City of Stars: Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

  • <b>Tokyo, Japan</b><br>Tokyo and Paris stand on the top of the Michelin restaurant world, the former with 14 three-star establishments (beating the latter's ten). Tokyo's top rank may be surprising, considering that the first Michelin Guide to Tokyo was only published in 2007. <br><br>But both Tokyo and Paris share an obsession with food that find few equals elsewhere: Tokyo's restaurants, like those in the City of Light, take great pride in finding the finest ingredients and putting them to use in some of the most refined dishes at the hands of chefs with long years of practice under their toques. <br><br>"Personally I think the food in Japan is of an extraordinarily high level," food writer Andy Hayler told the Daily Beast. "The focus on ingredient quality there is second to none, and the technical skills of the chefs are extremely high."
    1/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Tokyo, Japan
    Tokyo and Paris stand on the top of the Michelin restaurant world, the former with 14 three-star establishments (beating the latter's ten). Tokyo's top rank may be surprising, considering that the first Michelin Guide to Tokyo was only published in 2007.

    But both Tokyo and Paris share an obsession with food that find few equals elsewhere: Tokyo's restaurants, like those in the City of Light, take great pride in finding the finest ingredients and putting them to use in some of the most refined dishes at the hands of chefs with long years of practice under their toques.

    "Personally I think the food in Japan is of an extraordinarily high level," food writer Andy Hayler told the Daily Beast. "The focus on ingredient quality there is second to none, and the technical skills of the chefs are extremely high."
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Paris, France</b><br>As the birthplace of the Michelin Guide, the fount of French cuisine and the undisputed world capital of fine dining, the city of Paris is unsurprisingly Europe's most Michelin-starred city. As of 2012, Paris has over 70 starred restaurants, 10 holding the coveted three-star rating. <br><br>Even with the large number of starred restaurants within the city, getting a table at any can be a chore, and the prices can be exorbitant. Michelin foodies time their visits for lunchtime, when the prices are lower and the rush for tables less stressful.
    2/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Paris, France
    As the birthplace of the Michelin Guide, the fount of French cuisine and the undisputed world capital of fine dining, the city of Paris is unsurprisingly Europe's most Michelin-starred city. As of 2012, Paris has over 70 starred restaurants, 10 holding the coveted three-star rating.

    Even with the large number of starred restaurants within the city, getting a table at any can be a chore, and the prices can be exorbitant. Michelin foodies time their visits for lunchtime, when the prices are lower and the rush for tables less stressful.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>New York City, USA</b><br>The "Big Apple" is a melting pot of world cultures: a fact reflected in the multifarious nature of its sixty-odd starred restaurants. French restaurants (of course) vie for stars alongside Korean establishments, Scandinavian outlets and even one serving New Zealand contemporary cuisine! <br><br>Another plus for star-struck foodies: New York is arguably the birthplace of the modern celebrity chef. Go to Manhattan to stalk your favourite celeb-in-a-toque—Daniel Boulud? Gordon Ramsay? Alain Ducasse?—while having your food made by them, too.
    3/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    New York City, USA
    The "Big Apple" is a melting pot of world cultures: a fact reflected in the multifarious nature of its sixty-odd starred restaurants. French restaurants (of course) vie for stars alongside Korean establishments, Scandinavian outlets and even one serving New Zealand contemporary cuisine!

    Another plus for star-struck foodies: New York is arguably the birthplace of the modern celebrity chef. Go to Manhattan to stalk your favourite celeb-in-a-toque—Daniel Boulud? Gordon Ramsay? Alain Ducasse?—while having your food made by them, too.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Hong Kong, China SAR</b><br>As a hotspot for Cantonese cuisine and a crossroads for East and West, the city of Hong Kong is unsurprisingly a hotbed for Michelin stars in the region, with over 200 restaurants garnering a total of 60 stars. <br><br>While a good number of Japanese and French restaurants make up the city's Michelin star awardees, a fifth of the starred restaurants in the list consist of what the guide calls "simple shops": hawker stalls and open-air eateries selling the city's favourite Cantonese dishes. It's in Hong Kong, in fact, where you can find the cheapest Michelin one-star dinners in the world: it's a toss-up between a take-away roast duck at Yung Kee or a dimsum selection at Tim Ho Wan.
    4/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Hong Kong, China SAR
    As a hotspot for Cantonese cuisine and a crossroads for East and West, the city of Hong Kong is unsurprisingly a hotbed for Michelin stars in the region, with over 200 restaurants garnering a total of 60 stars.

    While a good number of Japanese and French restaurants make up the city's Michelin star awardees, a fifth of the starred restaurants in the list consist of what the guide calls "simple shops": hawker stalls and open-air eateries selling the city's favourite Cantonese dishes. It's in Hong Kong, in fact, where you can find the cheapest Michelin one-star dinners in the world: it's a toss-up between a take-away roast duck at Yung Kee or a dimsum selection at Tim Ho Wan.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Kyoto, Japan</b><br>Kyoto's chefs may have been richly blessed with Michelin stars, but most of them pay the compliment no heed. "Our culture and heritage is very different to (that of) France," Eiichi Takahashi, chef of three-star Kyoto establishment Hyotei told the Tokyo Weekender. "Far too much importance is placed on these stars… I suppose it has been good for business, but it doesn’t bother me whether we keep them or not." <br><br>Takahashi is one of the more famous proponents of Japan's famous kaiseki-ryōri cuisine: each meal is made up of a series of courses using the freshest and most refined ingredients, selected for balance. Kyoto's Michelin-starred kaiseki establishments are also some of the world's easiest-to-attain Michelin star experiences, with relatively low prices and short queues.
    5/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Kyoto, Japan
    Kyoto's chefs may have been richly blessed with Michelin stars, but most of them pay the compliment no heed. "Our culture and heritage is very different to (that of) France," Eiichi Takahashi, chef of three-star Kyoto establishment Hyotei told the Tokyo Weekender. "Far too much importance is placed on these stars… I suppose it has been good for business, but it doesn’t bother me whether we keep them or not."

    Takahashi is one of the more famous proponents of Japan's famous kaiseki-ryōri cuisine: each meal is made up of a series of courses using the freshest and most refined ingredients, selected for balance. Kyoto's Michelin-starred kaiseki establishments are also some of the world's easiest-to-attain Michelin star experiences, with relatively low prices and short queues.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>London, UK</b><br>"British" and "haute cuisine" - not two words that sound like they belong together, but London's proven old food clichés wrong by garnering Michelin stars for restaurants serving good old local favourites. One of them is Heston Blumenthal's establishment, Dinner, which earned a two-star ranking from Michelin for serving "historic British cuisine". <br><br>London is also home to Le Gavroche, the UK's first Michelin-starred restaurant and also a training ground for future Michelin-starred chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White. Le Gavroche made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for serving the most expensive meal per head.
    6/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    London, UK
    "British" and "haute cuisine" - not two words that sound like they belong together, but London's proven old food clichés wrong by garnering Michelin stars for restaurants serving good old local favourites. One of them is Heston Blumenthal's establishment, Dinner, which earned a two-star ranking from Michelin for serving "historic British cuisine".

    London is also home to Le Gavroche, the UK's first Michelin-starred restaurant and also a training ground for future Michelin-starred chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White. Le Gavroche made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for serving the most expensive meal per head.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Florence, Italy</b><br>The Italian region of Tuscany has long been famous for its good food and heady wines, and its capital Florence has capitalized splendidly on the area's culinary riches. A number of starred restaurants can be found amidst Florence's piazzas and museums, among them the venerable Oliviero serving traditional Tuscan cuisine, and Enoteca Pinchiorri, the only three-star restaurant in Florence.
    7/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Florence, Italy
    The Italian region of Tuscany has long been famous for its good food and heady wines, and its capital Florence has capitalized splendidly on the area's culinary riches. A number of starred restaurants can be found amidst Florence's piazzas and museums, among them the venerable Oliviero serving traditional Tuscan cuisine, and Enoteca Pinchiorri, the only three-star restaurant in Florence.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Macau, China SAR</b><br>Even the hardiest gambler in Macau has to eat sometime, and the many Michelin-starred establishments in this town allow for some really good dining in between hands: from Chef Joel Robuchon's three-starred Robuchon Au Dôme (the only restaurant in Macau with three stars) to nine one-star "simple shops" serving traditional Cantonese cuisine.
    8/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Macau, China SAR
    Even the hardiest gambler in Macau has to eat sometime, and the many Michelin-starred establishments in this town allow for some really good dining in between hands: from Chef Joel Robuchon's three-starred Robuchon Au Dôme (the only restaurant in Macau with three stars) to nine one-star "simple shops" serving traditional Cantonese cuisine.
    Thinkstock
  • <br><b>Copenhagen, Denmark</b><br>The most Michelin-starred city in the Nordic region, Copenhagen is home to 13 restaurants with a total of 15 stars. No three-star establishments here, but two-star restaurants Noma and Geranium more than hold their own. The former was also named the world's best restaurant by Restaurant Magazine for three years in a row, between 2010 and 2012.
    9/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities


    Copenhagen, Denmark
    The most Michelin-starred city in the Nordic region, Copenhagen is home to 13 restaurants with a total of 15 stars. No three-star establishments here, but two-star restaurants Noma and Geranium more than hold their own. The former was also named the world's best restaurant by Restaurant Magazine for three years in a row, between 2010 and 2012.
    Thinkstock
  • <b>Berlin, Germany</b><br>Berlin has more than made up for time lost in the Cold War - "After the wall fell… the city changed dramatically, and its progressive cosmopolitan flavour attracted artists, writers, but also chefs," Christian Tanzler, spokesman for Visit Berlin, Berlin’s leading tourism agency, told the New York Times. "The German cuisine, in particular the Berlin cuisine, began to slowly change."<br><br>Today, Germany's capital boasts 14 Michelin starred establishments sharing a total of 19 stars, though not one has attained the highest three-star honour.
    10/10

    Ten of the World's Most Michelin-Starred Cities

    Berlin, Germany
    Berlin has more than made up for time lost in the Cold War - "After the wall fell… the city changed dramatically, and its progressive cosmopolitan flavour attracted artists, writers, but also chefs," Christian Tanzler, spokesman for Visit Berlin, Berlin’s leading tourism agency, told the New York Times. "The German cuisine, in particular the Berlin cuisine, began to slowly change."

    Today, Germany's capital boasts 14 Michelin starred establishments sharing a total of 19 stars, though not one has attained the highest three-star honour.
    Thinkstock
<b>Tokyo, Japan</b><br>Tokyo and Paris stand on the top of the Michelin restaurant world, the former with 14 three-star establishments (beating the latter's ten). Tokyo's top rank may be surprising, considering that the first Michelin Guide to Tokyo was only published in 2007. <br><br>But both Tokyo and Paris share an obsession with food that find few equals elsewhere: Tokyo's restaurants, like those in the City of Light, take great pride in finding the finest ingredients and putting them to use in some of the most refined dishes at the hands of chefs with long years of practice under their toques. <br><br>"Personally I think the food in Japan is of an extraordinarily high level," food writer Andy Hayler told the Daily Beast. "The focus on ingredient quality there is second to none, and the technical skills of the chefs are extremely high."
<b>Paris, France</b><br>As the birthplace of the Michelin Guide, the fount of French cuisine and the undisputed world capital of fine dining, the city of Paris is unsurprisingly Europe's most Michelin-starred city. As of 2012, Paris has over 70 starred restaurants, 10 holding the coveted three-star rating. <br><br>Even with the large number of starred restaurants within the city, getting a table at any can be a chore, and the prices can be exorbitant. Michelin foodies time their visits for lunchtime, when the prices are lower and the rush for tables less stressful.
<b>New York City, USA</b><br>The "Big Apple" is a melting pot of world cultures: a fact reflected in the multifarious nature of its sixty-odd starred restaurants. French restaurants (of course) vie for stars alongside Korean establishments, Scandinavian outlets and even one serving New Zealand contemporary cuisine! <br><br>Another plus for star-struck foodies: New York is arguably the birthplace of the modern celebrity chef. Go to Manhattan to stalk your favourite celeb-in-a-toque—Daniel Boulud? Gordon Ramsay? Alain Ducasse?—while having your food made by them, too.
<b>Hong Kong, China SAR</b><br>As a hotspot for Cantonese cuisine and a crossroads for East and West, the city of Hong Kong is unsurprisingly a hotbed for Michelin stars in the region, with over 200 restaurants garnering a total of 60 stars. <br><br>While a good number of Japanese and French restaurants make up the city's Michelin star awardees, a fifth of the starred restaurants in the list consist of what the guide calls "simple shops": hawker stalls and open-air eateries selling the city's favourite Cantonese dishes. It's in Hong Kong, in fact, where you can find the cheapest Michelin one-star dinners in the world: it's a toss-up between a take-away roast duck at Yung Kee or a dimsum selection at Tim Ho Wan.
<b>Kyoto, Japan</b><br>Kyoto's chefs may have been richly blessed with Michelin stars, but most of them pay the compliment no heed. "Our culture and heritage is very different to (that of) France," Eiichi Takahashi, chef of three-star Kyoto establishment Hyotei told the Tokyo Weekender. "Far too much importance is placed on these stars… I suppose it has been good for business, but it doesn’t bother me whether we keep them or not." <br><br>Takahashi is one of the more famous proponents of Japan's famous kaiseki-ryōri cuisine: each meal is made up of a series of courses using the freshest and most refined ingredients, selected for balance. Kyoto's Michelin-starred kaiseki establishments are also some of the world's easiest-to-attain Michelin star experiences, with relatively low prices and short queues.
<b>London, UK</b><br>"British" and "haute cuisine" - not two words that sound like they belong together, but London's proven old food clichés wrong by garnering Michelin stars for restaurants serving good old local favourites. One of them is Heston Blumenthal's establishment, Dinner, which earned a two-star ranking from Michelin for serving "historic British cuisine". <br><br>London is also home to Le Gavroche, the UK's first Michelin-starred restaurant and also a training ground for future Michelin-starred chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White. Le Gavroche made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for serving the most expensive meal per head.
<b>Florence, Italy</b><br>The Italian region of Tuscany has long been famous for its good food and heady wines, and its capital Florence has capitalized splendidly on the area's culinary riches. A number of starred restaurants can be found amidst Florence's piazzas and museums, among them the venerable Oliviero serving traditional Tuscan cuisine, and Enoteca Pinchiorri, the only three-star restaurant in Florence.
<b>Macau, China SAR</b><br>Even the hardiest gambler in Macau has to eat sometime, and the many Michelin-starred establishments in this town allow for some really good dining in between hands: from Chef Joel Robuchon's three-starred Robuchon Au Dôme (the only restaurant in Macau with three stars) to nine one-star "simple shops" serving traditional Cantonese cuisine.
<br><b>Copenhagen, Denmark</b><br>The most Michelin-starred city in the Nordic region, Copenhagen is home to 13 restaurants with a total of 15 stars. No three-star establishments here, but two-star restaurants Noma and Geranium more than hold their own. The former was also named the world's best restaurant by Restaurant Magazine for three years in a row, between 2010 and 2012.
<b>Berlin, Germany</b><br>Berlin has more than made up for time lost in the Cold War - "After the wall fell… the city changed dramatically, and its progressive cosmopolitan flavour attracted artists, writers, but also chefs," Christian Tanzler, spokesman for Visit Berlin, Berlin’s leading tourism agency, told the New York Times. "The German cuisine, in particular the Berlin cuisine, began to slowly change."<br><br>Today, Germany's capital boasts 14 Michelin starred establishments sharing a total of 19 stars, though not one has attained the highest three-star honour.

Ever since tyre manufacturer Michelin had the brilliant idea of publishing starred restaurant reviews in their travellers' guidebooks in 1926, attaining those stars has become an obsession in certain quarters. Chefs base their reputations on the stars they’ve earned, and diners make a game of "collecting" dining experiences from Michelin-starred restaurants within reach.

To this day, Michelin Guides award one, two, and three star sets to the restaurants with the best menu and wine list. Losing and gaining stars can have a major impact on business (French chef Bernard Loiseau killed himself in 2003 when he was certain his restaurant would lose its three-star status). Some cities are more blessed with Michelin stars than others - one or more of these cities could be right on your next travel itinerary.

By Mike Aquino for Yahoo Southeast Asia

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