This beloved gastronomic institution was opened by Frédéric Haeberlin in 1882 as a modest country inn on the river Ill in Alsace. The cooking was done by his wife and later by their daughter and daughter-in-law. A grandson, Paul Haeberlin, won his first Michelin star in 1952, a second in 1957, and the third in 1967. His son, fourth-generation chef Marc Haeberlin, is now in the kitchen.

Auberge de lIll by Jouin Manku in Illhaeusern, France. Interior Design Hall of Fame member Patrick Jouin and his partner, Sanjit Manku, recently completed their second renovation of the restaurant, celebrating its 50th year of Michelin triple-stardom. Jouin describes the 4,250-square-foot update as “an enchanted moment for diners in communion with nature.” 

Like overhead reflecting pools, enormous mirror-polished stainless-steel disks ripple on the ceiling. A panoramic mural in marquetry, a typically Alsatian craft, depicts a moonlit riverbank with a heron and storks in flight. On the floor, swaths of wool carpet in cerulean and aquamarine, deepening into a riverbed ocher, bring the spirit of the river inside.