The clout that comes with being the most luxurious restaurants in the world isn't based on the prices of their multi-course tasting menus—it was earned by the sheer awesomeness of the food being served. Foodies around the world stalk the reservation calendar for these restaurants and pour over their seasonally rotating menus to track down what so many luxury travelers in this world are after: the absolute perfect meal. Can it be found at one of these eight most expensive restaurants in the world? You be the judge.
Ulf Svane
Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
One of the most sought after restaurants on the planet is Noma, known for dividing their culinary year into three seasons: vegetable season, game and forest season, and seafood season. The Scandinavian sensation will go to great foraging and globe-scouring lengths to bring the most enviable ingredients to their table. Vegetable season sees both a vegetarian and vegan menu; game and forest season is the only trimester of the year when the restaurant serves meat; and seafood season runs during Scandinavia's peak seafood season, from January to May. Dinner starts at around $370, and the wine pairing is an additional $200.
Courtesy Sublimotion
SubliMotion, Ibiza, Spain
At $1,700 a plate, SubliMotion tops the list of most expensive restaurants on the planet. Diners will enjoy no fewer than 20 courses served under the watchful eye of executive chef Paco Rancero. In the basement of the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, the spectacle of SubliMotion keeps you guessing, from the virtual reality elements to the extremely deliberate music choices to the light installations.
Courtesy Masa
Masa, New York, New York
Often touted as one of the priciest restaurants in North America, dinner at this three-Michelin starred establishment costs $595 per person—though that includes gratuity. The coveted sushi restaurant is known for their omakase tasting menu, each meticulously sourced and plated course more impressive than the last. Masa is revered sushi chef Masayoshi Takayama’s flagship restaurant.
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Ultraviolet, Shanghai, China
Ultraviolet seats 10 people, all of whom can enjoy a 10 to 20-course tasting menu that may cost as much as $900 a person. It’s not just the three Michelin stars the restaurant has garnered that sets this impossible Shanghai reservation apart. It’s the atmosphere, which is unlike anything most diners have experienced. The meal takes place around one table with an entire audio and visual simulation component meant to enhance the guests’ dining experience.
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Restaurant Guy Savoy, Paris, France
The set menu at Restaurant Guy Savoy currently runs at $600. And while the menu is subject to change, awe-inspiring staples like artichoke soup with black truffle, marinated duck, and “colors of caviar” are just some of the delicacies that might grace it. Tucked within the Hotel de la Monnaie, Restaurant Guy Savoy was named to La Liste’s 2019 Best Restaurants in the World.
Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto Kitcho celebrates kaiseki, a dining style that is deliberate and classically Japanese. Kitcho has been a family-owned restaurant since the 1940s, though it has evolved considerably in its 70-year tenure, now proudly boasting three Michelin stars and multiple Kyoto locations. At Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama, guests eat on traditional floor mats at low tables in full view of the restaurant’s gardens, and the meal can cost more than $390 a person.
Courtesy Dorchester Collection
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London, UK
Boasting three Michelin stars, the London Alain Ducasse is in The Dorchester Hotel—though there is also an Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. The Dorchester is a supremely luxurious property in London, so it only stands to reason that one of the most expensive restaurants in Europe would sit within it. Alain Ducasse serves modern French fare to the tune of $500 to $600 a plate.
Courtesy Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville
Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
Chef Franck Giovanni sources the highest quality ingredients possible to construct the menu at this three-Michelin-star establishment. The premium Chef Giovanni puts on texture, presentation, and undeniable flavor makes this $400 meal well worth the price tag. The Crissier-based restaurant also offers cooking classes, which restaurant guests will have no choice but to seriously consider after their truly life-changing meal at Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville.