It’s like walking into a restaurant with an ambient glow and some muted jazz in the background. Elegant décor introduces the atmosphere, surrounded by greenery and modern furnishings. The smell of good food beckons and staff greet you with a smile. From the ambience lighting to the exquisitely chosen menu, it all feels special and intimate for a meal that you’ll remember.
Here are a few of the most gorgeous and opulent restaurants in the world where the bill is so exorbitant for what you’re getting, usually in terms of the food quality, location, and privilege:
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1. Sublimotion – Ibiza, Spain
Sublimotion is located in the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza and is a famously expensive restaurant in the world. It promises avant-garde dining showcasing cuisine, virtual reality and drama. The chef Paco Roncero prepares a 20-course tasting menu based on molecular gastronomy and Spanish flavours. Diners eat in a high-tech “capsule” of visual effects, music and aromas that adapt to each course, from the depths of the ocean to cosmopolitan space. Having been cut to just 12 people per night, the three-hour experience focused on multisensory play and featured the talents of the finest designers, DJs and illusionists. It’s £1,430 a head, but there’s an unforgettable culinary art-performance on offer.
2. Ultraviolet – Shanghai, China
Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet takes fine dining to a new level with its approach of mixing food with other senses. It is in a secret place you have to find after you book, and the restaurant has one table for 10 people. Its 20-course tasting menu is served in an immersive environment that’s complemented by synergistic projections, scents and music as the menu changes. Cuisine includes innovative molecular French cooking with local and foreign ingredients. The restaurant, which costs about £750 per head, is meant to unite taste and experience with a choreographed gastronomic trip. Diners describe it as an all-out sensory experience with perfectly executed food and setting.
3. Maison Pic – Valence, France
Maison Pic is run by Anne-Sophie Pic, one of the few female three-Michelin chefs in the country. It’s a family-owned restaurant in the picturesque town of Valence that fuses contemporary French cuisine with ancient customs. Visitors can enjoy gourmet offerings like berlingots (pasta with cheese) and slow-cooked meats with a focus on seasonal ingredients and fresh pairings. The chic and intimate atmosphere echos Anne-Sophie’s approach to food, where each bite has a narrative. The meal is £275–£350, which includes a very good wine selection to go with it. Maison Pic is a must for anyone who wants authentic French luxe but with a personal twist.
4. Kitcho – Kyoto, Japan
Kitcho Kyoto is a pure Japanese kaiseki experience, managed by the third-generation chef Kunio Tokuoka. The restaurant presents multi-course Japanese cuisine, with a strong focus on the harmony of flavor, texture, and presentation. The ingredients are freshly sourced from the season and served in a spacious tatami room, a nod to Kyoto’s history. They tend to serve fresh sashimi, seasonal vegetables, and wagyu beef. There, a meal is about the philosophy of food and its ritual setting as much as it is about the taste. With prices ranging from £350–£450 per head, Kitcho is the perfect place to get a taste of Japan’s culinary culture at its best.
5. Masa – New York City, USA
Masa, in Manhattan’s Time Warner Center, serves an omakase (chef’s choice) menu by chef Masa Takayama. The restaurant serves minimalist Japanese food, and uses only the freshest ingredients, such as fish transported straight from Japan. Each course is prepared to bring out the best in nature with, often surprising additions such as truffle or caviar. You can expect a small table setting, paying attention to the detail of each course and its presentation. Priced at £550–£600 a head, plus drinks and service charges, Masa is still a popular option for sushi and food lovers looking for an unrivaled experience.
6. Per Se – New York City, USA
Per Se is a famous French-American restaurant, right outside Central Park. The chef Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin restaurant emphasizes exclusivity and innovation with tasting menus that focus on seasonal ingredients. Highlights such as the “Oysters and Pearls” showcase the chef’s obsession with perfection. It is an elegant yet quaint atmosphere, with vast views and flawless service. The prices start from £290–£320 per head, but Per Se also offers a wonderful wine list, to go along with its excellent food. For a true New York restaurant experience, there’s nothing quite like Per Se.
7. Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville – Crissier, Switzerland
This Crissier 3-starred jewel provides French haute cuisine in chef Franck Giovannini’s style. Awarded for its meticulousness, dishes such as truffle stuffed meats and flawless seafood. Its beautiful dining area goes hand in hand with the fineness of its dishes and service staff make the whole experience effortless. Costs: Between £300–£350 pp. The place is such a favorite among chefs that gourmands have come to visit it on pilgrimage since its establishment became one of the best in Europe.
Each of these restaurants is celebrated not only for its exquisite ambience but for their artful executions of a very high-level experience that transforms dining into an art form in itself.
