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There are close to 3,000 restaurants around the world that currently sport at least one of the coveted Michelin stars that the anonymous critics who curate the annual guides have been handing out to the finest establishments in the world for almost a century.
The food each eatery serves is the primary factor in landing at least one of the possible three stars that all but ensure an influx of business from locals and tourists alike. With that said, many of the winners also set themselves apart with their innovative interior design, stellar customer service, and—in many cases—a formidable wine list overseen by a seasoned sommelier.
That includes Coque, which offers patrons at its two-star establishment in the heart of Madrid the chance to pair dishes prepared on its wood-fired stove with one of the 3,000 different vintages in its massive wine collection—a number that is now slightly smaller after a crime that transpired there earlier this week.
Spanish restaurant Coque was hit by a carefully-planned heist that claimed 132 bottles of wine worth upwards of $200,000
Earlier this year, Atrio—another Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain located around a three-hour drive west of Coque—fell victim to an incredibly elaborate caper allegedly perpetrated by a duo of thieves who infiltrated its wine cellar and disappeared into the night with 45 bottles worth an estimated $1.6 million.
According to El País, a similar robbery unfolded at Coque on Sunday night when a crew of robbers managed to break into a pharmacy next door and used a back door to gain access to the restaurant before absconding with 132 bottles of wine a representative for the restaurant says have an estimated value of over $150,000 (Coque sommelier Rafael Sandoval says it good be closer to $200K).
While there are currently no suspects, police suggested the thieves could’ve had some help from the inside when determining which bottles to take, as they appeared to be very deliberate when it came to picking the wines that were stolen (which includes a number of bottles from the Marqués de Riscal winery dating back to as early as 1925).