Are any of France’s 41 new Michelin Star restaurants near you?

The Michelin Guide revealed its 2022 edition at a ceremony held in Cognac, southwest France, yesterday evening (March 22).

It is the first time in the guide’s 122-year history that the ceremony has not been held in Paris.

In total, 41 restaurants from around France were awarded one Michelin Star, six were promoted to two-star establishments and two joined the exclusive club of Michelin three-star restaurants.

A further six restaurants were given a Michelin Green Star, a reward highlighting sustainable practices.

In total, 627 restaurants feature in Michelin’s 2022 guide, 500 of which are outside of the Paris region.

We look at where the newly crowned restaurants are. You can see a full list of all the Michelin Star restaurants in France at this link.

The new Michelin Star restaurants (in maps)

The map below shows all the restaurants in France, outside the Paris area, that were either given a first Michelin Star this year, or gained an extra one (in the case of the two- and three-star restaurants).

The star rating of the restaurant is indicated with the * symbol, next to the name of the restaurant, which you can see if you hover your cursor above the dots.

This second map shows all the restaurants in the Paris area that were either given a first Michelin Star this year, or gained an extra one (in the case of the two- and three-star restaurants).

The new one-star restaurants in France (in list-form)

Outside of the Paris area, 29 restaurants received one star, which we have listed below – department number in brackets.

Twelve further restaurants in the Paris area were awarded one Michelin Star in the announcement yesterday. These are:

Every year there are winners and losers, and this year is no exception. A total of 24 restaurants lost their one-star rating. This is relatively normal – it has happened to top chefs like Gordon Ramsay. The reasons are mainly due to consistency of quality.

It means that this year there are 522 restaurants in France with one Michelin Star.

The two-star restaurants (in list format)

Six restaurants were promoted to two-star establishments, with four of them located in Paris, one in Monaco and the other, Lalique, in the small town of Bommes in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

• L'Oiseau Blanc - Paris

• Lalique - Bommes, Gironde (33)

• Duende - Nîmes

• Le Restaurant du Palais Royal - Paris

• Le Blue Bay - Monaco

• Restaurant Table - Paris

Two restaurants, Les Cèdres (Granges-les-Beaumont, 26) and Les Hauts de Loire (Onzain, 41), lost one of their stars, dropping into the one-star rating category.

Another three two-star restaurants were either sold or closed.

It brings the total number of Michelin two-star restaurants in France to 74 this year.

The three-star restaurants

Two restaurants were awarded the honour of joining the rather exclusive Michelin three-star restaurant club in France. No restaurants were downgraded from this category, meaning there are now a total of 31 Michelin three-star restaurants in France.

One of the newcomers to the category is chef Arnaud Donckele’s Parisian restaurant Cheval Blanc Plénitude, which went straight from zero to three stars – possibly a first in Michelin Guide history.

Mr Donckele, 44, is already the owner of another three-star restaurant, La Vague d'Or, in St-Tropez in the south of France.

He opened his new restaurant Plénitude in Paris in September 2021, set in the department store La Samaritaine along the banks of the River Seine.

The Michelin Guide says of his new restaurant, “it has an irresistible setting: a superb Art Deco building, admirably restored, situated on the banks of the Seine”.

“At his Parisian table, Arnaud Donckele relies first and foremost on exceptional local products, which is not surprising for this grandson of farmers.

“This…is complemented by a procession of sauces, broths, juices and other dressings, unique in its kind.”

Mr Donckele said after receiving the honour that it was “a dream come true”.

“Three stars in one go, what a huge thrill, it was a happy surprise,” he told Franceinfo.

The second restaurant to be given three stars this year is chef Dimitri Droisneau’s la Villa Madie, located in Cassis, a Mediterranean coastal town that is about a 45-minute drive from Marseille.

Michelin Guide said of the restaurant, “all the magic of the South, the land and sea combined, is brought together in the chef’s dishes, which create a light, subtle, tasty, fresh and aromatic cuisine”.

“These are punchy when necessary, surprising and often innovative.”

France’s green restaurants

This year, six more restaurants were given the distinction of a Michelin Green Star. This is awarded to establishments that are particularly conscious of sustainable, eco-friendly and zero-waste practices.

The new additions, listed below, brings the total number of Michelin Green Star establishments in France to 87 this year.

• Domaine Roberach - La coopérative, Belesta (66)

• Toya, Faulquemont (57)

• La Table de la butte, Plouider (29)

• La Table du gourmet, Riquewihr (68)

• Les Belles perdrix de Troplong Mondot, Saint-Emilion (33)

• Auberge Sauvage, Servon (50)

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