I've eaten at three of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Here's how they rank, from best to worst value for money.

As Insider's food reporter in Singapore, I've eaten at several Michelin-starred restaurants — including three of the cheapest in the world.

The Michelin Guide, a restaurant-rating system which was founded in France, originally specialized in haute cuisine and fine dining across Europe — but in recent years, the Guide has also become influential in street food and Asian cuisine. 

In 2016, Hawker Chan and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle in Singapore, along with Jay Fai in Thailand, were the first street stalls to be awarded one Michelin star, which represented "high quality cooking" with dishes that are "worth a stop." The Guide categorizes these eateries' cuisines as "street food." 

These eateries, unlike the majority of Michelin-starred restaurants, sold dishes that were around $12 or less.

In 2021, Hawker Chan lost its Michelin star. Today, Tai Hwa Pork Noodle and Jay Fai continue to be the only street food stalls in the world with a Michelin star. In December, a family restaurant in Malaysia — Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery — was awarded the coveted star. It joined the two eateries as one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants serving cheap eats.

Here's my ranking of three of the cheapest Michelin-starred eateries in the world, from worst to best value for money.

3. Jay Fai (Bangkok, Thailand)

Awarded in: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Known for: Thai street food

Ambience: Roadside restaurant

Jay Fai was founded in the 1980s by Supinya Junsuta, a 76-year-old enigmatic chef who's known for appearing in the 2019 Netflix show "Street Food." The restaurant has many celebrity fans, including Russell Crowe, John Legend, and Martha Stewart. 

I visited Jay Fai during a reporting trip to Bangkok last July. It's one of the most popular eateries in the city, so dozens of people were lining up for a table at the restaurant — the majority of whom were tourists.

I spent five hours waiting for a table, despite the locals advising me that the food is average at best. I spotted Junsuta, who works for around 12 hours a day, cooking in her signature goggles and beanie. While photos of her aren't allowed at the restaurant, the rule is loosely enforced — she occasionally smiles for tourists who snap pictures of her cooking behind a metal barrier.

Jay Fai is worth a visit, but with over 320,000 restaurants in Bangkok, there are other eateries that serve better — and cheaper — food.

Jay Fai is expensive, at least, when it comes to street food in Bangkok. Couple that with the long wait and Jay Fai's reputation, I had huge expectations coming in. 

The crab omelet — which is her signature dish — was huge and could easily feed two people. She prepares the dish by frying eggs in a wok on high heat, and then sprinkling in big chunks of crab meat. It was served with a spicy sauce and a soy sauce-based condiment.

The dish's texture was great — light, fluffy, and a little crunchy, and the amount of crab inside was generous.

On the other hand, the drunken noodles — flat noodles and prawns in a hot, savory sauce — was a bit of a letdown. I expected it to be spicy as there were large pieces of chili garnishing the dish, but it turned out overly sour and one-dimensional. 

Overall, eating at Jay Fai was an experience to remember. The food wasn't anything special, but watching Junsuta work was fascinating. She was steely, unwavering, and barely took a break during the seven hours I spent at her restaurant. But if you're after outstanding and affordable Thai food, Jay Fai might be one to skip.

What I ordered: crab omelet (1,200 baht, or $33), and drunken noodles (500 baht, or $13.80)

Rating: 3.5/5

Total spent: 1,810 Thai baht (including tax), or $50, for two dishes and two cans of Coca-Cola

Don't miss this menu item: Crab omelet — crispy and packed with umami flavor.

Parting thoughts: Jay Fai is worth a visit, but not one that I'd return to again.

Read the full review of Jay Fai here.

2. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (Kallang, Singapore)

Awarded in: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022

Known for: Bak chor mee

Ambience: Kopitiam, or open-air coffee shop

I grew up eating at hawker centers and kopitiams in Singapore, and even spent an entire day at one stall to see how the food is prepared. These open-air eateries — which, despite Singapore's hot weather, aren't air conditioned — are known for their relaxed, casual atmosphere, and for serving inexpensive, delicious food. Some dishes can as cheap as a dollar.

Needless to say, I have an obsession with hawker food. 

So I was especially excited to dine at Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, the only Michelin-starred hawker stall in the city-state, in Febuary last year. The stall was founded by Tang Joon Teo in 1932. It's known for popularizing the dish bak chor mee in Singapore — noodles with black vinegar, chili paste, and minced pork.

Today, Chua Hock Cheng, who's worked at the stall for over 40 years, is the head chef and prepares noodles for dozens of loyal diners everyday. It took only 15 minutes for me to receive my food despite a line of around 10 people ahead of me.

Bak chor mee is one of my favorite dishes, so I eat it often. Tai Hwa's rendition was less spicy than what I'm used to, but that's not a bad thing — the springiness of the noodles and the tangy sauce made up for it.

What I ordered: rice noodle soup and gan mian, 6 Singapore dollars or $4.50 each

The stall offered three bowl sizes at three different price points: SG$6, SG$8, and SG$10. These prices are more expensive than most noodle shops in Singapore — a small bowl typically costs around SG$4.

The bak chor mee was prepared by blanching the noodles in boiling water and then mixing them in a dark vinegar and chili sauce. Sambal, a sauce made with chili, garlic, and shrimp paste, was also added. 

The stall's version was much lighter in spice than other hawker stalls I've visited, and I enjoyed the meaty flavor of the dish. I found the flavor of the pork cracklings, minced meat, pork slices, dumplings, and slices of livera bit gamey, but it did give a hearty flavor to the dish. 

The rice noodle soup — flat rice noodles with fishballs and meatballs — had a much milder taste compared to the bak chor me. The broth was a tad oily, and overall it wasn't as flavorsome as the dry noodles.

Tai Hwa didn't disappoint when it came to its bak chor mee. While it's a bit more expensive than the average hawker stall, I would gladly pay up for the speedy service and variety of meats in the dish.

Overall rating: 4/5

Total spent: 12 Singapore dollars, or around $9 for two dishes

Don't miss this menu item: Bak chor mee — deliciously savory.

Parting thoughts: Tai Hwa's dry noodles are the perfect lunch time snack — and are worth going out of your way for.

Read the full review of Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle here.

 

1. Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery (Penang, Malaysia)

Awarded in: 2023

Known for: Peranakan cuisine

Ambience: Family-style restaurant

Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery is one of just four restaurants awarded one Michelin star in December's inaugural launch of the Michelin Guide in Malaysia. 

The restaurant — owned by Gaik Lean and her son Adrian — serves homestyle Peranakan cuisine, which is a combination of Chinese ingredients with Malay and Indonesian spices and cooking techniques. As a huge fan of Peranakan food, also known as Nonya cuisine, I excitedly flew to Penang in February to dine at the restaurant. 

It takes two weeks to get a booking at Gaik Lean's restaurant, so make sure to book ahead. The restaurant has been open for over a decade, and Gaik Lean, who has no fine dining or culinary school training, still cooks most of the dishes herself.

The restaurant offers some of the cheapest dishes among Michelin-starred restaurants, with appetizers starting at just 8 Malaysian ringgit, or $1.80.

 

I ordered an entire spread, per Adrian's recommendation. The standouts were the Baba delight, curry kapitan, and sambal brinjal — but nearly every dish was delicious.

What I ordered: Nutmeg punch, 6MYR; kopi o, 5.50MYR; Baba delight, 44 MYR; sambal brinjal, 18MYR; sambal petai 28 MYR; curry kapitan, 28 MYR; Nonya fried rice, 15 MYR; nasi ulam, 18MYR. They threw in a trio of desserts on the house

The Baba delight offered a selection of Nonya light bites, and the cucur udang — deep fried minced prawn and vegetable fritters was one I couldn't get enough of. They were crunchy, slightly salty, and paired perfectly with the sambal. I also enjoyed the kueh pie tee — thin pastry cups with spring onions and crushed chili — from the platter. It was light, refreshing, and crispy with an aromatic touch. 

The curry kapitan, which is made with chicken, handmade coconut milk, and rempah, a Malaysian-style paste of spices like chili and shallots, was another dish that I'd happily order again. It wasn't as spicy as the typical Malaysian yellow curry — thanks to the coconut milk — so it was creamy and balanced. 

The sambal brinjal — eggplant smothered in a spicy and savory sambal sauce — was Gaik Lean's mother's recipe. While the bitter and smokey dish was too tangy for my taste, it's one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. Gaik Lean described the dish as "simple, appetizing, and cheap," and while it wasn't my favorite, the friends I was eating with enjoyed it.

Gaik Lean's food is colorful, fun, and full of flavor. There are only two Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurants in the world, which show how underappreciated the cuisine is. Nonetheless, it's a restaurant that truly lives up to the hype — the affordable prices are just the cherry on top.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Total spent: 187.55 Malaysian ringgit (including tax), or around $41.80 for 6 dishes and 3 cups of drinks

Don't miss this menu item: Curry kapitan — light, balanced, and full of flavor.

Parting thoughts: Gaik Lean's Peranakan cuisine is delightful and worth flying to Penang to try.

Read the full review of Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery here.