3-Michelin-star restaurants: France's 30 best restaurants

Food is the binding fabric in the patchwork that makes up France. Each region and city has a quirk of cuisine or a culinary niche, which adds to the identity of that area, if not defines it to the outsider. Fancy a feast of Camembert? Go to Normandy. If you want to pig out on the country's best pork, then make your way to Alsace. 

From the outside, there is a commitment to perfection that can seem like arrogance or snobbery. Grapes grown, picked, fermented, bottled in accordance with the strict guidelines of champagne production will not rightly be champagne unless it is grown within the terroir of the Champagne region. But these commitments to process do not come from a place of arrogant exclusivity. Quite the opposite. They come from a deep-seated respect for tradition. 

A LIST OF MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS IN FRANCE

It comes as no surprise, then, that France is home to over 600 Michelin stars with 30 restaurants receiving the highest accolade of three Michelin stars. Some of the most decorated chefs, such as Alain Ducasse, who has the highest number of stars awarded to one chef, hail from France. This guide looks at the 30 best Michelin star restaurants with the highest number of stars: 3.

3 Michelin star restaurants IN PARIS

L'Ambroisie

Named after the food of Greek and Roman gods, L'Ambroisie throws an electrifying gauntlet down from the clouds to the world of Parisian gastronomy. 

©L’Ambroisie

Michelin recommends

• Lobster with sesame seeds and a curry sauce
• Sea bass with sliced artichoke and golden caviar
• Bitter cocoa shortbread tart with a Bourbon vanilla ice cream

Information

9 Place des Vosges, 75004 Paris
+33 1 42 78 51 45
ambroisie-paris.com

Guy Savoy

Perched on the banks of the wending Seine, this lavishing restaurant is seasoned with contemporary art and serves up honest and creative plates of excellence.

©Laurence Mouton/Guy Savoy

Michelin recommends

• Artichoke soup with black truffle and a puff pastry brioche with mushrooms and truffles
• Red mullet with the sea as a garnish
• Mille feuilles with Tahitian vanilla

Information

Monnaie de Paris, 11 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris
+33 1 43 80 40 61
guysavoy.com

Kei

The ethereal glow of the restaurant is dulled only by the beauty of the dishes served within it. Japanese-born Chef Kei Kobayashi's love of French cuisine is captured in the fusion of his work at Kei. 

©Antoinette Bruno/Restaurant Kei

Michelin recommends

• Fresh vegetables with smoked salmon, arugula mousse, lemon emulsion and a tomato vinaigrette and black olive crumble
• Crispy, roasted sea bass 
• Exotic fruit smoothie with a sweet soufflé

Information

5 rue du Coq-Héron, Paris, 75001, France
+33 1 42 33 14 74
restaurant-kei.fr

Arpège

This restaurant, which serves vegetable-inspired cuisine, crafts delectable plates from local produce grown in the chef's three gardens. With an eye to sustainability, everything about this restaurant feels natural.

©Sophie Rolland/Arpege

Michelin recommends

• Purple tartare with the speciality gardener's mustard
• Chicken and duck corps-à-corps
•  Rose bouquet apple pie with caramel sauce

Information

84 rue de Varenne, Paris, 75007, France
+33 1 47 05 09 06
alain-passard.com

Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen

This stalwart of the Parisian fine-dining scene has taken a new direction under Yannick Alléno. Elegant and sophisticated, Alléno unfailingly produces amazing food.

©Phillipe Vaures/Alleno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen

Michelin recommends

• Foie gras in a shellfish broth with mushrooms
• Turbot cooked over a wood fire with mustard and a cacio e pepe sauce
• Apple compote and natural pectin with vanilla and cognac

Information

8 avenue Dutuit, Paris, 75008, France
+33 1 53 05 10 00
yannick-alleno.com

Épicure

Th setting of Épicure is bright and beautiful: its windows gaze over pristinely manicured gardens and allow the light to pour through, illuminating the intricate exhibitions that lie on each plate.

©Studios des fleurs/Épicure

Michelin recommends

• Stuffed macaroni, black truffle, artichoke and foie gras au gratin with aged parmesan
• Line-caught whiting in a bread-crust sandwich with almonds, New Zealand spinach and curry oil
• Cocoa beans and shortbread with fleur de sel with smoked vanilla milk emulsion
  
  

Information

112 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris, 75008, France
+33 1 53 43 43 40
oetkercollection.com

Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

This glistening venue oozes glitz and glamour. Alain Ducasse takes each of his guests on a quest to the heart of every ingredient. 

©Pierre Monetta/Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

Michelin recommends

• Puy green lentils, caviar and eel jelly
• Beef heart, lobster from Normandy and nectarines with fragrant woodruff 
• Curdled and emulsified farm milk infused with jam

Information

25 avenue Montaigne, Paris, 75008, France
+33 1 53 67 65 00
alain-ducasse.com

Le Cinq

This restaurant, guided by Christian Le Squer, intrigues with pirouettes of flashiness and deliberately delicate minutiae. The high ceilinged room, with intricate cornice lining the walls, is an excellent setting in which to enjoy the creative menus of Le Cinq.

©Grégoire Gardette/Le Cinq

Michelin recommends

• Stiffened Breton langoustines, mayonnaise and crunchy buckwheat pancakes
• Spaghetti gratin, Paris ham and truffle
• Cold dark chocolate and carambar with roasted peanuts

Information

31 avenue George-V, Paris, 75008, France
+33 1 49 52 71 54
restaurant-lecinq.com

Pierre Gagnaire

While simplicity governs the interior of the restaurant, the cuisine is anything but. Bursting flavours come together under the incisive gaze of chef Pierre Gagnaire to create a unified whole that pleases the senses.

©Jacques Gavard/Pierre Gagnaire

Michelin recommends

• Scents of the earth
• Limousin veal chop with absinthe
• The great dessert

Information

6 rue Balzac, Paris, 75008, France
+33 1 58 36 12 50
pierregagnaire.com

Le Pré Catelan

Modernity and tradition are fused in both the setting and the food produced in Frédéric Anton's kitchen. Located in the Bois de Boulogne, Le Pré Catelan curates a menu that expertly draws from a number of traditions.

Michelin recommends

• Langoustines prepared in ravioli with foie gras and fine gold-leaf jelly
• Cherrywood smoked salmon with wasabi cream
• Pollen, shortbread and honey ice cream

Information

Route de Suresnes - Bois de Boulogne, Paris, 75016, France
+33 1 44 14 41 14
leprecatelan.com

L'Assiette Champenoise

This restaurant offers unending creativity, where discreteness offers a new experience with each mouthful. Chef Arnaud Lallement is a stickler for attractiveness in presentation. 

©Matthieu Cellard/Assiette Champenoise

Michelin recommends

• Royal langoustine, lemon caviar and creamy nage 
• Blue lobster "homage to my dad" 
• Guanaja chocolate with Piedmont hazelnut

Information

40 avenue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier, à Tinqueux, Reims, 51430, France
+33 3 26 84 64 64
assiettechampenoise.com

3 MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS IN THE EAST OF FRANCE

Maison Lameloise

Maison Lameloise is truly deserved for all three of its stars, as Éric Pras continues to entice guests with his innovative menu.

Michelin recommends

• Crispy marinated langoustines with puffed rice, celery and green apple
• Blue lobster in bourguignon with roasted tail in shellfish butter
• Creamy Ecuadorian chocolate with cocoa bean ice cream

Information

36 place d'Armes, Chagny, 71150, France
+33 3 85 87 65 65
lameloise.fr

Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles

Tucked away in the Ouches Estate, Chef Michel and his son breathe life into wholesome ingredients and local produce. With a respect for tradition, but aspirations for blazing their own trail, you will undoubtedly be ushered into new experiences in this restaurant.

©Marie-Pierre Morel/Troisgros

Michelin recommends

• Chanterelle and crab tartlet
• Grilled lamb hazelnuts
• Saffron sun

Information

728 route de Villerest, Ouches, 42155, France
+33 4 77 71 66 97
troisgros.com

Georges Blanc

Georges Blanc, following in the footsteps of his grandmother and those before him, doffs his cap to the heritage of French cuisine whilst still going off piste in the most adventurous and exciting ways. 

©Georges Blanc/Georges Blanc

Michelin recommends

• Multicoloured blue lobster with savagnin and a trilogy of vegetable ravioli with black garlic
• Poularde de Bresse "Élisa Blanc" served with Vonnassienne pancakes
• The Vonnassien ideal, fine shortbread with gaudes and vanilla-infused milk chocolate 

Information

Place du Marché, Vonnas, 01540, France
+33 4 74 50 90 90
georgesblanc.com

Le Clos des Sens 

In keeping with the geography, Le Clos des Sens imagines a variety of dishes comprised of organic fish from the region's lakes. Laurent Petit brings that imagination to life with flair and finesse.

Michelin recommends

• The soaring mushroom of Savoy
• Crayfish from Lake Annecy and aromatic flowers from the garden
• Evanescent house chicory

Information

13 rue Jean-Mermoz - in Annecy-le-Vieux, Annecy, 74940, France
+33 4 50 23 07 90
closdessens.com

Le 1947

Driven by inventiveness, this contemporary restaurant with Yannick Alléno at the helm receives plaudits for its technicality and adventurousness. The sauces, which bind each dish, deserve special credit.

©Philippe Vaures/Le 1947

Michelin recommends

• Une ballade en sous-bois
• Wood-fired Wagyu beef, marrow-flavored potatoes and a cumin condiment
• Crispy spindle with black truffle and fleur de sel

Information

Le Jardin Alpin, Courchevel 1850, Courchevel, 73120, France
+33 4 79 00 50 50
chevalblanc.com

3 MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

Christopher Coutanceau

Every dish presented by Cristopher Coutanceau has come from a place of fundamental appreciation for the ocean, the ingredients and the generous gifts of the seasons. The young chef's minimalistic style feels timeless. 

©Philippe Vaures/Christoper Coutanceau

Michelin recommends

• All about lobster
• Sardine from head to tail
• Variation of the foreshore

Information

Plage de la Concurrence, La Rochelle, 17000, France
+33 5 46 41 48 19
coutanceaularochelle.com

Régis et Jacques Marcon

Mother nature is master in this fine-dining establishment: the sunken building boast glorious views over the rolling hills, and the light seems to change with the seasons, as does the menu. The Marcons' respect for nature is embodied in the flavourful dishes that emerge from their kitchen.  

©Laurence Barruel/Régis et Jacques Marcon

Michelin recommends

• Skewer Margaridou of sweetbreads and morels
• Grilled lobster cassoulet and green Puy lentils
• Hot verbena soufflé

Information

Larsiallas, Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, 43290, France
+33 4 71 59 93 72
lesmaisonsmarcon.fr

Flocons de Sel

In this inimitably cosy Alpine setting, Chef Emmanuel Renaut constructs dish after dish that is inherently entwined with nature, but bears a unique signature, whether it be a flavour, a fusion, or a daring to try something new. 

©ANNE-EMMANUELLE THION/Flocons de Sel

Michelin recommends

• Lake Geneva feral fillet cooked in salt. Served cold with a hogweed jus
• Venison fillet served with a mondeuse and juniper sauce
• Milk ice cream from Val d'Arly with apricot compote and a thin slice of meringue

Information

1775 route du Leutaz, Le Leutaz, Megève, 74120, France
+33 4 50 21 49 99
floconsdesel.com

Pic

The PIC family history has a wise and experienced finger in the pie of French cuisine. This longstanding institution is worth its three stars not for its past contributions, but for its continued ability to construct near perfection with each dish.

©ANNE-EMMANUELLE THION/Maison Pic

Michelin recommends

• Sea urchin served with creamy whiskey, apple and nasturtium
• Sweetbread in a wax shell
• White millefeuille served with a light, wispy Tahitian vanilla cream

Information

285 avenue Victor-Hugo, Valence, 26000, France
+33 4 75 44 15 32
anne-sophie-pic.com

René et Maxime Meilleur

Each dish sings hearty odes to the Savoie region and French cuisine in general. Everything is performed with honest resolve, which makes this cabin-like Savoyard experience feel that much more intimate.

Michelin recommends

• Fillet of Lavaret du Bourget breaded with crusty bread and served with a cloud-like frothy white butter and Savoy roussette 
• Glazed sweetbread and agria potato chiffonade, Russian cigarette with horseradish and beech smoke
• Milk in all its forms

Information

Hameau de Saint-Marcel, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, 73440, France
+33 4 79 08 96 77
la-bouitte.com

L'Oustau de Baumanière

Beyond the effortlessly beautiful setting, the cuisine gifts guests of L'Oustau de Baumanière with tales of Provençal heritage, where local produce is centre stage. The restaurant is also the holder of a Michelin green star for its focus on sustainability. 

©Virginie Ovessian/L’Oustau de Baumanière

Michelin recommends

• Smooth red mullet, farm cream, crispy scales and socca
• Squab cooked in a hay crust served with a drizzle of lavender jus
• Millefeuille light cream with Madagascan vanilla and florentine pistachio

Information

Mas de Baumanière, Les Baux-de-Provence, 13520, France
+33 4 90 54 33 07
baumaniere.com

Les Prés d'Eugénie - Michel Guérard

Michel Guérard's reputation does nothing to inhibit his drive to create a light and intricate menu sprinkled with genius. 

©Corentin mossiere/Les Prés d’Eugénie - Michel Guérard

Michelin recommends

• Soft pillow of morels with truffles and chanterelles under the mousse
• Sun of the fisherman, sea spider broth and wild seaweed butter
• Crunchy salt and pepper chocolate puff pastry with caramelized endive sabayon

Information

Place de l'Impératrice, Eugenie-les-Bains, 40320, France
+33 5 58 05 06 07
lespresdeugenie.com

Auberge du Vieux Puits

This sophisticated, but unpretentious restaurant is filled with the surprises that Chef Gilles Goujons has perfected. 

©Bruno Preschesmisky/Auberge du Vieux Puits

Michelin recommends

• Rotten chicken egg with truffles, warm briochine and cappuccino to drink
• Rouget barbet, delicious apple stuffed with a "bullinada" brandade
• Brittle Menton lemon, citrus bergamot and kumquat sorbet served with a lemon and thyme cream

Information

5 avenue Saint-Victor, Fontjoncouse, 11360, France
+33 4 68 44 07 37
aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr

Le Petit Nice

Gérald Passédat's vernacular is the Mediterranean and his garden, with intonations from his worldly experience. This restaurant's take on classic Mediterranean dishes will leave your mouth helplessly watering.

Michelin recommends

• Southern fish in a Nordic caravan, bottarga, caviar and scratchings
• Longline wolf "Lucie Passedat"
• Evanescent nougat with almond milk, pistachio and honey

Information

Anse de Maldormé, Marseille, 13007, France
+33 4 91 59 25 92
passedat.fr

AM par Alexandre Mazzia

The chef spins his personal history into the complexity of each dish, with Mediterranean overtones underpinned by currents of Africa. Alexandre Mazzia serves up excellent fish and fresh vegetables with ingredients of the sea.

©Mathieu Cellard/AM par Alexandre Mazzia

Michelin recommends

• Langoustine, seaweed popcorn, mortadella and plankton white butter
• Sparassis in duck jus with pepper-verbena and black pancetta from Bigorre
• Mango, date, old vinegar from Modena and fleur de sel

Information

9 rue François-Rocca, Marseille, 13008, France
+33 4 91 24 83 63
alexandre-mazzia.com

Christophe Bacquié

The ambience feels like a grand party thrown in a wealthy friend's Mediterranean garden. The standard of the food, however, will quickly dispel any suspicions of party catering. Each detail is very particularly and intricately brought together to make a harmonious whole.

©AEThion/Christophe Bacquié

Michelin recommends

• Stuffed zucchini flower served with a flower broth
• Pigeonneau au sang cooked in a spicy salt paste served with a tangy myrtle vinegar jus
• Hot cazette soufflé and roasted coffee bean ice cream

Information

3001 route des Hauts-du-Camp, au Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, 83330, France
+33 4 94 98 29 69
hotelducastellet.net

Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse à l'Hôtel de Paris

In the lap of luxury, surrounded by the quintessentially glitzy grandeur of Monte Carlo, Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV churns out simplicity in its most awe-inspiring form.

©Pierre Monetta/Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse a l’Hotel de Paris

Michelin recommends

• Gamberoni from San Remo with a delicate jelly of rockfish and caviar
• Mediterranean sea bass with mentonnais citrus fruits
• Rum baba of your choice with half-rise cream

Information

Place du Casino, Monte-Carlo, 98000, France
+377 98 06 88 64
ducasse-paris.com

Mirazur

Chef Mauro Colagreco pays tribute to the fruits, flowers, and vegetables of his gardens with dishes that hum and smack with pleasure. 

©Eduardo Torres/Mirazur

Michelin recommends

• Rhubarb rose
• Lamb millefeuille cooked in its own juice, seaweed and spinach
• Chocolate and rosemary

Information

30 avenue Aristide-Briand, Menton, 06500, France
+33 4 92 41 86 86
mirazur.fr

La Vague d'Or - Cheval Blanc St-Tropez

The cuisine flirts with Normandy, while holding the Mediterranean's gaze with reverence. Chef Arnaud Donckele does everything with a sincere love for the art of food.

©Richard Haughton/La Vague d’Or

Michelin recommends

• Zitone paste filled with black truffle and foie gras, purple artichoke in three textures
• Lobster from Cap Lardier cooked in a salt paste, seaweed and lime leaves and peel
• Tarte aux cinq limono medica and vanilla water from Tahaa

Information

Plage de la Bouillabaisse, Saint-Tropez, 83990, France
+33 4 94 55 91 00
chevalblanc.com

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