Europe is in no short supply of Michelin star chefs. In 2021, France alone holds 638 Michelin stars bestowed to their innovative chefs and restaurants, and meanwhile Italy, Germany and Spain follow with 371, 310 and 252 apiece. Furthermore, chefs with ground-breaking ideas have conquered the food scene in Scandinavia in recent years. All of these Michelin star creatives have shaped the landscape of cuisine in Europe. In this article, we will list Europe’s top Michelin star chefs and their restaurants so you can plan your next visit now restaurants have reopened for the summer!
Who are the top Michelin star chefs in Europe?
Mauro Colagreco is currently the best chef in the world and his restaurant, Mirazur, tops the global restaurant list. Meanwhile, he can claim the honor of three Michelin stars. Clearly he is doing something right.
With its endless views of the Mediterranean Sea, Mirazur brings out the nature of the region by focusing on locally sourced food, a majority coming from its own organic garden, including 150 herbs and flowers. Colagreco wants to give his guests a unique experience of Menton’s beauty, creating something new each day according to the ‘Mirazur Universe’ of ‘Roots’, ‘Leaves’, ‘Flowers’ and ‘Fruits’ depending on which day you book, and with the daily delivery of ingredients.
- The Best Restaurant in the World and voted as The Best Chef in the World
- Three Michelin stars, plus Michelin Green star
- Mirazur has a no waste philosophy in which they use the whole product until returning it to the earth as compost
Rene Redzepi and his magnum opus are no strangers to the best Michelin star lists. Topping the World’s Best 50 Restaurants for three consecutive years and again in 2014, Noma has inspired budding chefs in Denmark and across Europe, and has placed Copenhagen on the culinary map.
As the face of the New Nordic movement, Redzepi is a passionate sustainability advocate therefore his menu is devised with foraged and local ingredients, including produce from the restaurant’s own palatial ‘garden village’. From there, it’s given the Noma fermentation treatment so customers can experience the flavor of seasonal nature in pinecones and reindeer moss.
Currently the second best restaurant in the world, with Rene voted as the world’s fifth best chef, there is not much Noma can do wrong.
- 2nd Best Restaurant in the World and #6 OAD Top European Restaurants
- Two Michelin stars, plus the Michelin Green star
- Opened Noma 2.0 in 2018 which has simplistic Scandinavian vibes of wood and glass so guests feel like they are sitting amidst nature
Victor Arguinzoniz is an unusual chef. Entirely self-taught, he has only ever worked in one kitchen. Despite that, his restaurant Asador Etxebarri is ranked #3 for the best restaurants in the world.
Arguinzoniz loves heat and flame and is famous for his open hearth cooking over various woods and charcoals, designing his own kitchen to recreate the ancient art of Basque grilling. There, he prepares modest meals which respect the ingredients’ natural flavours. Meanwhile, each dish is subtly seasoned with delicate notes of smoke.
- 3rd Best Restaurant in the World and #5 OAD Top European Restaurants
- One Michelin star
- The downstairs bar also doubles as the local pub where neighbors gather for a drink after mass
#4 Rasmus Kofoed
Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
New Nordic cuisine has taken the world by storm since the early 2000s, so it’s no surprise that another Danish chef has made it onto this list. Rasmus Kofoed is the only Michelin star chef with three stars in all of Denmark and was awarded the acclaimed Bocuse d’Or in 2011.
Similarly to Noma, Geranium’s cuisine is in keeping with the New Nordic movement and is inspired by nature, celebrating classic Scandinavian flavours such as sea buckthorn. However, Kofoed uses technical skill to create each dish, including the fragile stenciled leaves of artichoke puree and faux razor clams made of pastry and painted with squid ink, providing a multi-sensory dining experience.
- 5th Best Restaurant in the World
- Three Michelin stars
- Geranium can be found on the 8th floor of the national soccer stadium overlooking the magnificent Fælledparken
#5 Alain Passard
Arpège, Paris, France
One of France’s most acclaimed chefs, Alain Passard, instigated the field-to-fork movement before it became a culinary trend. In 2001, Passard’s restaurant Arpège announced its new vegetarian focus. Coming from a country where meat is the pièce de résistance, this was a drastic move especially as the restaurant was famous for its meat cookery. Since then he has maintained his presence as a Michelin star chef, having acquired three by 1996, proving that homegrown vegetables can create a Michelin worthy meal.
Now, meat is back on the menu however it plays a supporting role to the star – vegetables. Passard’s food had to compare with classic haute cuisine so he established gardens around Paris to grow his own produce. The vegetables arrive that morning and are immediately served for lunch and dinner.
- 8th Best Restaurant in the World
- Three Michelin stars
- Received the 2019 Chef’s Choice Award
- Appeared on Chef’s Table: France in 2016
#6 Björn Frantzén
Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden
Currently the 9th best chef in the world, it is easy to forget that Björn Frantzén started his career as a footballer. A man of many lives, he since worked for our previous chef, Alain Passard at Arpège, and in London and Japan.
Frantzén was the first Swedish Michelin star chef to be bestowed three stars. His restaurant Frantzén is another of the New Nordic movement focusing on nature, and its menu can only be described as a fusion of cuisines – Nordic wild deer and eel meets Japanese yuba (silken tofu skin), yuzu and myoga (Japanese ginger). Frantzén takes a traditional Swedish dish such as fattiga riddare (French toast) and ignites it with truffles, parmesan and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
- #1 OAD Top European Restaurants and 21st Best Restaurant in the World
- Three Michelin stars
- Frantzén is spread across three floors and the 23 guests are led from room to room throughout the dining experience
#7 Arnaud Donckele
La Vague d’Or, Saint Tropez, France
Voted by Gault et Millau as ‘Le Cuisinier de l’Année 2020’, this award was the latest in a long line of accolades for this French chef. At his restaurant La Vague d’Or, Arnaud Donckele celebrates the region of Provence, utilizing local nature and produce from the sea, combining the two on the plate. Donckele selects the best producers supplying local ingredients and celebrates them through his cookery – French cuisine with a taste of the Mediterranean.
As the accompanying restaurant to the luxury hotel Résidence de la Pinède, La Vague d’Or has a private beach so, in the summer, the restaurant is moved onto the terrace so diners can relax with a glorious view of the bay of Saint Tropez.
- Voted as the 3rd Best Chef in the World
- Three Michelin stars
- In 2013, Donckele was the youngest chef ever to be awarded a Michelin star
#8 Eneko Atxa
Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
Perched on top of a hill overlooking the Basque countryside, Michelin star chef Eneko Atxa’s glass-walled Azurmendi glimmers among the vineyards. Declared ‘The Most Sustainable Restaurant in the World’ again in 2020, Atxa’s ethos is a commitment to the environment, utilizing rainwater for the greenhouses and toilets, and renewable energy to off-set its carbon footprint.
The dining experience takes guests on a tour through the gardens with picnic baskets before finally arriving at the table for Atxa’s conceptual Basque cuisine including charcoal-grilled squid in its juice and pickled onion.
- 14th Best Restaurant in the World and #15 OAD Top European Restaurants
- Three Michelin stars, plus the Michelin Green star
- The Adarrak tasting menu is cheaper than most, costing 250 euros (302 USD)
#9 Heston Blumenthal
The Fat Duck, Bray, UK
Named the best restaurant in the world 2005, Heston Blumenthal’s masterpiece The Fat Duck maintained its presence within the best restaurants top three for the following five years.
Heston Blumenthal’s name has become synonymous with molecular gastronomy, and he is the brains behind The Fat Duck’s iconic dishes including snail porridge and Sound of the Sea, playing with his guests’ expectations with flavor, and by incorporating sound, sight and touch in the dining experience. Blumenthal was the first chef to bring liquid nitrogen to food preparation, plus he quickly adopted sous vide cookery, and invented the now world-famous triple cooked chips.
- #22 OAD Top European Restaurants
- Three Michelin stars
- Celebrated The Fat Duck’s 25th anniversary in 2020, serving an Anthology Menu of its classic dishes
New to the Michelin scene, Rasmus Munk was 28 years old when he became a Michelin star chef, having been awarded for his revolutionary restaurant Alchemist in 2020. The young chef has transformed a warehouse into a culinary auditorium, creating a performative experience for his guests through choreographed art and theatre.
Much like the previous chef on our list, Munk offers a multi-sensory performance, requiring guests to eat a dish while wearing winter gloves and forces diners to consider environmental issues with his dish Burnout Chicken in which, to eat it, the diner must first ‘set the chicken free’.
- #2 OAD Top European Restaurants
- Two Michelin stars, plus Michelin Green star
- Munk coined the phrase ‘holistic cuisine’ which prolongs the meal beyond the food to create an emotional and though-provoking experience
Bottom Line – The Best Chefs and Restaurants In Europe
Europe has established an extraordinary and unparalleled group of chefs who have risen to acclaim and been rewarded for it through Michelin. Our list of top Michelin star chefs include culinary masters who care for experimentation, sustainability, nature, and creating flavor with local produce, and have transposed those ideals onto their menus. Which Michelin star chef in Europe is your favorite?
Hear From Michelin star chefs
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