You can indulge in a three-course meal at Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide for less than £50 per person. One restaurant even throws in a glass of wine for the sum.
Another, a taco stand in Mexico City that made headlines when it first gained its prestigious star last year, cooks up tacos for a fiver.
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, Belgium
Attablez-Vous, Namur
Any restaurant that is home to a cheese cave is one we want to visit. Add ‘attentive service’ and a ‘knowledgeable sommelier, who gets a kick out of suggesting unusual wines,’ according to the Michelin Guide, plus a set three-course lunch on weekdays for €55 (£46), and it makes for an excellent - yet affordable - option.
Cheap Michelin-star restaurants, France
Anona, Paris
This Parisian restaurant’s lunch menu, available Tuesday - Friday between 12pm and 2.15pm, is a bargain at €49 (£41) for three courses and focuses on eating responsibly and sustainably. The only downside is you can’t choose from a menu; Chef Thibaut Spiwack will decide for you. We’re not sure that’ll be a problem, though. Spiwack has worked in multiple Michelin-starred kitchens, and according to the Michelin Guide, eating his food is ‘a moment of gastronomic pleasure’.
Auguste, Paris
To eat at this elegant and intimate restaurant cheaply, you’ll have to visit at lunch on weekdays (it’s never open on weekends anyway) and choose the €47 (£39) set menu. There’s one choice per course - unless you pay a €22 supplement for the catch of the day. Chef Gaël Orieux sources his ingredients from the market and only serves non-endangered fish, while an in-house sommelier will talk you through a carefully selected wine list.
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, Italy
Horto, Milan
Horto not only has a Michelin star for its top-quality food, but a Michelin Green star too, awarded to restaurants at the top of their sustainability game (see more on this accolade further down). All ingredients at Horto are sourced within one hour of Milan, . Head here for the lunch menu, available Monday - Friday and choose a minimum of two courses, costing between €53 and €60 (£44 - £50). Whether you choose to tuck in at an inside table or out on the terrace, you’ll have views over the city , including of the Duomo and Castello Sforzesco.
Kitchen, Como
For €40 (£34), Kitchen serves a ‘business lunch’ Wednesday to Friday. This gets you a starter and first course, plus coffee, that you can enjoy from inside the elegant restaurant with views over the private park it sits in. This limited cheaper menu changes daily but the food is ‘creative’ and ‘seasonal,’ according to the Michelin Guide. It mentions you’ll also find ‘attentive’ service and ‘an excellent selection of wines’. It sounds idyllic, especially with dishes such as stuffed ravioli, onion consommé with dill and Guanaja 70% Valrhona chocolate soufflé, with orange and cocoa nibs sorbet on the menu.
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, Spain
Hofmann, Barcelona
For €56 (£47) at Hofmann, you can choose from a varied three-course lunch menu on weekdays. Starters include asparagus with a blood orange hollandaise, noisette butter sponge and crispy wild rice. For main, there are various fish dishes as well as lamb shoulder served with falafel, tzatziki and roasted peppers. Desserts, described as ‘always a delight’ by the Michelin Guide, include Brie de Meaux cheeses with Japanese cheesecake, waffles, and pear ice cream. You even get a glass of wine included in the price.
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, China
Phénix, Shanghai
Set inside the PuLi hotel, Phénix has retained its single Michelin star for nine years since 2017, impressive given that its doors first opened only a year earlier. Although Chinese produce is used, French fare is on the menu, such as crispy frog legs, foie gras, and crême brûlée - perhaps unsurprising, with Parisian chef Ugo Rinaldo at the helm. It’s £42 for three courses Monday - Friday and you choose your own dishes.
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, Mexico
Taquería El Califa de León, Mexico City
Taquería El Califa de León is not your typical fine dining spot. There isn’t even seating inside. It was the first taco stand to land a Michelin star, which it retained in 2025. There are just four tacos on the menu, all less than a fiver each, but it’s the Gaonera taco that Michelin Guide penned as ‘exceptional’. The thinly sliced beef filet filling is seasoned with only salt and a squeeze of lime and topped with two house-made salsas, which are ‘hardly even necessary’ with ‘meat and tortillas of this caliber,’ according to the Michelin Guide.
You cannot book at Taquería El Califa de León
Cheap Michelin-starred restaurants, US
Tail Up Goat, Washington D.C.
Tail Up Goat looks like a low-key neighbourhood eatery, but the Michelin Guide tells us not to be fooled as ‘the kitchen team is serious’. To dine for under £50, opt for the à la carte menu. You can get a snack, such as the crudité of radishes and wax beans with white miso dip, a main dish, and dessert in budget - or just over if you opt for fancier options like the swordfish served with saffron and vanilla Carolina gold rice, green olives and citrus.
How are Michelin stars awarded?
Michelin star inspectors only consider ingredient quality, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques and the chef’s personality as expressed through their cuisine in their ratings, as well as how consistently they produce excellent food, rather than surroundings or service.
Who gets the Michelin star, the restaurant or the chef?
Restaurants gain Michelin stars and don’t necessarily lose them if the chef leaves.
What is a Michelin Green star?
According to the Michelin Guide, inspectors consider a variety of things, including: ‘The provenance of the ingredients; the use of seasonal produce; the restaurant’s environmental footprint; food waste systems; general waste disposal and recycling; resource management; and the communication between the team and the guests about the restaurant’s sustainable approach’.
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