One of the most exciting aspects of going on vacation, whether to a new city or a new country, is the opportunity to try new food that isn’t available at home. This is especially true when it comes to visiting New York City, which is home to more than 20,000 restaurants across the five boroughs.
The joy of discovering a new restaurant is so central to traveling that a place in the Michelin (ML) Guide — the most coveted designation an eatery can receive — is traditionally determined based on how worthwhile it is to go out of your way for a meal there.
The French tire company grants one star to a restaurant if it is high quality enough to be worth a stop on a trip, two stars if it worth traveling out of your way to visit the establishment, and three stars if the food is so exceptional that diners should plan a special vacation just to visit the restaurant in question.
In the post-pandemic years, however, the average American’s eating habits began shifting away from dining in restaurants. Changing attitudes mean that even the absolute best restaurants in the world — the ones that are likely to receive Michelin stars — are stepping up their game to bring in new guests.
During the pandemic, “the experience of what you could order at home got better,” Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef behind several New York restaurants, including Red Rooster, Metropolis, and Hav & Mar, told Quartz in July. “So you developed a whole new generation of great home cooks. So when you go out, you want service, you want theatrical dining, you really want that step up.”
Samuelsson noted that diners also have more choices now, and those choices are continuing to get better. “[Diners] want to feel like, ‘I am out, not only am I out here with my friends and family, but there’s people in this room that makes me feel great. I’m part of something.’”
As the best restaurants continue innovating on their menus, the food industry trend publication Chef’s Pencil recently rounded up the Michelin starred restaurants with the most expensive tasting menus.
Click through to see the fivemost expensive Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City.
