Monaco · Two square kilometres of stars
Monaco
Monaco has more Michelin stars per square metre than anywhere on earth. Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV set the standard in 1987, and the principality has been polishing it ever since.
The Hôtel de Paris on Casino Square houses Le Louis XV, the restaurant where Alain Ducasse earned three stars at 33 and turned Riviera cooking into a global language. A lift ride up, Le Grill opens its roof over the Mediterranean; next door at the Hermitage, Yannick Alléno runs Pavyllon at a counter facing the sea; at the Métropole, Yoshi serves the most refined Japanese menu on the coast.
Monaco’s newer stars look outward: Marcel Ravin’s Blue Bay brings his Caribbean roots to the Monte-Carlo Bay, Elsa at the Monte-Carlo Beach cooks organic Mediterranean food at the water’s edge, Song Qi serves Cantonese in Fontvieille, and Coya and Cipriani bring the international jet set its usual haunts with better views.
Prices are the highest in this guide, the dress code the strictest and the reservations the most formal. But nowhere else can you walk from a three-star dinner to a casino to a yacht in five minutes, and the Grand Prix week in May turns the whole principality into one very expensive dining room.
The dining profile
- Tasting menu
- €320
- Main course
- €60
- Glass of wine
- €16
- Tip
- 5 %
Jacket at dinner, elegant everywhere. Monaco dresses up.
May to September, avoiding Grand Prix week unless that is the point.
Guide prices 2026, per person, in euros
A day in Monaco
From breakfast to the nightcap.
May to September
- 09:00Breakfast
The terrace of the Café de Paris on Casino Square, watching the cars arrive.
- 13:00Lunch
Elsa on the beach or the Grill at the Hôtel de Paris with the roof open.
- 16:00Afternoon
Larvotto beach or a walk through the Rock; the light does the rest.
- 19:00Aperitif
Champagne at the Hôtel de Paris bar or a cocktail at the Blue Gin.
- 20:00Dinner
Le Louis XV, Pavyllon or Yoshi: jacket on, reservation confirmed.
- 23:00Nightcap
The casino, then Jimmy’z or a last glass with the harbour lights.
The districts
Monte-Carlo and Casino Square
Le Louis XV, Le Grill, Pavyllon, Yoshi: the palaces and their stars.
Larvotto and Monte-Carlo Bay
Blue Bay, Coya, Cipriani and the beach clubs.
Monte-Carlo Beach
Elsa at the water: the principality’s organic table.
Fontvieille and the harbour
Song Qi and the yacht-side restaurants of Port Hercule.
The restaurants
9 restaurants in Monaco.
Fine diningStarredMonaco · Hôtel de Paris
Le Louis XV Alain Ducasse
The Riviera’s three stars since 1990
Fine diningStarredMonaco · Monte-Carlo Bay
Blue Bay Marcel Ravin
Caribbean roots, two stars, sea view
Fine diningStarredMonaco · Hôtel Hermitage
Pavyllon Monte-Carlo
Yannick Alléno at the counter
View restaurantViewMonaco · Hôtel de Paris
Le Grill
The roof opens over the Mediterranean
Asian restaurantStarredMonaco · Hôtel Métropole
Yoshi
Japan by Robuchon on the Riviera
Seafood restaurantStarredMonaco · Monte-Carlo Beach
Elsa
Organic, starred, at the water’s edge
Italian restaurantHotspotMonaco · Larvotto
Cipriani Monte-Carlo
Bellini, carpaccio, the harbour set
HotspotHotspotMonaco · Sporting Monte-Carlo
Coya Monte-Carlo
Peruvian, pisco, party
Asian restaurantHotspotMonaco · Fontvieille
Song Qi
Cantonese elegance on the water
Good to know
Tips for Monaco.
- Le Louis XV requires a jacket; the concierge of any palace will lend one.
- Grand Prix week in May triples prices and fills everything; book six months out or come in June.
- Le Grill opens its retractable roof on warm evenings; ask for a table near the edge.
- Service is included in Monaco; five percent extra is generous.
- Elsa is the only fully organic starred restaurant on the coast; lunch there is the softest introduction to Monaco.
Frequently asked questions
Which Monaco restaurant is the most famous?
Le Louis XV by Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris, with three stars since 1990.
How formal is dining in Monaco?
Formal. Jackets are required at Le Louis XV and welcome everywhere else at dinner.
Is there a good-value option?
Relatively: lunch at Elsa or the Grill, and the counter at Pavyllon, which serves à la carte at a lower entry point.
