The 17 most-Michelin-starred cities in the world 2017

Where does your city rank?

From Madrid to Macau, the Michelin Guide’s notoriously secretive diners scour the globe searching for chefs who can turn a meal into fine art.

Throughout its 100-year history the Guide, published by French tyre-maker Michelin, has set the standard for what makes a restaurant truly great. What began as a way to boost the French automotive industry by identifying restaurants that are “worth a special trip” has now become a global database for the world’s most exciting menus.

But it is only in the past 15 years that the Guide has begun to look seriously beyond Europe. In 2005, Michelin landed in New York for the first time, covering 500 restaurants in the city’s five boroughs and 50 hotels.

Michelin’s little red book caused controversy when it launched in Asia in 2007. Tokyo immediately became the most-starred city in the world, with eight restaurants receiving the coveted three-star rating.

The Guide’s generosity raised many eyebrows in Japan, with some restaurants going to the extent of rejecting their stars altogether, but it continues to expand in the region, launching a Seoul edition last year, and with plans to unveil a book for Bangkok by the end of 2017.

Despite its controversial place in the Asian restaurant scene, the Michelin Guide remains a household name, covering cities in nearly 30 countries globally.

Ahead of the Guide’s launch in Bangkok next week, and in a bid to show where really has the tire-maker’s attention these days, we’ve collated the ultimate league table by city.

The most-starred cities were calculated by looking at the most recent Michelin ratings for restaurants in every destination, simply counting the number of stars each venue has received.

Across the board, more Michelin stars have been doled out this year, but its becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to more than one. Several restaurants in London lost stars since last years’ guides were released, including Hackney’s Pidgin and Dabbous in Mayfair, which shut its doors as owner Ollie Dabbous turns his attention to the newly-opened Henrietta hotel in Covent Garden.

But there’s no slowing down the star-studded boom in Asia. Japanese, Chinese and Korean cities on our list are home to more than 550 Michelin-starred venues between them.

Whether you’re dining in Seoul or San Francisco, keep scrolling to see where your city ranks.

17. Madrid, Spain — 25 stars

Three stars: 1

Two stars: 6

One star: 10

=15. Macau, China — 28 stars

Three stars: 2

Two stars: 5

One star: 12

In Macau, two restaurants, Chinese eatery Feng Wei Ju and Japanese restaurant Mizumi, climbed up one rung to the two-star category. Feng Wei Ju specialises in fiery Chuan-Xiang cuisine from the regions of Sichuan and Hunan and Mizumi is led by three renowned Japanese chefs who fly in fresh produce from Japan daily.

=15. Berlin, Germany — 28 stars

Three stars: 0

Two stars: 7

One star: 14

14. Brussels, Belgium — 30 stars

(Photo: siraanamwong/iStock)

Three stars: 0

Two stars: 5

One star: 20

13. Seoul, South Korea — 31 stars

Michael Ellis and the Michelin star honorees at the Michelin Guide Seoul 2017 launch ceremony © Michelin Seoul

Three stars: 2

Two stars: 4

One star: 17

=11. Barcelona, Spain — 33 stars

Three stars: 2

Two stars: 4

One star: 19

=11. Chicago, USA — 33 stars

Photo: Lynn Chyi/Youtube

Three stars: 2

Two stars: 4

One star: 19

10. Shanghai, China — 40 stars

Three stars: 2

Two stars: 6

One star: 22

=8. San Francisco, USA — 47 stars

Three stars: 4

Two stars: 5

One star: 25

=8. Singapore, Singapore — 47 stars total

Three stars: 1

Two stars: 7

One star: 30

=6. London, UK — 87 stars

Three stars: 3

Two stars: 9

One star: 60

The Araki in Mayfair, which costs £300 a head, won a third star this year, making it just one of five restaurants in the UK to boast such an accolade.

Also picking up Michelin stars this year were dim sum specialist A. Wong in Pimlico, Scandinavian site Aquavit in St. James’s Market, Anne-Sophie Pic’s La Dame de Pic at the Four Seasons in Trinity Square, and Phil Howard’s Elystan Street in Kensington.

=6. Hong Kong, Hong Kong — 87 stars

Three stars: 6

Two stars: 14

One star: 41

Leading the line-up of new two-starred restaurants in Hong Kong is Kashiwaya in Central, which went straight to two star status exactly a year after its November 2015 opening. The Japanese kaiseki restaurant is the first overseas venture of Japanese chef Hideaki Matsuo, who also owns the three-Michelin-starred Kashiwaya in Osaka.

Also making its debut in the two-star category is Japanese/French restaurant Ta Vie helmed by Japanese chef Hideaki Sato; the restaurant was elevated from its one star ranking in the 2016 edition.

5. New York City, USA — 93 stars

Three stars: 5

Two stars: 11

One star: 56

4. Osaka, Japan — 121 stars

(Photo: FilippoBacci/iStock)

Three stars: 4

Two stars: 17

One star: 75

3. Kyoto, Japan — 138 stars

(Photo: patwallace05/iStock)

Three stars: 8

Two stars: 24

One star: 66

2. Paris, France — 141 stars

Three stars: 10

Two stars: 16

One star: 79

1. Tokyo, Japan — 314 stars

(Photo: TwilightShow/iStock)

Three stars: 12

Two stars: 56

One star: 166

All 12 of Tokyo’s current top-tier dining destinations kept their stars this year, including famed sushi counter Sukiyabashi Jiro and French fine-dining outpost Joel Robuchon.