Dining at Michelin-starred restaurants literally comes at a price, but if you’re one of those foodies who are willing to spend a huge amount of money on superior dining experiences, then here are the 15 most expensive Michelin restaurants in the world that you should visit.
What is the most expensive Michelin star restaurant in the world?
With a whopping price of $1,740 per head for a full-tasting menu, Sublimotion is the most expensive restaurant in the world, according to a new ranking released by international food magazine Chef’s Pencil earlier this April. Located on the Spanish island of Ibiza, the posh eatery is run by Michelin 2-star chef Paco Roncero who utilizes molecular gastronomy in cooking. At Sublimotion, a so-called Cyber-chef cooks in front of diners, giving them the opportunity to eat a delicious meal within a virtual world.
Following Sublimotion in the second place is Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet. Situated in Shanghai, China, Ultraviolet offers a Western menu filled with the occasional Asian flair. With a price point of $1,400 per person for a full-tasting menu, Ultraviolet is known for blending gastronomy and visual technology. Each table is surrounded by walls of moving pictures as diners enjoy luxurious foods on small plates such as foie gras cigarettes and moon cakes baked with traditional French ingredients.
The third in the ranking is Masa. The famous NYC sushi restaurant recently made headlines after it increased its prices from $800 to $950 per person, excluding taxes and drinks. Prior to the price hike, Masa was already the most expensive restaurant in North America and the fifth most expensive Michelin restaurant in the world.
Next to Masa is Kitcho Arashiyama Honten. With a price point of $820 per head, the Kyoto restaurant gives its guests the finest Japanese food and architecture. Each of its seven dining rooms has views of a meticulously maintained Japanese garden, while the menu leans heavily on its fresh seasonal ingredients, ranging from wild radishes to ise-ebi lobster.
Completing the world’s top 5 most expensive Michelin restaurants in 2022 is Amsterdam’s Ciel Bleu, which recently raised the prices of its premium caviar-centric tasting menu by a full 100 euros. The extravagant menu now costs 595 euros (roughly $664), bringing the restaurant to the fifth spot. Last year, Ciel Bleu ranked 11th.
Check out the rest of the 15 most expensive Michelin restaurants in the world in the graph below:
How did Chef’s Pencil come up with the ranking?
For the 2022 ranking of the most expensive Michelin restaurants in the world, Chef’s Pencil analyzed the menus of over 450 Michelin-starred restaurants in high-priced cities around the globe. For restaurants where prices were not readily available, the magazine relied on media reporting, the Michelin Guide, and restaurant reservation services like Table All.
After the analysis, Chef’s Pencil ranked the restaurants with the highest-priced full-tasting menus. For those who are not familiar, a full-tasting menu is usually an 8-12 course served at dinner. And for this ranking, the magazine selected the most expensive full-tasting course from each restaurant.
Are Michelin star restaurants expensive?
Michelin restaurants are generally pricey, as every single star awarded to them represents tremendous dedication to quality and clients need to cover the costs of achieving such quality.
But there are a number of Michelin restaurants that serve inexpensive dishes. Back in 2018, airline ticketing and hotel booking company Traveloka released a list of the 50 cheapest Michelin restaurants, and the most affordable one at that time was Singapore’s Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, which offered meals for as low as $2.20 per head.
Next up was Tim Ho Wan, a dim sum hotspot in Hong Kong where diners could grab a meal for only $3.80. Rounding out the top 3 was Hamo, a Korean restaurant in Seoul where guests could order a meal for just $7.10.