The Michelin Guide, or “Red Guide,” is an annual publication that the French company Michelin has released for over 100 years. It is the oldest European restaurant and hotel guide, awarding stars for excellence to a few select locations. In 1900, the tire manufacturer published its guide free of charge for French motorists, hoping it would increase the demand for cars. It didn’t take long for the company to release guides around the world. The most coveted honor for a restaurant to receive is a Michelin three-star rating. For 2016, the Michelin Guide included 600 restaurants. When trotting around the world in a private chartered jet, make it a point to stop at the latest restaurants to earn one of the highest honors in the industry.
Restaurants Awarded a Michelin 3-Star Rating in 2016
Geranium | Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo by ELO -säätiö
Headed by chef Rasmus Kofoed, Geranium is the first Danish restaurant to ever become a Michelin three-star establishment. You’ll find it on Fælledparken’s eighth floor, where you can see panoramic park view. The multi-course menu is filled high-concept cooking. The placement of each plated item is intentional, making the food equally beautiful and delicious.
Le Cinq | Paris, France
Photo by Christian Le Squer
Located within the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Le Cinq rapidly won the attention of Michelin reviewers after it opened in 2001. Under the direction of chef Christian Le Squer since 2014, everything that comes out of the kitchen is nothing less than stunning. To sample the ephemeral gourmet cuisine and tasting menu, book a couple days in advance for breakfast or lunch. For dinner, book a few weeks in advance.
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée | Paris, France
Photo by terren in Virginia
After a long renovation, chef Alain Ducasse reopened his flagship restaurant at the Plaza Athénée, continuing the work he started 25 years. The naturalité re-visioning of his haute cuisine highlights the natural flavor of the main ingredients—fish, vegetables and cereals—bringing you a new definition of luxury. Some of the decorative items in the dining room are objects that Ducasse handpicked at flea markets.
Kohaku | Tokyo, Japan
Photo by kurisurokku
A restaurant that’s so eloquently simple that it doesn’t have a website, Kohaku in Kagurazaka is a contemporary establishment with contemporary kaiseki cuisine. Chef Koji Koizumi, who worked under Hideki Ishikawa for nearly a decade, produces leisurely multicourse meals that push the envelope and incorporate outside influences. If you’re not sure what to order, request the omakase (chef’s choice) menu for a beautifully composed meal. Reserve your seat at least a month in advance.
Maaemo | Oslo, Norway
Photo by Jan Mark Holzer
The first Nordic restaurant to win two stars in the Michelin Guide in 2012, followed by three stars in 2016, Maaemo only uses wild, biodynamic or organic produce. Chef Esben Holmboe Bang uses the ingredients to showcase the relationship between the country’s cultural history, nature and food. The striking modern restaurant features a mezzanine-level kitchen, and servers finish the dishes tableside. The items in the multicourse tasting menu are visually stimulating and unique with transcendent flavor combinations.
Manresa | Los Gatos, California, USA
Photo by star5112
A Bay Area restaurant that has won numerous accolades under the guidance of chef and founder David Kinch, Manresa features new American food with an extravagant farm-to-table tasting menu. Many credit Kinch with transforming Los Gatos into a thriving food destination. The chef partnered with Love Apple Farms, which uses biodynamic practices to deliver fresh seasonal ingredients, setting an example for others across the globe. Manresa offers one tasting menu per night.