Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse

Le Louis XV is the restaurant by which all others in Monaco are measured. Alain Ducasse earned three Michelin stars here in a record-breaking time when he arrived in 1987, and the restaurant has retained that distinction ever since, making it one of the most decorated dining addresses in Europe. The setting within the Hôtel de Paris is one of extraordinary opulence: gilded ceilings, marble columns and a room of palatial proportions that somehow retains an atmosphere of warmth rather than intimidation. The cuisine is rooted in the sun-drenched larder of Provence and the Italian Riviera, with olive oil, summer vegetables, herbs and seafood from the waters below the Principality forming the essential vocabulary. The cooking is never showy for its own sake; instead it reflects Ducasse's conviction that the best ingredients, treated with mastery and restraint, require no embellishment. A tasting menu here is a lesson in what French cuisine looks like when decades of refinement meet first-class produce. The wine cellar, one of the finest in the region, spans over 400,000 bottles and ensures that the sommelier team can match virtually any dish with something exceptional. Following a comprehensive renovation, the room feels as fresh as the cooking that happens within it, making Le Louis XV as relevant now as it has ever been.