Each year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is released (plus numbers 51-100 too, for good measure). Established in 2002, the list caters primarily to industry insiders – if you don’t work in the food industry, you likely haven’t heard of it – but as the world becomes more and more obsessed with food, it’s increasingly influencing where people eat, and where they travel to specifically to eat. Think of it as the Oscars for food.
If you’ve ‘done’ wellness eating in LA, ticked off San Sebastian’s gastronomic hotspots, and foraged your way across Copenhagen, where should you be eating next? It’s an important question, we know, and luckily, we’ve delved into this year’s list to find out where’s hot to eat now – and why you should get yourself to Lima.
Modena, Italy
It’s still very much worth it to book your next foodie trip to Italy; it will always be a key destination. The iconic Osteria Francescana regained the top spot on World’s 50 Best this year, having fallen last year to second place. Massimo Bottura’s restaurant is famed for its sensitive, local approach to cooking; this is food with a palpable regional identity.
London, UK
If you live in London, you know you live in one of the best food cities in the world – we’re unbearably smug about this as a city. Now we have even more reason to be: The Clove Club in Shoreditch is this year’s highest new entry on the list, coming in at number 26. The former supper club is known for mixing inventive Scottish touches – like haggis doughnuts – into its generous menus.
London has three restaurants in the top 50 in total – joining The Clove Club are The Ledbury at number 14, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which this year makes number 45.
Lima, Peru
Peruvian cuisine has been in the limelight on the global food scene for the past two years, and this year’s list features three restaurants in prominent positions. Leading the way at number four, Central explores the length and breadth of Peru’s ecosystem, with a tasting menu that starts deep below sea level and rises up to 4100 metres above ground.
At number 13, Maido pushes forward nikkei cuisine – Peru meets Japan – to explore its native country’s rich biodiversity, incorporating cooking techniques and ingredients from the Amazon, and filtering these elements through the lens of Japanese cuisine. And at number 30 comes Astrid y Gastón, led by pioneering chef Gastón Acurio, who runs more than 40 restaurants around the world, each celebrating and promoting the richness of Peruvian cuisine and heritage.
New York, US
Eleven Madison Park climbs to number three this year – its all-time highest spot. The judges emphasise that great service goes hand in hand with great food and great chefs – and this restaurant has all three. In at number 34 is one for seafood lovers, Le Bernardin, which offers three levels of dish: Almost Raw, Barely Touched and Lightly Cooked, while Estela comes in at number 44 with its small plate, Mediterranean approach (and brilliant wine list).
And if you’re looking for more fodder for your edible bucket list? Pencil in Tokyo’s Den, which scooped the One To Watch Award for 2016, as well as Bangkok’s Gaggan (where the cocktails are up there with the food), Moscow’s White Rabbit (which follows an Alice in Wonderland theme), Hong Kong’s Amber and Cape Town’s The Test Kitchen, which won Best African Restaurant 2016.
STILL HUNGRY? Dig into WGSN’s Food & Drink directory for the latest in ingredients, restaurants and lifestyle trends.
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