Danish restaurant Noma was today named as the S.Pellegrino The World’s Best Restaurant in the annual list of the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. For the second consecutive year Rene Redzepi’s restaurant topped the voting in the annual awards – widely considered to be the ‘Oscars’ of the restaurant world – reflecting the continued excitement around its unique treatment of local and regional ingredients.
It has been a momentous year for Noma and chef Rene Redzepi’s name has become synonymous with the ‘new guard’ of global cuisine; a shorthand for young, exciting, destination led dining.
William Drew, editor of Restaurant magazine, said “This year showcases an exciting list of restaurants that span an even greater geographical spread than previous years and recognises the influence of fledgling culinary nations such as Peru and Russia. We heartily congratulate René Redzepi for the difficult task of maintaining his position as the number one restaurant on our list which underscores his commitment to redefining Nordic cuisine.”
Quay restaurant – Australia No # 26 / 50
Quay is named as the best in Australasia for the second year in a row. This year Peter Gilmore’s restaurant is ranked at No 26, up one place on last year and is the only Australian restaurant on the Worlds’ 50 Best Restaurants list.
With the legendary El Bulli closing this year and therefore not included on the list, Spanish restaurants El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz, at numbers two and three respectively, are lining up behind Noma. El Celler de Can Roca, run by three brothers, the youngest of whom is just 33 years old, has risen two places up the list this year to number two. Also up two places is Mugaritz, which is named the third best restaurant in the world, having recovered following a devastating fire in 2010.
All the runners ups images and reviews and ranking ladder ( from 1 to 50 ) for the Best 50 Restaurants in the World, 2011 are presented after the continue jump here
Osteria Francescana – Massimo Bottura
One of the most coveted awards of the night is the Chefs’ Choice award. Voted for by his peers, this year’s winner is Massimo Bottura, whose restaurant Osteria Francescana is one of the most talked about in Italy. Massimo is rapidly gaining an international reputation for his avant-garde cuisine which although unashamedly modern, reflects traditional techniques and always pushes the boundaries of what’s new.
Beyond the dominance of Spanish restaurants at the very top of the list, Brazilian restaurant D.O.M has made one of the most exciting advances – 11 places up the list to number seven. The critics have recognised its growing influence on global cuisine by voting for it in significant numbers and the country’s rising profile has been recognised by the Electrolux World’s 50 Best Academy, organised by Restaurant magazine which now has a dedicated panel for Brazil. Known for his use of ingredients from the Amazon, chef Alex Atala is bringing a new sustainable Brazilian cuisine to the world’s attention.
Peru’s first ever restaurant on the list is Astrid Y Gaston at number 42. Based in Lima, the restaurant is known for serving Peruvian haute cuisine including traditional cerviches and chupes (fish stews).
The best restaurant in North America for the second year is Chicago’s Alinea, seeing off competition from other US favourites such as Thomas Keller’s Per Se (no change at 10) and Daniel (number 11).
Despite the extraordinary competition from around the world, British restaurants populate the list with Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck at number five. He is joined by The Ledbury which has been named as the list’s highest new entry at number 34. Brett Graham, the Australian-born head chef is widely recognised for his excellent French-inspired cuisine and as a result of his placing on the list, critics would expect his West London eatery to move from local star to global ‘must go’ restaurant. Claude Bosi’s Hibiscus and Fergus Henderson’s St John also climb the list at numbers 43 (up six on last year) and 41 (up two) respectively.
France’s Le Chateaubriand also continues its rise up the list at number nine this year, up two places. It is joined by L’Astrance and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at numbers 13 and 14 respectively. L’Astrance is a remarkable place to eat as it may be the only restaurant on the list that doesn’t have a menu. Diners choose how many courses they want to eat and what emerges from the kitchen is entirely the chef’s choice.
The award for the highest climber goes to Nihonryori RyuGin restaurant in Japan which is up 28 spaces on the list. Seiji Yamamoto’s cooking pushes the boundaries of Japanese cuisine without upsetting traditionalists. Also in Tokyo and named as the best restaurant in Asia for the third year in a row is Les Creations de NARISAWA. Its unorthodox French cuisine is heralded for the use of organic soil and charcoal in its dishes.
Beyond the top half of the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list there are restaurants from countries that are new to the list but which nonetheless have excellent reputations locally and are just breaking onto the international stage of fine dining. One such restaurant is Russia’s Varvary which appears at 48. Serving traditional cuisine but with a European influence, it is currently one of the most famous restaurants in Russia.
The Best Restaurant in Africa award goes to Cape Town’s Le Quartier Francais, a favourite on the list for many years now. Its head chef, Dutchwoman Margot Janse has run the kitchen there for 16 years and is regularly named as the best chef in Africa.
Every year one restaurant in the 51 to 100 list is named as the ‘One to Watch’. This year a Swedish restaurant Frantzen /Lindeberg receives that accolade. One of the smallest restaurants on the list with just 16 seats, it was set up in 2008 and dinner here has been described as a ‘spectacular show’ with escargots and caviar d’escargot, served on a plate along with a music box, cat grass, violets, pollen and rapeseed.
William Drew, editor of Restaurant magazine, said: “What makes this Stockholm restaurant so exciting is that there’s no traditional menu – instead they cook ‘free-form’ based on what comes in that day – with many dishes feature intriguing ingredients. The result is a truly magnificent dining experience.”
Further Awards
Anne-Sophie Pic
For the first time in 2011 and as announced previously, Anne-Sophie Pic (Maison Pic, France) was named as the inaugural Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef. Acknowledging this award, Anne-Sophie Pic said “I am so honoured to have received this acknowledgement and to be in such talented company.” Also shortlisted for the award were Elena Arzak (Arzak, Spain) and Nadia Santini (Dal Pescatore, Italy).
The S.Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, organised by Restaurant magazine, is an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of over 800 international restaurant industry experts. There is no pre-determined check-list of criteria and the results are a simple computation of votes. Voters must have visited the restaurants they vote for in the previous 18 months and have to vote for restaurants both within and outside of their region.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 1-50
Rank Position Restaurant Country Awards
1 — Noma Denmark The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World. The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe
2 Up 2 El Celler De Can Roca Spain
3 Up 2 Mugaritz Spain
4 Up 2 Osteria Francescana Italy The Chefs’ Choice sponsored by Electrolux
5 Down 2 The Fat Duck England
6 Up 1 Alinea USA The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In North America
7 Up 11 D.O.M Brazil The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In South America
8 Up 1 Arzak Spain
9 Up 2 Le Chateaubriand France
10 — Per Se USA
11 Down 3 Daniel USA
12 Up 12 Les Creations de Narisawa Japan The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In Asia
13 Up 3 L’Astrance France
14 Up 15 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon France
15 Up 2 Hof van Cleve Belgium
16 Down 3 Pierre Gagnaire France
17 Up 2 Oud Sluis Netherlands
18 Down 3 Le Bernardin USA
19 Re-Entry L’Arpege France
20 Up 28 Nihonryori RyuGin Japan Highest Climber Sponsored by Lavazza
21 Up 1 Vendome Germany
22 Down 1 Steirereck Austria
23 Up 7 Schloss Schauenstein Switzerland
24 Up 26 Eleven Madison Park USA
25 Up 9 Aqua Germany
26 Up 1 Quay Australia The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In Australasia
27 Up 1 Iggy’s Singapore
28 Up 7 Combal Zero Italy
29 Up 4 Martin Berasategui Spain
30 Re-Entry Bras France
31 Up 15 Biko Mexico
32 Down 12 Le Calandre Italy
33 Re-Entry Cracco Italy
34 New Entry The Ledbury UK Highest New Entry Sponsored by Silestone
35 Down 12 Chez Dominique Finland
36 Down 5 Le Quartier Francais South Africa The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In The Middle East and Africa
37 New Entry Amber China
38 Down 2 Dal Pescatore Italy
39 Up 1 Il Canto Italy
40 Down 14 Momofuku Ssam Bar USA
41 Up 2 St John UK
42 New Entry Astrid Y Gaston Peru
43 Up 6 Hibiscus UK
44 — Maison Troisgros France
45 Down 4 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee France
46 Down 9 De Librije Netherlands
47 Down 33 Restaurant de l’Hotel De Ville Switzerland
48 New Entry Varvary Russia
49 New Entry Pujol Mexico
50 Re-Entry Asador Etxebarri Spain
Sponsored by S.Pellegrino, the worldwide famous sparkling mineral water representing Italian style all over the world, this year’s awards took place at London’s Guildhall and were attended by the majority of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
The list of the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants (and the award ceremony organised to celebrate its annual unveiling) is organised and compiled by Restaurant Magazine. None of the employees of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, including the headline one, votes or has any influence over the results.
The list is created from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 800 international leaders in the restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. The Academy comprises 27 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 31 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘gastronomes’ each of whom has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three of which must be used to recognise restaurants outside of their region. At least 10 panellists from each region change each year.
The results are published online as soon as they have been announced to the assembled chefs and academy members in April.
Some regions span more than one country. The decision as to how the world is divided up is left to the regional chairs and is debated and reassessed annually. The divisions are designed to fairly represent the global restaurant scene at the current time.
The main rules of voting are:
■Voting is strictly confidential before the awards announcement
■Panellists may vote for up to 4 restaurants within their region
■At least 3 votes must be for restaurants located outside of their region
■Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months
■Voters are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have an interest in
■Nominations must be made for the restaurant, not for the restaurateur or the chef
■Panellists submit their 7 choices in order of preference (this information is used to decide on positions in the event of a tie)
Other than this there are “no rules”.
This is what makes the S. Pellegrino World 50 Best Restaurants unique and not comparable to any other guide or ranking of restaurants.
These criteria are designed to allow our panellists to vote far and wide. They could vote for a small, unknown restaurant in a secluded region, or select the best-known restaurants in the world – it is their opinion and the experiences they have had that matters.
This method means that restaurants cannot apply to be on the list, and cannot be nominated, and no external influences (from Restaurant magazine or our sponsors) can influence the list. It also means that every restaurant in the world is eligible, unless the restaurant is closed at the time of going to print in mid April, or we receive notice that it will be closing in the near future after the results are published.
There are no criteria that a restaurant has to meet. They certainly do not have to sell a certain product. They do not need to have been open a certain number of years and they do not need to have won any other culinary accolades
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About Restaurant Magazine
Restaurant Magazine is the UK’s leading publication for restaurateurs and chefs, and has been running The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2002. Restaurant magazine is solely responsible for organising the awards, collating the votes and producing the list.
