If you’re a discerning foodie with deep pockets, then these world-class restaurants are for you. In exchange for their hefty price tag, you’ll be treated to outstanding multi-course dining experiences led by Michelin-starred chefs using only the best ingredients.
From a Japanese restaurant serving up some of New York’s best sushi to the world’s first all-glass underwater culinary experience in the Maldives, these are a handful of the most exquisite and expensive restaurants on the planet.
Sublimotion, Ibiza, Spain
US$2,000 per person
Marrying food, art and illusionism, this futuristic 12-seat restaurant at Ibiza’s Hard Rock Hotel will take you on a three-hour, multi-sensory experience through 20 courses. Under the guidance of two-Michelin-starred chef Paco Roncero, this immersive eatery will tickle your tastebuds and electrify your senses with virtual reality, laser light shows and even edible entry tickets.
Per Se, New York
US$685 per person
Boasting spectacular views of Central Park and Columbus Circle, Thomas Keller’s acclaimed restaurant Per Se dishes up some of the finest haute cuisine in the Big Apple.
As the renowned chef’s second three-Michelin-starred property, it incorporates classic French techniques to create two daily nine-course tasting menus in which no ingredient is repeated. To complement each dish, the restaurant delves into its extensive wine cellar, with more than 2,000 bottles of award-winning wines on offer.
Restaurant de l’hôtel de Ville, Switzerland
US$415 per person
In 1998, late chef Benoît and his wife Brigitte Violier earned three Michelin stars for their French cuisine at Hôtel de Ville, a feat that has been maintained ever since.
The restaurant is now run by chef Franck Giovannini, who started at a sous chef under Benoît in 2000. It is renowned for its decadent 11-course menu, which includes fillet of lamb, Scarlet tomato, pulp and pip consommé with Imperial Ossetra caviar, as well as Salers beef grilled with wild pepper, cristallines de charlotte and young fresh salad leaves.
The exceptional fare is made even better when accompanied by a bottle from the restaurant’s 40-page wine list.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
US$320 per person
When it comes to breathtaking dining views, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is unparalleled. The first of its kind in the world, this stunning, all-glass restaurant sits five metres below the sea’s surface, offering panoramic views of unsuspecting sea life and the surrounding coral garden.
Guests can indulge in a four-course lunch or six-course dinner that feature contemporary European cuisine paired with fine wines blending local flavours with Western influences. Headed by Italian-born chef Marco Amarone, this exclusive restaurant can only be accessed by guests of the five-star Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort.
Masa, New York
US$595 per person
To secure your spot at New York’s celebrated Masa restaurant, you’ll need to book at least three weeks in advance. The tasting menu, which will set you back nearly US$600 per person, is prepared by Chef Masayoshi Takayama himself and will take around two hours to get through.
Served with exceptional traditional Japanese hospitality, each dish heroes simple, seasonal ingredients including truffles, Kobe beef and fresh fish flown in from Japan. The 26-seater restaurant is one of only two sushi restaurants in North America that feature a sushi bar made from a solid piece of hinoki wood from Japan, worth a whopping US$260,000.
From a sixth-generation establishment in Japan’s former capital to a New American dining experience inside a refurbished Art Deco bank, these cities are home to the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.
