A century ago, motorists winding their way through France gained a new option when choosing where to stop for a meal: the Michelin star.
The Michelin Guide had first appeared in 1900, the brainchild of tire magnates André and Édouard Michelin, based in the modest French town of Clermont-Ferrand.
Their clever marketing ploy involved handing out 35,000 free copies of a little red guidebook to drivers. It was packed with practical details including maps, tips for repairs, listings of garages, places to stay — and places to eat. The underlying strategy was simple: get people driving more, so their tires would need replacing sooner.
The concept caught on fast, so in 1926 the guide first hired undercover diners — today called Michelin inspectors — who chose 46 restaurants as worthy of extra attention, awarding each one star.
The now familiar one-, two- and three-star rating system followed in 1931, then five years later Michelin laid out the ranking criteria still used today: a single star signals “high-quality cooking, worth a stop”; two stars mean “excellent cooking, worth a detour”; and three stars are reserved for “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
Today, the Michelin Guide spans 28 editions across more than 25 countries and remains the global barometer of high-end gastronomy. The impact of a restaurant winning a star can be huge in terms of reputation, reservations, revenue and the ability to attract and retain staff.
“It’s testament of how relevant it is, at a time when everything’s available on social media, that Michelin still means a lot because it’s a chef’s award and international. Chefs really care about it,” said British chef Tommy Banks, who has two restaurants with one Michelin star each, Roots and The Black Swan in North Yorkshire.
“‘Michelin-starred’ gives you a lot of clout and relevance,” he said.
But the recognition is not without controversy.
Critics have argued that the guide tends to favor French gastronomy, with marathon multiple-course tasting menus that are out of reach of most diners. There has also been backlash when Michelin has chosen to bestow stars on much cheaper eateries, such as street food vendors.
Debate also continues about the value of Michelin stars, especially when the majority of new regional and global guides are launched following paid partnerships with tourism boards. Michelin, in response, says, “The Guide’s selection process is determined by anonymous Inspectors and remains completely independent.”
What remains uncontested is that the Michelin Guide has turned some chefs and dishes over the years into culinary icons.
The late French maestro Joël Robuchon still holds the all-time record. Back in 2016, his restaurants in 15 countries held a staggering 31 Michelin stars between them.
It may surprise many then that his most famous culinary creation is mashed potatoes.
Here are eight iconic dishes, including Robuchon’s spectacular spuds, all of which are served in Michelin-starred restaurants.
Robuchon au Dôme’s mashed potatoes
Joël Robuchon’s Pommes Purée — which undeniably sounds silkier than “mashed potatoes” — uses just four ingredients, namely a French variety of potatoes called La Ratte, butter, milk and salt.
The secret is in the painstaking technique and the vast proportions of chilled cubes of butter, which are slowly added as the potatoes are vigorously stirred by hand. It has been suggested that the finished dish is around 50% butter and 50% potatoes.
Still served to this day across his global restaurants, including the three Michelin-starred Robuchon au Dôme in Macau, the dish defines culinary decadence like few others.
La Mère Brazier’s poached chicken with truffle
Eugénie Brazier at her eponymous restaurant La Mère Brazier was another storied French chef, long before Joël Robuchon made his mark. She ran two restaurants, in the French city of Lyon and at the Col de la Luère, both of which were awarded three Michelin stars in 1933. The extraordinary achievement remained unmatched for more than six decades. Today, the Lyon eatery holds two Michelin stars.
Brazier’s signature dish was — and remains — poularde demi-deuil, chicken from Bresse with thinly sliced black truffle placed under the skin before it is poached.
The dish translates from French, reflecting a little black humor, as “chicken in half mourning” as the black truffles against white chicken resemble the veil of a woman in mourning.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’s Meat Fruit
Since opening in 2011, the signature dish on the menu at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London has been “Meat Fruit.”
Across the two-star restaurant’s menu celebrating historic British dishes, none is as striking as a recipe dating to around 1500, back when disguising savory food as fruit was a popular trick at Tudor banquets.
The exterior of a hyper-realistic mandarin orange is crafted from a thin mandarin jelly, but underneath lies a rich parfait of chicken liver. Served with grilled sourdough bread, it’s almost too pretty to eat.
Orfali Bros’ ‘Come With Me to Aleppo’
One Michelin-starred Orfali Bros in Dubai is run by three Syrian brothers and their signature dish pays homage to the street food of their childhood, explains Chef Mohamad Orfali.
“The Aleppian classic Kebab bil Karaz, or sour cherry kebab, is a recipe that has been part of our culture for generations,” he said. “My hope is that when you close your eyes and take the first bite, I can take you with me, if only for a moment, to Aleppo.”
It’s a dish where balance is key. Cherries bring a tartness that cuts through the rich wagyu beef kebab, while the grill adds its smoke. The warmth of cinnamon, the freshness of parsley and crunch of pine nuts complete a dish that plays on all the senses.
Chishuru’s ekuru
In 2024, Adejoké Bakare became the first Black female chef in the UK — and just the second globally — to have her restaurant awarded a Michelin star. Born in Nigeria, the former microbiologist is a self-trained chef and her food at Chishuru draws on her homeland’s traditions.
One staple on the menu is a dish from Nigeria’s Yoruba community, ekuru.
The traditional steamed bean dish is cleverly elevated and beautifully plated thanks to a pumpkin seed pesto, pickled radish and a fiery Scotch bonnet chili sauce, underlining Chef Bakare’s philosophy to allow lesser-known staples to shine.
Zén’s French toast ‘Grande Tradition 2008’
Eighteen years since adding it to his menu, Swedish chef Björn Frantzén’s seriously elevated take on French toast continues to wow diners in his restaurants. All three of his restaurants — Zén in Singapore, Frantzén in Stockholm and FZN in Dubai — hold three Michelin stars.
As the world’s only chef to hold this remarkable distinction, flavors come in waves, nowhere more so than in this combination of brioche bread, caramelized onions, Parmesan cheese, black truffle and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
Caprice’s pigeon from Brittany
In Hong Kong, the Four Seasons Hotel holds the unique honor of being home to seven Michelin stars across its French, Cantonese and Italian restaurants, all under one roof.
Its French fine dining spot, Caprice, has held three Michelin stars since 2019, thanks in part to Chef Guillaume Galliot’s dishes like pigeon from Brittany. Roasted and served perfectly pink, it is accompanied by a rich French sauce inspired by an Indian spice blend. It also comes with a pithivier, a flaky pastry pie encasing delicate leg meat.
Textures of beetroot and cherry contrast with the gamey, mineral flavors of the bird in a display of true precision and technique.
Per Se’s Oysters and Pearls
Chef Thomas Keller is a titan of the American culinary landscape as the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple Michelin Guide three-star ratings, at his New York restaurant Per Se and also The French Laundry in Napa Valley.
“Oysters and Pearls” has been on the menu in New York for 23 years and combines pearl tapioca cooked in an oyster reduction, Island Creek Oysters and Regiis Ova caviar.
The clever textural contrast regularly has foodies in raptures, although Chef Keller explains its simplicity: “Tapioca pudding is something we all know with such a recognizable texture, just making it savory as opposed to sweet and putting oysters on top of it with caviar.”
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