About the Guide
Gault&Millau is a symbol of culinary authority and refined taste. For decades, it has been setting global standards in gastronomy, offering readers access to a carefully curated selection of restaurants and the most compelling personalities on the culinary scene. It is a guide for those who value quality, authenticity, and conscious choices.
Each recommendation in Gault&Millau is based on independent, anonymous evaluations conducted by experts who focus above all on flavour, technical precision, product quality, and the unique character of the cuisine. The distinctive chef’s hat rating system highlights the individuality of each establishment and allows readers to intuitively identify restaurants worthy of trust — from timeless classics to innovative concepts shaping new culinary directions.
By choosing Gault&Millau, you gain more than a collection of recommendations — you receive an invitation into a world of culinary excellence. It is a guide that inspires, educates, and builds prestige. It is valued both by guests seeking exceptional dining experiences and by restaurateurs, for whom inclusion is a mark of the highest standards.
The Gault&Millau rating system
The Gault&Millau rating system is based on points and toques (chef’s hats). Restaurants are scored on a scale from 1 to 20 points. This guide includes only restaurants that scored at least 10 points.
Toques (chef’s hats)
Points are translated into visual distinctions in the form of toques:
Wine & pictograms
Restaurants with a notable wine list are marked in the guide with a glass or decanter pictogram. The pictogram reflects how extensive the wine list is — the number of labels on offer:
A bit of history — how did it all begin?
Behind the founding of Gault&Millau stand two French culinary journalists: Henri Gault and Christian Millau. Fascinated by the culinary revolution in France, in 1969 they decided to create a publication that would celebrate the modern approach to cooking and the courage of chefs who dared to break with tradition.
The Yellow Guide has repeatedly helped promote trends that eventually gained widespread acceptance. From molecular cuisine and Asian influences to current zero-waste or farm-to-table movements — all these ideas have found a platform in it.
Over the years, Gault&Millau has expanded to an international scale and now operates in over 22 countries, from Europe to North America and even Australia, with plans to enter 30 countries by year-end. Throughout its more than half-century history, over 15,000 restaurants from around the world have been featured in the guide.