If you’re a food buff, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards are a likely huge deal. Essentially the Oscars of the restaurant industry, every year over 1,000 experts convene to celebrate the very finest of the world’s fine-dining establishments.
The 2023 ceremony took place yesterday (June 20) in the Spanish city of Valencia and saw the inclusion of restaurants from 24 territories on five continents.
This year’s winner was (drum roll please)... Central in Lima, Peru! The restaurant was described as a place ‘where diners can enjoy a trip through 15 different Peruvian ecosystems, categorised by altitude – from 15 metres under the Pacific Ocean to 4,200 metres up in the Andes.’
Sounds exquisite, if you ask us. Second on the list was Barcelona’s experimental seafood joint Disfrutar, while third was Diverxo, a wacky high-end establishment in Madrid.
As the 2023 winner, Central won’t be able to enter the general competition in future years. Instead, they’ll join past winners such as Noma in Copenhagen and Eleven Madison Park in New York in the ‘Best of the Best’ competition.
Central’s win, which makes it the first South American city to take the top spot, was a landmark for the awards. It was a big night for Lima in general: the Peruvian capital had four restaurants in the top 50, more than any other city in the world. Spain, however, was the most triumphant country, with six restaurants in the top 50.
According to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2023, these are the best eateries in the world right now.
- Central (Lima, Peru)
- Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
- Diverxo (Madrid, Spain)
- Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo, Spain)
- Alchemist (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Maido (Lima, Peru)
- Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera, Italy)
- Atomix (New York, USA)
- Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Table by Bruno Verjus (Paris, France)
- Trèsind Studio (Dubai, UAE)
- A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Odette (Singapore, Singapore)
- Le Du (Bangkok, Thailand)
- Reale (Castel di Sangro, Italy)
- Gaggan Anand (Bangkok, Thailand)
- Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
- Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Quique Dacosta (Dénia, Spain)
- Den (Tokyo, Japan)
- Elkano (Getaria, Spain)
- Kol (London, UK)
- Septime (Paris, France)
- Belcanto (Lisbon, Portugal)
- Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
- Florilège (Tokyo, Japan)
- Kjolle (Lima, Peru)
- Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
- Frantzén (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Mugaritz (San Sebastian, Spain)
- Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
- El Chato (Bogotá, Colombia)
- Uliassi (Senigallia, Italy)
- Ikoyi (London, UK)
- Plénitude (Paris, France)
- Sézanne (Tokyo, Japan)
- The Clove Club (London, England)
- The Jane (Antwerp, Belgium)
- Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
- Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
- Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
- Leo (Bogotá, Colombia)
- Le Bernardin (New York, USA)
- Nobelhart & Schmutzig (Berlin, Germany)
- Orfali Bros (Dubai, UAE)
- Mayta (Lima, Peru)
- La Grenouillère (La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France)
- New: Rosetta (Mexico City, Mexico)
- The Chairman (Hong Kong, China)
You can read more about the full list on the official World’s 50 Best Restaurants website here. Then, for further fine-dining inspo, check out our own lists of the best restaurants in London, New York and Paris.
Did you see that this country is officially the best in the world for wine (and no, it’s not France)?
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