Restaurants

Here you’ll find the most expensive and the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants

Michelin-starred restaurants come in many different varieties, but what two- and three-star establishments generally have in common is that they are hardly cheap. Even so, there are still quite a few differences between them, even within our own little country!

Foto van culinair journalist Delilah Warcup - van Eyck

In the Netherlands, we can be incredibly proud of all our star chefs and the top establishments they run. Spread throughout the country, they are part of a worldwide phenomenon, because starred restaurants are places many people dream of and/or save up hard for. But for a meal at one place, you sometimes have to save just a little longer than at another, and a ranking of the cheapest and most expensive cities and countries for indulging in a Michelin-starred menu has now been clearly mapped out.

The best of the best

As mentioned above, one-star establishments were left out of consideration here, but the researchers at Chef’s Pencil included only top-rated two- and three-star establishments in their rankings. Of all 450 (!) establishments that remained, they compared the prices of the ‘full tasting menus’ consisting of between 8 and 12 courses. And what did they find?

It’ll cost you a plane ticket

Thailand comes out as the most affordable country when it comes to (two- and three-) Michelin-starred restaurants. There, such a menu costs an average of 150 euros. Ireland and South Korea follow, making up the top 3, while the Netherlands comes in at number twelve, with an average price of 200 euros for the full tasting menu. And yes, that excludes the wine…

Amsterdam vs. Rotterdam

But of course, there are also local differences within the Netherlands. Amsterdam, for example, ranks eighth on the list of the world’s most expensive star-studded cities, while Rotterdam ranks fourth on the list of the cheapest! In Amsterdam, you’ll pay around 275 euros, and in Rotterdam about 185. That’s nearly a hundred euros’ difference!

Within the top 10

On average, the Netherlands still holds a comfortable ninth place in the list of the most affordable countries where you can eat a two- or three-star menu. You might as well take advantage of it! Below, you can see Chef’s Pencil’s rankings of the most expensive cities, the most affordable cities, and the most affordable countries where you can satisfy your Michelin-starred cravings: