Top 10 restaurants in the world

The San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards saw Danish restaurant Noma reclaim the top spot this week, but which other restaurants are riding high in the world’s fine dining scene?

Of the world’s top 10 restaurants, Spain dominated with three entries, followed closely by the UK and USA each with two restaurants featured.

Other individual accolades were awarded to Jordi Roca of El Celler de Can Roca, who was named the World’s Best Pastry Chef, D.O.M.’s Alex Atala, who took home Chefs’ Choice Award, and Spanish restaurant Azurmendi, which took home the Sustainable Restaurant Award. San Francisco’s Saison could soon be entering the world’s top 50 having been awarded the One To Watch award.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, are announced annually at London’s Guildhall, culminating with the award for the S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant.

William Drew, group editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “It has been another exciting year for the awards and we are thrilled to have once again welcomed the world’s best chefs to London for a night of celebration within the industry. The appetite for reaching new gastronomic heights continues to grow and grow and we are honoured to play a small part in that process. It’s fantastic to witness the strength and breadth of talent that exists across all corners of the globe.”

Scroll through to find out which 10 restaurants were voted the best in the world…

10. The Ledbury, London, UK

Last year’s position: 13

The judges said: “Discreet, welcoming but quietly outstanding – the same epithets can be used to describe chef Brett Graham, his food and The Ledbury itself. The restaurant, tucked away in a corner of west London’s fashionable Notting Hill neighbourhood, still retains a loyal local (if distinctly well-heeled) following, with long-time regulars sitting harmoniously alongside the increasing number of international visitors.

“The Australian-born chef-patron, who opened The Ledbury with seasoned restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin in 2005 may now be fêted across the gastro world, but he still puts in punishing hours in the cramped basement kitchen. The team works tirelessly to source the UK’s best ingredients from a huge network of small-scale suppliers, with an emphasis on game, intriguing vegetables and obscure herbs and roots.”

On the pass: Brett Graham
Style of food: Modern French
Standout Dish: Loin of roe deer baked in Douglas fir with white beetroot, blackcurrants and smoked bone marrow

127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 2AQ, UK, +44 207 792 9090, theledbury.com

9. Alinea, Chicago, USA

Last year’s position: 15

The judges said: “Grant Achatz has been a world leader in culinary innovation since opening Alinea in Chicago back in 2005. Dishes such as hot potato, cold potato and black truffle explosion, as well as food suspended on wires or plated straight on to the table, have become iconic around the globe. And nearly a decade on, the chef continues to push the boundaries of avant-garde cuisine with his ever-evolving menus.

Located in Lincoln Park, Alinea is a truly modern restaurant. Divided into four distinct rooms to allow patrons privacy and an uninterrupted dining experience, the contemporary décor features special lighting allowing for the colour of the walls to change and create different moods. But that’s just where the magic begins. Alinea’s ground-breaking tasting menus typically comprise 15 to 19 courses and take diners on an unapologetically mind-blowing journey. The kitchen uses modernist techniques to astonishing effect with artistic plating and plenty of table theatre.”

On the pass: Grant Achatz (above) and chef de cuisine Mike Bagale
Style of food: Cutting-edge
Standout Dish: Lily bulbs, distillation of finger lime and lily and apple blossoms

1723 North Halsted, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA, + 1 312 867 0110, alinearestaurant.com 

8. Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain

Last year’s position: 8

The judges said: “As with others featured on this élite list, the Arzaks’ cooking is about the reworking of traditional dishes, and extracting the best from local ingredients using cutting-edge techniques. However far the restaurant moves forward, it still honours its Basque culinary heritage. Indeed, this respect for tradition has established Arzak as a destination for locals as well as visiting food-lovers. “Everyone living in San Sebastián has been here,” proclaims formidable chef patron Juan Mari Arzak, who shares the running of both the kitchen and the overall business with daughter Elena Arzak Espina.

“A traditional frontage – the site has traded as a restaurant since 1897, when it was opened by Juan Mari’s grandparents – hides a remarkable dining space with a black, white and grey colour scheme, electric sliding doors and mirrors a-plenty. Juan Mari was among the first to open a culinary research lab and was arguably one of the world’s first chefs to adopt a scientific and experimental approach to cooking. He continues to champion techniques he helped to develop, including freeze-drying, dehydration and distillation.”

On the pass: Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak Espina
Style of food: Modern Basque
Standout Dish: Squid with onion and lemon sauce

Avenida Alcalde Elosegui 273 20015, San Sebastián, Spain, +34 943 27 84 65, arzak.es

7. D.O.M, São Paulo, Brazil

Last year’s position: 6

The judges said: “Before Alex Atala opened D.O.M. – Deo Optimus Maximus – which, for the benefit of any non-Latin speakers, means ‘God is greatest and best’– the dominant cuisine in high-end restaurants was French and Italian. Today, South American food and ingredients are creeping on to the top tables of gastronomy, not just in the continent from which it hails, but across the world, and Atala has had a major hand in this.

The pioneering chef is also part-historian and part-botanist thanks to his research trips with scientists and anthropologists deep into the Amazon to test potential ingredients for his menu. By doing so he has not only brought his country’s indigenous foodstuffs – many of which are unknown beyond its borders – to the fore, but has helped challenge the notion that familiarity and old-school sensibilities are the key to running a successful top-end establishment.”

On the pass: Alex Atala
Style of food: Contemporary Brazilian/Amazonian
Standout Dish: Fresh heart of palm with scallops and coral sauce

Rua Barão de Capanema, 549 Jardins, São Paulo, Brazil, +55 11 3088 0761, domrestaurante.com.br

6. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain

Last year’s position: 4

The judges said: “Named after a border oak tree that grows in the hills inland from San Sebastian – one specific tree, rather than the species – Mugaritz takes attention to detail to new heights.

“Everything about chef Andoni Luis Aduriz’s restaurant – from the specially created barbecue smell that emanates from the restaurant, designed to remind approaching patrons of their childhood, to the way the table is laid (or not) – is done for a precise reason. The aforementioned tables, for example, are left bare save a white tablecloth and a centerpiece of a broken plate, to eschew any sense of restaurant hierarchy or provide any hint of the meal that awaits. As Aduriz himself says: “We strive to transcend the customs that curtail our freedom.”

Andoni Luis Aduriz
On the pass: Andoni Luis Aduriz
Style of food: Techno-emotional Spanish
Standout Dish: Ice shreds, scarlet shrimp perfume

Aldura Aldea 20, 20100 Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, Spain, +34 943 52 24 55, mugaritz.com

5. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, UK

Last year’s position: 7

The judges said: “It may have launched as The Fat Duck’s young townie cousin but, since opening in 2011, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has rapidly grown up to become widely celebrated in its own right. Signature dishes including Meat Fruit and Tipsy Cake with spit-roast pineapple have already gained iconic status around the world and Dinner continues to wow its patrons with ever-evolving creations.

“Headed up by Blumenthal’s right-hand man, Ashley Palmer-Watts, the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London’s Knightsbridge is all about recreating history – British culinary history to be exact. Recipes from as far back as the 1300s are given a 21st-century makeover with contemporary ingredients and new-age cooking techniques, resulting in a menu that takes diners on a journey full of wonder and discovery. What may seem simple on the outside is carefully planned and cleverly constructed behind the scenes. A case in point is the Bohemian Cake, which takes its historical connection from Mrs. AB Marshall’s Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes from 1891. What once was a simple chocolate lemon cake has been reinvented as a modern-day dessert comprising yuzu-soaked chocolate sponge encased in grapefruit jam and chocolate mousse, flecked with chocolate and served with honey ice cream. Dinner is not about delicate combinations or table theatrics, but gutsy dishes that deliver a taste sensation with lasting impact.”

On the pass: Ashley Palmer-Watts
Style of food: Historical British food reinvented
Standout Dish: Buttered Crab loaf (1714): crab, cucumber, pickled lemon, sea purslane and smoked roe

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park 66 Knightsbridge, London, UK, SW1X 7LA, +44 207 201 3833, dinnerbyheston.com

4. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA

Last year’s position: 5

The judges said: “You’d be excused for thinking that a fine-dining restaurant housed in New York’s Credit Suisse building would be something of a dour affair. After all, global financial services and food don’t make for obvious bedfellows. But at Eleven Madison Park, chef Daniel Humm and co-owner Will Guidara’s sleek Art Deco restaurant, the experience is anything but dull.

“From card tricks – a server appears with a deck of cards on which different ingredients are written and bids the diner pick a card, only for a chocolate to be revealed from a secret compartment under their dessert bowl that is made from the filling on the chosen card – to unusual serves, nothing about a meal here is humdrum. Take the carrot tartare course (yes, really) which begins with a waiter affixing a meat grinder to the table and inserting two frighteningly fresh carrots. As they are being ground the diner is presented with a selection of condiments, including a quail’s egg yolk and shaved fresh horseradish, and is then left to construct their own dish.”

On the pass: Daniel Humm, chef de cuisine Chris Flint and executive Pastry chef Angela Pinkerton
Style of food: Modern French with a New York swagger
Standout Dish: Duck roasted with honey and lavender

11 Madison Avenue, New York, USA 10010, +1 212 889 0905, elevenmadisonpark.com

3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy

The judges said: “In third place for the second consecutive year, Osteria Francescana continues to fly the flag for a nation that is arguably under-represented on the list. Italians are famously spiky when it comes to people interfering with long-established culinary traditions, yet Massimo Bottura is able to balance the demands of heritage and modernity and has created a restaurant where traditionalists and those seeking something entirely new are both amply catered for.

“It’s not hard to identify what people like about the effervescent Bottura’s more avant-garde creations – they’re fun and unapologetically eccentric, yet always underpinned by perfect execution and, most importantly, deliciousness. The menu can now be split into three categories. First up are the traditional dishes from the Emilia-Romagna area that have little or no edgy elements, such as Bottura’s spectacular tortellini with Parmesan sauce and tagliatelle with ragù. Indeed, overseas visitors may notice that a good proportion of the restaurant’s Italian customers will opt for these superior staples.”

On the pass: Massimo Bottura
Style of food: Modern Italian
Standout Dish: Oops! I Dropped The Lemon Tart

Via Stella 22, 41121 Modena, Italy, +39 59 210 118, osteriafrancescana.it

2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

Last year’s position: 1

The judges said: “El Celler de Can Roca is at heart a local family-owned restaurant rooted in the fiercely independent state of Catalonia. But at the same time, it has featured on this list for almost a decade – reaching the vaunted number one spot last year – and secured a global reputation for its gastronomic prowess.

“Brothers Joan and Josep opened El Celler de Can Roca in 1986 alongside their parents’ simple restaurant in a working class suburb of Girona. In 2007 they relocated to the current premises up the road. By then Joan, a hugely accomplished chef, and wine aficionado Josep had been joined by their much younger sibling Jordi, who was forging his own stellar career as a pastry chef. The combination has proved to be a gastronomic holy trinity.”

On the pass: Head chef Joan Roca (above) and pastry chef Jordi Roca
Style of food: Modern Spanish
Standout Dish: Charcoal-grilled king prawn, king prawn sand, ink rocks, fried legs, head juice and king prawn essence

Can Sunyer 48, 17007 Girona, Spain, +34 972 22 21 57, cellercanroca.com

1. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

Last year’s position: 2

The judges said: “Following what chef-owner René Redzepi calls a ‘restaurant mid-life crisis’, Noma has dramatically re-taken the top spot in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The period of angst and creative hiatus he refers to was not prompted by last year’s ‘demotion’ to second spot, but conversely by Noma capturing and retaining the title of The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant over several years previously.

“In the past year or so, the restaurant has been transformed once again with a fresh approach and energy. Its renewed confidence is based on greater knowledge and considered experimentation, rather than the intuition and raw discovery of its earlier period. Many of the dishes are actually simpler now, but no less original – and no less connected to the Nordic terroir. Diners at the 45-seat restaurant, located in a stripped- back warehouse on Copenhagen’s dockside, are introduced to Noma’s food via its inimitable series of ‘snacks’ – 10 servings that include the likes of sea urchin toast and caramelised milk and cod liver. These are followed by 10 further courses – a dish of beef tartar and ants among them – before the meal is rounded off with a stunning array of ‘treats’. Redzepi’s food can at times be shocking – visceral even – but diners who are prepared to put themselves in the kitchen’s hands rarely leave disappointed. With flavour to the fore, there are dishes here that slap you in the face and make you feel glad to be alive.”

On the pass: René Redzepi (above) and head chef Daniel Giusti
Style of food: Seasonal, terroir-led Scandinavian
Standout Dish: Winter potato cooked in fermented barley

Strandgade 93, 1401 Copenhagen, Denmark, +45 3296 3297, noma.dk