The 50 best restaurants in the world are revealed – with Spain’s Disfrutar named the ultimate place to dine
The world’s 50 best restaurants have been revealed – with Spain‘s Disfrutar crowned the ultimate place to dine.
The awards, considered the Oscars of international fine dining – were handed out during a ceremony at the Wynn in Vegas on Thursday.
Six eateries from the European country won the prize, three of which even reached a place in the top five.
But Barcelona’s Disfrutar restaurant was named the best in the world by the influential 50 Best list in a year dominated by Spanish and Latin American restaurants.
Disfrutar (which translates to ‘enjoy’ in Spanish) opened in December 2014 next to the Ninot Market in the heart of the Catalan city.
Disfrutar in Barcelona was crowned the best restaurant in the world by British magazine Restaurant in its list of 50 best restaurants
Employees of the ‘Disfrutar’ restaurant prepare dishes from the tasting menu, on June 6, 2024
Diners at Disfrutar can expect dishes executed with technical mastery
Ranked second last year, Disfrutar is owned and run by chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casanas.
Diners at the restaurant can expect dishes executed with technical mastery, such as the caviar-filled Panchino donut, the frozen gazpacho sandwich and squab with kombu spaghetti, almond and grape.
50 Best, run by British Restaurant magazine, describes it as ‘far-reaching engineering, original thinking and groundbreaking flavours’.
It is run by three chefs who trained at the renowned El Bulli in Roses, Spain, which has topped the 50 Best list five times, including the first ever in 2002.
A Spanish eatery also took second place: Asador Etxebarri, in the Basque town of Atxondo.
At number three came Table de Bruno Verjus in Paris, one of the most expensive in the French capital.
The 50 Best list was launched in 2002 and quickly developed into an international alternative to the famous French Michelin Guide.
It has more than 1,000 voters spread across 27 regions around the world – a mix of chefs, food writers and ‘well-travelled foodies’.
Disfrutar and Table de Bruno Verjus both also have Michelin’s highest three-star rating, while Asador Etxebarri has one.
Second place went to Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain
Table de Bruno Verjus in Paris took third place
In fourth place was the DiverXO restaurant in Madrid
Lima’s Maido, which served a variety of Japanese dishes, rose from 44th to 13th on the 2016 list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, before claiming fifth place in 2024.
Atomix, an upscale Korean restaurant in New York, came in sixth place
Quintonil from Mexico City took seventh place
In eighth place was Copenhagen’s Alchemist, which offers guests an immersive experience
Gaggan Anand in Thailand came ninth in the list of 50 best
The final of the top 10 best restaurants went to steakhouse Don Julio in Buenos Aires
Spanish and Latino establishments dominated the top 10 this year, with Madrid restaurant DiverXO in fourth place, Lima’s Maido in fifth place, Mexico City’s Quintonil in seventh place and Buenos Aires’ Don Julio steakhouse in 10th.
Sixth place went to Atomix in New York City, an upscale Korean restaurant that offers a chef’s tasting menu with beverage pairings.
Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark, was crowned the eighth best and offers guests an immersive dining experience under a domed roof with different graphic landscapes that change throughout dinner.
And ninth place went to Gaggan Anand in Bangkok, Thailand, where guests can sit at the chef’s table and look out at the open kitchen.
Elsewhere in the list, three Tokyo restaurants took home the awards, with eatery Sezanne taking 15th place as the highest ranking in the Japanese capital.
Hong Kong saw two of its restaurants make the list, as Wing was the city’s highest new entrant on the entire list at 20, while The Chairman was the highest riser, moving from last year’s 50th spot to an impressive number 26.
Restaurants can only win the top prize once, after which they will be included in a separate ‘Best of the Best’ program.
Members of that elite group include Geranium and Noma in Copenhagen, as well as New York’s Eleven Madison Park, The Fat Duck near London, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and Mirazur in Menton, France.
Last year’s winner, Central of Lima, Peru, now joins them on that list.
