This Country Has More Michelin Stars Than Any Other

The Michelin star is a hard-to-achieve culinary award that symbolizes the very best in cuisine which is considered worth consumers planning a trip to. That was the founding principle of the Michelin Guide, which began to award stars to outstanding restaurants about 100 years ago as a way to encourage travel to these destinations.

If a restaurant has earned one Michelin star, it is viewed very good in its category due to a superb menu and its food meeting a high standard. Two stars are given for a restaurant that has excellent food and is considered "worth a detour." The coveted 3 stars are given to a restaurant that has the very best cuisine, dishes that are perfectly crafted, and are "worth a special journey," according to the Institute of Culinary Education. 

If you like to include the best fine dining into your travel plans, you may wonder which country can lay claim to having the most Michelin Stars. According to the Michelin guide website, it rates more than 30,000 businesses in more than 30 territories across three continents. When a restaurant receives Michelin stars, with it comes immense prestige, and it is viewed as the best in fine dining, according to the Institute of Culinary Education.  The standards set for awarding Michelin stars are so difficult to reach that most restaurants aren't even able to achieve one, according to Fine Dining Lovers.

As one might assume, the home country of the Michelin guide and center of the culinary world — France — has the most with 627 Michelin-starred restaurants in 2022, according to the Michelin Guide. Of those restaurants earning a Michelin star, 49 are newly promoted, according to the Michelin Guide. Also of note is that two French restaurants received three Michelin stars each for the first time: La Valla Madie and Pleinitude  – Cheval Blanc. In Paris, a total of 122 restaurants received at least one coveted Michelin Star in 2021, and, of those, 94 had one star, according to Paris Insiders Guide. 

French-born chef Alain Ducasse has earned bragging rights as the living chef with the most Michelin stars in 2022 — a total of 17 having been awarded to his restaurants, according to 24/7 Wall St. Ducasse operates several Michelin-starred restaurants France: Le Meurice Alain Ducasse in Paris with two Michelin stars; Benoit in Paris, La Bastide de Moustiers in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and L'Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle in La Celle, all with one star.

If fine dining is part of your travel itinerary, you may want to make sure France is the destination.