Since 2002, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants aims to celebrate the diversity of the international restaurant scene. Its annual awards ceremony is a festive celebration of cuisine and hospitality which gathers hundreds of passionate people from around the world, be they chefs, restauranteurs, media, food writers, food lovers and sponsors.
On June 25th 2019, the 2019 World’s 50 Best Restaurants List was announced during a ceremony filled with emotion, which gathered more than 1000 guests at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Mauro Colagreco’s restaurant Mirazur located in Menton, France, was named The World’s Best Restaurant 2019, becoming the first French restaurant to be number one on the list. In total, 26 countries over 5 continents have made it on the list. Spain is the most represented country on the World’s 50 Best list with seven restaurants, including three in the top ten: Asador Etxebarri, Mugaritz, Disfrutar. The USA is the second most represented country with six restaurants in the top 50 list, including Cosme and Le Bernardin in NYC, Alinea in Chicago, and two new entries both in San Francisco: Atelier Crenn and Benu. France is also well represented with 5 restaurants on the 1-50 list.
As every year, a few restaurants and chefs were also honoured with Special Awards as Chef Daniela Soto-Innes, who received The Best Female Chef Award, Chef Alain Passard, who took home the Chefs’ Choice Award, and Restaurant Schloss Schauenstein who received the Sustainable Restaurant Award.
This year, The World’s 50 Best announced two major changes:
The move to a 50/50 gender split amongst the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. This voting body gather more than 1000 experts in 26 regions of the world. Each region contains 40 voting members, including one Academy Chair which is the only voter made public.
The launch of the Best of the Best list which includes the restaurants which have been named Number 1 since 2002, making them no longer eligible for the future 1-50 lists.
Mauro Colagreco’s restaurant Mirazur was named The World’s Best Restaurant 2019 - Photo: Matteo Carassale
The 2019 World’s 50 Best Restaurants List (1-50)
Mirazur, Menton, France - Chef Mauro Colagreco
Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark - Chef René Redzepi
Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain - Chef Victor Arguinzoniz
Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand - Chef Gaggan Anand
Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark - Chef Rasmus Kofoed
Central, Lima, Peru - Chefs Virgilio Martinez and Pia León
Maido, Lima, Peru - Chef Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura
Den, Tokyo, Japan - Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa
Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico - Chef Enrique Olvera
White Rabbit, Moscow, Russia - Chef Vladimir Mukhin
Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain - Chef Eneko Atxa
Septime, Paris, France - Chef Bertrand Grébaut
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris, France - Chef Alain Ducasse
Steirereck, Vienna, Austria - Chef Heinz Reitbauer
Odette, Singapore - Chef Julien Royer
Twins Garden, Moscow, Russia - Chefs Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy
Tickets, Barcelona, Spain - Chef Albert Adrià
Frantzen, Stockholm, Sweden - Chef Björn Frantzén
Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan - Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa
Cosme, New York, USA - Chef Daniela Soto-Innes
Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico - Chef Jorge Vallejo
Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, France - Chef Yannick Alléno
Boragó, Santiago, Chile - Chef Rodolfo Guzmán
The Clove Club, London, UK - Chefs Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis, Johnny Smith
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY, USA - Chef Dan Barber
Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy - Chef Enrico Crippa
Elkano, Getaria, Spain - Chef Pedro Arregui
Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy - Chefs Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo
Nerua, Guggenheim, Bilbao - Chef Josean Alija
Lyle’s, London, UK - Chef James Lowe
Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Chef Bienvenido ‘Pepe’ Sotelo
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, USA - Chef Dominique Crenn
Le Bernardin, New York, USA - Chef Eric Ripert
Alinea, Chicago, USA - Chef Grant Achatz
Hisa Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia - Chef Ana Ros
A Casa do Porco, São Paulo, Brasil - Jefferson Rueda
Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany - Chef Tim Raue
The Chairman, Hong Kong, China - Chef Kwok Keung Tung
Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal - Chef José Avillez
Hof Van Cleve, Kruisem, Belgium - Chef Peter Goossens
The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa - Chef Luke Dale-Roberts
Sühring, Bangkok Thailand - Chefs Mathias and Thomas Sühring
De Librije, Zwolle, The Netherlands - Chef Jonnie and Thérèse Boer
Benu, San Francisco, USA - Chef Corey Lee
Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China - Chef Paul Pairet
Leo, Bogotá, Colombia - Chef Leonor Espinosa
Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland - Chef Andreas Caminada
Le Bernardin, NY (36) - Photo: Shimon & Tammar
Central, Lima (6) - Photo: Cesar de Rio
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Special Awards 2019
50 Best BBVA Scholarship : Andersen Lee, Canada : rewards an inspiring chef with less than three years professional experience.
The World’s Best Female Chef : Daniela Soto-Innes, Cosme, NYC : rewards a female chef who has impressed critics and gourmets around the world
American Express Icon Award : Chef José Andrés ; awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the industry worthy of global recognition.
Miele One to Watch Award : Lido 84, Italy ; awarded to a restaurant considered as an emerging talent and likely to appear in future rankings in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants
The Art of Hospitality Award : Den, Tokyo : awarded to a restaurant where the service is warm and distinctive, providing its guests with a memorable experience
The Sustainable Restaurant Award : Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau Switzerland : awarded to a restaurant demonstrating exemplary commitment to sustainable practices
Chefs’ Choice Award : Alain Passard, Arpège, Paris : awarded to a chef who is particularly inspiring in the eyes of their peers.
The World’s Best Pastry Chef : Jessica Préalpato, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris : awarded to a pastry chef whose desserts and pastries balance creative brilliance with technical excellence.
Daniela Soto-Innes: Best Female Chef 2019 - Photo: Kelt T.
Jessica Préalpato: World's Best Pastry Chef 2019 - Photo: Thomas Bismuth
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ Best of the Best List 2019
El Bulli : 2002, 2006-2009
The French Laundry : 2003-2004
The Fat Duck : 2005
Noma (original location) : 2010-2012, 2014
El Celler de Can Roca : 2013, 2015
Osteria Francescana : 2016, 2018
Eleven Madison Park : 2017
Adriatic Chowder at Osteria Francescana - Photo: Paolo Terzi