The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List was announced today at an awards ceremony in Valencia, Spain. As ever, the list aims to evaluate and subsequently rank the entire world’s global culinary output.
This year, as like last year, we were guaranteed to see a restaurant achieve No. 1 status for the first time. In 2019, the organization announced a rule change that after a restaurant ascends to the No. 1 spot, it becomes ineligible and is removed from the list in future years. This year, Central, in Lima, earned the top spot. Run by married chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pia León, Central’s tasting menu takes diners through the Peruvian ecosystem and its produce by focusing each course on specific altitudes. León’s restaurant Kjolle debuted on the list this year at No. 28. This also marks the first time a restaurant with a female chef has earned the top spot, and the first time a restaurant outside of Europe or the United States has won.
It was a weirdly bad year for the United States of America. Modern Korean tasting menu spot Atomix in New York City was the highest ranked in North America, and the highest climber (over 20 slots, from last year’s No. 33). The only other U.S. restaurant on the list is also in New York City: Fancy French seafood insitution Le Bernardin ranked at No. 44. It bears noting here that it’s surprising to see only New York City restaurants honored on the list from the U.S. considering that the Bay Area is a tremendous center of fine dining, and there’s amazing cooking of course happening around the country, not just in New York City. It would have been exciting to see something like Nikki Nakayama’s kaiseki-inspired Los Angeles restaurant N/Naka or even something like Mashama Bailey’s The Grey in Savannah make the list.
But ultimately, ranking the best restaurants in the world is a wild premise. What does best mean? Best to whom? As such, the list doesn’t really live up to that task. Instead, the list historically focuses primarily on fine-dining establishments around Europe and the United States, though in recent years restaurants from east Asia, South America, and Central America have appeared on the list with more frequency.
At No. 14, Odette — a French leaning tasting menu spot — became the highest ranked in Asia, and its chef, Julien Royer, earned the chef’s choice award. New entry Trèsind Studio in Dubai ranked the highest for restaurants in the Middle East and Africa at No. 11. Once again, the list featured no restaurants from India; and this year there wasn’t a single restaurant from the entire African continent. At No. 2, Disfrutar took was the highest ranked in Europe, while Central was the highest ranked in South America. Among the other awards awards, Kwame Onwuachi took home the one to watch award for his work at Tatiana in New York City and Pía Salazar earned best pastry chef for her desserts at Nuema, Quito.
The organization still continues to award a “best female chef.” This year, the winner is Elena Reygadas (Rosetta, Mexico City) – her restaurant ranked at No. 37 on the Latin America’s 50 Best list last year and makes her main list debut this year at No. 49. The award has been the subject of intense criticism over the years (including from chefs who have won the award), but the organization and its voters (a gender-balanced mix of chefs and food experts) can’t seem to figure out how to adequately represent and honor the culinary output of women in the world without it.
We’ll be updating this list in real time as winners are announced, so stay tuned and refresh often. Head here to watch and for more on what to expect this year.
1. Central, Lima
2. Disfrutar, Barcelona
3. Diverxo, Madrid
4. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
5. Alchemist, Copenhagen
6. Maido, Lima
7. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy
8. Atomix, New York City [Highest Climber]
9. Quintonil, Mexico City
10. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris [Highest New Entry]
11. Trèsind Studio, Dubai
12. A Casa do Porco, Sao Paulo
13. Pujol, Mexico City
14. Odette, Singapore
15. Le Du, Bangkok
16. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
17. Gaggan Anand, Bangkok
18. Steirereck, Vienna
19. Don Julio, Buenos Aires
20. Quique Dacosta, Dénia, Spain
21. Den, Tokyo
22. Elkano, Getaria, Spain
23. Kol, London
24. Septime, Paris
25. Belcanto, Lisbon
26. Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland
27. Florilège, Tokyo
28. Kjolle, Lima
29. Boragó, Santiago
30. Frantzén, Stockholm
31. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
32. Hiša Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia
33. El Chato, Bogota
34. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy
35. Ikoyi, London
36. Plénitude, Paris
37. Sézanne, Tokyo
38. The Clove Club, London
39. The Jane, Antwerp
40. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin
41. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
42. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
43. Leo, Bogota
44. Le Bernardin, New York City
45. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin
46. Orfali Bros Bistro, Dubai
47. Mayta, Lima, Peru
48. La Grenouillėre, La Madeleine-Sous-Montreuil, France
49. Rosetta, Mexico City
50. The Chairman, Hong Kong
Chef’s Choice Award:
Art of Hospitality Award: Alchemist, Copenhagen
Best Sommelier: Miguel Ángel Millán (Diverxo, Madrid)
Best Pastry Chef: Pía Salazar (Nuema, Quito)
Sustainable Restaurant Award: Fyn, Cape Town
Previously announced awards:
One to Watch: Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi (New York City)
Best Female Chef: Elena Reygadas (Rosetta, Mexico City)
Icon: Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain)
Champions of Change: Nora Fitzgerald Belahcen (Amal Centre, Marrakech, Morraco); Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco (No Us Without You LA, Los Angeles)
The organization previously revealed the “back 50,” as it’s sometimes known, a ranking of 51 – 100.
