The Principality of Monaco is home to seven incredible Michelin-starred restaurants, including the famous Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris and the acclaimed Les Ambassadeurs de Christophe Cussac at the Hôtel Métropole, but there are many other stellar addresses that should be on your list to sample, even if they don’t yet have a star to their name.
Monaco’s Michelin-starred restaurants are, in some cases, just as famous as the Principality’s most iconic buildings and monuments. They carry titanic names of the culinary world, from Alain Ducasse’s three-starred Le Louis XV to Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon Monte-Carlo at the Hôtel Hermitage, Marcel Ravin at Blue Bay and La Table d’Antonio Salvatore au Rampoldi.
While they should all be on your gastronomic bucket list, there are many other top-quality eateries here in the Principality that deserve to feature too, regardless of their Michelin-starred – or star-less – status.
Here, Monaco Life presents the six restaurants recommended by the legendary Michelin Guide for their cooking prowess and creativity.
Six top restaurants to try
First up are two Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer-backed restaurants: Elsa, the organic eatery at Monte-Carlo Beach, and Em Sherif, the Hôtel de Paris’ Lebanese affair.
Elsa reopened this spring under the watchful eye of two Michelin-starred Chef Marcel Ravin, who also heads up his eponymous Blue Bay restaurant at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort.
It is all about sustainability and organic produce sourced from the local area at Elsa, which was awarded the Prize for Ethical and Environmental Responsibility by La Liste in 2023.
The menu here is deep-rooted in the region, with many of the fresh ingredients coming from the nearby Domaine d’Agerbol in Roquebrune Cap Martin. Seafood is particularly important to Caribbean native Ravin, who describes the range of dishes on offer at Elsa as akin to a “marine garden”.
Em Sherif in the Place du Casino is a celebration of Lebanese cuisine in its finest form.
Chef Yasmina Hayek blends typical and traditional dishes from her native Lebanon with a finesse and aesthetic guided by her experiences in some of Europe’s most creative kitchens. Guests can expect all the colours and flavours of this quintessentially Middle Eastern cuisine, but with an added touch of glamour thanks to the restaurant’s stunning setting in the five-star Hôtel de Paris.
Next are two distinct restaurants that belong to the Giraudi Group: the Chinese Song Qi on Avenue Princesse Grace and Beefbar, the meat-lover’s paradise that has gone truly global.
Song Qi is a place to try for lunch and for dinner. Located just over the road from the Grimaldi Forum conference centre, the menu features classic Chinese dishes with an elegant twist, from lobster and Chilean seabass dim sum to elaborate woks and aromatic Peking duck pancakes. There are also plenty of vegan and vegetarian plates, making this a great place for groups with all dietary demands and appetites!
See more: From Monaco to Brazil: New Song Qi restaurant opens in São Paulo
Beefbar Monaco on the Quai Jean-Charles Rey in Fontvieille is the brand’s original location, but it has spread all over the world and can now be found in far-flung destinations including New York City, the UAE, Hong Kong and throughout the Caribbean.
Though beef is clearly the star of the menu, which features the likes of genuine Japanese Kobe to Australian Wagyu and USDA Black Angus, Beefbar also celebrates other fine meats, including Iberian hams and milk-fed veal.
The restaurant offers a stylish yet sumptuous dining experience; it’s not hard to see why the Beefbar brand has been taken up by cities all over the world.
Read more: Beefbar voted the world’s top steak house
The Maya Collection’s MayaBay is the fifth restaurant without a Michelin star to try. Another Avenue Princesse Grace address, this Japanese-Thai fusion uniquely brings together the colour and flavour of the latter with the grace and minimalism of the former.
It is visually decadent, but far from over-induglent, and Chef Christophe Dupuy is well-known for his ethos of “only working with beautiful produce and beautiful things”.
The final restaurant to feature on our list is perhaps the most understated, but don’t let that put you off from visiting.
La Table d’Elise is an ode to Provence, with the Michelin Guide’s inspectors describing its cuisine as “spot on, unfussy, generous and tasty”.
Found on the Rue du Portier, the menu spotlights classically Mediterranean dishes such as soupe de poisson de roche, herb-crusted fish, langoustines and octopus, and grilled meats.
The restaurant runs a very affordable lunch menu for €29, while the dinner service offers guests a full choice of la carte.
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Photo credit of La Table d’Elise via Facebook