Eating exceptional dishes without breaking the bank, it's possible! On the occasion of the release of the Michelin 2020 guide, our food specialist reporter Pierre Herbulot went in search of the hundred cheapest star restaurants in France. For this, he peeled the websites of the 513 1-star restaurants of the famous red guide. He then selected the cheapest full menu (starter, main course, dessert at least) for each restaurant to establish his ranking *. It is almost always a lunch formula, often called "market return" or "business menu" and served on weekdays excluding public holidays.
For the prices, we are based on those posted online (likely to change) or given by phone. Count in our selection between 20 euros for the cheapest, and 34 euros for the most expensive.
>> Find the 100 cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in France with the name, address, menu price and website address each time:
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Heard on europe1:
I don’t see myself removing this menu at all because it’s really the locals that got us started
Anthony Lumet defends these low prices. Chef of the restaurant Le Pousse-Pied in La Tranche-sur-Mer, he offers the cheapest lunch menu of Michelin starred restaurants in France, at 20 euros. "It allows people who don't necessarily have big means to come anyway, having fun. It is certainly not going to be the same as the tasting menu, but it still allows us to discover our cooking ", he comments on Pierre Herbulot's microphone.
"I haven't really changed my way of working since taking the star. I had this little menu for our regulars, working on what we know how to do. I don't see myself taking this menu away at all- there because the locals really got us started and I'm attached to our town. "
Foie gras and scallops necessarily banned
And what does a 20 euro menu look like? Naturally, expensive products, such as foie gras or scallops, are banned from the menu. "For example, we made a menu with duxelles of mushrooms, low-temperature egg with a mushroom-coffee emulsion, then hake fillet from the fish auction with potato pulp, small herb salad in green oil and walnut oil, and for dessert a chocolate ganache and coconut ice cream, "he explains in detail.
Same principle with Xavier Giraudet, the chef of La Robe, located in Montaigu, in Vendée too. "I put risotto with squid, which is around 8 euros per kilo. Then, the piglet remains not very noble meat, but it's enough to see a little how the cooking is done" , he explains to our reporter.
And the result appeals to customers. "24 euros is unexpected. The piglet was magnificent," comments Charlotte, an unaccustomed client. "It's not the workers' menu, but it's not bad!" Says Xavier, who rarely goes to this type of gourmet restaurant "not by choice but for lack of means". "It's a chance to have this next to the house." With our interactive map accessible above, you too can see if one of the 100 cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in France is near you ...
* When the prices of the menus were not clear on the restaurant websites, our reporter called directly for information. However, a dozen restaurants could not be taken into account despite our care, because it was impossible for us to check the price of their menu on the Internet or by phone because they are closed for work or holidays.