The world's best chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and food critics are set to descend on Melbourne in 2017 for the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards. The main event, which took place in New York City this year, will be held at the Royal Exhibition Building on April 5 next year, along with an event program taking place from April 1-7.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards had previously been held in London for 14 years straight, before it was taken to New York in June this year, where it was announced that Melbourne would receive the honour of being the award's next destination. The 2016 event awarded Ben Shewry's Attica as the best restaurant in the Australasian region, placing at number 33 among the world's top 50 list. Meanwhile, regional restaurant Brae made the impressive 22-spot jump from 87th to 65th place.
The 2017 awards will be running alongside the 25th Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, taking place from March 31 to April 9. The festival will include a MasterClass series celebrating international chefs from the World's 50 Best.
No doubt the event will highlight Australia's food and wine credentials to the rest of the world, and we're expecting more homegrown Australian restaurants to feature in the 2017 World's 50 Best Restaurants.