Travel 3 minutes 22 January 2024

The Most Original MICHELIN Guide Restaurants Around the World

From Bibs to Stars, MICHELIN Guide restaurants around the world captivate with their cuisine. But what about the spots that up the ante on the dining experience? Below, discover 12 of the most unique boîtes across the globe.

Europe

Ducasse sur Seine, Paris, France

The famous chef invites us to glide along the water in a magnificent electrically-powered barge, watching the great Parisian monuments pass before our eyes. This gastronomic cruise will tickle your tastebuds (without noise or smell) with dishes like multicolored cauliflower with lemon peel, Krista caviar, or burrata and truffle foam. As you luxuriate in the shade of the Eiffel Tower, enjoy other delicacies like soft-boiled organic chicken egg, peas and mint, and green juice, with an equally tasty view.

Le Jules Verne, 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Perched 125 meters above sea level, One MICHELIN Star Le Jules Verne restaurant opens onto a succession of three rooms offering breathtaking views of the Champ-de-Mars, the Quai Branly, and the Trocadéro. Architect Aline Asmar d'Amman wanted to take the restaurant into a new era, as did chef Frédéric Anton. With an a la carte menu for lunch, tasting menu for dinner with 5 or 7 courses, the choice is easy when you're eating with Paris at your feet. Truly an unforgettable experience.

Marie-Line Sina / Le Jules Verne
Marie-Line Sina / Le Jules Verne
Eatrenalin, Rust, Germany

"Futuristic" is the best way to describe the very special gastronomic concept here. During the (approximately) two-hour "Eatrenalin" experience, you'll be guided on state-of-the-art "floating chairs" through various themed worlds and rooms, where appropriately coordinated aperitifs and creative dishes such as aniseed, cucumber, lemongrass or short ribs, Kampot pepper, pear, moon shoots are served. The choice of menu—"Red Dimensions" or "Green Dimensions" (vegan)—is selected in advance. If you'd like additional extras, you can order both menus in the "Exclusive Dinner", "Champagne Dinner" or "Sommelier Dinner" variants. The tour begins in the lounge and ends at the bar with DJ music, champagne, and cocktails.


Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa, Italy

Often images portray Ibla—the picturesque historic center of Ragusa—from above, but at One MICHELIN Star Locanda Don Serafino you will instead feel as if you are entering from below. The restaurant's room is carved within a cave dug at the foothills on which the town is built. However, don't expect a rustic setting: service and cover are elegant, the atmosphere romantic, and the cuisine is among the most exciting on the island.

Unealai / El Vagón de Beni
Unealai / El Vagón de Beni
El Vagón de Beni, Hoyo de Manzanares, Spain

At El Vagón de Beni, a charming restaurant in the heart of Madrid's Hoyo de Manzanares area, the dining room is set in two old train carriages, whose décor evokes the golden age of locomotive travel. The result is a magical atmosphere where guests can enjoy a gastronomic offer based on local and international recipes, with touches of fanciful, modern cuisine. The menu is abridged, deliberately, as the restaurant keeps it updated and brimming with rich flavors weekly.


Asia

Jay Fai,  Bangkok, Thailand

The only street food spot with a MICHELIN Star in Thailand, the restaurant specializes in stir-fried seafood dishes. Coupled with its inherent popularity—its restaurant page has consistently been the most visited POI in Thailand since 2018—it's not uncommon to see people queuing for hours just to catch of glimpse of the iconic, stylish, (and begoggled) head chef.

Ban Bo, Taipei, Taiwan

Guests are greeted by the chirping of birds and crickets inside this One MICHELIN Star boîte. Everyone in the space, from the custom-made tableware by local artisans to the dishes on the plate, conjures up collective memories and an homage to the heritage of Taiwan. In the same nostalgic vein, a historic map of the region adorns the origami-folded menu. The young chefs turn typical beer snacks, banquet dishes and rustic treats that are close to every Taiwanese’s heart into fine dining gems.

HeylCheese / Ban Bo
HeylCheese / Ban Bo
HAJIME, Osaka, Japan

Owner-chef Hajime Yoneda boldly pursues a magnificent journey in gastronomy, on the theme of ‘a dialogue with the Earth’. This Three MICHELIN Star spot interprets the faces of the seasons through the lens of Yoneda's own unique perspective. He incorporates story-like messages into his cuisine, such as a house specialty called ‘Chikyu’ meaning “the Earth”; it tells the tale of nature’s bounty born of the cycles of mountain and ocean, all on a single plate.

Zén, Singapore
Inside this Three MICHELIN Star, diners are treated to a multi-sensorial and multi-level dining experience with dishes of distinctive character, crafted with Japanese ingredients and prepared with a Nordic twist.

Ossiano, Dubaï
Even among the enormous luxury and nothing-is-impossible attitude of Dubai, One MICHELIN Star Ossiano stands out as special. Diners are treated to the unusual experience of enjoying MICHELIN Star cooking while surrounded by 65,000 marine animals, all housed inside an extraordinary aquarium. It sits inside the aptly named Atlantis The Palm Hotel.

Atlantis the Palm / Ossiano
Atlantis the Palm / Ossiano

North America

Meju, New York, USA

Chef Kim has taken up the mantle as an evangelist for fermentation, and at One MICHELIN Star Meju the entire structure of his menu, from start to tea, is based on it. The restaurant takes its name from "meju"—fermented soybean paste, a key component in the production of jangs—foundational sauces used in Korean cuisine. Hiding behind a banchan shop in Long Island City, this chef’s counter is as much a classroom as it is a restaurant.

Moody Tongue, Chicago, USA
Chef Jared Wentworth and Brewmaster Jared Rouben, have envisioned a unique showcase, whereby a hyper-seasonal and creative menu is brilliantly matched with a virtuosic array of house-crafted brews. Inside this Two MICHELIN Star boîte, beverages are an equal partner to the food and woven into the fabric of the elevated cuisine.

Jordan Balderas / Moody Tongue
Jordan Balderas / Moody Tongue

Hero image: Pierre Monetta/ Ducasse sur Seine 

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