Monaco emerged from the 2026 Michelin Guide France & Monaco ceremony with two significant distinctions — a first star for Robuchon Monaco and a prestigious Service Award for Marco Tognon, head of the Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac team — on a night that was already historic for the Principality simply by virtue of hosting the event for the first time.
Robuchon Monaco, the restaurant paying tribute to the late and great Joël Robuchon on rue du Portier in the beachside district of Larvotto, and its Chef Jonathan Larrieu have been awarded its first Michelin star.
The guide described the setting as a “swanky black façade” leading to a rattan-furnished terrace and a cosy dining area with green-upholstered banquettes and a marble floor.
Michelin’s inspectors noted that while the famous Robuchon mashed potato is served with each main course, “the master’s influence remains discreet”. The à la carte menu centres on what the guide called “pedigree Gallic classics with a scattering of Mediterranean notes”.
The guide also highlighted the adjacent Petit Café Robuchon, open continuously throughout the day, where the same culinary DNA runs through dishes.
The new star brings Monaco’s total to 10 starred restaurants, with the Principality retaining all of its existing distinctions: Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris (three stars), Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, Blue Bay Marcel Ravin and L’Abysse Monte-Carlo (two stars each), and Elsa Marcel Ravin, Le Grill, Pavyllon Monte-Carlo and La Table d’Antonio Salvatore au Rampoldi (one star each).
Marco Tognon wins Michelin Service Award
The ceremony also brought individual recognition to Marco Tognon, manager of Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, who received the Michelin Service Award. Michelin described Tognon as personifying “meticulous, elegant and deeply human service”, with an international career shaped by tenures at prestigious establishments in Paris, London and Rome.
In a statement, Tognon said the recognition moved him deeply after 25 years in starred restaurants. “This distinction rewards above all the collective work of an entire team,” he said. “Service is like a couturier: each service is a bespoke costume, designed so that every client experiences a unique and memorable dinner.”
Prince Albert on gastronomy’s wider responsibility
Speaking at the opening of the ceremony, Prince Albert II used the occasion to frame gastronomy as something far greater than fine dining. “Cuisine stands among the highest expressions of human culture,” he said. “We carry a responsibility, like artists, to imagine a better world.”
The Prince called on the industry, and particularly younger generations, to recognise the breadth of what gastronomy encompasses. “It must not remain a pleasure reserved for a few or tied to certain habits,” he said. “It encompasses some of the greatest challenges of our time: education, openness to others, the blending of cultures, nutrition, agriculture, and human health — but also the health of our planet, its resources, and its biodiversity.”
His words set the tone for what proved to be a landmark evening for the Principality. Hosting the Michelin Guide France & Monaco ceremony for the first time in the guide’s 126-year history, Monaco welcomed more than 1,200 guests to the Grimaldi Forum, drawing the country’s most celebrated chefs and gastronomic figures to a stage that has long recognised the Principality as one of the world’s most exceptional culinary destinations.
The night’s biggest honour went to Les Morainières in Jongieux, Savoie, where chef Michaël Arnoult and his wife Ingrid were awarded a third Michelin star — recognition, in the guide’s words, of more than two decades of cooking deeply rooted in the Savoyard terroir and a network of loyal local producers. Seven restaurants received their second star: Bulle d’Osier in Langres, Hakuba and Alliance and Virtus in Paris, Arbane in Reims, Frédéric Doucet in Charolles and Le Corot in Ville-d’Avray.
In total, 62 new stars were awarded across France and Monaco, including 54 first-time one-star recipients — confirming a gastronomic scene defined by audacity, regional rootedness and a new generation of deeply personal cooking.
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Main photo credit: Cedric Le Dantec