Gault&Millau, also known as Gault Millau, is a renowned restaurant guide specialising in the evaluation of restaurants and chefs. It was founded in 1969 by French journalists Henri Gault and Christian Millau and has since established itself as one of the most important gourmet guides in the world. Gault Millau is aimed at people in search of excellent culinary experiences and rates restaurants according to criteria such as creativity, product quality, flavour and innovation.

Compared to other restaurant guides such as the Michelin Guide, the Gault Millau has a more focussed approach on the originality of the cuisine. A special feature is the points system, which ranges from 1 to 20. Points from 13 are considered a recommendation, and from 17 a restaurant belongs to the absolute top class.

Further information can be found on the Gault&Millau website: https://www.gaultmillau-media.com/

Restaurants receive points from 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest score. Points above 17 are considered top class.

The toques are a symbolic award based on the number of points:

• 1 toque: 13-14 points (good cuisine)
  2 toques: 15-16 points (very good cuisine)
  3 toques: 17-18 points (excellent cuisine)
  4 toques: 19-20 points (absolute top class).

Gault Millau uses not only points but also toques to visually and symbolically recognise restaurants. These toques are differentiated by colour, which provides additional information about the type and level of the restaurant:

Black toques:

They stand for classic top cuisine.
A restaurant with black toques is characterised by high technical precision, masterful craftsmanship and often traditional, tried and tested dishes prepared to the highest standard.
It is an honour for perfection in the classic art of cooking.

Red Toques:

They stand for creative and innovative cuisine.
Restaurants with red toques place particular emphasis on modern approaches, surprising flavours and original presentations.
This award recognises chefs who take bold and unconventional paths to create new culinary experiences.

Gault Millau places particular emphasis on creativity and innovation in the kitchen, while Michelin focuses primarily on consistency and service.

Gault Millau rates restaurants worldwide, with a particular focus on Europe, including Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland.

Anonymous testers rate restaurants on the basis of flavour, product quality, creativity, service and ambience.

Yes, there are special Gault Millau wine guides that rate outstanding wineries and wines.

No, the evaluations are independent and are based on anonymous visits by the testers.

A good rating in Gault Millau can increase the prestige of a restaurant, attract new guests and contribute to long-term economic success.