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Who says that eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant has to be a financially prohibitive experience?
According to new research by QR Code Generator, in fact, even fancy award-winning eateries range in price, with some offering more affordable meals than others. The experts analyzed menus at 18 different New York City restaurants that have at least two Michelin stars and then ranked them from least to most expensive.
The methodology behind the study is pretty straightforward: the site looked at the Michelin Guide and gathered a list of restaurants in the U.S. boasting one or two Michelin stars, then found the standard tasting menu price on each website and used that number to create the list.
Let's be clear: even the most affordable eatery mentioned, Scandinavian destination Aquavit on Park Avenue, offers a $175 standard tasting menu per person, which is still relatively expensive. Compare that to the most expensive pick, though, which is Japanese restaurant Masa in Columbus Circle at $750 per tasting menu, and, suddenly Aquavit will border on the cheap.
“It is fascinating to see such a wide variation of pricing across New York's two and three Michelin-starred restaurants," said Marc Porcar, the CEO of QR Code Generator, in an official statement. "For many, restaurants such as Masa are an exclusive, once in a lifetime experience, while those on the more affordable side show that excellence can be achieved at any cost. Michelin inspectors judge a restaurant based on its ingredients, flavors, techniques, consistency and how the chef’s personality is reflected in their dishes. Anyone visiting a Michelin Star restaurant can be sure that they will be served high quality, memorable food, no matter the price they pay."
One thing is for sure, as mentioned by Porcar: no matter where you decide to spend your dollars, you are sure to enjoy an oh-so-memorable meal at any one of these restaurants.
Full ranking of least to most expensive two and three Michelin-starred restaurants in NYC:
1. Aquavit: $175 standard menu price per person
2. Gabriel Kreuther: $195 standard menu price per person
3. Le Bernardin: $225 standard menu price per person
4. The Modern: $250 standard menu price per person
5. Odo: $265 standard menu price per person
6. Jungsik: $295 standard menu price per person
7. Atera: $298 standard menu price per person
7. Jean-Georges: $298 standard menu price per person
7. Saga: $298 standard menu price per person
8. Aska: $325 standard menu price per person
9. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare: $345 standard menu price per person
10. Cesar: $365 standard menu price per person
10. Eleven Madison Park: $365 standard menu price per person
11. Per Se: $390 standard menu price per person
12. Atomix: $395 standard menu price per person
13. Sushi Sho: $450 standard menu price per person
14. Sushi Noz: $550 standard menu price per person
15. Masa: $750 standard menu price per person