The food alone earns the Exceptional tier. Were the service warmer, this would edge into the territory of the unforgettable. Still, Le Bernardin remains one of the few places where the term “fine dining” feels not just appropriate, but absolutely necessary.

The building itself, which is a 14th-century castle, is complete with classic turrets and a stone moat. It has the kind of atmospheric gravity that can't be designed. It just exists.