Fine food lover reclaims record for eating at the most Michelin restaurants in one day
After visiting his 17th restaurant in one day, Joshua Fyksen (USA) was starting to feel full – but it wasn’t until his 28th stop that he was satisfied.
Armed with a list of reservations, and an itinerary timed to the minute, this foodie was on the hunt to reclaim his record for the most Michelin-starred restaurants visited in 24 hours… and there was no time to waste.
Between 9-10 May, Joshua dined at a mouth-watering total of 28 restaurants boasting this supreme accolade in New York City, New York, USA, to overtake the record of 25 set by Sujoy Kumar Mitra and Rajnish Kumar Tripathi (both India) in Hong Kong, China, in 2024.
This incredible total is six more than Joshua’s May 2023 record, which he received after traveling to 22 esteemed restaurants in NYC. A year later his record was broken by the aforementioned Indian duo, but he claims that he “tends to be a bit competitive”, and he wasn’t ready to let go of the title that easily.
“I asked friends and family if I should go for it again, and I think my father put it best: ‘But I wasn’t done bragging!’” said Joshua (or “Josh”) to GWR.
“Neither was I. So I got to work.”
To up-the-ante on his previous record, Josh spent months planning a route that would allow him to visit 30 restaurants in one day. He considered attempting the title in New York, London, Paris, or Hong Kong – each major dining destinations – but ultimately decided to return to NYC for the record, hoping that his experience would come in handy.
Research included reviewing the entire Michelin Guide, checking each restaurant’s website and menus, and hunting for anywhere he could squeeze in a quick meal.
“For example, three-starred Eleven Madison Park only offers a tasting menu that takes hours – but if you look closely, their small bar offers a few small bites,” he said. “The bar doesn’t take reservations, though, so I’d have to chance a walk-in.”
He also took his chances by directly asking some restaurants if they’d assist – literally fulfilling the age-old adage “a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.”
“I emailed several restaurants that don’t offer à la carte and asked for exceptions,” added Josh. “A few said yes, some even agreed to open early to fit me in, but most stuck to their routines.”
As a local to Las Vegas, Nevada, to complete the attempt he’d have to fly to the Big Apple – and we’re sure that one of your first thoughts might be how much this whole excursion cost.
But for Josh, it was more about the experience than the price. As a lifelong restaurant industry worker, who is currently employed as the Sommelier at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Caesar' s Palace, he genuinely enjoys the opportunity to taste dishes by talented chefs.
“I can't even imagine the total cost – including the trip – or maybe I prefer not to,” he said. “But the food alone cost $976.97, plus tips. Transportation between restaurants was another $474.37.”
(Don’t read this, Josh – but that’s $1,451.34, or £1,082.38).
Since his last attempt, the foodie has monitored the NYC food scene closely, and he was looking forward to eating at some of the newer starred restaurants like Shmoné, The Four Horsemen, and Torissi.
“Of course, there are some I couldn't visit,” he added. “I look forward to experiencing more of the three-star restaurants, but I will probably take the time to do those properly.”
Yet squeezing 30 reservations in one day is notoriously difficult, and to reach his goal, Josh had to refine his plans down to the minute – especially as unexpected events tripped him up, such as one of the restaurants closing down the day before his attempt, dropping his total to 29.
He also had to prepare himself to squeeze in all that good food – making space in his stomach by eating a few big meals the day before to stretch his capacity, then fasting for the 24 hours ahead of the attempt.
“I wish I had more time to enjoy all these restaurants fully, and I've managed to revisit some,” said Josh. “Even at a record-breaking pace, the quality of the food was incredible.”
Read more stories about record-breaking meals in our dedicated Food and Drink section!
Finally, at 3:00 p.m. on 9 May, Josh was ready.
Wearing a new suit, a body camera, and a GPS tracker, he joined his wife Angela for his first stop of the day at Oxomoco in Brooklyn. The first bite of his record-setting adventure was a “delicious” tuna tostada with avocado and salsa macha – but the pair couldn’t linger over the plate, and instead rushed off to the Four Horsemen, before spending the rest of their trip in Manhattan.
The next three stops went relatively smoothly, as Josh sampled a scallop dumpling from Tuome, some tuna tartar at Bar Miller, and an uni caviar handroll sushi from the omakase Japanese restaurant Joji.
Yet arguably his favourite dish of the night came from Le Pavillon, who served him a beautiful Jonah crab salad with apple and wasabi.
After an unfortunate setback where he left his credit card behind at Le Pavillon, Josh lost some time recovering his goods – but he was eventually off to Oiji Mi and Bom for some more seafood.
He then refreshed his palate with his first three-star stop of the night, at Eleven Madison Park, who graciously seated them despite the torrential downpour that left them soaked with rain right before.
“I must’ve looked like a drowned rat because the host briefly questioned whether I was in the right place,” joked Josh. “I was – and they were lovely. They even offered me a welcome cocktail. I took it, hoping to take the edge off the stress I’d accumulated by that point.”
After Eleven Madison Park, the pair went over to Semma – the best restaurant in NYC, according to the New York Times. They were served a giant dosa at the popular South Indian spot, which Josh says was filled with “a pound of potatoes”, yet they couldn’t leave until every morsel was finished, per Guinness World Records rules.
“It was delicious, and spicy, but not light,” he said.
Shmoné, the Musket Room, Estela, Corima, Crown Shy, and L’Abeille also went smoothly – but by the time they reached their 17th stop at One White Street, Josh was getting pretty full.
“At Jungsik, New York’s newest three-star, I had to politely decline their complimentary amuse bouche, which consists of seven small courses,” he said.
Thankfully, they only had three more places left on their list for that night: Jeju Noodle Bar, Casa Mono, and Cote. By 11:00 p.m., the pair were exhausted – and Josh sampled a single oyster, while his wife tucked into a tasting menu. They were finally home by 1:30 a.m..
But there was no time to waste, because the next morning they were up-and-at-’em at 11:30 a.m. for brunch!
Le Coucou served them a dish with leeks and hazelnuts that Josh described as “a revelation”, while Torissi gave him the best tortellini in pomodoro sauce he’s “ever had”.
At The Modern, he chowed down on a deluxe hot dog made with caviar, before being met with a shock – his next stop, Le Bernadin, was closed for Saturday lunch, dropping his restaurant total back down to 28.
Yet he wisely used his time to stop at Cafe Boulud instead, where he snacked on his only sweet of the day… a raspberry macaron.
“The highlights for me were the Jonah crab salad with Apple and Wasabi at Le Pavillon, the Scallop Dumpling with English Peas and Foie Gras at Tuome, and the Tortellini Pomodoro at Torissi,” he said.
“Honestly, there wasn’t a single dish I didn’t enjoy this time around.”
Eventually, they were ready for the home stretch. At their 26th restaurant, Aquavit, they had a quick celebratory drink to congratulate Josh on his new record, before quickly moving on to the last stops on their list.
“Coincidentally, the first time I broke the record, Aquavit was the one where I overtook the previous record,” he said. “I was giddy. I had done it – but I couldn’t linger.”
The pair rushed off to Rezdora for a black truffle raviolo, before making their way to their final stop on Josh’s record-breaking quest – Gramercy Tavern.
And finally, at 2:51 p.m., Josh ate a single oyster to clinch a new world record.
Predictably, they celebrated by ordering champagne and doing a special toast, before reflecting on the incredible culinary journey that they had just experienced.
“While this isn't the ideal way to enjoy these excellent restaurants, if you're visiting New York, note that some incredible restaurants offer an à la carte menu and bar seating,” said Josh, before offering a suggestion to readers: “Why not try two or three?”
And in case you were wondering – no, Josh didn’t relax with some takeout after his incredible record attempt.
The lifelong foodie told us that he immediately started discussing with his wife about where to go for dinner.
Josh’s full restaurant list
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Oxomoco, Brooklyn
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Four Horsemen, Brooklyn
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Tuome, Manhattan
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Bar Miller, Manhattan
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Joji, Manhattan
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La Pavillon, Manhattan
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Oiji Mi, Manhattan
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Bom, Manhattan
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Eleven Madison Park, Manhattan
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Semma, Manhattan
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Shmoné, Manhattan
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Musket Room, Manhattan
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Estela, Manhattan
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Corima, Manhattan
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Crown Shy, Manhattan
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L’abeille, Manhattan
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One White Street, Manhattan
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Jungsik, Manhattan
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Jeju Noodle Bar, Manhattan
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Casa Mono, Manhattan
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Cote, Manhattan
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Le Coucou, Manhattan
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Torissi, Manhattan
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The Modern, Manhattan
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Cafe Boulud, Manhattan
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Aquavit, Manhattan
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Rezdora, Manhattan
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Gramercy Tavern, Manhattan