Fine dining rarely rhymes with spare change, yet a handful of one-star kitchens still charge street-food money. Each entry below lists a single dish or lunch menu you can enjoy for roughly USD 3–30, no jacket required.
1. Soya Sauce Chicken Rice — Hawker Chan, Singapore
Price: SGD 5 (≈ USD 3.70)
Why go: The once-humble Chinatown stall earned a star in 2016. Tender soy-lacquered chicken over fragrant rice proves that haute flavour fits on a plastic tray.
2. Baked Barbecue Pork Buns — Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong
Price: HKD 28 for three buns (≈ USD 3.60)
Why go: The “world’s cheapest Michelin restaurant” still delivers: a crackly sweet shell, molten char siu filling and city-view queuing drama for dessert.
3. Pho Bo — Phở Gia Truyền, Hanoi, Vietnam
Price: 50 000 VND (≈ USD 2)
Why go: Awarded its star in 2023, this dawn-only shop sells out by 10 a.m. Bone broth simmers overnight; sliced beef cooks in the bowl as you inhale the steam.
4. Shoyu Soba — Tsuta, Tokyo, Japan
Price: JPY 1 300 (≈ USD 9)
Why go: The first ramen joint to gain a star layers truffle oil over soy-based broth and handmade noodles. Book a time-slot token at 8 a.m., slurp by 10.
5. Crab Omelette — Raan Jay Fai, Bangkok, Thailand
Price: THB 1 200 (≈ USD 25)
Why go: Street-front charcoal woks plus ski goggles on the chef. The golden omelette hides fist-size crab chunks; every bite funds Jay Fai’s workout level shoulder muscles.
6. Wonton Noodle Soup — Ho Hung Kee, Hong Kong
Price: HKD 40 (≈ USD 5)
Why go: Springy egg noodles, shrimp-packed wontons and broth so clean you see reflections. The shop’s 1946 recipe earned a star without changing the plastic stools.
7. Menu del Día — L’Antic Molí, Ulldecona, Spain
Price: EUR 27 (≈ USD 29) for a five-course lunch
Why go: Chef Vicent Guimerà spins truffle-laced rice and delta eel carpaccio inside a converted flour mill. A linen-clad bargain between Valencia and Barcelona.
8. Market Menu — Hostellerie La Montagne, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, France
Price: EUR 25 (≈ USD 27) three courses at lunch
Why go: Seasonal produce from Champagne-Ardenne: think white asparagus velouté, guinea fowl supreme, garden-berry sabayon. General de Gaulle’s memorial is a short stroll away if history feeds you too.
Tip: Prices check out as of spring 2025 but can drift. Double-verify opening hours; fame pushes queues. Which dish earns your boarding pass first?