I don’t know about you but when I am traveling I am probably looking up restaurants, wineries, or bars to check out than some of the tourist attractions. This usually enhances my travel experience far more because touring can end up being tiring while lounging around at a nice restaurant or bar can be refreshing. I was curious what the top restaurants in the world looked like and after doing some searching a lot of these places have the best experience not only with the quality of food but also the scenery, views, location, and artistic value.
I researched each of the restaurants and included the highly coveted Michelin star and an article that did a good job explaining what the restaurant is like. Hope you enjoy!
But first, what is the Michelin star rating? Here’s a good article straight from the horse’s mouth “What The MICHELIN Guide’s Symbols Mean“
Note that these stars are very rare and only handed out to the best and it is probably most if not all Chef’s dream to achieve such a prestigious milestone.
1. Michelin star are for high quality cooking and worth a stop along your travels.
2. Michelin stars is excellent and worth a detour.
3. Michelin stars is exceptional and worth a special trip from across the world.
Mirazur
Location: Menton, France
Michelin Star: 3
Note: The new ‘Lunar Menu’, inspired by the cycle of nature, is divided into four offerings (root, leaf, flower and fruit) based on seasonal adjustments.
Article: Mirazur experience: What it’s like to eat at the world’s best restaurant
Noma
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Michelin Star: 2
Note: “Our menu changes dramatically each season to match the ingredients that are at their peak at that time. We cook with what we find underground, above ground, near water, and in trees. We forage for the freshest ingredients in every lake, river, stream, meadow, and woodland, work closely with our collaborators to harvest their best crops, and grow produce of our own on our urban farm.”
Article: What It’s Like to Eat at Noma, One of the World’s Most Famous Restaurants
Asador Etxebarri
Location: Axpe, Spain
Michelin Star: 1
Note: “The restaurant respects the intrinsic natural flavours of local produce and delicately urges each ingredient to show its potential: goat’s milk churned into ethereal butter, green peas amplified in their own juice, beef dry aged for so many days it bites with umami. Arguinzoniz cooks vegetables and proteins on a range of charcoals he makes from a variety of woods, kissing most plates with at least a suggestion of smoke.”
Article: Etxebarri Was the First Meal in Ages That Made Me Cry
Geranium
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Michelin Star: 3
Note: Chic elegant restaurant. Here is an excerpt from one of the articles that clearly describes the organic nature of the food from the restaurant.
“…Bread was made from scratch, with three choices: crispy grains, gluten free bread with seeds and little rolls of bread with grains. These all had excellent texture (18/20). A miniature soup of creamy summer vegetables including leeks and new potatoes had quail egg with apple vinegar, grilled oyster, pickled elderflowers and peas, oyster foam, wild herbs, grilled asparagus, melted pork fat, sunflower seeds and melted “Vesterhafs” aged cheese from north west Denmark, garnished with truffle. The asparagus had very good flavour, and the egg, cheese and herbs combined well to a pleasing overall effect (17/20). Pan-fried morels with mustard seeds, mustard cress, juice made from roasted duck feet, roasted pork jus, sunflower seeds and truffle was next, the morels just a touch grainy in places but the bite of mustard very pleasing (17/20).”
Article: Andy Hayler’s Restaurant Guide “Geranium”
Central
Location: Lima, Peru
Michelin Star: 1
Note: Blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Can see directly into the kitchen.
…”What’s a tasting menu? Simple: It’s the concept of paying a flat fee for a pre-determined menu, usually at a high-end restaurant. The idea derives from Japan, where the diners can choose the “omakase” option as a means of putting their trust in the chef. It’s like saying, “I’ll give you X dollars and you give me a great meal…Good news: Pretty much everything I ate at Central Restaurante was delicious. “
Article: I ate a 17-course tasting menu at one of the world’s best restaurants — here’s what it was like
Mugaritz
Location: San Sebastián, Spain
Michelin Star: 2
Note: Relaxing, fresh, and elegant.
…”Dining at Mugaritz San Sebastian was unlike any restaurant experience I’ve ever had. After all, it is not so much about creating a fantastic gustatory experience. It’s a thought-provoking, mind-bending, fascinating exploration of food, wine, and the intricate interplay between the two.”
…”Which is not to say that the food isn’t good. The food is impeccably presented and flavors are dialed in with precision. It’s clear that every element of every dish has a purpose, and it’s fun to explore that purpose. There were many, many dishes that we thought were transcendent. All in all, every single diner in our party absolutely loved the restaurant. In fact, it was all of our favorite restaurant of the entire trip . . . yes, even more than its 3-Michelin starred neighbors who score more highly on World’s 50 Best.”
Article: MUGARITZ SAN SEBASTIAN – 2 MICHELIN STARS
Arpège
Location: Paris, France
Michelin Star: 3
Note: “…Chef Passard believes that in order to coax the most flavor out of vegetables, you have to start with top quality produce. Chef Passard controls the source by being the source. The restaurant owns three farms that grow the vegetables for his restaurant.”
Article: L’ARPEGE PARIS
Disfrutar
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Michelin Star: 2
Note: Contemporary with a splash of baroque surrealism, noteworthy ambience.
“…Even though I ate here in 2017, it has been playing on my mind ever since. I don’t say this lightly, but it is the best meal I’ve had in my life. Period. Nothing has come close since and I can’t wait to go back again one day. It really is that good.”
Article: Disfrutar Barcelona Review: The Best Restaurant in Barcelona?
Den
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Michelin Star: 2
Note: Charming, homely, and chic.
“…As diners, we felt like we were in good company right away! There is no menu at Den Restaurant Tokyo (I was able to ask Den to email me our dishes after the meal), so the entire meal was a surprise…At first bite, we were blown away by the flavors at once. The sweet was stuffed with white miso marinated foie gras, Japanese plum jam and pickled daikon (daikon pickled in salted rice yeast). It was rich and buttery from the foie gras, yet the plum jam and daikon cut through the fat and showcased their refined sweet and sour flavors. What a remarkable combination!”
Article: Den Restaurant Tokyo – Creative Kaiseki
White Rabbit
Location: Moscow, Russia
Michelin Star: N/A
Note: Breathtaking location, comfy seats with open airy atmosphere with giant window panes. White Rabbit motif akin to Alice in Wonderland theme.
“…The pastrami of veal tongue, baby spinach, fried oyster mushrooms, and avocado is tossed table-side in a little bowl. The veal tongue is excellent, so tender it melts in your mouth. The vegetables — the above mentioned plus cucumber and tomato, to boost the Russian-ness — are combined in a sweet and sour sauce. Very spicy; a little bit Chinese, which is unexpected but goes well; maybe it could be less sweet and more acidic.”
Article: MOSCOW RULES, PART 2: WHITE RABBIT
I’ll try to keep updating this list. That’s it for now!
