The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, has been revealed and this year Mirazur in Menton, France, is named The World’s Best Restaurant 2019.
The annual list of the world’s finest restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for global gastronomic trends.
The annual awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of restaurants as well as a series of individual accolades for chefs. The list is voted on by a diverse Academy comprising more than 1,000 international chefs, food writers and traveling gourmets.
The World’s Best Restaurant 2019
Taking over the No.1 position from Osteria Francescana, which has been elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame, Mirazur climbed to the top this year from the No.3 spot in 2018. In 2017, the restaurant ranked No.4 on the list.
Mirazur is joined in the top three positions by Noma (No.2) in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Asador Etxebarri (No.3), in Atxondo, Spain.
The world’s 50 best restaurants 2019
The 2019 list includes restaurants from 26 countries worldwide and introduces 12 restaurants making their debut and three returning as re-entries.
- Mirazur (Menton, France)
- Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
- Gaggan (Bangkok)
- Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Central (Lima, Peru)
- Mugaritz
- Arpege (Paris, France)
- Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
- Maido (Lima, Peru)
- Den (Tokyo, Japan)
- Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
- White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)
- Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)
- Septime (Paris, France)
- Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)
- Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
- Odette (Singapore)
- Twins Garden (Moscow, Russia)
- Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)
- Frantzén (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
- Cosme (New York City)
- Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)
- Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
- The Clove Club (London, UK)
- Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York)
- Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
- Elkano (Getaria, Spain)
- Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
- Nerua (Bilbao, Spain)
- Lyle’s (London, UK)
- Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Atelier Crenn (San Francisco)
- Le Bernardin (New York City)
- Alinea (Chicago)
- Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
- A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
- The Chairman (Hong Kong, China)
- Belcanto (Lisbon, Portugal)
- Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)
- Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Sühring (Bangkok, Thailand)
- De Librije (Zwolle, Netherlands)
- Benu (San Francisco)
- Ultraviolet (Shanghai, China)
- Leo (Bogotá, Colombia)
- Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
Spain has the most World’s Best Restaurants
Spain leads the way with seven of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, including three in the top 10: Asador Etxebarri (No.3); Mugaritz (No.7); and Disfrutar (No.9).
World’s Best Restaurants in USA
The USA claims six restaurants in the list, including Cosme (No.23), which is helmed by The World’s Best Female Chef 2019, Daniela Soto-Innes, and two new entries: Atelier Crenn (No.35), and Benu (No.47), both in San Francisco, California.
This year, Denmark boasts top-five honours for the new incarnation of Noma (No.2) and Geranium (No.5), both in Copenhagen. France is also well represented with five restaurants in the top 50, including Arpège (No.8), Septime (No.15), Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (No.16), Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (No.25), as well as Mirazur.
Peru also makes the top ten list with entries from Lima including Central (No.6), once again voted The Best Restaurant in South America, and Maido (No.10).
Mexico also claims two spots in the upper echelons of the list including Pujol (No.12), which is named The Best Restaurant in North America, and Quintonil (No.24), both in Mexico City.
The UK, Italy, Japan, China, Thailand and Russia are also each represented with two restaurants on the list.
Asia-based restaurants also include Gaggan (No.4), in Bangkok, named The Best Restaurant in Asia, and Odette (No.18) from the host city of Singapore. The Test Kitchen (No.44) from Cape Town is The Best Restaurant in Africa.
Chef’s Choice Award 2019
Alain Passard of Arpège in Paris, France (No.8), wins the Chefs’ Choice Award, sponsored by Estrella Damm. The prestigious accolade is voted on by the world’s leading chefs in the list and awarded to a peer who has made a significant impact to the culinary world in the past year.
Art of Hospitality Award 2019
The Art of Hospitality Award, sponsored by Legle, goes to Tokyo’s Den (No.11). The restaurant is highly regarded for its holistic approach to service from the moment guests make their reservation to the minute they leave the premises.
Sustainable Restaurant Award 2019
Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Switzerland (No.50) wins the Sustainable Restaurant Award 2019. This award is independently audited by Food Made Good Global – the international arm of the Sustainable Restaurant Association – which rates establishments in the extended list of 120 restaurants that self-nominate for the award based on set sustainability criteria.
American Express Icon Award 2019
New for 2019, the American Express Icon Award is bestowed on US-based Spanish chef and humanitarian José Andrés. This prestigious honour celebrates an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the restaurant world over their career to date and whose reach extends beyond the kitchen.
The World’s Best Pastry Chef Award 2019
Jessica Préalpato, the Head Pastry Chef at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (No.16) in Paris, receives The World’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Sosa. Préalpato’s innovative ethos is based on creating natural desserts with seasonal produce that are high in flavour, but low in sugar and fat.
Miele One To Watch Award 2019
Finally, Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera, Italy, takes home the Miele One To Watch Award, which recognizes a global rising-star restaurant from the extended ranking that has the potential to make an impact on the list in future years. Entering at No.78, keep an eye out for it in the lists to come.
Best of the Best Hall of Fame World’s Best Restaurants
Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants (listed below) have more than proved their worth and will now be forever honoured as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame.
The following restaurants have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since the list’s inception and were therefore not eligible for voting in 2019 or beyond:
- El Bulli (2002, 2006-2009)
- The French Laundry (2003-2004)
- The Fat Duck (2005)
- Noma – original location (2010-2012, 2014)
- El Celler de Can Roca (2013, 2015)
- Osteria Francescana (2016, 2018)
- Eleven Madison Park (2017)
Voting Process
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list is voted for by more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts and well-traveled gourmets who make up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.
The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members, including a chairperson. None of the event’s sponsors has any influence over the voting process.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is independently adjudicated by professional services consultancy Deloitte. This adjudication ensures that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 is protected.