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Charlie McKay

Three London restaurants are on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list

Kol and Ikoyi are among the globe’s greatest dining spots

Leonie Cooper
Written by
Alice Savile
&
Leonie Cooper
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If you’re wondering where the best place to eat on the entire planet is, the wait is over. The World’s Best 50 Restaurants for 2023 is out, with the awards hosted last night (June 20) in Valencia, Spain. Top of the culinary pops is Lima restaurant Central. 

The fine-dining Peruvian spot was founded by Virgilio Martínez in 2008 and focusses on using indigenous Peruvian ingredients and takes the top position from last year's winner; Geranium in Copenhagen. It sounds lush, but you and I both know we’re probably never going to go there. So we took a look a little further down the list to find a trio of offerings closer to home.

The highest ranked London restaurant was Kol at number 23. The Michelin star Marylebone restaurant serves up classy Mexican cuisine and is headed up by chef Santiago Lastra, who commented: 'It is an honour for the team to be recognised on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list; we are so grateful for all the support. The source of our inspiration is and remains the beauty found in Mexico’s people and rich culture. It influences how we create food every day. I would also like to thank our wonderful British farmers, foragers, producers and the wider community. You have helped make Kol our home.' Well done, Santiago! 

Shoreditch’s The Clove Club comes in at number 38: its £195 tasting menu features modern British flavour combos including Orkney scallops with hazelnuts, and veal sweetbread baked in hay. Then there's Ikoyi at number 35: a homely-but-luxe restaurant which blends European cooking styles with West African know-how, serving up the most decadent jollof rice you’ll find anywhere in London.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022

50. The Chairman, Hong Kong

49. Rosetta, Mexico City

48. La Grenouillère, La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil

47. Mayta, Lima

46. Orfali Bros Bistro, Dubai

45. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin

44. Le Bernadin, New York

43. Leo, Bogotá

42. Piazza Duoma, Alba

41. Le Calandre, Rubano

40. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin

39. The Jane, Antwerp

38. Clove Club, London

37. Sézanne, Tokyo

36. Plénitude, Paris

35. Ikoyi, London

34. Uliassi, Senigallia

33. El Chato, Bogotá

32. Hiša Franko, Kobarid

31. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain

30. Frantzén, Stockholm

29. Boragó, Santiago

28. Kjolle, Lima

27. Florilège, Tokyo

26. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau

25. Belcanto, Lisbon

24. Septime, Paris

23. Kol, London

22. Elkano, Getaria

21. Den, Tokyo

20. Quique Dacosta, Dénia

19. Don Julio, Buenos Aires

18. Steirereck, Vienna

17. Gaggan Anand, Bangkok

16. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy

15. Le Du, Bangkoo

14. Odette, Singapore

13. Pujol, Mexico City

12. A Casa do Porco, Sao Paulo

11. Trèsind Studio, Dubai

10. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris

9. Quintonil, Mexico City

8. Atomix, New York

7. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy

6. Maido, Lima

5. Alchemist, Copenhagen

4. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

3. Diverxo, Madrid

2. Disfrutar, Barcelona

1. Central, Lima

Find more incredible places to eat with our list of the Best London Restaurants of 2023

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