Contrary to popular belief, the restaurants recommended within the MICHELIN Guides aren’t all about expensive ‘fine dining’. From luxurious restaurants to village pubs, and trendy bistros to street food stands, the MICHELIN Guides offer something for everyone, for every occasion and in every price bracket.
Since 1997, our best value for money restaurants – offering a three-course meal at a reasonable price – have been pointed out using a special award: the Bib Gourmand. The price limit for Bib Gourmand consideration varies from country to country, depending on the cost of living, but the inspectors are searching for the same high quality, wherever they happen to be in the world. For instance, a full-course meal costs within VND 400,000 in Vietnam and Thailand at THB 1,000.
There’s no set formula for a “Bib” restaurant – they are all unique and can vary greatly from one place to the next. Hunan Bistro in New York serves hearty, lip-scorching Hunan dishes, with specialities such as sour string beans sautéed with minced pork, chillies, and toothsome konjac noodles. At Restaurant ñ in The Hague, the delicious options on the menu include fresh seafood, spicy chilli peppers, and dishes served with sophisticated sauces, as well as an excellent selection of cheese and charcuterie. And at Edosoba Hosokawa in Tokyo, thin, al dente soba goes down a treat.
What Bib restaurants do have in common is their simpler style of cooking, which is recognisable and easy-to-eat. A Bib Gourmand restaurant will also leave you with a sense of satisfaction, at having eaten so well at such a reasonable price.
It might not be as well-known as the MICHELIN Star but the Bib Gourmand is hugely popular with our followers, and our inspectors spend an equal amount of time seeking them out. This value-for-money award proves that great food doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag!
Illustration image: 100 Mahaseth (Si Phraya), Bangkok
