Yes I love to eat! Yes I like to try new restaurants. I was reading an article the other day which was about S. Pellegrino’s annual “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list which was released at a celebrity-chef-studded event in London, England, marking the ninth edition of the much buzzed-about (and hotly debated) catalogue of the international culinary landscape.
The illustrious list is compiled by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy — an 806-member panel of the globe’s most venerated chefs, food critics, restaurateurs and gourmands.
A few things about the list:
- No. 1 spot on annual list goes to Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark
- After four years at No. 1, Spanish restaurant El Bulli takes No. 2 spot
- Eight of the restaurants crowned this year are in the United States
After four consecutive years ranked as the World’s Best Restaurant, Spanish restaurant El Bulli takes a seat at No. 2. However, that won’t make it any easier to snag a table. Only 8,000 reservations are accepted every year, out of a reported million requests.
Eight of the restaurants crowned this year — Alinea in Chicago, Illinois; Daniel, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, wd~50 and Eleven Madison Park in New York; and The French Laundry in Yountville, California — are in the United States, the most by any country
Of the remaining 42 top finishers, six are in France; Spain and Italy each have five. Here is the list:
| 1. Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark) | 26. Momofuku Ssäm Bar (New York) |
| 2. El Bulli (Roses, Spain) | 27. Quay Restaurant (Sydney, Australia) |
| 3. The Fat Duck (Bray, England) | 28. Iggy’s (Singapore) |
| 4. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain) | 29. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (Paris, France) |
| 5. Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain) | 30. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland) |
| 6. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy) | 31. Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek, South Africa) |
| 7. Alinea (Chicago, Illinois) | 32. The French Laundry (Yountville, California) |
| 8. Daniel (New York) | 33. Martin Berasategui (Lasarte-oria, Spain) |
| 9. Arzak (San Sebastián, Spain) | 34. Aqua (Bath, England) |
| 10. Per Se (New York) | 35. Combal Zero (Rivoli, Italy) |
| 11. Le Chateaubriand (Paris, France) | 36. Dal Pescatore (Mantova, Italy) |
| 12. La Colombe (Cape Town, South Africa) | 37. De Librije (Zwolle, Netherlands) |
| 13. Pierre Gagnaire (Paris, France) | 38. Tetsuya’s (Sydney, Australia) |
| 14. L’Hotel de Ville — Philippe Rochat (Crissier, Switzerland) | 39. Jaan Par Andre (Singapore) |
| 15. Le Bernardin (New York) | 40. Il Canto (Siena, Italy) |
| 16. L’Astrance (Paris, France) | 41. Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France) |
| 17. Hof Van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium) | 42. Oaxen Krog (Oaxen, Sweden) |
| 18. D.O.M. (São Paolo, Brazil) | 43. St. John (London, England) |
| 19. Oud Sluis (Sluis, Netherlands) | 44. La Maison Troisgros (Roanne, France) |
| 20. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy) | 45. wd~50 (New York) |
| 21. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria) | 46. Biko (Mexico City, Mexico) |
| 22. Vendôme (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) | 47. Die Schwarzwaldstube (Baiersbronn, Germany) |
| 23. Chef Dominique (Helsinki, Finland) | 48. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan) |
| 24. Les Créations de Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan) | 49. Hibiscus (London, England) |
| 25. Mathias Dahlgren (Stockholm, Sweden) | 50. Eleven Madison Park (New York) |
Ok I will admit it – I haven’t been to ANY of these restaurants and only heard of a handful. When I think of the best restaurants I have ever been to my list would include:
- Abe & Louise in Boston
- Postrio in SF
- Quality Meats in NY
What about you?
- Have you been to any of these restaurants?
- If so how was the experience?
- What is the BEST restaurant you have ever been to?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Stephenie Gordon says:
i love that Thomas Keller has 2 of the 8 restaurants on the US list! I’ve been to The French Laundry which may have been the best meal of my life. Knowing the caliber of that meal, i can’t even fathom how wonderful some of these others are.
Christing Cook says:
Wow! I haven’t been to any of these. This looks like a good list to add to my “Bucket List”.
Hey, this would be a good blog for the future Merrill. What is on your “Bucket List”?
Will I see you next week in Boston?
Christine
Diane Wagner says:
I’ve been to one – The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s restaurant. Prior to going, I had heard about it for many years growing up as I did in the Bay Area. It lived up to (and surpassed) every expectation I had about it – a 4 hour lunch! Anthony Boudain did a great segment on going there which I would recommend searching for online. I’m a huge fan of Thomas Keller and now love his Bouchon in Beverly Hills which is close to where I am now. Bouchon is definitely my new local fav … but French Laundry was probably my all-time favorite!
Fee Sepahi says:
Hi Merrill,
Wow. This is a list and not sure any of which I’ll ever step into.
I would say the BEST restaurant I have been to is by far the Frog and the Peach. http://www.frogandpeach.com run by proprietors Betsy Alger and James Black, in New Brunswick, NJ, with Bruce Lefebvre, Executive Chef, it provides a magnificent ambiance, atmosphere, friendly staff, with delightful courses that are breath taking. You’ll find me there for a very special evening on August 6th!
Dan Bernard says:
Was planning on going to #8 and #15 last week when I was in NYC, but ended up being dragged to an Irish Bar by my buddy Gene. And no – I’ve never been to any of them. My best restaurant? A Pakistani restaurant in Paris: Trésor du Kashmir (Yes, I said Pakistani & Paris in the same sentence.)