The cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S.

1 Michelin Star

State Bird Provisions is the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant in America (which is ironic, because it’s located in San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in the country). When it opened in 2011, the restaurant mainly focused on its signature quail recipe (still on the menu today as CA state bird with provisions) and has since evolved into an eclectic, sumptuous menu of California ingredients served dim sum-style with quite a bit of Asian inspiration.

What’s the deal? The most expensive item comes in at $36 while Michelin lists a night out averaging $25 to $90. Savory standouts include Wagyu toast, yuba and shiitake inari, and Sichuan pepper-beef tongue with fried rice.

1 Michelin Star

In 2016, Tail Up Goat opened in the historic Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Serving up a mixture of Mediterranean and Caribbean-inspired dishes, Michelin describes it as having a "buzzy mood" that’s rounded out with attentive servers and serene watercolor murals.

What’s the deal? Each plate is about $18 to $20 and the whole meal averages about $25 to $50 total. A few dishes jump off the page like the chicken liver tart with black pepper roasted apple and shaved cabbage, crispy norwis potatoes with watermelon radish and butternut squash aioli, and rutabaga bread with beet bordelaise, baby kale, and green peppercorn. It’s best to come hungry—and ready to share your plate.

3 Michelin Stars

The Eric Ripert-helmed Le Bernardin is a New York stalwart and widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world. The interior has traditional white tablecloths and an overall sea-inspired design from the tableware to the impressive floral display in front of a 24-foot oil painting of the Pacific Ocean. When traveling to New York City, it’s a destination unto itself that delivers a "traditional" fine-dining experience.

What’s the deal? To stretch one’s dollars, we recommend making a reservation for the luxurious prix fixe lunch. This $120 three-course seafood meal will feature your choice of responsibly-sourced seafood like seared Tasmanian trout, Osetra caviar, poached lobster, and scallop with black truffle slivers.

1 Michelin Star

Tuome’s Chef Thomas Chen was born and raised in New York and started out as an accountant. As an Eleven Madison Park alum (one of New York’s most expensive restaurants), Chen opened Tuome in 2016. An average meal ranges from $60 to $85 and a mouth-watering menu draws on Asian inspiration—dishes are accented with ingredients like yuzu, New York maple syrup, and maitake mushrooms.

What’s the deal? Any meat eaters among us? Spring for the "Pig Out" meal for two. At $69, it’s an economical choice: the meal includes a beautifully plated Berkshire pork belly that's confited in duck fat for 15 hours and served with spicy peanut noodles.

1 Michelin Star

To be considered a good restaurant, every place needs to nail service, ambiance as well as the food. But to be truly great, a restaurant ought to also have a few things that are harder to achieve: locally sourced ingredients, an inspired list of wines and cocktails and a chef willing to do things that are downright bold. Ariete has all of those things.

What’s the deal? First-timers should absolutely aim for the tasting menu since it's the best way to experience the chef’s talent for combinations and sauces. Highlights include conch and wild mushrooms with lobster demi-glace, designed as a riff on beef Bourguignon or seared foie gras with sweet-and-sour caramel and plantain pave. Ariete offers the option of three- or four-course menus for $125 or $155, respectively. 

1 Michelin Star

About 40 minutes north of San Diego is the adorable Jeune et Jolie, a newly Michelin-minted French restaurant. If you didn’t pay attention in French class it means "young and pretty," and the restaurant lives up to its name. Inside, the retro and art deco-inspired decor includes a velvety rose-colored booth with matching stools, small round tabletops, a gold-tinged bar, and a beautiful open kitchen with pastel-colored plates on display.

What’s the deal? The menu is a $105 four-course meal with a range of dishes that feature eclectic ingredients like kohlrabi, bone marrow, and pepita that top proteins like monkfish, veal sweetbreads, and Liberty Farms duck. Add a wine pairing for $75 and the total is still under the cost of most Michelin-starred restaurants. Keen to top it all off? Le menu de bar features seasonal cocktails and Absinthe libations served “traditional” or frappe.

1 Michelin Star

According to the Michelin entry, this contemporary American restaurant in Chicago is "housed within a historical 19th-century print shop." Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman has been the creative vision behind Sepia since 2009, and his hard work paid off: it has received a Michelin star rating every year since 2011.

What’s the deal? While dishes average $24 to $75, the prix fixe menu will only set customers back $95 total (plus an additional $59 for wine pairings). The prix fixe includes choice options like a foie gras tart, crab etouffee, and venison shabu-shabu. Even dessert is irresistible with savory and sweet flavor combinations like a brown honey butter biscuit with pickled onion jam and a chocolate coffee semifreddo that features tonka bean, salted almond, and burnt honey caramel.

1 Michelin Star

Boka has racked up numerous accolades since opening its doors two decades ago, including a consistent Michelin rating for half of its lifetime—without question, it's a staple in Chicago’s fine dining scene.

What’s the deal? Boka has a multi-course prix fixe meal for under $200: a seven-course meal for $165 with three options for drink pairings (standard and reserve wines as well as a non-alcoholic option). Entrees change frequently but according to both the Michelin guide and Redditors, the Rohan duck (which is roasted and dry-aged) is hard to beat.

1 Michelin Star

Le Comptoir features "an 8-course vegetable-inspired tasting menu that showcases seasonal ingredients sourced from our very own organic kitchen garden and local farmer friends," reads its website. With only 10 counter seats, Le Comptoir can be found inside Hotel Normandie in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.

What’s the deal? While the $175 price tag for its prix fixe menu is a little on the pricier side compared to our other picks, the seasonal, veggie-forward courses are sure to delight the senses.