The restaurant industry is one of the most lucrative businesses in the world. People spend over 1,000 billion dollars in restaurants every year. Some even travel around the world just to eat in a particular restaurant. These guests in particular are impressed by the luxurious gourmet temples not only with the food and the decor, but also with the high prices. The following ten restaurants are among the most expensive in the world.

1st place in the most expensive restaurants: SubliMotion, Ibiza (Spain)

Since its opening in 2014, SubliMotion in Ibiza, Spain, has held the number one spot among the world's most expensive restaurants. In the Hard Rock Hotel on Playa da Bossa, star chef Paco Roncero creates a special kind of haute cuisine. The 20-course menu is a combination of food, art and technology, which is why it is considered a unique dining experience. A visit to the most expensive restaurant in the world promises a unique adventure.

Here you can enjoy your meal with all your senses in a unique setting. Tables and walls are screens and projection surfaces, the humidity is adjusted to suit the food, and even the light and colors on the plates are designed to put guests in a special mood. Roncero set up a special operations center with several computers that stimulate visitors with specific light and color effects during each course.

Costs for an “emotional experience” in SubliMotion

Roncero relies on the strategy of molecular cuisine. The star chef serves the small but very decorative appetizers several times, always in different variations. This means that in the end there are 20 courses. The restaurant is also very exclusive. Only twelve people can fit in the most expensive restaurant in the world. The interactive gourmet experience naturally comes at a hefty price: you pay around 1500 euros for the menu - without drinks!

2. Kitcho, Kyoto (Japan)

Works of art are served in Kitcho. The menus have something special about them: guests cannot choose what they want to eat. The team around three-star chef Kunio Tokuoka, grandson of founder Teiichi Yuki, puts together a traditional Japanese menu that visitors have to get involved with. The food is often touted as "out of this world". The culinary journey of culinary delights introduces gourmets to the tradition of Japanese Kaiseki. This refers to light dishes that are served during the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Of course, you don't want to be disappointed with the anticipation - and the prices. That's why the restaurant offers guests the opportunity to say which dishes they don't like when making their reservation. This service doesn't cost extra. But the rest is quite something. The Kitcho in Kyoto places a lot of value on culinary tradition. That's why Tokuoka works with many details such as color contrasts between the food and the plate or an elaborate presentation. This comes at a price. The multi-course tea ceremony costs around 600 dollars.

3. Masa, New York (USA)

Not much cheaper than second place is Masa in New York City. The owner and chef Masa Takayama has Asian roots and has been awarded three Michelin stars. There is no set menu in the Time Warner Center, guests are served a selection of fresh dishes. During a three-hour culinary event, there is carefully prepared sushi - the most expensive ever. The ingredients are flown in fresh from Japan every day, and the chef greets guests personally. Only 26 people can be seated here, which is why you have to reserve at least a month in advance. It has a very minimalist interior, there is no music, special color schemes or windows. This expensive restaurant focuses only on the dining experience.

The costs are also easy to explain. The menu costs around 400 euros - without drinks and taxes - making it the most expensive restaurant in the USA. The drinks are also expensive. A jug of Kikuhime sake costs 400, a bottle of 1995 Chateau Margaux Bordeaux 1500 dollars. And if you have to cancel the reservation, you'll have to pay another 200 dollars. But for the gourmet menu, you get luxurious materials, fresh ingredients flown in especially, and a special preparation method...

4. Le Meurice, Paris (France)

Among all top chefs, Alain Ducasse is considered a perfectionist. The three-star chef impresses critics year after year with his special creations, which earn him top marks. He owns some of the most expensive restaurants in the world, including the Parisian "Le Meurice". In the luxury hotel with its historic dining room, he and his team serve a three-course menu of selected specialties. The restaurant is decorated in the style of Versailles with crystal chandeliers, marble and bronze and offers a great view of the Jardin des Tuileries.

For a menu with three specialties, a selection of cheeses and a dessert, guests pay around 480 euros. Drinks are not included. The house delicacies include lobster with potatoes, guinea fowl cake and a huge selection of chocolate and fruit.

5. Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénnée, Paris (France)

The chef with the most Michelin stars in the world, Alain Ducasse, is also in the kitchen at another Parisian restaurant, namely the "Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénnée". This is particularly characterized by its child-friendliness and its healthy and environmentally friendly dishes, making it a gourmet temple for the whole family. A children's plate costs "only" 120 euros, without drinks of course. Adults should expect to pay around 400 euros for their menu.

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London

The star chef also has an exclusive restaurant in London. Here, too, enjoyment is the top priority, which guests can see for themselves with the 7-course menu. This is seasonally coordinated and consists of exquisite ingredients. The seasonal culinary experience in the British capital costs the equivalent of around 210 euros.

6. The French Laundry, Yountville, Napa Valley (USA)

There is a French restaurant in Yountville, California. In the 1920s, the historic building housed a French laundry, which explains the name. Now it is home to the haute cuisine restaurant of star chef Thomas Keller. He and his team pay close attention to the taste and aesthetics of their dishes. He also checks carefully that the food does not come into contact with chemicals, fertilizers or hormones.

The French Laundry has held its three Michelin stars since 2007. In gourmet cuisine, it is therefore hardly surprising that the menu costs around 400 US dollars. The lasting (taste) impressions of the restaurant mean that guests have to reserve their seats at least two months in advance.

7. Ithha Undersea Restaurant, Maldives

This restaurant is something very special. With its 180° panorama five meters below sea level in the Indian Ocean, visitors have an exciting insight into the underwater world with a view of numerous fish and coral gardens. In 2014, the New York Daily News even voted Ithha (which means "pearl" in the Maldivian language) the "most beautiful restaurant in the world."

What is special about the Ithha Undersea Restaurant

It is the first underwater restaurant, the arched, transparent acrylic glass extends from the roof to the floor. The panoramic view also allows the sea creatures to watch the guests eating. The 14 places, which must be reserved at least two weeks in advance, are accessed via a spiral staircase in a straw pavilion. This luxurious restaurant in the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort also impresses with upscale European cuisine with Asian elements. The 6-course menu includes rare dishes such as Black Angus steak and reef fish caviar.

Of course, this extraordinary experience also comes at a price. The 5-course menu from Maldivian cuisine with western accents costs around 385 US dollars. Children are only allowed at lunch, and there is even a dress code in the evening. Well-heeled guests who want to admire the underwater world at night can also stay overnight here. The restaurant is transformed into a suite for "only" 10,000 US dollars per night - and of course there is an extensive champagne breakfast the next morning.

8. Solo per due, Vacone (Italy)

Of course, an Italian restaurant also makes it onto the list of the most expensive restaurants in the world. In addition to the delicious food, it impresses with its romantic atmosphere with candlelight and soft background music. The Italian restaurant "Solo per due" is the smallest in the world - it has space for two people - and is located in the village of Sabia, which is about 70 kilometers from Rome. Tourists from all over the world enjoy fresh, regional cuisine here in intimate togetherness. Lovers are particularly drawn here - and according to insiders, the list of successful marriage proposals here is longer than the waiting list.

And that's saying something. Guests wait several months for a table here - so it's not exactly the right location for a first date. Visitors have the undivided attention of the staff and can book additional services such as fireworks, renting a luxury car or special flower arrangements. This extra-class romance costs around $335 per person - not including wine and champagne.

9. Aragawa, Tokyo (Japan)

One of the most expensive restaurants in the world, the Aragawa, is located in the basement of an office building in the Shinbashi business district in Tokyo. The steakhouse only has room for 22 people, which is why there is a long waiting time of several months. Popular specialties include the Sanda steak grilled on black coal, the best Kobe beef in the world, and salmon that is smoked fresh every day. For the Sanda steak, the chefs only select premium cattle that are given special feed and daily massages. They also live three times as long as other cattle of the same species. The grilling process involves ten stages. To ensure the pure taste of the Kobe beef, the chef only seasons it with salt and pepper; there are no additional sauces or spices. The monthly changing menu costs 370 US dollars - excluding drinks. There is no comparison to a barbecue with your own engraved grill tongs in your own garden!

10. Hôtel de Ville, Crissier (Switzerland)

The Swiss Hôtel de Ville is one of the most expensive restaurants. Head chef Benoît and his wife Brigitte Violier serve only exquisite French dishes. The kitchen has been awarded three Michelin stars, and the restaurant also impresses with its elegant ambience on Lake Geneva. Violier cooks artfully, without huge experiments, using only the very best products. Game and fish are particularly popular here, but the dishes should retain their taste, which is why he only works with three flavors.

In the most expensive restaurant in Switzerland, a four-course meal costs around 300 euros. A guest pays around 235 euros if he does not want to order à la carte, but would rather enjoy an individual menu that the chef tailors to his personal preferences.