Michelin 3-Star Restaurants In Paris – The Ten At The Top

2024 was a good year for restaurants in Paris, with visitors returning to the city and diners filling the chairs of the city's best eateries. Over at the offices of the Michelin Guide there wasn't much change at the top, with the biggest news being Le Gabriel moving up from two stars to three. Let's take a look at the highest-rated Michelin restaurants in Paris, those select few who have earned three stars.

1. Pierre Gagnaire

The new look at restaurant Pierre Gagnaire

Six or seven small dishes arrive at your table — and that's just the beginning. The wildly creative tapas give you a glimpse into the spirit of Gagnaire's hospitality. Pierre Gagnaire surprises even frequent diners at his modern dining room as his menus and recipes change frequently. If your banker won't let you order the à la carte menu, there is an evening tasting menu, a reasonably-priced lunch tasting menu, and a very pricey black truffle menu.

Pierre Gagnaire started his culinary career at the age of 14. He was awarded 3 Michelin stars in 1993. He has other restaurants in Paris and also around the globe — London, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo… the list continues. During the pandemic closure the restaurant was completely renovated and now looks better than ever. By the way, don't miss Chef Gagnaire's food-consultant work in the beautiful 2023 French film, La passion de Dodin Bouffant, in which he also makes a cameo appearance.

• Hotel Balzac, 6 Rue Balzac
• 8th Arrondissement
• Website…

2. Le Pré Catelan

Chef Frédéric Anton of Le Pré Catelan

You know you've made it in life when you find yourself dining beneath the chestnut trees, on the terrace of the Napoleon III Pavilion, overlooking the manicured lawns of the Bois de Boulogne at Le Pré Catelan.

Chef Frederic Anton brought some serious culinary magic to the restaurant, earning 3 stars in a few short years. Le Pré Catelan, the flagship restaurant of the Lenôtre group (of the French pastry and cookery/pastry school empire), brought Frédéric Anton on board in 1997, when it had a mere one star. Anton arrived to Le Pré after working directly with Joël Robuchon at his 3-star restaurant, Jamin in Paris.

Even if you can't afford to go à la carte, the lunch tasting menu (Wednesday to Friday) offers up all the goodness Chef Anton is famous for, including langoustine ravioli with foie gras, and roasted pigeon with nettle juice. By the way, Chef Anton is also the man behind the two Michelin stars on the Eiffel Tower at Le Jules Verne, one of our personal favorites. He has garnered another star for his menu on the Seine river dinner-cruise boat, Don Juan II.

• Bois de Boulogne
• 16th Arrondissement
• Website…

3. Arpège

Chef Alain Passard at his all-vegetable restaurant

If you find yourself peckish after a stroll in the Rodin Museum you might consider lunch at nearby Arpège. That is, if you've planned ahead to make a reservation and if money is no object. Chef Alain Passard's vegetable-driven food focuses on fresh produce harvested from his own organic garden. The Gardener's Lunch is a good entry level tasting menu (€185), or if you're feeling flush, book the Terre & Mer tasting menu (€490.).

Like most French chefs, Alain Passard started cooking when he was a teenager. His serious cooking career started in 1980 at Duc d'Enghien (a kind of a French Las Vegas) where he perfected the famous recipe that he serves to this day — chaud-froid egg with maple and chives. He opened Arpege in 1986 and received three stars a decade later. Now-famous Paris chefs and a maitre d' who trained under Passard include David Toutain, and Pascal Barbot & Christophe Rohat, both of L'Astrance.

• 84 Rue de Varenne
• 7th Arrondissement
• Website…

4. L'Ambroisie

Precise cooking at l'Ambroisie

Chef Bernard Pacaud, one of the most discreet chefs of the Michelin set, runs one of Paris's best restaurants — some argue it's the best restaurant. The moment you arrive under the magnificent arcades of the 17th-century Places des Vosges, you are ushered into the elegance of the Viennese-influenced interior.

There are a couple unique things about l'Ambroisie. Firstly, it is Paris' longest-running three-star restaurant, holding a star since 1988. Secondly, it's an à la carte only restaurant. Therefore, no moderately-priced tasting menus are offered.

Chef & owner Bernard Pacaud is now over 75 years old and runs the restaurant with his wife Danièle. (Their son, Mathieu, operates his own collection of high-end restaurants.) L'Ambroisie opened in 1981 (the year their son was born) on the Left Bank; in 1986 it moved to the current location on Place des Vosges. If you want to find out what all the fuss is about three Michelin starts, book a table here.

• 9 Place des Vosges
• 4th Arrondissement
• Website…

5. Le Cinq

A terrace at Le Cinq

Le Cinq's Art Deco landmark room dates to 1928. It was the official HQ for General Eisenhower during the Liberation of Paris in 1944. Christian Le Squer joined the restaurant in 2014, with the hope of gaining them a third star, as he had done previously at Pavillon Ledoyen. He delivered on his promise, earning the two-starred Le Cinq a third star in the 2016 Michelin guide, an honor it has maintained very year since.

• Four Seasons Hotel George V, 31 Avenue George V
• 8th Arrondissement
• Website…

6. Alléno Paris

chef Yannick Alléno at Pavillon Ledoyen, photo Alléno Paris

Sometimes after a long period of stability, there is a seismic shift in the Michelin restaurants of Paris. In 2013 chef Yannick Alléno left Le Meurice after a stellar decade-long run. Le Meurice chose Alain Ducasse as his successor. Then another chef swap took place at the iconic Ledoyen. Christian Le Squer left Ledoyen and moved to Le Cinq. Finally, in a move that shocked the Paris food world, Yannick Alléno took the reins at Pavillon Ledoyen. The historic Ledoyen, one of city's oldest restaurants, has been around since 1792.

Chef Alléno trained in the best kitchens of Paris including Hotel Royal Monceau, Hotel Sofitel Sèvres, restaurant Drouant, and at Les Muses in Hotel Scribe where he maintained the restaurant's first star and earned a second star. In 2003, Alléno was appointed Chef de Cuisine at Le Meurice. Alléno has not only held on to the stars at Ledoyen, but has earned stars at another nearby restaurant he oversees.

• Carré des Champs-Élysées, 8 Avenue Dutuit
• 8th Arrondissement
• Website…

7. Epicure at Le Bristol

The dining room & gardens of Epicure

You could say that we cut our teeth on Michelin dining at Chef Eric Frechon's Epicure restaurant at the Hotel Bristol. It was here that we splurged on a tasting menu during one of our first 3-star restaurant experiences. Back then, the bill came to something like €240 per person, which seemed very indulgent. Pretty lightweight compared to today's holiday tasting menus that runs at €700 or more. No matter, dining at a 3-star restaurant is never about counting euros, it's about creating longterm taste memories.

Our early memories are of the dozen or so well-dressed servers silently bustling around the elegant room, offering breads from a special bread cart, refilling water in crystal glasses, and delivering compelling dishes in unison to the table. Today, the hotel boasts a total of four stars when you include the one star held by its bistro, Faubourg 114. Chef Frechon retired in 2024, so the Michelin question is: will Epicure retain its three stars next year?

• 112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
• 8th Arrondissement
• Website…

8. Kei

Chef Kei Kobayashi

It was a revelation when future chef Kei Kobayashi discovered French gastronomy on Japanese television. At 21 years old he traveled to France to train in the best restaurants, including a seven-year stint with Christophe Moret at Alain Ducasse's restaurant at the Plaza Athénée. In 2011, along with his wife, he opened his namesake restaurant and quickly won his first star, followed by a second star. In 2020 he became the first Japanese chef to win three stars in France.

• 5 Rue Coq Héron
• 1st Arrondissement
• Website…

9. Plénitude

Chef Arnaud Donckele (R) and Pastry Chef Maxime Frédéric at Plénitude

Chef Arnaud Donckele garnered three stars from the get-go in 2022. It's unusual for a new restaurants to pick up three stars in its first year. But, the Michelin inspectors found it "impossible not to be impressed by [the chef's] work here" as they elevated Chef Donckele to the Olympic heights of chefs who hold three stars at more than one restaurant. Plénitude also received Michelin's Passion Dessert award for the work of Maxime Frédéric, the restaurant's pastry chef.

• 8 Quai du Louvre
• 1st Arrondissement
• Website…

10. Le Gabriel at La Réserve Paris

The restaurant at luxurious hotel La Réserve was quick off the mark, winning two Michelin stars in its first year. That pace continued in 2024 with Le Gabriel joining the dining gods, sporting its third star. The elegant Napoleon III interior was designed by Jacques Garcia. Chef Jérôme Banctel leads the kitchen.

• 42 Avenue Gabriel
• 8th Arrondissement
• Website…