There can only be one…
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List is no stranger to drama, and is often referenced as the Grammy’s or Oscars of food. With tears, snubs and controversy at every turn, the list plays on the heartstrings of chefs and diners alike. Fan favorites move down the rankings, controversial avant-garde chefs close in on the top spot and we collectively cannot help but watch. This years list however, lacks many surprises. The best chefs keep getting better, and a few countries seem to totally dominate. Here’s the full scoop on what we’ve learned from The World’s 50 Best list for 2018…
Spain garnered 3 of the top 10 spots on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, including No. 2 for El Celler De Can Roca in Girona – a previous winner, No. 9 For Mugaritz in San Sebastian and No.10 fort the Asador Etxebarri in Axpe. Spain takes over from Peru, which held the highest concentration of Top 10 restaurants in the 2017 selection. Peru did however manage to retain 2/10 spots with Maido and Central of Lima. The decision further cements Lima as a truly premier foodie destination.
Osteria Francescana, a perennial top 10 favorite has reached the pinnacle – again. Helmed by the highly acclaimed Massimo Bottura, the restaurant has returned to the top, after falling just short in 2017 at No.2, behind the venerable Eleven Madison Park. Eleven Madison Park has since fallen to No.4 in the 2018 standings, which critics have argued is unmerited. Mirazur of Menton, France rounds out the top three with Celler Can Roca and Osteria.
Bangkok isn’t renowned as a fine dining capital, but Gaggan is changing that. Chef Gaggan Anand has fought to bring respect to the Bangkok fine dining scene, and with a two spot jump to No. 5, he’s not far off. Gaggan offers an existentially creative dining concept, and if you’d like to check it out for yourself, be prepared to cough up $200 per person. But you’ll have to think fast – Gaggan will permanently close in 2020, after 10 years of brilliance as Gaggan creates a new venture in Japan.
Dining in one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants is a very, very neat thing to take in. To think that New York City offers more than 24,000 dining establishments alone provides an excellent scale to just how impressive this feat is on an international culinary level. While many of these distinguished choices, especially those in the top 10, will cost a small fortune – many in the Top 50 are extremely reasonable. Take a browse of the full World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, and plot your next adventures accordingly.
How many of the World’s 50 Best restaurants have you tried?
Featured image courtesy of Osteria Francescana.
