welcoming. Another great recommendation from the Michelin Guide!

Imperfecto

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Imperfecto, a Latin restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Photo by imperfectodc on Instagram

In Washington, Imperfecto is the place to visit for Michelin-starred Latino dishes. Imperfecto offers the “One Michelin Star Experience” at their Communical Chef Table and it consists of an incredible tasting menu of over 10 courses. The menu takes you on a ride from South America to the Mediterranean, through a variety of dishes. Imperfecto is one of the restaurants under the Seven Reasons Group, which also includes the Seven Reasons restaurant, which offers a varied menu with dishes from Venezuela, Peru, and the Caribbean. That’s also worth checking out!

Habana

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Habana, a Latin restaurant in Costa Mesa

Photo by restauranthabana on Instagram

Featured in the Michelin Guide and located in Costa Mesa, Habana is a bit of a hidden gem and it offers a taste of Cuba. Their menu provides a lot of variety, so you’ll find dishes like pork croquetas, empanadas with different kinds of filling, sandwiches, traditional options like ropa vieja, a dish that consists of shredded beef, sofrito black beans, buttered white rice, and sweet plantains, and much more. “El Churrasco” is another standout dish with grilled skirt steak, chimichurri, and corn on the cob; perfect for meat lovers! They also have “Mojito Mondays,” where they offer a variety of mojitos, including pineapple mojitos, toasted coconut mojitos, and more.

Cafe La Trova

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Cafe La Trova, a Latin restaurant in Miami

Photo by cafelatrovamiami on Instagram

The Cafe La Trova is a great option in Miami if you’re looking for high-quality Cuban and Latin American dishes. Chef Michelle Bernstein is of Jewish and Latin American descent, so the menu features Cuban classics like lechon, which is braised mojo marinated pork shoulder, Cuban sandwich empanadas, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), and more. Their range of Cuban-inspired cocktails and beers is also worth exploring!

Causa

A gourmet cuisine dish served at Causa, a Latin restaurant in DC

Photo by amazoniadc_ on Instagram

We’re closing this list with another restaurant in Washington! Causa has one Michelin star and it offers a tasting experience inspired by the topography of Peru. Chef Carlos Delgado created this experience to deliver a taste of Peru, where he was born, taking diners from Lima to the Andes and beyond. This one Michelin star tasting experience includes Peruvian dishes like causa, which consists of mashed potatoes topped with tuna tartare, and bomba rice. The tasting menu can also be paired with Pisco, which is a great opportunity to explore Peru’s national spirit.

a woman giving the side eye to a man

Have you ever met someone who seems overly confident, self-centered, or even downright rude? Maybe they constantly talk about themselves, disregard your feelings, or even manipulate situations to their advantage. And, if you're anything like us and countless other Latinas, you might've thought, is this person just a purebred a**hole, or are they a narcissist?

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Image by Sayuri Jimenez.

Nathalie Molina Niño has never been one to shy away from breaking barriers, and now, she’s focusing her attention on a new mission: demystifying corporate boardrooms for women, especially Latinas. Molina Niño is the President of Known, an asset management and financial services firm, a veteran tech entrepreneur and builder capitalist, and a board member at the iconic lingerie Brand, Hanky Panky, and others.

Like many corporate boards, Hanky Panky hadn’t publicly disclosed its board composition until recently. After the brand survived the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina Niño decided it was time for more women, specifically more Latinas, to know what it means to be on corporate boards.

Coincidentally, the decision to finally be more vocal about this topic aligned with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which served as the perfect kick-off to the work.

"Something that rarely gets talked about and I think almost gets kept opaque by design is boards,” she explains in a recent Instagram announcement. “[This Latinx Heritage Month], that’s what I’ll be talking about.” Her goal? To equip more Latinas with the knowledge they need to navigate onto for-profit boards, where they can thrive and build multi-generational wealth.

For-profit corporate boards often feel like an exclusive club. And in many ways, they are, especially for Latinas, who hold the smallest percentage of board seats in Fortune 500 companies compared to other racial groups. According to the latest report from Latino Board Monitor, while Latinos hold 4.1% of these board seats (compared to 82.5% held by white people), only 1% go to Latinas. Molina Niño, a first-generation American of Ecuadorian and Colombian descent, is part of this boardroom minority.

When asked about her experience as a Latina board member during a recent Zoom interview, she said, “It’s been lonely. There’s not a lot of Latinas on boards.” She went on to explain that even serving on boards of Latina-founded businesses gets lonely because, “A lot of the times, people who serve on their boards represent their investors and, as a result, [...] you still don’t see a lot of Latinas on those boards.”

This lack of representation drives Molina Niño’s determination to increase Latina presence in corporate boardrooms. By sharing her insights, she hopes to give Latinas a roadmap to claim their seats at the table. “If you don’t know where to go, it’s impossible to figure out how to get there,” she says.

The Road to the Boardroom

Getting onto a for-profit corporate board isn’t an overnight achievement, but it’s not an unattainable dream either. People often think you need to be a CEO or have a certain type of background, but that’s one of the biggest myths about boards in Molina Niño’s experience. What they’re really looking for is expertise — whether that’s in finance, marketing, sustainability, or even technology. If you have that expertise, you’re already an asset. It’s simply a matter of which road you should take.

Understanding what boards are and how they operate is key to unlocking opportunities. For-profit boards serve as the governing body for companies, overseeing direction and financial stability, and guiding CEOs and executives in decision-making. But Molina Niño emphasizes that not all for-profit boards are created equal.

“There are two kinds [of for-profit boards] [...]. There’s the publicly traded business board and then, on the privately held side, there are, I would argue, two types of boards [...] the traditional business board and the venture-backed business board,” explains Molina Niño. Traditional businesses are often family-owned or long-established and may only form boards to meet requirements, like securing financing or transitioning through an ESOP. Venture-backed boards, on the other hand, are typically filled by investors who hold major stakes in the company.

According to Molina Niño, understanding the difference between them is how you can create a successful strategy. With publicly traded business boards, the whole world is privy to them, so, “The way that you get in there is a little bit more transparent. Sometimes those publicly traded companies will hire a recruiter to help them find new board members,” explains Molina Niño. For private companies, on the other hand, there’s no legal requirement to make announcements. As a result, most people don’t know anything about them or their inner workings.

“Usually what happens in traditional businesses that don’t have venture-capital investments is that the Founders, Executives, or the board members, if one existed already, they usually go to their friends,” and people they deem experienced to fill board seats. In other words, it’s the founder’s decision, and that’s an entirely different approach than hiring recruiters. When it comes to venture-backed business boards, the seats on the board are filled by whichever investor writes the biggest check.

This is why an understanding of the different types of boards and acknowledgment of their own strengths is what will help Latinas define a sound strategy. Whether that’s working with a recruiter, networking and connecting with founders to build trust, or making the biggest investment.

The Path for Latinas

For Molina Niño, the key to getting more Latinas into corporate boardrooms is education. Knowing what a board looks like and how it functions is how you can position yourself to get on it. In openly talking about this, without the mystique it’s usually shrouded in, Molina Niño is providing women, especially Latinas, with invaluable insights. “If we had Latinas understanding what are the three types of for-profit boards I think that, on their own, they would be able to figure out what their best chance is and adjust their careers to make themselves more competitive,” states Molina Niño.

When asked about the impact of increased Latina representation in boardrooms, Molina Niño flips the narrative. “Boards don’t help Latinas by offering them seats; Latinas help businesses thrive by being on their boards,” she says. “The whole point of sitting on a board is that you have experience and expertise, and as Latinas, you also have some cultural experience that everyone wants. [...] At the end of the day, we [Latinas] have to realize that we have a ton to offer and we have to be selective about where we put that expertise,” she explains.

As demand for access to the Latina consumer rises, Molina Niño predicts that more Latinas will find themselves recruited into boardrooms. But she’s not content to sit back and wait for that moment. By openly sharing her journey and insights, she’s making sure other Latinas know their worth and have the tools to claim their place at the table. “I realized that quietly being on boards that helped me personally is not helping other Latinas. [...] I was lucky enough to have friends who could advise me and share their experiences, so that’s why I’m doing this,” she stated.

With Hispanic Heritage Month as the backdrop, Nathalie Molina Niño’s mission is clear: “My goal is just to give Latinas enough information so they can make a plan for how to eventually get on a board that they’re paid to be on and that will eventually help them build generational wealth.”

flags of latin american countries fly behind performers wearing culturally traditional clothing

Ever noticed how September in Latin America is just one big celebration? As we wave goodbye to summer and avoid winter as long as we can, the streets come alive with parades, music, and festivities. Many Latin American countries celebrate their freedom this month, commemorating their hard-fought battles for independence from colonial domination. Let’s dive into these significant days and understand what makes each unique.

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