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New York’s fine-dining world woke up to a rare jolt yesterday as Masa, the Columbus Circle temple of omakase—largely considered untouchable—is no longer a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Michelin announced the demotion ahead of next week’s Northeast Cities ceremony, an unusual move for the guidebook that typically holds its cards close to its chest.
Chef Masayoshi Takayama opened Masa more than 20 years ago, bringing rigorously precise and deeply personal Japanese food to the then-Time Warner Center. The restaurant earned two Michelin stars—an assessment some critics at the time considered overly conservative—and received its third star the following year, becoming the first Japanese restaurant in the U.S. to do so. For years, it also reigned as the most expensive dining experience in the country: today, the counter-only omakase runs well over $1,000 per person.
Michelin gave no specific explanation for the downgrade, sticking to a familiar script in its statement.
“The Michelin Guide maintains its role of providing fair and qualitative recommendations to consumers, with its team of expert Inspectors, following its global methodology,” reads the statement. “It fully acknowledges the impact of its decisions on the establishments it honors.” The announcement comes on the tail end of a chaotic week for the Guide, after stars for the Southern ceremony were erroneously published the morning of.
Takayama released a statement addressing Masa’s demotion. “For 15 years, we’ve been honored to stand among extraordinary company and I’m so grateful to our guests for their enduring trust, loyalty and friendship,” he said. “I am deeply proud of the hard work our team puts in day-in and day-out and as always, we will continue to strive for excellence.”
To understand how big a deal a demotion is, it helps to know how the stars actually work—and how they disappear. Michelin stars are given based on a set of five criteria: ingredient quality, mastery of technique, the “personality” of the chef as expressed through the food, value for money and consistency across visits. A single star means “excellent cooking;” two stars means a restaurant is “worth a detour” and three is the peak, denoting “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.” Stars can be added, dropped or simply maintained each year and there’s no public explanation given when they vanish.
The loss drops the roster of New York City three-star restaurants from five to four: Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Per Se and Jungsik. Masa now joins the two-star tier—still elite territory, but a different badge of honor.
The demotion also comes as omakase counters continue to multiply across New York City, many offering exquisite meals at a fraction of Masa’s prices. Whether this is a sign of a more competitive playing field or a recalibration of Michelin’s standards is anyone’s guess. But for now, the shockwaves in the restaurant world are real: Masa’s fall is a reminder that in the Michelin universe, nothing is guaranteed.