Most restaurants are familiar with MICHELIN stars – the French tire company’s prestigious three-tiered rating system is used to identify and honor some of the world’s finest restaurants. In 2020, the MICHELIN Guide created the Green Star to award the restaurants offering dining experiences that combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments. But which city has the most MICHELIN Green Star awarded restaurants?
With this in mind, new research from Compare the Market has analyzed the MICHELIN Green Star awarded restaurants to reveal the cities with the most sustainable fine dining hotspots.
According to the findings, these are the top 25 sustainable fine dining hotspots:
| Rank | City | Country | Number of Green MICHELIN Star Restaurants Nearby | Number of Green MICHELIN Star Restaurants Nearby Per 10,000 People | Average Price (US$) | Average Price (€) |
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | 14 | 0.010 | 176.71 | 168.29 |
| 2 | Munich | Germany | 12 | 0.078 | 67.24 | 64.04 |
| 3 | Hamburg | Germany | 9 | 0.050 | 99.75 | 95.00 |
| 4 | Annecy | France | 8 | 1.478 | 161.50 | 153.81 |
| 5 | Paris | France | 8 | 0.036 | 158.29 | 150.75 |
| 6 | Berlin | Germany | 8 | 0.021 | 132.23 | 125.94 |
| 7 | Zürich | Switzerland | 7 | 0.184 | 107.09 | 101.99 |
| 8 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 7 | 0.087 | 218.53 | 208.12 |
| 9 | Bolzano | Italy | 6 | 0.558 | 149.54 | 142.42 |
| 10 | Rennes | France | 6 | 0.290 | 77.96 | 74.25 |
| 11 | Lyon | France | 6 | 0.083 | 126.79 | 120.75 |
| 12 | Stockholm | Sweden | 6 | 0.061 | 153.16 | 145.86 |
| 13 | Kyoto | Japan | 6 | 0.041 | 145.64 | 138.70 |
| 14 | Nuremberg | Germany | 5 | 0.098 | 116.66 | 111.10 |
| 15 | Oslo | Norway | 5 | 0.072 | 195.51 | 186.20 |
| 16 | Lucerne | Switzerland | 4 | 0.512 | 118.98 | 113.31 |
| 17 | Namur | Belgium | 4 | 0.368 | 93.98 | 89.50 |
| 18 | Tours | France | 4 | 0.296 | 75.73 | 72.13 |
| 19 | Freiburg im Breisgau | Germany | 4 | 0.175 | 64.58 | 61.50 |
| 20 | Bordeaux | France | 4 | 0.170 | 129.94 | 123.75 |
| 21 | Aarhus | Denmark | 4 | 0.129 | 134.62 | 128.21 |
| 22 | Toulouse | France | 4 | 0.091 | 66.02 | 62.88 |
| 23 | Barcelona | Spain | 4 | 0.025 | 81.11 | 77.25 |
| 24 | Chur | Switzerland | 3 | 0.910 | 168.92 | 160.88 |
| 25 | Pau | France | 3 | 0.389 | 48.48 | 46.17 |
* The cities were ranked based on the number of Green MICHELIN Star restaurants available around the nearest major city.
Taking the top spot is the capital of Japan, Tokyo. With 14 restaurants that have at least one Green MICHELIN Star, the large metropolitan city is the ideal location for conscious foodies. In fact, three Japanese cities are featured in the research overall, with Kyoto ranking in 13th place and Osaka in 39th.
Ranking second on the list is the most populous city of Bavaria, Munich. With 12 Green MICHELIN Star awarded restaurants around the city, this is calculated to be 0.078 restaurants per 10,000 people. What’s more, out of all the cities analysed, 19 of them are located in Germany!
With 33 French cities that have at least one Green MICHELIN Star awarded restaurant, France can be an ideal place for eco-friendly fine dining lovers. The first French city to rank on the list is Annecy in fourth place, which is home to eight restaurants with Green MICHELIN Star awards. Following closely behind in fifth place is the culinary hotspot and the capital of France, Paris. With six restaurants awarded for their sustainable practices, Rennes is the third best city for ethical fine dining in France and ranks 10th on the list.
