Yu Yuan, the Cantonese restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Gwanghwamun, has earned one Michelin star for the second consecutive year.
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul announced on the 5th that the restaurant was named a one-star establishment at the official launch ceremony for the "Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2026." Yu Yuan received one star for five consecutive years from 2017 to 2021, reclaimed the star last year, and has maintained it this year.
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul attributed the recognition to Head Chef To Kwok Wai's leadership in maximizing flavor and nutrition through carefully selected premium ingredients, slow-simmered broths, and signature sauces.
Chef To, originally from Hong Kong, brings approximately 30 years of experience across Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Beijing, and Guangzhou. His distinguished career in Chinese fine dining includes serving as senior sous chef at Meng Du Hui, which received a Diamond rating from the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide—often called China's Michelin Guide—and at Imperial Treasure, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Guangzhou. Chef To joined Yu Yuan as head chef in 2023.
"I am very honored that Yu Yuan has received one Michelin star for the second consecutive year," Chef To said. "I am delighted that the Yu Yuan team's dedication to continuous quality improvement and creative innovation has been recognized."
The Michelin Guide, widely regarded as the world's most authoritative restaurant rating publication, was first published in 1900. Anonymous inspectors evaluate restaurants, with results published annually across countries including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Michelin Guide Seoul launched in Korea in 2016 and expanded to include Busan in 2024, now published as the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan.