Eating at one of the most expensive three Michelin-star restaurants in the world is guaranteed to leave a dent in your wallet, but you cannot put a price on quality.
From fortified Swiss castles to 10,000 crystal pendants installed in Parisian dining rooms – no two Michelin star dining experiences are alike.
Whether you’re looking to sample some of France’s finest food classics, experience one of the most quintessential meals in Japan, or taste some of the freshest Swiss produce available, you’re certain to find your next fine dining venue of choice in our selection chosen from some of the most expensive restaurants worldwide.
With their age-old cooking techniques, sophisticated dining rooms and reputation for using the finest quality ingredients, the French have arguably been leading the way with cuisine for several decades.
It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the chefs drawing inspiration from French cooking dominate our list of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
Starting in Paris, where Alain Ducasse’s flagship restaurant Plaza Athenee provides an unforgettable dining experience, food connoisseurs can indulge in a menu of unusual ingredients, costing an average of £720 for a meal for two.
Elsewhere in France, Maison Pic – run by one of only four women to hold three Michelin stars, Anne-Sophie Pic, whose great-grandmother founded the restaurant in 1889 – guests can dine in style with a menu that pays homage to generations passed.
French cuisine readily crosses the border into Switzerland with Swiss venues Schloss Schauenstein, located in an 18th-century alpine castle, and Hotel de Ville, in Crissier, near Lausanne, both creating seasonal menus made from the highest quality ingredients.
Meanwhile, De Librije, in the Netherlands surprises guests with their modern, inventive cuisine and, again, focuses on high-quality regional and seasonal ingredients.
Alain Ducasse’s only restaurant in London, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, adds a touch of Parisian glamour to the capital by offering guests the chance to dine privately on a table surrounded by several thousand fiber optic lights.
Italy, the other European culinary powerhouse, is represented within this list: Enoteca Pinchiorri, tucked behind the Basilica di Santa Croce, delights in presenting diners with local produce finely crafted into memorable meals. So too does El Celler de Can Roca, a Girona based marvel, run together by the three Roca brothers.
While French restaurants largely dominate our list of the most expensive three-star Michelin restaurants in the world, traditional Japanese venues Kitcho, in Kyoto, Japan, and New York sushi restaurant Masa take the prize for being the priciest.
Run by award-winning chef Kunio Tokuoka, Kitcho is famed for being one of the best meals you can get in Japan, while Masa offers diners arguably the best sushi available in New York, with several types of exotic seafood specifically flown in from Japan.
Read on to find out more about the most expensive restaurants in the world.
Kitcho, Kyoto, Japan – around £400 per person
For one of the best and most traditional meals you can get in Japan, Kitcho should be at the top of your list.
Located in Kyoto, in the central part of the island of Honshu, Kitcho is the most expensive three Michelin star restaurant in the world.
Run by award-winning chef Kunio Tokuoka whose grandfather founded the restaurant in 1930, Kitcho creates traditional dishes with inventive touches that keep its guests guessing course after course.
Unsurprisingly, a meal at the most expensive restaurant in the world doesn’t come cheap: around ¥122,503 (£800) for two. But for an evening of Japanese tradition, delicious food made from the highest quality ingredients and faultless service, this indulgent dining experience is not to be missed.
Masa, New York, USA – around £400 per person
Hailed as the best sushi restaurant in New York, Masa comes in at joint first in the stakes for the most expensive restaurant in the world.
With about a dozen types of exotic seafood flown in from Japan to choose from, dining at this fine venue is about as close as you can get to the East Asian country without going there.
Run by legendary Japanese sushi chef Masa Takayama, who set up Masa in high-end shopping center Columbus Circle in 2004 following the success of his famed LA restaurant, the venue goes to great lengths to ensure guests have an authentic dining experience.
Gastronomical excellence does come with a high price tag, however, and as such, guests should expect to pay a minimum of £200 for Masa’s multi-course prix fixe menu (and come with as empty a belly as possible).
Plaza Athénée, Paris, France – around £360 per person
Boasting one of the best dining rooms in the world – including a chandelier of 10,000 crystal pendants – Plaza Athenee is considered to be the epitome of Parisian grand dining.
The flagship restaurant of renowned chef Alain Ducasse, Plaza Athenee, located on the prestigious Avenue Montaigne, promises an exquisite dining experience, thanks to head chef Christophe Saintagne’s menu of unusual ingredients.
Costing an average of £720 for a meal for two, dining here is an indulgence, but if you’re looking for the best in Paris, this will top your list for class and superior fine dining.
Image credit: Pierre Monetta
Maison Pic, Valence, France – around £280 per person
France’s only female chef to hold three Michelin stars, Anne-Sophie Pic has earned a spot among the culinary elite with her classically French restaurant in Valence.
The daughter of Jacques Pic and granddaughter of Andre Pic, who were both chefs at Maison Pic, Anne-Sophie is a third-generation chef who managed to regain the restaurant’s third Michelin star in 2007. Her great-grandmother Sophie founded the restaurant in 1889.
Paying homage to generations passed, the restaurant serves up some of Pic’s classics, such as “The Line-Caught Bass with Caviar Alverta, as my father liked it – 1971″. Other originals have, however, been updated by Anne-Sophie, which has resulted in them being lighter.
Maison Pic’s beautiful menu, dominated by vegetables and fish, shows French cooking at its best.
Hôtel De Ville, Crissier, Switzerland – around £240 per person
Run by husband and wife Benoît and Brigitte Violier, Hotel de Ville is a French restaurant that prides itself on creating seasonal menus made with the highest quality ingredients from Switzerland and France.
Located in Crissier, near Lausanne, the fine dining venue sources meat from the Fribourg Canton, lobster from Audierne and foie gras from Landes.
Fourth-generation Crissier chef Benoît took over the running of the restaurant in 2012 after 16 years of working in the kitchens, while his wife Brigitte operates the front of house.
Together they have maintained the restaurant’s three Michelin star status by creating excellent food with a focus on impeccable ingredients.
Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland – around £220 per person.
Located inside an 18th-century alpine castle in one of the smallest villages in the world, Fürstenau, Schloss Schauenstein takes guests on a journey. From faithfully restored medieval décor with a contemporary touch to regional cuisine bursting with taste, colour and precision.
Considered to be one of Switzerland’s most creative chefs, Andreas Caminada set up his imaginative restaurant in the castle in 2003, and has since carved a reputation as one of the finest Michelin star chefs in the country.
With a focus on simple and regional ingredients, Caminada creates distinctive cuisine that matches the beautiful surroundings. But with just 26 covers available for dinner (and even fewer for lunch), you’ll have to get your booking in quick.
De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands – around £190 per person
The winning husband and wife formula strikes again at De Librije, which is run by chef Jonnie Boer and his wife Thérèse.
The couple took over the running of the restaurant, in Zwolle, the Netherlands, in 1992 – six years after Boer had been employed by the previous owner, and two years after Thérèse joined as host and sommelier.
Together they have gone on to gain three Michelin stars and several other accolades for their modern, inventive cuisine, which has been achieved thanks to creative cooking techniques and high-quality regional and seasonal ingredients.
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London, UK – around £190 per person
For classic French dining in the heart of the British capital, look no further than Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, the celebrated chef’s only London restaurant to date.
Executive chef Jocelyn Herland’s quintessential Autumn menu of seven courses includes Scottish seafood, such as lobster and seabass, while the six-course Menu Jardin has a creative, French-inspired selection of vegetable dishes, including pumpkin velouté.
While the restaurant is not as costly as Ducasse’s Parisian counterpart, Plaza Athenee, it is ideal for those wanting a truly opulent dining experience since they can indulge in the added luxury of private dining (room hire starts at £200).
El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain – around €180 per person
The caliber of this jewel is clear to see, having topped the World’s Best 50 Restaurants twice. So too is the sense of community, with the three brothers working arm in arm. Joan is the chef, Jordi is the pâtissier and Josep is the sommelier.
They utilise their location, with locally sourced vegetables and regionally caught seafood. For example, the prawns in rice vinegar and velvet seaweed is a popular addition to the menu. The vast amount of food, up to 14 courses, may raise eyebrows but the care and precision enacted by the brothers ensures it is not over facing.
Prices range from €180 for the classic Can Roca menu and can reach up to €215, plus wine choices, for the festival menu.
Ristorante Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence, Italy – around €175 per person
Headed by the indomitable Annie Féolde and erstwhile companion Riccardo Monco, Enoteca Pinchiorri has celebrated Italian cuisine in the cultural heartland of Tuscany since 1984.
Whilst lauded for her white truffle dishes, found in Piedmont, and white wine squid, Féolde is equally at home with traditional dishes, such as Fusili al Ferretto. The menu serves to highlight the simplicity of Italian cooking whilst elevating the dishes to fine dining through constant innovation.
The prime setting of Enoteca Pinchiorri is mere minutes from the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo or the Uffizi Gallery, allowing diners to experience both the cultural and the culinary masterpieces of Florence.
Tasting menus start at €175 and reach €250 per person, excluding wine.
