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Due to the pandemic, this year the award ceremony took place exclusively digitally.

"The German gastronomy faced the extraordinary crisis with creativity, courage and passion", said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the "Guide Michelin", before the presentation of the new restaurant guide.

"Even in these difficult times, our inspectors have therefore put together a carefully researched selection of restaurants, and they were very impressed by the high level of gastronomy."

The restaurants were tested outside of the lockdown time.

"Last year the restaurants felt like they were closed for ages - but it wasn't quite like that," says the director of the Michelin Guide for Germany and Switzerland, Ralf Flinkenflügel.

The restaurants could have opened for two thirds of the past year.

“Sure, we also had to adjust to it,” he admits.

His team has shown itself to be incredibly flexible and, for example, took the vacation during the lockdown.

"They also got support from international teams from abroad - that helped a lot."

The pandemic did not mean a standstill for the top restaurants - on the one hand the restaurants were "incredibly well attended", on the other hand, many restaurateurs used the lockdown time for new considerations.

"We had the impression that a lot of restaurateurs were questioning themselves, where we can improve, what can we optimize?" A significant increase was recognized in many restaurants.

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The restaurants are currently only in operation to a limited extent; traditional dining is not possible.

Some houses reacted to the crisis with shortened opening times or a smaller menu, explained Flinkenflügel.

That was not a benchmark for the evaluation, "we have accepted that".

In terms of quality, however, no compromises have been made, he said.

"A star has the same quality as the years before."

The result: 25 restaurants have received one star for the first time, three restaurants have been awarded a second star, only one restaurant moves up in the league of three-star restaurants.

Front runner among the "newcomers"

The “Traube Tonbach” returns with its restaurants “Schwarzwaldstube” and “Köhlerstube” with three (for chef Torsten Michel) and one star (for chef Florian Stolte) after the big fire at the historic parent company last year.

With the “Temporaire” you have now found a new temporary home.

This makes the Schwarzwaldstube the only new three-star restaurant in Germany this year.

The “Temporaire” restaurant is the only establishment that has been added to the top category

Source: Rene Riis / René Riis

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And the “Schwarzer Adler” restaurant in Vogtsburg is getting its star back - after losing its star last year after 50 years.

Philipp Stein from “Stein's Traube” in Mainz received the Young Chef Award, while Hans Haas, the former head chef at Tantris, received the Mentor Chef Award.

New among the two-star restaurants are the “Esplanade” in Saarbrücken, the “Ösch Noir” in Donaueschingen and the “Goldberg” in Fellbach.

In addition, for the second time in Germany, the “Michelin Guide” awarded “Green Stars” to restaurants that are particularly committed to sustainability and the conservation of resources.

A total of 53 restaurants have received this award - 35 of them have received the award for the first time.

Some people may be wondering how to publish the guide in such a difficult time, says Flinkenflügel.

But it also got calls from many restaurateurs with the tenor: If you don't bring it out yet, we'll be forgotten.

"We were able to rate the restaurants and it will continue to send a positive signal to the industry in 2021," emphasizes Flinkenflügel.

If the restaurants are allowed to receive guests again after the lockdown, the new stars can sparkle all the brighter.

These are Germany's three-star kitchens:

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"Restaurant Bareiss" in Baiersbronn (Baden-Württemberg)

"Temporaire - Black Forest Room" in Baiersbronn (Baden-Württemberg)

"Vendôme" in Bergisch-Gladbach (North Rhine-Westphalia)

"Rutz" in Berlin

"Waldhotel Sonnora" in Wittlich / Dreis (Rhineland-Palatinate)

The following restaurants were awarded two stars for the first time:

"Esplanade" in Saarbrücken (Saarland)

"Ösch Noir" inDonaueschingen (Baden-Württemberg)

"Goldberg" in Fellbach (Baden-Württemberg)