No city on earth carries more Michelin stars than Paris. As of the 2025 guide that means roughly 140 stars spread across 100 restaurants: 10 three-star houses, 17 two-stars, and around 75 one-stars. Plan a few months ahead and the payoff is the deepest fine-dining bench you will find anywhere. This paris michelin star restaurants guide walks through every active three-star, the two-star houses actually worth your money, the one-stars where the real energy and value sit, the Bib Gourmand list for serious cooking under €45, the additions and demotions from the 2025-2026 guides, and the practical stuff nobody tells you: how to book, what to wear, why lunch costs half of dinner, and how to behave at a French gastronomic table.
For wider context, our best restaurants in Paris guide runs the full spectrum from bouillons to palaces, and our Paris restaurant guide is the pillar with neighborhood breakdowns and the culture behind the cooking. If you want related experiences, look at Paris food tours and Paris cooking classes.
How the Michelin Guide Works
The Michelin Guide France has been rating restaurants every year since 1900, and the shorthand is worth knowing. Three stars (“cuisine exceptionnelle, vaut le voyage”) means a place worth a special journey. Two stars (“cuisine excellente, vaut le détour”) means worth a detour. One star (“très bonne cuisine”) means very good cooking. The Bib Gourmand, awarded for a three-course menu under €45, is the value pick, and the Green Star flags a serious sustainability commitment.
Here is the Paris count as of the 2025 guide, released in March 2024 for the 2025 season: 10 three-star, 17 two-star, about 75 one-star, and roughly 50 Bib Gourmand. The 2026 guide lands in March 2026, and you can expect a handful of new arrivals against a smaller number of demotions.
Paris’s 10 Three-Michelin-Star Restaurants
These are the temples. Tasting menus land between €330 and €540, and where lunch is offered it is the affordable way in at €170-280. Book 2-6 months out, more for weekends and August, and dress smart casual to jacket depending on the house.
- Le Cinq (Four Seasons George V, 8th): Christian Le Squer. Tasting €450, lunch €170. Jeff Leatham rebuilds the dining room’s flower installations every three weeks, and this remains the classic Paris three-star.
- L’Arpège (84 Rue de Varenne, 7th): Alain Passard. Tasting €420-540. Vegetable-driven since 2001, when Passard pulled red meat off the menu, and arguably the most influential French restaurant of the last quarter-century.
- Le Pré Catelan (Bois de Boulogne, 16th): Frédéric Anton. Tasting €420. A Belle Époque pavilion set in the woods, and the most romantic three-star room in the city.
- Plénitude (Cheval Blanc Paris, 1st): Arnaud Donckele. Tasting €395. The fastest three-star in Paris history, awarded only months after opening in 2021, with Notre-Dame and Seine views from the rooftop.
- Restaurant Epicure (Le Bristol, 8th): Arnaud Faye since 2024, taking over from Eric Frechon. Tasting €430. Three stars and about as consistent as gastronomy gets in Paris.
- Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse (228 Rue de Rivoli, 1st): Amaury Bouhours executing Ducasse’s vision. Tasting €295-430.
- Guy Savoy (Monnaie de Paris, 6th): tasting €435, in the Seine-side dining room at the Mint overlooking the river.
- Pierre Gagnaire (Hotel Balzac, 8th): tasting €380. The man who pioneered fusion cooking in France.
- Kei (5 Rue Coq Héron, 1st): Kei Kobayashi’s Japanese-French, and the first Japanese-born chef to take three stars in France (2020). Tasting €398.
- Le Gabriel at La Réserve Paris (8th): Jérôme Banctel. Tasting €330. Promoted to three stars in 2023.
The 17 Two-Michelin-Star Houses Worth Booking
For a lot of travellers the two-star tier is the smart play: cuisine at a genuinely high level, but on €180-330 tasting menus rather than €400-plus. The ones to know:
- L’Astrance (16th): Pascal Barbot. Tasting €230-280.
- Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx at Mandarin Oriental (1st): tasting €330. Modernist French.
- L’Atelier Robuchon Étoile (8th): counter-style dining, €180-240.
- Le Clarence (8th): Christophe Pelé, backed by Domaine Clarence Dillon (the Haut-Brion family). Tasting €330.
- Le Taillevent (8th): classical French. Tasting €240.
- Le George at Four Seasons George V (8th): one-Michelin Mediterranean, often mentioned alongside the higher tier.
- Jean Imbert au Plaza Athenée (8th): took over from Alain Ducasse in 2021. Tasting €330.
- Tour d’Argent (5th): the classical Seine-view room, serving pressed duck since 1582 (the dish, not the building). Tasting €330.
- Maison Rostang (17th): the Rostang family’s decades-long temple.
- L’Abeille at Shangri-La Paris (16th): chef Christophe Moret. Tasting €290.
- Carré des Feuillants (1st): Alain Dutournier, classical with a Gascon accent.
- Espadon at Ritz Paris (1st): Eugénie Beziat since 2024. Tasting €230.
- Le Relais Louis XIII (6th): a classical Saint-Germain mainstay.
- La Scene (8th): Stéphanie Le Quellec. Tasting €260.
- Aux Prés (6th): Cyril Lignac’s gastronomic flagship.
- Mavrommatis (5th): the only two-Michelin-star Greek restaurant in France.
- Le Cinq Codet (7th): the Hotel Cinq Codet’s gastronomic room. Tasting €220.
The Most Exciting One-Stars (Where the Energy Is)
If you ask me where the most interesting cooking in Paris is happening, it is the one-star tier, and it tends to be the best value too. Tasting menus run €90-220, and plenty of travellers walk away calling one of these their meal of the trip:
- Septime (80 Rue de Charonne, 11th): Bertrand Grebaut. World’s 50 Best (#24 in 2024). Tasting €120, lunch €70. Reservations open 60 days ahead and vanish in minutes. The hardest table to land in Paris, full stop.
- Yam’Tcha (1st): Adeline Grattard’s French-Chinese tasting, paired with tea. €120-185.
- Pertinence (29 Rue de l’Exposition, 7th): Ryunosuke Naito. Tasting €185.
- L’Oiseau Blanc at Peninsula Paris (16th): David Bizet, on an aviation-themed rooftop. Tasting €160.
- Frenchie (Rue du Nil, 2nd): Gregory Marchand. Tasting €120.
- Le Servan (11th): sisters Tatiana and Katia Levha. Tasting €70.
- Substance (16th): Matthias Marc. Tasting €120.
- Solstice (5th): Eric Trochon. Tasting €130.
- Plume (8th): Yousri Benchekroun. Tasting €120.
- Auberge Nicolas Flamel (3rd): set in the oldest stone house in Paris (1407). Tasting €120.
- Sur Mesure (1st): Théophile Pourriat. Tasting €150.
- Restaurant H (4th): Hubert Duché. Tasting €125.
- Restaurant David Toutain (7th): tasting €200, leaning vegetable-forward.
- NESO (9th): Guillaume Sanchez, modern and creative. Tasting €160.
- Mosuke (14th): Mory Sacko’s African-French cooking. Tasting €160.
- Quinsou (6th): Antonin Bonnet. Tasting €130.
- Le Servan, Septime, and Clâmato together make up the 11th-arrondissement gastronomic axis.
Bib Gourmand: Under €45 with Serious Cooking
The Bib Gourmand rewards kitchens turning out serious three-course meals for under €45. The Paris names you will hear most:
- Bouillon Pigalle (18th): three courses €15-20, the famous one.
- Le Servan (11th, also a one-star): the lunch formule.
- Bistrot Paul Bert (11th): the classic.
- Robert et Louise (3rd): a Marais bistro.
- Le Petit Vatel (6th): €18 lunch.
- Le Square Trousseau (12th): near Marché d’Aligre.
- Café Constant (7th): Christian Constant’s bistro.
- Cocottes by Christian Constant (7th).
- Le Comptoir du Relais (6th): Yves Camdeborde.
- Aux Lyonnais (2nd): Alain Ducasse’s Lyonnais bistro.
Our cheap eats in Paris guide has more in the €15-25 range.
Best Lunch Menus at Michelin Restaurants
This is the single best trick for eating at the top end without the top-end bill. Lunch menus often run 40-60% below dinner for the same kitchen:
- Le Cinq lunch: €170 (dinner €450).
- Plénitude lunch: €195 (dinner €395).
- Le Meurice lunch: €180 (dinner €380-430).
- Le George lunch: €110 (dinner €180).
- Septime lunch: €70 (dinner €120).
- Frenchie lunch: €70 (dinner €120).
- Yam’Tcha lunch: €90 (dinner €185).
- L’Astrance lunch: €130 (dinner €230-280).
How to Reserve (and What to Expect)
Three-star houses: book 2-6 months ahead through the restaurant’s own site or by phone. Weekends and August get fierce. A credit-card hold is standard, with cancellation fees of €50-150 per person inside the 24-48 hour window.
Two-star houses: 1-3 months ahead.
One-star houses: 1-8 weeks ahead. Septime opens its book 60 days out at 9am Paris time and sells out within minutes, so set an alarm.
Booking platforms: most use their own websites, a few list on TheFork or OpenTable for reach. Septime takes bookings only through its own site.
Dress code: smart casual is the floor everywhere. A jacket is required at Le Cinq, L’Arpège, Guy Savoy, Le Pré Catelan, and Espadon. Jeans pass with a collared shirt at most one-stars.
What to expect: 2.5-4 hours for a tasting menu, 8-15 courses. Wine pairings add €120-280, bottled water €8-15, coffee €6-8 (sometimes included). Service is in the price; rounding up the euro is the norm.
Hotel Restaurants: Where Many of the Top Stars Are
One pattern jumps out: 8 of the 10 Paris three-stars sit inside palace hotels. The upside is a dedicated reception, no street-level scramble to find the door, and frequently a private dining cellar:
- Four Seasons George V: Le Cinq (3*), Le George (1*), L’Orangerie (1*), the biggest single-hotel star count in Paris.
- Le Bristol: Restaurant Epicure (3*), 114 Faubourg (1*).
- Cheval Blanc Paris: Plénitude (3*).
- Le Meurice: Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse (3*).
- Plaza Athenée: Jean Imbert au Plaza Athenée (2*).
- Mandarin Oriental: Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx (2*).
- Shangri-La Paris: L’Abeille (2*), Shang Palace (1*).
- Peninsula Paris: L’Oiseau Blanc (1*).
- Le Royal Monceau: Il Carpaccio (1*), Matsuhisa.
- La Réserve Paris: Le Gabriel (3*).
- Ritz Paris: Espadon (2*).
Our luxury hotels in Paris guide covers the full palace-hotel landscape.
Best for Vegetarians, Vegans, Dietary Needs
- L’Arpège: vegetable-driven since 2001, with a full vegetarian tasting menu on request.
- David Toutain: a vegetable-leaning one-star that handles vegan diners explicitly.
- Plénitude: a vegan tasting menu is available with notice.
- Le Pré Catelan: vegetarian menu offered with notice.
- L’Orangerie (at Four Seasons): a specifically vegetable-focused one-star.
- Most three-stars will build a custom vegetarian menu given 48 hours’ notice, so ask when you book.
Recent Guide Changes (2025 and Expected 2026)
The 2025 Michelin Guide France, released in March 2024, shook up the Paris board: Le Gabriel collected its third star (the 2023 promotion), lifting Jérôme Banctel’s tasting menu into the top tier, while a few one-stars dropped out as new openings climbed in. The 2026 guide, due in March 2026, should add two or three one-stars from the neo-bistro wave, with demotions typically hitting one or two Paris restaurants a year. Watch Le Figaro Gastronomie, Le Fooding, and Michelin’s own digital editions to keep track.
Etiquette at a Paris Michelin Restaurant
- Arrive on time, with 5-10 minutes’ cushion being ideal.
- Silence your phone, and skip dining-room photos unless you have asked.
- For wine, just tell the sommelier your budget and let them point you somewhere.
- Tap water (carafe d’eau) is fine to order alongside a paid bottle if you are drinking wine.
- Hold off on substitutions unless they are dietary; the tasting menu is sequenced on purpose.
- The bread basket keeps coming, so there is no need to clear it.
- Service is included; rounding up the euro is a nice touch.
- Respect the dress code. Jacket required means jacket required, though some houses keep a loaner.
- Block out 3-4 hours for a tasting menu and do not book anything right after.
- Ask the sommelier about a cellar tour once you have finished; plenty will happily oblige.
Best Michelin Restaurants for Special Occasions
- Marriage proposal: Le Pré Catelan (the Bois de Boulogne pavilion), L’Arpège (intimate room), Le Gabriel (small and romantic).
- Anniversary: Plénitude (Notre-Dame view), Le Cinq (the Jeff Leatham flowers), Espadon (Ritz).
- Birthday: Septime (younger crowd, World’s 50 Best), L’Oiseau Blanc (rooftop Eiffel view).
- Business lunch: the Le Cinq, Plénitude, and Le Meurice lunch menus.
- Family celebration: Tour d’Argent (children welcome, Seine views), Le George (Four Seasons), Le Royal Monceau’s Il Carpaccio.
- Wine-focused: Le Clarence (the Haut-Brion family), Le Taillevent (classical), L’Arpège (sommelier-led).
- Solo diner: the Atelier Robuchon counter (built for it), Pertinence (24 seats), the Septime Cave bar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Michelin stars does Paris have in 2026?
About 140 stars across 100 restaurants as of the 2025 guide: 10 three-star, 17 two-star, and roughly 75 one-star. The 2026 guide releases in March 2026.
What is the best Michelin restaurant in Paris?
Among the three-stars, Le Cinq (Four Seasons George V) is the most consistent classic, Plénitude (Cheval Blanc) the most exciting recent arrival, and L’Arpège the most influential. All sit at the world level. Among one-stars, Septime ranks 24th on World’s 50 Best and is the hardest Paris table to get.
How much does a Michelin restaurant cost in Paris?
Tasting menus run from €90 at the one-star level to €540 at three stars, and lunch is reliably 40-60% cheaper than dinner. Wine pairings add €120-280. With a bottle and service, budget €160-300 per person at a one-star, €280-450 at a two-star, and €500-800 at a three-star.
How far ahead should I book a Michelin restaurant in Paris?
Three-star: 2-6 months. Two-star: 1-3 months. One-star: 1-8 weeks. Septime opens 60 days ahead at 9am Paris time and sells out within minutes, so set an alarm.
What is the cheapest Michelin restaurant in Paris?
Septime’s one-star lunch runs €70 when available, Frenchie matches it at €70, and Yam’Tcha lunch is €90. These are the cheapest starred meals in Paris by a clear margin.
Do you need to wear a jacket to a Paris Michelin restaurant?
A jacket is required at Le Cinq, L’Arpège, Guy Savoy, Le Pré Catelan, and Espadon (Ritz). Everywhere else, smart casual is the minimum, and jeans with a collared shirt pass at most one-stars.
Are children welcome at Paris Michelin restaurants?
Mostly yes, but call ahead. A few three-stars (Le Pré Catelan, Tour d’Argent, Le George) go out of their way to welcome kids; others may not seat children under 10. Most one-stars are fine with older children.
What is the difference between Bib Gourmand and Michelin star?
The Bib Gourmand rewards serious cooking at three courses under €45, so it is the value category. Stars judge the quality of the cuisine regardless of price. A restaurant cannot hold both at once; the Bib covers the more affordable end of serious dining.
Plan the Rest of Your Paris Trip
A Michelin meal is one piece of a larger food trip. Pair it with: best restaurants in Paris (the full spectrum), Paris food guide (the pillar), best bakeries, best cafes, wine bars, food markets, French dishes to try, food tours, cheap eats, and cooking classes. To stay near the top tables, see luxury hotels in Paris. And for the rest of the trip: plan a trip to Paris, where to stay in Paris, getting around Paris, things to do in Paris, Paris attractions, Paris museums guide, Paris neighborhoods guide, day trips from Paris, best time to visit Paris, romantic Paris, Paris with kids, Paris on a budget, Paris shopping guide, and Paris nightlife guide.
Plan the rest of your trip
Use these to round out your trip: