What is the most expensive Michelin star restaurant?
The most expensive Michelin star restaurant meal is at Ginza Kitafuku in Tokyo, where the seasonal Echizen crab “Kiwami” course costs 330,000 yen, about $2,130 per person. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai is second at about $1,230, and Caviar Russe in New York third at $975, according to Chef’s Pencil’s study of more than 3,500 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Chef’s Pencil collected the prices between 1 and 20 November 2024, using each restaurant’s most expensive regular or seasonal tasting menu and leaving out one-off Christmas or New Year menus [1]. Prices are per person and usually exclude drinks, service charges, tax and tips, and were converted to US dollars, so they move with exchange rates [1]. The infographic by chefrus charts the same research, with the priciest Michelin meal in each of 43 countries and territories [2].
The 10 most expensive Michelin star restaurants in the world
| Rank | Restaurant | City | Top tasting menu | Price per person (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ginza Kitafuku | Tokyo | Echizen Crab Kiwami Course | $2,130 |
| 2 | Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet | Shanghai | UV Royale (drinks pairings included) | $1,230 |
| 3 | Caviar Russe | New York | Grand Tasting Menu | $975 |
| 4 | Masa | New York | Hinoki Counter Experience | $950 |
| 5 | Azabu Kadowaki | Tokyo | Seasonal omakase with Matsuba crab | $935 |
| 6 | Quince | San Francisco | White Truffle Dinner | $795 |
| 7 | Alchemist | Copenhagen | Alchemist Experience | $760 |
| 8 | Sazenka | Tokyo | Special course with Shanghai crab | $745 |
| 9 | Guy Savoy | Paris | Colours, Textures & Flavours | $715 |
| 10 | Ginza Fukuju | Tokyo | Special seasonal course | $685 |
Source for the table is Chef’s Pencil [1]. Tokyo has four of the top ten and the US three. Just outside the top ten is Hōseki in Dubai at about $680 [1]. Chef’s Pencil’s own country table gives France’s top menu as Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris at $740, which is the figure on the infographic, even though its article calls Guy Savoy France’s most expensive restaurant [1][3]. On that figure Table would sit ninth, above Guy Savoy.
Why the top Michelin meals cost so much
Most of the very top prices come from rare seasonal ingredients rather than the star rating alone. Ginza Kitafuku’s course is built around Kiwami crab, a top grade of Echizen snow crab from Fukui Prefecture. To qualify a crab has to weigh more than 1.5 kg, and in 2021 only 67 crabs, or 0.04% of the catch, earned the label. A single Kiwami crab typically sells for 70,000 to 80,000 yen, and some have gone for more than 800,000 yen [1].
Several others on the list follow the same pattern. Azabu Kadowaki and Sazenka in Tokyo build their priciest menus around Matsuba and Shanghai crab, Quince in San Francisco runs a white truffle dinner for about six weeks each winter, and Caviar Russe serves 11 caviar-based courses [1]. These menus are seasonal. Sazenka’s crab course runs from mid-October to mid-January and Quince’s truffle dinner from mid-November to late December, so they are only on offer for part of the year [1].
The others are about the experience as much as the food. At Ultraviolet, visuals, music and scent are matched to each course, and its UV Royale price includes champagne, wine and cocktail pairings. Alchemist in Copenhagen mixes dining with art, theatre and science [1].
The most expensive Michelin meal in each country
These are the priciest Michelin-starred tasting menus in the 20 most expensive countries and territories in the Chef’s Pencil data [1][3].
| Country or territory | Restaurant | Price per person (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Ginza Kitafuku, Tokyo | $2,130 |
| China | Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai | $1,230 |
| United States | Caviar Russe, New York | $975 |
| Denmark | Alchemist, Copenhagen | $760 |
| France | Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris | $740 |
| United Arab Emirates | Hōseki, Dubai | $680 |
| Netherlands | Ciel Bleu, Amsterdam | $625 |
| United Kingdom | Sushi Kanesaka, London | $530 |
| Hong Kong | Sushi Shikon | $515 |
| Singapore | Shoukouwa | $505 |
| Italy | Da Vittorio, Brusaporto | $485 |
| Canada | Sushi Masaki Saito, Toronto | $480 |
| Iceland | ÓX, Reykjavík | $475 |
| Spain | DiverXO, Madrid | $475 |
| Norway | Maaemo, Oslo | $470 |
| Switzerland | Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville, Crissier | $460 |
| Sweden | Frantzén, Stockholm | $435 |
| Austria | Amador, Vienna | $415 |
| Taiwan | The Guest House and Le Palais, Taipei (tie) | $395 |
| Belgium | Hertog Jan at Botanic, Antwerp | $380 |
At the other end, the cheapest “most expensive” menus are in Lithuania, where the top Michelin meal costs 95 euros (about $100), followed by the Czech Republic ($190), Malaysia ($195), Croatia and Malta (both $205) [1][3].
How much a Michelin star meal usually costs
The record prices are far from typical. In an earlier study of 3,517 Michelin-starred restaurants in 41 countries and territories, Chef’s Pencil found the median price of the top tasting menu was $179 per person, without drinks, tax or tips [4]. Each extra star adds roughly $100.
- One star, a median of $165 per person [4]
- Two stars, $256 [4]
- Three stars, $356 [4]
By country, Denmark was the most expensive place for Michelin dining, at a median of $314 for the top tasting menu, followed by Hong Kong, Iceland and Singapore. The US was fifth at $227 [4]. Vietnam ($130) and Brazil ($131) were the cheapest, and Malta and Greece the cheapest in Europe [4]. Those figures date from April 2024 and leave out drinks, service and tax, so the final bill is higher [4].
Questions about the most expensive Michelin star restaurants
What is the most expensive Michelin star restaurant in the US?
Caviar Russe in New York, whose Grand Tasting Menu cost $975 per person before tax and tips. Masa in New York ($950) and Quince in San Francisco ($795) are next [1].
What is the most expensive Michelin star restaurant in Europe?
Alchemist in Copenhagen, a two-Michelin-star restaurant whose Alchemist Experience costs 5,400 Danish kroner, about $760 per person [1].
How does the Michelin Guide work?
Anonymous inspectors visit restaurants, with their meals paid for by Michelin and never by the restaurant, and the guide awards up to three stars to a small number of restaurants in the areas it covers [5]. One star goes to restaurants using top quality ingredients with dishes prepared to a consistently high standard, two stars when the chef’s personality and talent are evident, and three stars, the highest award, for superlative cooking by chefs at the peak of their profession [5].
Does a 5 star Michelin restaurant exist?
No. Three stars is the maximum, and it has been since Michelin introduced its one to three star scale in 1931 [5].
Is a Michelin star meal worth the price?
That depends on what you value, but you don’t have to pay record prices to eat at a starred restaurant. The median top tasting menu at a one-star restaurant was about $165 in the Chef’s Pencil study, and the cheapest country’s top Michelin meal was about $100 [1][4].
Sources
- Chef’s Pencil, The Priciest Michelin-starred Restaurants of 2024, 21 November 2024.
- u/chefrus, [OC] Most Expensive Michelin Meals by Country, r/dataisbeautiful, 9 December 2024. The original post for the infographic.
- Chef’s Pencil, priciest Michelin-starred restaurant in each country (Datawrapper table published with the article).
- Chef’s Pencil, Exploring Michelin Dining Costs Across 40 Countries, A Global Analysis, 29 April 2024.
- Wikipedia, Michelin Guide (history, inspectors and the star criteria quoted from the guide).
Last reviewed 10 November 2026
