The ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ Ranked: The Full List With Two Spanish At The Top

The World’s Best Restaurant is Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain. Number two in the ranking by the World’s Best Restaurants organization is Spanish as well: Asador Etxebarri, in Atxondo, a peaceful Basque village surrounded by mountains and lush greenery.

The highly anticipated list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was unveiled on June 5 at a glitzy ceremony held at Wynn Las Vegas that brought together the best chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality industry representatives.

ForbesRanked: ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ 2024 Extended ListBy Cecilia Rodriguez

The 22nd edition of the annual ranking features restaurants from 26 countries, five continents and eight new and re-entries.

Following Disfrutar and Asador Etxebarri on the list are Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris at #3, Diverxo in Madrid at #4 and Maido in Lima at #5.

The highest-ranking restaurants in each continent were accorded a special mention: For Europe, the trophy went again to Disfrutar in Barcelona; #6 Atomix in New York took the trophy for North America; the best in South America is #5 Maido in Lima, Peru; in Asia, #9 Gaggan in Bangkok; for Africa, the prize went to a new entry, #49 La Colombe in Cape Town.

The ranking by a panel of 1,080 independent, gender-balanced experts from the world of gastronomy and ranging from food journalists and globally-renowned chefs to traveling gastronomes, is based on strict rules that, among others, include having eaten at the establishment during the prior 19 months in order to cast a vote and to abstain if they have economic interest in any of them.

Disfrutar at the top

Disfrutar, the new Best Restaurant in the world, has long been in the sights of the competition’s judges and has figured on the list of Best 50 since 2018. Last year, it placed second on the ranking and third in 2022.

The three chefs leading the restaurant— Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas — met at the legendary El Bulli (one of the Best of the Best restaurants) in the 1990s, and went on to open Disfrutar in Barcelona’s Eixample district.

The restaurant, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary, features an “elaborate brand of molecular cuisine packed with pomp and circumstance.”

It is globally recognized for its imaginative dishes executed with exceptional technical skill and served in playful ways. Two parallel menus of 30 courses are on offer: The Classic and The Festival. The former features dishes such as Thai-style cuttlefish with coconut multi-spherical and squab with kombu spaghetti, almond and grape.

In the Classic appears dishes such as the famously indulgent caviar-filled Panchino doughnut and frozen gazpacho sandwich.

Best of the best

Restaurants that have previously claimed the top spot are ineligible and are listed in the elite ‘Best of the Best’ group, which includes iconic names such as Noma, Osteria Francescana, Mirazur and last year’s winner, Central in Lima.

The U.S. has two entrants in this year’s top 50: NYC’s Atomix at #6, which moved up two spots from last year, and SingleThread in Healdsburg, California, re-entered the list this year at #46, up from #68 last year.

As is the case with the extended 51 to 100 list revealed in advance of the 5o Best, it’s dominated by no less than 21 European restaurants:

#50 Uliassi in Senigallia, Italy

#48 Hiša Franko in Kobarid, Slovenia

#47 Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Switzerland

#45 Arpège in Paris, France

#43 Nobelhart & Schmutzig in Berlin, Germany

#42 Ikoyi in London, U.K.

#39 Piazza Duomo in Alba, Italy

#36 The Jane in Antwerp, Belgium

#35 Frantzén in Stockholm, Sweden

#31 Belcanto in Lisbon, Portugal

#30 Restaurant Tim Raue, in Berlin, Germany

#28 Elkano in Getaria, Spain

#22 Steirereck in Vienna, Austria

#19 Reale in Castel di Sangro, Italy

#18 Plénitude in Paris

#17 Kol in London

#14 Quique Dacosta in Dénia, Spain

#12 Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera, Italy

#11 Septime in Paris

#8 Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark

#4 Diverxo in Madrid, Spain

South America, a new gastronomic mecca

South America earned 11 spots on this year’s best-in-the-world list:

#5 Maido in Lima, #7 Quintonil in Mexico City, #10 Don Julio in Buenos Aires, #16 Kjolle in Lima, #25 El Chato in Bogotá, #27 A Casa do Porco in São Paulo, #29 Boragó in Santiago de Chile, #33 Pujol in Mexico City, #34 Rosetta in Mexico City, #37 Oteque in Rio de Janeiro, #41 Mayta in Lima.

These are the restaurants placed 1-50 in 2024

1. Disfrutar, Barcelona

2. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

3. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris

4. Diverxo, Madrid

5. Maido, Lima

6. Atomix, New York

7. Quintonil, Mexico City

8. Alchemist, Copenhagen

9. Gaggan, Bangkok

10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires

11. Septime, Paris

12. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera

13. Trèsind Studio, Dubai

14. Quique Dacosta, Dénia

15. Sézanne, Tokyo

16. Kjolle, Lima

17. Kol, London

18. Plénitude, Paris

19. Reale, Castel di Sangro

20. Wing, Hong Kong

21. Florilège, Tokyo

22. Steirereck, Vienna

23. Sühring, Bangkok

24. Odette, Singapore

25. El Chato, Bogotá

26. The Chairman, Hong Kong

27. A Casa do Porco, São Paulo

28. Elkano, Getaria

29. Boragó, Santiago

30. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin

31. Belcanto, Lisbon

32. Den, Tokyo

33. Pujol, Mexico City

34. Rosetta, Mexico City

35. Frantzen, Stockholm

36. The Jane, Antwerp

37. Oteque, Rio

38. Sorn, Bangkok

39. Piazza Duomo, Alba

40. Le Du, Bangkok

41. Mayta, Lima

42. Ikoyi, London

43. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin

44. Mingles, Seoul

45. Arpege, Paris

46. Single Thread, Healdsburg

47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau

48. Hisa Franko, Kobarid

49. La Colombe, Cape Town

50. Uliassi, Senigallia

You can find more information on each restaurant here.