Haute cuisine has reached extraordinary levels around the world, and year after year the most outstanding restaurants are recognized for their creativity, quality, innovation and culinary expertise. Among the most coveted recognitions are Michelin stars and rankings such as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which position chefs and establishments at the pinnacle of international excellence.
Here is a selection of the best restaurants in the world, many of them awarded with Michelin stars:
1. Central – Lima, Peru
Number 1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
- Michelin Stars: ★★
Central is an ode to Peruvian biodiversity, with dishes that traverse the country’s different ecosystems. Its focus on indigenous ingredients and ancestral techniques has made it a global benchmark.
2. Enjoy – Barcelona, Spain
Number 2 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
Disfrutar fuses radical creativity with impeccable technique. Its tasting menus are a surprising sensory experience that challenges the limits of modern cuisine.
3. DiverXO – Madrid, Spain
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
The only three Michelin star restaurant in Madrid, DiverXO offers a provocative, artistic and unconventional dining experience. Dabiz Muñoz has been named best chef in the world on several occasions.
4. Etxebarri Grill – Atxondo, Spain
Number 4 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
- Michelin Stars: ★
This Basque restaurant focuses on grilled cuisine and elevates the grill concept to its maximum expression with seasonal ingredients cooked over a wood fire.
5. Maido – Lima, Peru
- Michelin Stars: ★★
Maido is a temple of Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine with precise, creative elaborations and deep flavors. Considered one of the best restaurants in Latin America.
6. Geranium – Copenhagen, Denmark
Number 1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022.
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
With vegetable cuisine elevated to art, Geranium offers a light, elegant and extremely refined experience in every dish.
7. Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark (closed as a regular restaurant in 2024)
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
A pioneer of nouvelle nouvelle Nordic cuisine, Noma changed global gastronomy. Although it has closed as a conventional restaurant, it continues to operate as a culinary laboratory and special events venue.
8. Pujol – Mexico City, Mexico
- Michelin Stars: ★★
Pujol is synonymous with Mexican avant-garde, with emblematic dishes such as its years-old mole madre. It is considered one of the best in North America.
9. The French Laundry – California, USA.
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
A classic American restaurant that combines French techniques with local ingredients. Keller is one of the few chefs with two restaurants with three Michelin stars.
10. Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
- Michelin Stars: ★★★
Masterpiece of modern Italian cuisine. Bottura fuses art, tradition and emotion in every dish, with creative interpretations of classic cuisine.
11. Le Bernardin – New York, USA.
Michelin Stars: ★★★
Haute cuisine of seafood with French elegance and impeccable precision.
12. Mugaritz – Errenteria, Spain
Michelin Stars:★★★
Radical innovation and sensory experience that challenges the limits of gastronomy.
13. Arpège – Paris, France
Michelin Stars: ★★★
Refined vegetable cuisine from legendary chef Alain Passard, with an artistic approach.
14. Steirereck – Vienna, Austria
Michelin Stars: ★★
Contemporary Austrian cuisine with indigenous ingredients and avant-garde techniques.
15. Quintonil – Mexico City, Mexico
Michelin Stars: ★★
Mexican flavors reinvented with sophistication and respect for local produce.
16. Restaurant Frantzén – Stockholm, Sweden
Michelin Stars: ★★★
Fusion of Nordic cuisine with Asian influences in an elegant and theatrical setting.
17. Sühring – Bangkok, Thailand
Michelin Stars: ★★
Modern German cuisine creatively reinterpreted in a tropical villa.
18. Amber – Hong Kong
Michelin Stars: ★★
Refined contemporary cuisine with an emphasis on sustainability and artistic presentation.
19. Septime – Paris, France
Michelin Stars: ★
Modern Parisian bistronomy with local products, minimalism and elegance.
20. Den – Tokyo, Japan
Michelin Stars: ★★
Japanese kaiseki cuisine with a playful touch and surprising hospitality.
Are there restaurants with 4 Michelin stars?
No. The Michelin Guide awards a maximum of three stars, this being the highest distinction. A restaurant with 3 Michelin stars is considered an “exceptional cuisine that justifies a special trip”. There is no official fourth star in this classification system.
Conclusion
Fine dining is not only about food, but also about culture, technique, innovation and emotions. These restaurants represent the best the world has to offer, and to visit any of them is to live an unforgettable experience. If you are a food lover, it is worth planning a trip to enjoy one of these gastronomic temples.
