Study Reveals The Towns & Cities With The Best Chance of Eating Top-Rated Food

Culinary Capitals: The World’s Best Places to Find Michelin Quality Food

• New research has revealed the towns and cities where you’re most likely to get a Michelin quality meal, based on the city’s total number of restaurants vs. how many are included in the prestigious Michelin Guide
• The MoneyBeach.co.uk study found that Padstow in the United Kingdom is where fine dining fanatics have the highest chance of finding top quality food, while Cannes, Bruges and Macau followed
• St. Ives, Oban and Oxford also ranked well in the UK, while Washington DC clinched first place in the states, followed by New York

Research by restaurant insurance website MoneyBeach.co.uk has revealed that Padstow in the UK is the best location in the world for foodies looking for a Michelin standard meal.

With people able to enjoy eating out once again, the study used data from TripAdvisor and the world-renowned Michelin Guide to rank over 100 towns and cities based on the number of restaurants included in the guide vs. the total number of eateries in the location itself, to calculate where offers the best likelihood of finding a top-quality meal.

Taking the crown, the small Cornish town of Padstow plays home to an impressive 7 Michelin rated restaurants. With 57 restaurants in total, it means punters have just over a one in ten (12%) chance of landing on a meal worthy of Michelin status. Popular eateries include The Pig, Prawn on the Lawn and Rick Steins Café – where you’ll find seasonal dishes using the freshest local produce.

Cannes in France secured second place, with the French Riviera’s resort city boasting 37 restaurants currently included within the Michelin Guide, amongst its 719 restaurants. The highest rated of them all being La Table Du Chef, an intimate bistro offering a set menu and seating only 20 patrons at a time, it offers a true ‘Chef’s Table’ experience. Outside of Cannes, France itself fared particularly well, featuring 4 times in the top 20 – more than any other nation.

Bruges in Belgium and Macau in China followed, with both cities able to pride themselves on having almost 5% of their restaurants included in the Michelin Guide, no mean feat when taking into account Michelin’s extremely particular criteria and rating system.

The 20 Best Cities for Michelin Quality Meals in the World

• Padstow, United Kingdom
• Cannes, France
• Bruges, Belgium
• Macau, China
• Washington DC, USA
• Como, Italy
• Calais, France
• Hondarribia, Spain
• St. Ives, United Kingdom
• Brussels, Belgium
• Kilkenny, Ireland
• San Sebastian, Spain
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Lyon, France
• Eindhoven, Netherlands
• New York City, USA
• Oban, United Kingdom
• Paris, France
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Venice, Italy

The United States was also shown to play home to an abundance of highly-rated food, especially considering just five of its cities are currently featured in the Michelin Guide. Of those, two placed in the top 20, with Washington DC and its 111 Michelin rated restaurants ranking fifth overall, above New York City.

For those in the UK opting for a staycation this summer, the MoneyBeach.co.uk study also revealed where you’re most likely to grab some Michelin rated grub a little closer to home. Unsurprisingly due to its global standing, Padstow in Cornwall scooped first place, while other Cornish towns also featured, with St. Ives placing second and Penzance ninth. Due to its total restaurants far outweighing those featured by Michelin, London could only make sixth, while Lichfield made it into the rankings in eighth.

The 10 Best Cities for Michelin Quality Meals in the UK

• Padstow, England
• St. Ives, England
• Oban, Scotland
• Oxford, England
• Bath, England
• London, England
• Cambridge, England
• Lichfield, England
• Penzance, England
• Brighton, England

Mike Rees, CEO of MoneyBeach.co.uk said: “Treating ourselves to a meal out is something most of us love to do, especially while on a city break or weekend away, so we were keen to find out where in the world offers the best chance of a fantastic dining experience.

With the Michelin Guide standing out as a world-renowned symbol of top-quality places to eat, we wanted to use this to find where in the world you’re most likely to get great food. The results were really interesting, confirming that France is indeed a foodie heaven, while the UK also shows its stars where a good dining experience is concerned. Whether you’re planning a meal with your friends nearby, or researching for a long-awaited getaway, it’s well worth using the guide, along with tools such as TripAdvisor, to avoid any post-meal disappointment!”

The full findings and further information on the top cities for finding Michelin standard dining experiences can be found here: moneybeach.co.uk/the-boardwalk/best-cities-for-michelin-quality-food