Highest distinction by renowned Gault & Millau guide, awarded to restaurants delivering extraordinary cuisine, creativity, and exceptional dining experiences.
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Paris, France
Plénitude occupies the first floor of Cheval Blanc Paris inside the historic La Samaritaine building, with views across the Seine to Pont Neuf. Chef Arnaud Donckele, holder of three Michelin stars, builds each course around sauce as the structural centre of the dish. Ranked 18th on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list and awarded 99 points by La Liste in both 2025 and 2026, it ranks among Paris's most decorated contemporary French tables.
Courchevel, France
Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc holds three Michelin stars and a 96-point La Liste rating, placing it among the most decorated tables in the French Alps. Under chef Jean-Philippe Blondet, the kitchen works a creative menu that treats the alpine setting as structural context rather than seasonal decoration. At this altitude and price tier, it is the reference point for fine dining in Courchevel 1850.
Megève, France
Emmanuel Renaut's three-Michelin-star restaurant at this Relais & Châteaux property in Megève sits among the most decorated tables in the French Alps, ranked 76th on the World's 50 Best list in 2024 and 98 points on La Liste in 2026. The kitchen leans on alpine terroir — vegetables, roots, and foraged ingredients — treated with classical French discipline and a modern sensibility that has earned sustained recognition from Opinionated About Dining's European classical rankings for three consecutive years.
Reims, France
Assiette Champenoise holds three Michelin stars and a 99-point La Liste score, placing it among the most decorated tables in northern France. Chef Arnaud Lallement leads this family-run property in Tinqueux, just outside Reims, with a kitchen built around Champagne-region terroir. The Les Grandes Tables du Monde membership and Opinionated About Dining ranking confirm its position at the top of the regional creative dining tier.
Paris, France
Le Pré Catelan holds three Michelin stars in the Bois de Boulogne, operating inside a Napoleon III pavilion that separates it architecturally from every other three-star address in Paris. Chef Frédéric Anton, who trained under Joël Robuchon, leads a classical French kitchen rated 98 points by La Liste in 2026. The cellar runs to 300,000 bottles, placing it among the deepest wine resources in the French capital.
Saint-Tropez, France
La Vague d'Or holds three Michelin stars and a 99-point La Liste ranking, placing it among the most decorated restaurants on the French Riviera. Chef Arnaud Donckele leads a creative tasting menu at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez, with dinner service running five evenings a week on the Bouillabaisse beach. Reservations are essential and should be secured well in advance of any summer visit.
Veyrier-du-Lac, France
Two Michelin stars and a Michelin Green Star place La Table de Yoann Conte among the most credentialed creative tables on the shores of Lake Annecy. The kitchen draws on alpine and lacustrine ingredients within a chalet-style setting that positions it firmly in France's broader tradition of destination dining outside Paris. La Liste scored it 94 points in both 2025 and 2026, placing it in a narrow tier of regional French kitchens with sustained international recognition.
Fontjoncouse, France
In the remote Corbières hills of southern France, Auberge du Vieux Puits has held three Michelin stars since 2010 and scored 98 points on La Liste in both 2025 and 2026. Chef Gilles Goujon's creative cooking draws from the Languedoc terroir in a village of fewer than 200 people, making this one of the most geographically isolated addresses in French fine dining at the highest tier.
Paris, France
Le Cinq holds three Michelin stars and a 97-point La Liste score inside one of Paris's most formally appointed dining rooms, on Avenue George V. Under Chef Christian Le Squer and Wine Director Eric Beaumard, the kitchen delivers classical French cooking of considerable precision, backed by a 50,000-bottle cellar that covers Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne at serious depth.
Paris, France
At Pavillon Ledoyen, one of the oldest restaurant addresses in Paris, Yannick Alléno holds three Michelin stars and a 98-point La Liste rating, placing him among the most decorated chefs working in France today. His creative approach to classical French technique — centred on extraction-based sauces and fermentation — has kept Ledoyen in the World's 50 Best since 2017. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings on Avenue Dutuit, steps from the Grand Palais.
Marseille, France
AM par Alexandre Mazzia holds three Michelin stars and scores 96 points on La Liste 2026, placing it among France's most decorated restaurants outside Paris. Operating Wednesday through Saturday from Marseille's 8th arrondissement, the restaurant represents a distinct strand of French creative cooking rooted in Mediterranean instinct rather than classical Parisian convention. Ranked 80th in Europe by Opinionated About Dining in 2025, it draws serious diners from across the continent.
Paris, France
An hour north of Paris in the Canche river valley, La Grenouillère holds two Michelin stars, a Green Star, and a place at #77 on the World's 50 Best list (2024). Alexandre Gauthier's cooking pulls directly from the surrounding wetlands and fields, framing nature-rooted Modern French cuisine in a property that functions as auberge, landscape, and dining destination in one.
Kaysersberg, France
La Table d'Olivier Nasti holds two Michelin stars inside Kaysersberg's Le Chambard hotel, where Alsatian ingredients meet creative French technique honed over more than two decades. Recognised by Les Grandes Tables du Monde, La Liste (96.5 points), and Star Wine List, it occupies the top tier of regional fine dining in France's Alsace wine country. Thursday through Sunday service only; advance booking is essential.
Les Baux, France
L'Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence represents the pinnacle of Provençal gastronomy, where Chef Glenn Viel's three-Michelin-starred cuisine transforms local terroir into culinary art within a legendary stone mas that has enchanted gourmands since 1945.
Find out on Pearl and keep score across every place in 2025 Gault & Millau Exceptional Restaurant.
Overview
Gault & Millau designated 15 restaurants as Exceptional in 2025, all located in France. The list spans 10 cities, led by Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse. Paris accounts for three placements, including Le Cinq, Le Pré Catelan, and Plénitude. The 2025 edition represents a complete overhaul from 2024, with all 15 restaurants new to the Exceptional tier.
The 2025 Exceptional category shows a dramatic shift in Gault & Millau's top tier. None of the 2024 Exceptional restaurants retained their spots—all 15 placements are new entrants. Auberge du Vieux Puits takes the lead position, displacing Le Art from 2024. Geography tilts toward alpine and regional France: Megève claims two spots (Flocons de Sel and La Table d'Emmanuel Renaut), while Paris holds three. The list includes hotel restaurants like Le Cinq at Four Seasons George V and Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc Courchevel alongside independent establishments. With 10 cities represented across just 15 restaurants, the selection favors geographic diversity over metropolitan concentration. The complete turnover from 2024 suggests either a methodological change or a significant recalibration of the Exceptional designation criteria.
Gault & Millau named 15 Exceptional restaurants in France for 2025, with Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse taking the top position. The list marks a complete reset from 2024: none of the previous year's Exceptional restaurants returned, while all 15 placements are new to the designation. Paris secured three spots—Le Cinq, Le Pré Catelan, and Plénitude—but the geographic spread favors alpine and regional France. Megève appears twice, with both Flocons de Sel and La Table d'Emmanuel Renaut earning recognition. The total turnover from 2024 represents the most significant year-over-year change in the Exceptional category's recent history.
The 2025 Exceptional designation underwent a complete transformation, with zero carryovers from 2024's 55-restaurant list. Auberge du Vieux Puits leads the newly configured 15-restaurant tier, taking over from Le Art. The dramatic reduction in size—from 55 to 15 restaurants—suggests Gault & Millau may have redefined what qualifies as "Exceptional," making the designation significantly more exclusive.
Paris claims three of 15 spots: Le Cinq at Four Seasons Hôtel George V, Le Pré Catelan, and Plénitude. Megève, the alpine resort town, places two restaurants despite its modest size. The remaining entries spread across eight other French cities, from Fontjoncouse in Languedoc to Courchevel in the Alps.
Hotel-affiliated restaurants appear throughout: Le Cinq, Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc in Courchevel, and others. Independent establishments like Auberge du Vieux Puits and Flocons de Sel balance the mix. The 55 restaurants that dropped from Exceptional status—including former leader Le Art and establishments like L'Auberge des Glazicks and La Côte Saint-Jacques—may have moved to other Gault & Millau tiers rather than disappearing from the guide entirely. The complete reset makes 2025 a watershed year for understanding how Gault & Millau defines its highest category.
