The 10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the World
The most expensive restaurants in the world orchestrate unforgettable dining experiences. Explore them here.
The most expensive restaurants in the world offer more than just gourmet cuisine — they design one-of-a-kind dining experiences that become lifelong memories. Two kinds of upscale eating establishments command a high bill. The first category comprises restaurants with carefully curated tasting menus highlighting fine foods such as caviar. Of course, their atmospheres are just as refined as the dishes they serve, but you’re mainly paying for the culinary artistry of top chefs and the expensive ingredients they use to create exquisite dishes. For example, until Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée closed in 2021, it was one of the most expensive restaurants in the world due to its culinary excellence in classic French cuisine and fine ingredients.
As for the second type, these restaurants offer an immersive dining experience, such as omakase — an intimate dining experience where chefs prepare Japanese food in front of you at a counter. This category includes establishments with art installations meant to blur the lines between your meal and the setting. In those cases, you also pay for the unique elements that appeal to the senses beyond taste, in addition to the premium cost of ingredients.
Here, we round up the most expensive restaurants in the world and explain what makes them so unique and, therefore, costly. In each entry, we delve into the best menus they offer and whether or not they include wine pairings. If you plan on reserving a table at any of these wonderful establishments, we recommend refreshing your memory of fine-dining etiquette.
In This Article
The 10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the World
Sublimotion: $1,700/person
Ibiza, Spain
The most expensive restaurant in the world is Sublimotion in Ibiza, Spain. This restaurant offers an immersive fine-dining experience at the intersection of technology and gastronomy. The venue has a lively atmosphere, complete with laser shows and screen projections. These technological elements transport guests into a virtual reality, fusing various senses for the ultimate meal.
Chef Paco Roncero is in charge of the exquisite cuisine at Sublimotion. His 10-course menu includes innovative dishes that are more like works of art, each matching the restaurant’s impressive environment. Each course is accompanied by different scenery, which usually depicts its country of origin or theme. At one point, guests are even given virtual reality headsets to enjoy their meal in the metaverse. The entire meal lasts three hours and is designed for up to 12 guests at a time. Despite rumors that the check exceeds $2,000 per person, the cost for this dining experience is €1,650 ($1,700) per person, including wine pairings and fine spirits.
Alchemist: $1,600/person
Copenhagen, Denmark
Next on our list is Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant offers a multisensory dining experience. Guests move through several rooms during their meal, including a music-themed chamber with a live orchestra performance and a room decorated entirely in pink, including the table and tableware, walls, and art. The central part of the meal takes place in a large planetarium-like venue that provides a 360-degree visual show with projectors.
Alchemist offers several tasting menus by renowned chef Rasmus Munk, but its Alchemist Experience menu, including 50 “impressions” and costing DKK 5,400 ($750) per person, is the most popular option. Each dish highlights a different ingredient to tell a story theatrically. For example, an impression encouraging environmental protection features the Faroese sea urchin because it’s a species that negatively impacts underwater vegetation; by eating it, guests are improving the conditions for marine life.
The luxurious restaurant seats up to 48 guests, and the immersive dining experience lasts four to six hours. Parties that choose the Sommelier Table are invited into the restaurant’s three-story wine cellar and can taste from its extensive wine list for DKK 11,500 ($1,600) per person.
Read More: What Does a Michelin Star Mean? Everything You Need to Know About This Exclusive Restaurant List
Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet: $1,210/person
Shanghai, China
Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet is a three-Michelin-starred, avant-garde restaurant in Shanghai, China, where only 10 guests are seated at a time — making it incredibly difficult to get a reservation. The single-table restaurant serves a 20-course menu, featuring Western cuisine with international influences. It’s set within a private space enlivened by music, lighting, projections, and even scents that are diffused according to the course — appealing to all the senses. The cost of participating in this truly exceptional dining experience is ￥4,800 ($655/person) for the set tasting menu, including a wine or cocktail pairing. However, depending on the type of drink pairing, the price can go up to as much as ￥8,888 ($1,210) per person to dine at this Michelin-starred restaurant.
Masa: $950/person
New York, New York, USA
Masa is the most expensive restaurant in New York City. Helmed by renowned chef Masayoshi Takayama, the upscale Japanese restaurant has earned three Michelin stars since it opened in 2004 — an impressive feat in the world of fine dining. The minimalist but refined space allows guests to focus on the impeccable craftsmanship and rare ingredients behind Masa’s sushi. The intimate venue has only a few tables, so be sure to book a reservation several weeks in advance.
In true Japanese style, there are no menus at the restaurant. Instead, you choose between two types of reservations: the Omakase or Hinoki Counter Experience. Both options showcase the chefs’ creativity with a personalized sushi tasting menu. Omakase is $750 per person, while the Hinoki Counter Experience is more exclusive at $950 per person (excluding drinks). It allows guests to interact with the chefs as they prepare sushi on a counter made of hinoki, an extremely rare and visually striking species of Japanese wood, in an intimate setting.
Noma: $968/person
Worldwide
Chef René Redzepi’s Noma was originally located in Copenhagen, Denmark, and after years of reinventing Nordic cuisine, the restaurant has evolved into a pop-up concept. Noma’s physical movement mirrors its unique approach to exceptional cuisine, which constantly embraces new flavors and techniques. Although its menu changes depending on the season, Noma offers contemporary takes on classic Nordic and Scandinavian dishes. Since it only stays in one location for a limited time, reservations at the restaurant are incredibly difficult to acquire; it costs $968 per person for dinner, which includes a wine pairing. It last earned an impressive three Michelin stars in 2021, but due to the Michelin Guide’s strict location requirements, it no longer qualifies for this high status.
Kikunoi Honten: $935/person
Kyoto, Japan
Kikunoi Honten is a serene, three-Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant located in Kyoto, Japan. The establishment channels kirei sabi, a Japanese phrase translating to “elegant simplicity,” by mirroring the interiors of a luxury ryokan, a traditional Japanese lodging. The space’s back wall is made of glass, revealing a lush garden outside, which complements the tranquil atmosphere. Chef Yoshihiro Murata is in charge of the menu that changes monthly to incorporate seasonal ingredients and features unique dishes that are modern but still embrace tradition. Its most expensive dinner offering incorporates rare ingredients, costing ￥139,500 ($935) per person.
Restaurant Guy Savoy: $875/person
Paris, France
Voted the number-one restaurant in the world on La Liste, renowned chef Guy Savoy’s namesake French restaurant is housed inside the stunning Hôtel de la Monnaie in Paris. The two-Michelin-starred establishment boasts six dining rooms with contemporary artwork that contrasts beautifully with the historic building’s 18th-century architecture. The menu includes reinvented French dishes, showcasing Guy Savoy’s culinary expertise; his signature dishes include the Huîtres en nage glacée,or iced poached oysters, and the Vasco de Gama,a fig-stuffed duck filet. You can choose between €680 ($700) per person for dinner without a wine pairing or €850 ($875) per person with a wine pairing — the most popular option.
Ciel Bleu: $620/person
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nestled inside Hotel Okura Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Ciel Bleu is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant offering inventive takes on traditional French cuisine and an exceptional wine list. The posh space is located on the hotel’s 23rd floor, so guests will enjoy panoramic city views as they dine. Chef Arjan Speelman oversees Ciel Bleu’s menu and has developed a reputation for creativity, blending culinary techniques and ingredients from around the world. The Signature Experience is its eight-course menu, which includes your choice of duck or wagyu beef as a main course, is €540 ($560) per person. The restaurant’s top menu offering is the Caviar Experience, comprising dishes that showcase the finest types of caviar for €595 ($620) per person.
Forum: $560/person
Hong Kong, China
If you’re looking for an authentic Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, book a table at Forum. Chef Yeung Koon-yat first opened the restaurant’s doors in 1977, and it has maintained its popularity ever since. His signature dish is Ah Yat Abalone: goose feet with dried shiitake mushrooms, Kanto sea cucumbers, and abalone, an expensive type of shellfish known for its sweetness. Forum’s interiors follow a traditional Chinese aesthetic with bold red accents, cherry blossom tree motifs, and clean, simplistic décor and finishings. There are plenty of set menus to choose from, but we recommend the Forum Deluxe Set Menu, which costs HKD 4,380 ($560) per person.
Joël Robuchon: $525/person
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Within MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, one of the most expensive hotels in Las Vegas, you’ll find Joël Robuchon — which offers top-tier French fine dining. The space is absolutely stunning with Art Deco-inspired interiors and a chic atmosphere. Chef Joël Robuchon opened the restaurant in 2006; he passed away in 2018, and today, executive chef Eleazar Villanueva continues his legacy. The menu consists of classic French dishes such as duck foie gras, which he executes simply but to perfection. The 11-course set menu costs $525 per person, and wine pairings are available on request for an additional fee.
Are Expensive Restaurants Worth It?
While the dining experiences are exceptional, they are specific. These exclusive restaurants are not for everyone. If you prefer simpler foods, don’t enjoy straying from your comfort zone, and aren’t interested in the performative aspect of haute gastronomie — which is more like a work of art — you’ll probably consider dining at these restaurants a waste of money. However, if the opposite is true for you, then the most expensive restaurants in the world are most certainly worth it, offering you more than just a meal. After all, these establishments utilize the highest quality ingredients to showcase the mastery of their celebrity-status chefs and create one-of-a-kind, elegant ambiences that elevate your luxury dining experience.
Of course, you should view high-caliber restaurants as luxury experiences because of their artistic approach to crafting exquisite cuisine. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply want to cross another Michelin-starred restaurant off your bucket list, we believe the most expensive restaurants in the world justify their menu prices.
| Restaurant | Location | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sublimotion | Ibiza, Spain | $1,700/person |
| 2. Alchemist | Copenhagen, Denmark | $1,600/person |
| 3. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet | Shanghai, China | $1,210/person |
| 4. Masa | New York, New York, USA | $950/person |
| 5. Noma | Worldwide | $968/person |
| 6. Kikunoi Honten | Kyoto, Japan | $935/person |
| 7. Restaurant Guy Savoy | Paris, France | $875/person |
| 8. Ciel Bleu | Amsterdam, Netherlands | $620/person |
| 9. Forum | Hong Kong, China | $560/person |
| 10. Joël Robuchon | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | $525/person |
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