Las Vegas sommelier breaks Guinness record for most Michelin restaurants in a day
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A Las Vegas wine expert scored a great deal in New York City by visiting 28 top-rated and award-winning restaurants in just 24 hours.
Joshua Fyksen, sommelier at Peter Luger Steak House in Caesars Palace, won a Guinness World Record for visiting Michelin-starred restaurants in one day after completing an ambitious food tour across the Big Apple last May.
“I’ve always loved good food and good food,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Guinness World Records announced this last month. Fyksen set a record with 22 restaurants in 2023 and later lost the title to two boys who finished in Hong Kong in 2024.
Fyksen set out to do it again last year – mapping out dozens of restaurants across New York City.
Joshua Fyksen from Las Vegas visited 28 of New York City’s top-rated restaurants in 24 hours to set a new Guinness World Record. (Joshua Fyksen)
Fyksen originally planned to visit up to 30 restaurants.
But some last-minute setbacks – including the closing of just one restaurant the day before and the closure of Le Bernardin for lunch – reduced his final tally to 28.
“I left my credit card at Le Pavillon, sixth place,” he added. “It added over half an hour which was difficult to put together.”
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Wearing a suit with a body camera and a GPS tracker, he started the race at 3 pm in Oxomoco in Brooklyn.
He started with a tuna tostada, and finished with a single oyster at his last stop, Gramercy Tavern – completing the record just minutes before the 24-hour mark.
Fyksen had his only candy of the day, a raspberry macaron, at Café Boulud on the second day of the challenge. (Joshua Fyksen)
Among his stops are Tuome, Le Pavillon, Café Boulud, Eleven Madison Park and Casa Mono.
According to Guinness World Record rules, Fyksen had to finish all the dishes he was served.
He tried to order a small, quick meal at each stop, but that wasn’t always possible — like at Semma, a Southern Indian restaurant in Greenwich Village.
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“The dish recommended by the server ended up being a sosa full of potatoes which was huge. It was bigger than my head and the plate I was served on… It was the largest dish on record and at 8 minutes 20 seconds, it was the longest dish to eat.”
Despite the speed, Fyksen said the experience was not subsidized.
Le Pavillon – one of the restaurants visited by Fyksen – is considered a classic spot for couples looking for a special night out together in the Big Apple. (Thomas Schauer/Anonymous)
“I enjoyed it. I enjoyed everything. I wouldn’t be doing this if I couldn’t enjoy it,” he said in an interview on the “Kennedy Saves the World” podcast.
The 24-hour culinary sprint came with a price tag of $1,451.34, including nearly $1,000 spent on food and hundreds of dollars more on transportation, according to Guinness World Records.
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Some of the standout dishes include scallop dumpling with English peas and foie gras in Tuome; Jonah’s crab dish with apple, grapefruit and wasabi at Le Pavillon; and tortellini pomodoro at Torrisi, Fyksen said.
One of the biggest challenges has been getting reservations at some of the most sought-after hot spots.
The tortellini pomodoro at Torrisi was among Fyksen’s favorites, he said. (Joshua Fyksen)
Fyksen said he relied on calendar alerts to book reservations when they became available and even contacted certain restaurants directly to request a seat.
Michelin-starred restaurants are judged anonymously and reviewed each year, adding to the prestige and pressure of earning and maintaining a star.
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But for Fyksen, love goes beyond breaking a record, he told Fox News Digital.
“I spend most of my free time in restaurants,” he said.
“I know that eventually someone will beat it,” he said of his Guinness World Record.
Long before the record, he and his wife, Angela, tried tasting menus and visited Manhattan’s Le Bernardin, Per Se and Eleven Madison Park in one day.
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“One of my favorite food memories was when, during our honeymoon a few years ago, I surprised my wife with a day trip to Copenhagen just to eat at Noma the morning after a perfect dinner at Alain Ducasse’s Restaurant le Meurice in Paris,” recalls Fyksen.
His wife helped write his latest single for the Big Apple. Another restaurant she wanted to visit most was The Corner Store, a popular hot spot frequented by celebrities – especially without a Michelin star or part of her husband’s carefully planned itinerary.
Fyxen included Eleven Madison Park, one of New York City’s most famous restaurants, in his record-breaking program. (Gary He/Bloomberg)
So when the challenge was over, instead of detoxing or getting some sleep – the couple headed to SoHo.
“Since that restaurant has one of the hardest reservations in town, I had to have someone hold a place in line so we could go have dinner at 5 p.m. We did, and we had a great time,” he said.
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While the achievement may sound like a dream to some foodies, Fyksen suggested it’s not something he plans to repeat.
“I don’t think I want to do it again,” he said.
Fyksen began his record-setting feat in Brooklyn and finished it at Gramercy Tavern about 24 hours later. He said there is little chance that he will do the cooking job again. (Joshua Fyksen)
But he wants to hold the record for a while, he admitted.
“I know that eventually someone will hit it,” said Fyksen.
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“I hope I made it difficult for them.”
He added, “I know they will have fun. And I hope they take some time to enjoy and appreciate the great chefs and restaurants that work so hard to earn Michelin Stars. I know I did.”
