Some restaurants are just a cut above. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of eating a smooth entrée that makes the taste buds unite in total harmony. Or perhaps it’s the unique sensation of flavours that should, in theory, clash, but combine to create something delicious. Every foodie likes something different about dining, but one thing everyone agrees on is that Michelin star restaurants are the epitome of fine cuisine. 

But what does it take to be one of the world’s top Michelin star restaurants? Aficionados may discuss it over glasses of rare wine and tantalizing tasting menus, and among the world’s top chefs, how to get a Michelin star is a hot topic: the recipe for success, however, is secret. 

Tantalize your taste buds: Exceptional Dining with Luxury Gold

The Michelin inspectors could arrive anytime

Chef and owner Vincent Guimera prepares a dish at Michelin-starred L’Antic Moli in Spain, where you dine on Spain & Portugal in Style. Photo credit: @lanticmoli on Instagram

Michelin has produced its restaurant guides since 1900. As the brand’s reputation grew, the process of its prestigious awards was refined. In a nutshell, anonymous inspectors will book, dine and pay at an establishment that’s caught their eye – where the ingredients are said to be top-notch, or the chef is believed to be particularly excellent.

There are currently around 80 Michelin inspectors, all of whom are highly trained food professionals, sworn to total secrecy.  The inspectors are told to pay no attention to the restaurants decor, service, or any other distractions. They simply focus on the meal in front of them. 

Essential reading to get ready to dine: What to Expect When Dining at a Michelin-star Restaurant

Experience Michelin-starred dining at L’Antic Moli on Spain & Portugal in Style

Graded according to five criteria

Delicata pumpkin, Exmoor caviar and pecan served at Michelin-starred Olive Tree Restaurant in Bath, England. Dine here on British Royale. Photo credit: @olivetreebath on Instagram

Michelin officially lists five criteria chefs should be striving for; the quality of the ingredients (i.e. only the freshest produce and most succulent meats), mastery of culinary techniques, an injection of the chef’s personality into each and every dish, value for money, and the consistency of the food.

The inspectors report back to Michelin with their findings and the company holds regular meetings to decide which eateries make the cut. However, being a top Michelin star restaurant isn’t easy; inspectors will visit, at any time, to make sure the food stays up to scratch. And, if a chef leaves, they don’t take the Michelin star with them: they have to earn it in their next kitchen.

You may also be interested to read: A Journey of Flavour: The Mastery of India’s Michelin-star Chefs

Savor exquisite dishes at Michelin-starred Olive Tree Restaurant on British Royale

A revered three-star system

A sensational dish is served at Michelin-starred Borkonyha Winekitchen in Budapest. Dine here on Harmony of Central Europe. Photo credit: @borkonyha on Instagram.

One hard-earned Michelin star is enough to put any restaurant on the map, but since 1931, restaurants can earn up to three of these floreal accolades. The early editions of the Michelin Guide said that an eatery with one star was “very good in its category”, two meant it had “excellent cooking, worth a detour” and a third meant it offered “exceptional cuisine, worth a special trip”. Currently, France has the most Michelin star restaurants – with Japan hot on its heels.  

If a restaurant is thought to warrant an upgrade to a two-star, four inspectors need to visit to verify the quality of the food. Should that restaurant be lucky enough to be considered for a third Michelin star, ten different inspectors need to sample its delicious dishes.

As the Michelin listings are updated every year, there are plenty of opportunities to gain a star. Currently, there are 139 three-star restaurants: France and Monaco have 29 of them. 

Read about the best of Japanese cuisine: Explore the Top 8 Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo

Experience fine dining plus an extensive wine cellar at Borkonyha Winekitchen on: Harmony of Central Europe

A Michelin star is not for life

Divine dishes and stunning vistas await at Michelin-starred Mamma restaurant in Capri, where you dine on Ultimate Italy. Photo credit: @lemonzurestaurant on Instagram

In the tough world of restaurant accolades, all chefs know what is given can easily be taken away. In fact it’s not uncommon for restaurants to lose a Michelin star. This could be a result of standards in the kitchen slipping, the downgrading of ingredients, or even head chefs leaving for greener pastures. 

Gordon Ramsay’s NYC restaurant, The London, notoriously lost two of its stars in 2013 – the Hell’s Kitchen star himself was reduced to tears. Despite this Ramsey holds 17 Michelin stars, making him the third highest chef for these esteemed accolades. Frenchman Joël Robuchon is top with 31.

However, inspectors at Michelin are aware of the impact losing a star could have on a chef’s career – be they young or established – and endeavour to be as fair as possible in their judgment.

Perhaps the greatest thing about the top Michelin star restaurants is that the guide is always growing, evolving, and open to innovative ideas – so, when exploring our wonderful world, the flavour-loving traveller will always find somewhere phenomenal to satisfy their culinary cravings. 

Bookmark for later: The Luxury Gold Guide to the Finest Michelin star Restaurants in Edinburgh

Enjoy exceptional dining and sensational views at Michelin-starred Mamma Restaurant in Capri on Ultimate Italy

Exceptional Dining – a hallmark of Luxury Gold

From in room breakfasts to culinary masterclasses, VIP wine tours to Michelin star dining, gastronomy is at the heart of every Luxury Gold journey. You’ll experience sensational surroundings from private estates to bustling street markets, and sample the menus of acclaimed chefs worldwide. Delectably delicious and thoroughly enjoyable, each plate and Exceptional Dining experience brings you closer to your destination.

Tantalize your taste buds with our worldwide collection of small group journeys.

With a 1,114-mile coastline lashed by the wild Atlantic, it’s no surprise that Portugal has some of the best seafood in the world on its menus. From huge grilled fish to bacalao fritters and smoky grilled sardines ‒ the latter have entire festivals dedicated to them ‒ this is a country obsessed with the fruits of the ocean. 

The dining scene here is so strong here that, from 2024, Portugal will have its own Michelin Guide separate from Spain’s. Those on a seafood fine dining trail through this rich, cultured country should take note of foodie capitals Lisbon and Porto, of course, but might also look to the southern coastline around the Algarve for standout dishes. From cutting-edge Michelin-starred numbers to newer rising stars, these are the places to go for the very best fish and seafood.

For travel inspiration: Portugal Destination Guide

Lota d’Avila, Lisbon

Modelled on the traditional Portuguese marisqueira (seafood restaurant), with glossy lobsters, crab and oysters displayed on ice at the counter, this is the place for an impressive seafood platter. Styled like a seafood market and beach bar, it serves elegant paellas, crab croquettes, deep-fried cuttlefish and seafood soup dreamt up by chef Vasco Lello. Sit up at the metal counter where you can see the shiny fruits de mer waiting to be seasoned and sizzled, or in elegant low-lit booths, or the beach-bar portion of the restaurant with its wicker light fixtures and blue-striped cushions. Fish lovers shouldn’t miss the chance to pick out a whole fish with their chef and have it grilled to their liking over a wood fire.

Discover the tastes of Iberia on: Spain & Portugal in Style

Gruta, Porto

Photo credit: @grutaporto on Instagram

Chef Rafaela Louzada is obsessed with seafood, and after you leave her restaurant, in the foodie northern city of Porto, you will be too. Gruta just earned the Bib Gourmand in the Spain and Portugal Michelin Guide, with its carefully curated menu of seafood fine dining and techniques from the north of Portugal. A simple cream dining room has exposed stone walls, raffia chairs and filament bulbs hanging from the ceiling; seafood rice comes sprinkled with edible flowers, while octopus carpaccio and grilled prawns keep things light. A female led team with a zest for this region’s flavours.

You may also enjoy reading: Sunshine on a plate: Travel Concierge Dom on his love of Iberia

JNcQUOI Beach Club, Comporta

Photo credit: @jncquoi.comporta

The jet set is catching on to the beachy enclave of Comporta, just south of Lisbon, where beachside restaurants sit alongside wild, unspoiled white sand dunes and turquoise sea. The seafood fine dining at this exclusive beach club ‒ the name is a play on ‘je ne sais quois’ ‒ is enjoyed with a view of Praia de Pego, one of the area’s best beaches; expect cod carpaccio with capers and arugula, zingy catch of the day ceviche and spaghetti with clams and bottarga, alongside showy oyster and seafood platters. Having one of the most elegant meals of your holiday, then stepping right onto soft sand? Heaven.

A read for all foodies: Why South Africa is the ultimate setting for a gourmet road trip

Prado, Lisbon

Photo credit: @prado_restaurante on Instagram

Market produce and seasonal fare are king at this buzzed-about Lisbon opening, which is contained in a former fish factory. Decorative hanging plants and ferns are draped from high, industrial-chic ceilings, as are disused fish-canning tools, with sage-green tongue and groove surrounding leather banquettes. Chef António Galapito crafts delicate dishes of Azores squid with potato and ham butter, or seared tuna belly in tomato consomme ‒ the name, Prado, might mean field, but there’s plenty of riches from the sea to enjoy.

Bookmark for later: The Best Private Cooking Classes to Enjoy With Luxury Gold

Bomfim 1896, Douro Valley

Photo credit: @bomfim1896 on Instagram

To the east of the northern city of Porto lies the Douro Valley, an undulating, emerald patch of terraced vineyards and glinting riverside. It’s becoming as much of a food hub for Portugal as Lisbon or Porto, a distinction encompassed beautifully by this 2023 opening, from the Symington family (the owners of Cockburn’s Port). Set alongside the river, with dazzling verdant views, its chef, Pedro Lemos, delivers a rustic-luxe menu of oysters, Algarve shrimp, and seafood stew. Many dishes are focused on wood-fired oven cooking: try the grilled violet prawns or roasted turbot with cassava mash.

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Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, Porto

Photo credit: @casachaboanova on Instagram

A grand design by the sea, this listed national monument of a building sits above Praia da Boa Nova, just outside Porto. As a two-Michelin-star restaurant with the waves crashing on the rocks below, it feels fitting that seafood fine dining is the star of the show here: think tuna bao with wasabi, sardine escabeche macarons and scarlet shrimp in a wild mushroom broth. Chef Rui Paula took inspiration from a verse from a famous Portuguese poem, The Lusiads – “hitherto unchartered waters” – to create this innovative and cutting-edge experience.

Read more about responsible dining: 11 of the Best Sustainable Fine-Dining Restaurants in the World

Ocean, Alporchinhos, Algarve

Photo credit: @oceanrestaurant on Instagram

This high-end dining spot takes inspiration from Portugal’s history of global exploration and voyaging, with influences from Goa to Cape Verde, as well as making the most of the local fish and shellfish. Part of the five-star Vila Vita Parc resort, in Alporchinhos, this small, intimate dining room seating 35 has sea-view windows echoed by azure walls and corals displayed on high shelves. Chef Hanz Neuner has created an exquisite menu featuring Portuguese carabinero (scarlet prawn), Rio de Formosa oysters with samphire, champagne and caviar, and turbot with mushrooms and fermented banana. With two Michelin stars, this is one to make a detour for.

We also think you’ll like: Acclaimed Sydney restaurant Bennelong and its love affair with Australian food

If you love cuisine then you’ll love a small group journey with Luxury Gold, with Exceptional Dining at the heart of every journey. 

Food is the edible history of a culture and a community, each morsel telling stories and creating memories. Bringing each destination deliciously to life, every Luxury Gold journey offers a menu of dining options like no other. This includes a wide range of culinary experiences, from exclusive dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants to street food walks with locals who know where to source the best delicacies in the city.

And on select Luxury Gold excursions, travelers are greeted with private chef cooking classes. Curated to not only introduce travelers to the flavors of a destination, these private cooking classes provide an experience you can take home to relive mouthwatering memories whenever you choose. To temp you further, take look at just some of the experiences you can look forward to as a guest of Luxury Gold.

To when your appetite, read more about Exceptional Dining

Roll Italian pasta in a Tuscan private cooking class

The wealthy Medici family helped fuel the Italian Renaissance, and though their bloodline no longer flows through Italy, travelers can still visit their rich properties. In Tuscany, you’ll visit one of the Medici family’s hunting lodges for a quintessential Italian experience: private chef cooking classes. Source fresh ingredients from the lodge’s garden and roll your own fresh pasta for lunch alongside a professional Italian chef for a decadent and delicious meal. 

Take a bit out of Tuscany and savour other classic Italian flavours in Rome, Florence and more on Ultimate Italy.

For lovers of Italian cuisine: 7 ways you’ll celebrate Tuscan food when you travel with Luxury Gold

Go beyond the tapas bars and learn Spanish culinary secrets

Spain’s cuisine is far from a monolith: between Barcelona and Madrid alone are a host of different styles and specialties. Andalusia, Spain’s southernmost agricultural region, is known for its gazpacho, oxtail, sherry and Iberian ham. In Seville, you’ll spend a day diving into the region’s flavors. A chef awaits your arrival at an Andalusian market, ready to walk you through the fresh meat and produce. When the market tour concludes, you’ll enjoy a private cooking class and learn how to make some of Spain’s hallmark plates, before savoring them for lunch.

Learn cooking techniques in Seville, plus dine at the Michelin-starred L’Antic Moli on Spain & Portugal in Style.

Pick up the cheque: Where to Find the Most Rare & Expensive Food in the World

Prepare lunch on a Vietnamese riverboat with a professional chef 

Every foodie has heard of the legendary banh mi. This world-famous Vietnamese street food is best experienced in the alleyways of Hoi An. It’s a palate pleasing event, but only an appetizer for what’s to come. You’ll board a traditional bamboo-basket boat and cruise to the Thanh Dong village. Once onboard, locals will host private chef cooking classes for you and your group, helping you prepare lunch as you learn about their local customs for cultivating and harvesting vegetables.   

Leave room for more mouthwatering experiences when you visit Vietnam with Luxury Gold, including a brunch cruise to Hanoi and a private concert dining experience at the home of singer Camille Huyen. 

Savor this on Spirit of Vietnam.

You may also enjoy reading: Hue is Where the Heart is: In conversation with artist Camille Huyen

Discover the nuances of Indian spices 

Private chef cooking classes are quite engaging, though there’s a case to be made that a food tasting tour is just as critical in learning how to cook international cuisine. In Delhi, you’ll have the opportunity to join a well-known chef, not in his kitchen, but in the streets of Old Delhi. You’ll hop between food stalls, watching how each Indian delicacy is prepared. The stallholders will give you tips and tricks for how to properly balance spices to create transformative tastes. 

Travel to India on a Luxury Gold small group journey and you’ll have far more than one afternoon to experience the country’s many flavors, including a sunset desert dinner with local musicians in Jaisalmer and lakeside banquet dinner in Udaipur.

Discover this on: Imperial Rajhastan

Bookmark for later: How Travel Concierge Viren Paints a Vivid Picture of India

Drink in a mixology class in Southern USA

In the deep south, a signature drink is just as important as a hearty meal. With so many delicious plates set before you, an afternoon at the Dunleith Historic Inn gives your stomach a break with a hands-on mixology class. Ideal for those who’ve already taken a few private cooking classes on other Luxury Gold tours, the bar manager at this pre-Civil War mansion will teach you how to stir up two seasonal cocktails. 

Sip that Mint Julep before settling into a three-course dinner, the head to New Orleans where Cajun and Creole flavors await on Southern Grace. 

You may be interested to read: High Notes: How Travel Concierge Ann Amplifies the Sounds of the South

Style sushi with a master in Tokyo

Sushi rolling is a revered 2,000-year-old Japanese art. A decade of practice is required to become a master sushi chef, but thankfully, this Luxury Gold tour expedites the process by providing private chef cooking classes in Japan. Join a master sushi chef for an in depth sushi rolling lesson. You’ll learn why the philosophy and precision required to perfect the technique is unlike any other culinary exercise on the planet.  

Sushi is just one of the many iconic Japanese meals you’ll enjoy on Majestic Japan with Luxury Gold. You’ll also have a Geisha lunch performance in Kyoto and sip sake at a private tasting with a local brewmaster in Oirase. 

Discover this on: Majestic Japan

You may enjoy: A journey of a lifetime: unearthing Majestic Japan, with Luxury Gold

Feel lucky with a hosted dinner in an Irish family’s home

No matter where we’re from, we all share memories of sitting around the family dinner table as dish after dish is prepared. In Ireland, you’ll have the opportunity to pause your restaurant reservations and instead welcome the invitation to dine at a homestead in Blarney. Unlike a private chef cooking class, you’ll sit back and let your hosts do the cooking for you, though you’re welcome to ask away any questions you have regarding Irish food and cooking techniques.

Enjoy many more experiences with locals, including dinner at a local gastropub in Dublin and a street art tour in Belfast on Ultimate Ireland.

Hungry for more: Indulge Your Inner Gourmet With These Luxury Food Experiences

To discover how you can see and taste the world in a whole new light, take a look at our worldwide collection of small group journeys.