Dining out at new restaurants can be one of the most exciting parts of taking a vacation. But while many are happy to splurge on special occasions, having a meal at one of the most expensive restaurants in the world may not be a feasible option. That said, it’s fun to look at what some of these incredibly pricey eateries are serving up, even if you have no intention of making a reservation.
Keep in mind, though, that while menus might include a pricey steak or risotto, ultimately the high price tag comes from the fact that they’re serving up a culinary experience. Is that experience worth dropping hundreds of dollars on? You be the judge.
Here is a list of some of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
Table of contents
- Most Expensive Restaurants
- Types Of Restaurants
- 10 most expensive restaurants in the world
- 1. Sublimotion – Ibiza, Spain
- 2. Per Se – New York, United States
- 3. Ultraviolet – Shanghai, China
- 4. Masa – New York, United States
- 5. Maison Pic Valence – Paris, France
- 6. Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville – Crissier, Switzerland
- 7. Guy Savoy – Paris, France
- 8. Kitcho Arashiyama – Tokyo, Japan
- 9. Aragawa – Tokyo, Japan
- 10. Ithaa Undersea – Maldives
- In Conclusion
Most Expensive Restaurants
It derived the word restaurant from the French “restaurer” which means to restore.
In America, a restaurant is defined as an establishment that serves food and drinks on its premises for consumption on or off the premises.
There are many types of restaurants that people go to, but there is a certain category of restaurants out there that only the wealthiest can afford.
These restaurants are known as the most expensive restaurants in the world because they require you to spend some serious money before you even get your meal.
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Types Of Restaurants
1. Fast food
Fast food, or quick-service restaurant establishments, offer food served on the go, whether from a drive-through window or counter. Customers can also dine in, although it’s less common.
These types of restaurants are often well-known franchises with a nationwide or even global presence.
The menus are made up of standardized fare — think greasy double-patty burgers, crispy fries, and creamy milkshakes in America, street tacos in Mexico, and hot noodles in Japan — and typically feature lower price points making them accessible for a breadth of customers.
Fast food is not only low-cost but incredibly convenient for busy consumers. The menu items can be eaten in a car, on a train, while walking, or anywhere else.
Fast food is also nostalgic for many people and can bring up memories of special childhood moments like family road trips and after-school treats.
2. Fast casual
Fast-casual restaurants offer a more upscale and diverse menu selection with slightly higher price points than fast-food establishments.
Like fast food, these restaurants have a counter service model where customers place their orders at the cashier and bring them back to their own table.
Imagine customized chopped salads, signature paninis, superfood-filled smoothie bowls, or higher-quality burgers and shakes.
Also, this category has demonstrated consistent growth over time.
Among the different restaurants, the fast-casual restaurant scene is booming — from farm-fresh salad joints catering to busy work lunches to modern takes on Indian cuisines.
Customers love the feel-good effect of getting a quality, flavorful meal — even when they’re short on time.
The variety, moderate price points, convenience, and often healthier fare make these restaurants increasingly popular.
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3. Casual dining
Casual dining encompasses a large segment of the restaurant industry. These types of restaurants cover everything from local independent spots to big franchises, but defining characteristics include table service and a sit-down meal.
There’s generally a theme, specific decor, and ambiance that make the dining experience stand out.
Depending on the cuisine, a customer dining at a casual establishment could find nearly anything: a salad bar, spaghetti, and meatballs, pad thai, or even all-day breakfast offerings like pancakes and waffles.
Casual dining customers can still get a relatively quick meal, but they’re able to sit down and enjoy table service. There are casual establishments in nearly every area that meet the needs of a weeknight meal or a more special occasion.
Nearly all cuisines are suited to this type of restaurant, so customers are sure to find a casual dining spot that satisfies their cravings.
4. Contemporary casual
Contemporary casual, a relatively new type of restaurant, is a sit-down dining experience marked by an emphasis on the atmosphere and experience.
These types of restaurants often balance a relaxed eating environment with modern culinary trends like sustainability, farm-to-table, fusion cuisine, and craft beverages.
Contemporary casual restaurants are ahead of the curve on food trends and social media strategies and as a result, these eateries attract younger Gen-Z and Millennial diners in droves.
Many contemporary casual types of restaurants are known for mastering a specific meal — for instance, they may have a brunch so deliciously popular, there are lines down the block.
5. Cafés
A café is simply a beverage-focused establishment. Offerings usually include coffee, tea, and a smaller menu of food or snacks. These types of restaurants typically offer counter service and low-to-moderate prices.
Every country has different traditions for enjoying its caffeinated brews — in America, for instance, coffee is often consumed on the go in infamously large cups. But around the world, many cultures sit and sip for hours.
Australian café-goers love a flat white (similar to a latte); Italians love pure espresso, and the French might reach for a café au lait or a cappuccino — and use it as a vessel for dipping croissants.
Cafés serve many needs: A social meeting place, mobile office, leisure spot, or somewhere convenient to grab a matcha latte or a quick bite.
The options for these types of restaurants are endless, and customers can get a hot or cold caffeinated beverage crafted perfectly to their taste preferences. And in any country, coffee is a common language.
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10 most expensive restaurants in the world
These are the 10 most expensive restaurants in the world:
1. Sublimotion – Ibiza, Spain
Sublimotion is the most expensive restaurant in the world, costing an eye-watering $2,380 per head. Sublimation charges its diners $2,380 per head for a 20-course tasting menu.
The restaurant is only open for a few months a year in the Spanish summer, from June 1st to September 30th, and is run by Michelin two-star chef, Paco Roncero.
If you reserve a table during summer, you can expect a whole new level of dining experience and entertainment.
You’ll be waited on by a team of twenty-five professionals that will present your 20-course tasting menu one by one, over three hours.
Whilst you’re enjoying your food, you’ll experience laser light shows, virtual reality elements, and projection mapping, to help enhance your experience.
The restaurant aims to offer the best culinary-entertainment experience globally and was awarded the Best Innovation Food And Beverage Award in 2014.
Once you make a reservation, you’ll receive an edible ticket, but as tempting as it sounds, eat it after you get in, and not before.
2. Per Se – New York, United States
The second most expensive restaurant in the world is Per Se, located in New York, the United States, and costs $680 per head to dine here.
Opening its doors to the world in 2004, Per Se is Thomas Keller’s second three-star Michelin restaurant.
Per Se is mostly known for its exceptionally delicate presentation and exquisite flavors. It offers a choice of three tasting menus in total, including a vegetarian option. Still, it’s a nine-course tasting menu that focuses mainly on French and American cuisine is the most popular choice by diners.
The restaurant has 19 tables, with views across Columbus Circle and Central Park; if you’re into your wine, you’ll be pleased to know that the restaurant also offers an award-winning collection, with over 2,000 bottles to choose from.
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3. Ultraviolet – Shanghai, China
One of the most expensive restaurants in the world, Ultraviolet costs between $570 – $900 per head, excluding drinks and taxes.
This restaurant differs from the rest on the list as only one table accommodates a maximum of ten people.
For your $900, you can expect to enjoy between 10-20 tasting courses; with each course highlighting different ingredients, and presented in the most innovative ways.
The restaurant aims to provide the diner with an all-around experience; not just in terms of food but also trying to appeal to all the human senses. For example, using audio and visual effects that all play in the background as you eat.
Paul Pairet heads up the kitchen, and the restaurant also boasts the largest employee-to-patron ratio, at three patrons per guest.
To top it off, the restaurant has three Michelin stars. The meals and service makes it the fourth most expensive restaurant in the world
4. Masa – New York, United States
Headed up by chef Massa Takayama, this New York restaurant will cost you approximately $595 per head, excluding drinks and taxes, making it the fourth most expensive restaurant in the world.
The restaurant is known for its simplicity, offering a simple sushi tasting menu focusing on essential flavors.
There’s no actual menu available at Masa, instead, chefs prepare fresh ingredients that are only available on the day,
It’s often considered to be overpriced, and more of a spot to rub shoulders with A-listers and celebrities.
However, if you’ve got the cash to spend and want to experience some of the best sushi in the world, make a reservation, which is currently four weeks in advance, and see which A-listers you can bump into.
5. Maison Pic Valence – Paris, France
Continuing with the family business, Sophie Pic now heads up this generational restaurant, and she’s one of only a handful of female chefs in the world that runs a three-star Michelin restaurant. Costing $445 Per Head, this is the third most expensive restaurant in the world.
You can expect to receive a nine-course menu; comprising Mediterranean Rouget in a saffron broth, Banon goat cheese berlingots, deer marinated in sake lees squab, candied turnips, and some of the finest chocolate desserts you’ll ever taste.
Sophie is known for taking an experimental approach to her food; utilizing unusual flavors to present visually eye-catching dishes and appealing to the palette.
The restaurant is now in its 130th year of business and you’ll enjoy your nine-course meal in beautiful Mediterranean gardens. The top-tier meals and Michelin star service makes it one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
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6. Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville – Crissier, Switzerland
Coming in at number six of the most expensive restaurants in the world is Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville.
It’s a bit of a mouthful to pronounce, but it’s one of the best restaurants in the world based on the exceptional quality of food and dining experience.
Suppose you have the money and will pay $415 per head. In that case, you can look forward to an eleven-course tasting menu, including fillet of lamb, mussels with saffron, “Scarlett tomato”, pulp, pip consommé with Imperial Ossetra caviar, “Salers” beef grilled with wild pepper, cristallines de charlotte, and young fresh salad leaves.
You can choose a bottle of wine from their forty-page wine list to complement your food.
The restaurant has three Michelin stars, and the kitchen is led by renowned chef, Frank Giovani, who aims to offer guests an outstanding dining experience.
La Liste voted Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville as one of the ‘Top Restaurants of 2019’. This is the sixth most expensive restaurant in the world.
7. Guy Savoy – Paris, France
Guy Savoy has two restaurants that bear his name, one in Las Vegas and the other in Paris, France. A price range of $385 – $626 per head makes this the seventh most expensive restaurant in the world.
The restaurant offers a 13-course tasting menu, which can run you up to $626, and focus heavily on meat.
You can expect to enjoy marinated duck, a “festival of Lobster”, john dory, barbecued pigeon, oyster concassé, monkfish, aubergine caviar, and sautéed ceps.
Guy Savoy is the man responsible for training Gordon Ramsey and has four other successful restaurants in France.
So, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that you won’t be disappointed eating in a Guy Savoy restaurant, or any others he owns. The savory menu and service here make it one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
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8. Kitcho Arashiyama – Tokyo, Japan
The next most expensive restaurant in the world is Kitcho Arashiyama.
There are currently six restaurants throughout Japan, however, the one in Tokyo is considered to be the best as it has earned three Michelin stars.
Unlike the previous restaurant mentioned, Kitcho Arashiyama offers a tasting ten-course tasting menu, that offers dinners with some of the finest ingredients in the world and costs $380 – $570 per head.
Also, unlike Aragawa, Kitcho Arashiyama is known for its beautiful decoration and surroundings. The restaurant is styled as a ceremony house, with tatami mats and low tables that overlook beautiful gardens.
As you’d expect from a three-star Michelin restaurant, meticulous attention to detail is given to each course’s presentation and timing; the current head chef at the helm, Kunio Tokuoka, accepts nothing less than the very best.
Also, the dishes served at this restaurant are seasonal, so bear that in mind when making your reservation. This is one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
9. Aragawa – Tokyo, Japan
The next most expensive restaurant in the world is Aragawa, which is located in the basement of an old office building in Tokyo, Japan.
Unlike many other high-end restaurants, Aragawa offers an la carte menu instead of a tasting one.
This means the final price of the meal is totally determined by you, but it typically ranges between $260 – $370 per head.
The restaurant is most famous for its selection of fine beef dishes, like Kobe and Wagu.
All their beef has been raised in the best conditions and received special treatments before slaughtering; which is why their beef tastes so good.
To have the ultimate beef experience, you’ll need to part with a decent amount of cash, however, remember you’re just paying for the quality of the food here and not the dining experience, so the food should be fantastic and worth the wait, making it one of the next most expensive restaurants in the world.
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10. Ithaa Undersea – Maldives
The tenth most expensive restaurant in the world, Ithaa Undersea is the world’s first underwater restaurant and is located on Rangali Island in the Maldives.
To dine in this restaurant, you’re looking at approximately $320 per head; in exchange, you’ll enjoy your food five meters below the Indian ocean. With panoramic views of the ocean, all its marine life, and coral gardens.
The restaurant can accommodate up to 14 guests and serves a selection of fine dining experiences, dinner menus, and cocktails.
As a guest, you can expect to be served either a four-course lunch or a six-course dinner, that’s large in European flavor, whilst being matched with some of the world’s best wines.
The restaurant is headed by Italian-born Chef, Marco Amarone.
To make a reservation, you must stay at Conrad Rangali, the main five-star resort on the island. The amazing scenery and mouth-watering meals make this one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
In Conclusion
This variety shows just how many factors might lead someone to choose one place over another, from wanting an intimate night out with their loved ones versus satisfying a desire for exclusivity, it seems there’s something here for everyone.
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