Those who have dined at Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong are well aware of the often eye-watering prices of their exquisite multi-course meals, but just how high is the cost of Michelin dining in Hong Kong compared to the rest of the world?
According to a recent global analysis by Chef’s Pencil researching the most premium dinner tasting menus at more than 3,300 Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, Hong Kong claims the very unfortunate title of the third-most-expensive city in the world when it comes to Michelin dining. The median price of Hong Kong’s costliest tasting menus is USD266, or about HKD2,080.
The only cities around the world where Michelin dining is more expensive are Copenhagen – an average starred meal in Denmark’s capital clocks in at a whopping USD443/HKD3,462 – and our nearest neighbour, Macau, which comes in dubious second place at USD283/HKD2,212.
Globally by country or territory, Hong Kong – which also boasts the third-largest number of three-starred restaurants in the world, after Paris and Tokyo – ranks at number 2 in terms of Michelin expense, following Denmark (USD314/HKD2,454). Iceland (USD248/HKD1,938), Singapore (USD241/HKD1,884), and the USA (USD227/HKD1,774) complete the big-budget top 5.
For those who are still interested in experiencing Michelin-starred (and similar quality) meals in Hong Kong, be sure to check out our recommendations of more affordably priced tasting menus in the city. Additional tips to save some cash include ordering from the lunch menu, which is usually considerably lower in cost than dinner, or picking and choosing from the à-la-carte menu.
And if you’re looking for a real Michelin tasting menu bargain (and don’t mind travelling for it), you can head to Vietnam. A Michelin-starred meal in this Southeast Asian nation comes in, on average, at USD130/HKD1,106 – just over half the price tag of Hong Kong. A newcomer to the Michelin scene, the first edition of Vietnam’s guide was launched just last year, featuring four starred restaurants.
