Hong Kong restaurants soar up World’s 50 Best ranks; Spain’s Disfrutar No 1

Disfrutar is headed by chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, who met in the kitchen of el Bulli, the boundary-breaking Spanish restaurant that dominated the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Commenting on the strength of Spanish restaurants in the rankings, Disfrutar’s Casañas said in a post-awards press conference that there are many reasons for Spain’s gastronomic prowess.

“In Spain you can find very special products and ingredients, and extraordinary people who are working with them. You also find a culture where evolution is like a tradition, and then you have the windows that our teachers in the past have opened,” he said. “We’re holding our country’s flag high tonight, we’re so proud.”

Wing was previously ranked 90th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants long list of establishments ranked from 51-100 list in 2023, and came 5th on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2024, which was announced in Seoul in March.

It is the first time one of Cheng’s restaurants – his Vea also ranks on the Asia’s 50 Best list – has made it into the World’s 50 Best ranks.

“It’s always been a dream, since I was a young kid, to be a part of the community of these chefs I’ve looked up to for so long.

“To be on the stage for World’s 50 Best is something to be proud of; it’s a great encouragement for myself, my team and my family – everyone who has sacrificed and invested time and effort,” Cheng said.

Other Asia-based stars of the awards this year include Florilège in Tokyo (21st), the French-Japanese restaurant headed by chef Hiroyasu Kawate, and Bangkok-based modern German hotspot Sühring (23rd) headed by twins Thomas and Mathias Sühring.

World’s 50 Best Restaurants hands out special awards each year, some announced in advance of the evening ceremony. The One to Watch Award, given to restaurants with superstar potential, was won by Kato in Los Angeles, a modern Asian-American restaurant where chef Jonathan Yao draws on his Taiwanese-American heritage.

Plénitude (18th), housed in the exclusive Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris and run by chef-patron Arnaud Donckele and director Alexandre Larvoir, picked up the Art of Hospitality Award, while the World’s Best Female Chef 2024 was awarded to Janaína Torres of A Casa do Porco in São Paulo, Brazil.

Her restaurant, 27th on the 2024 World’s 50 Best list, is a casual, accessible space that specialises in all things pork, as the name suggests.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is voted for by 1,080 international restaurant industry experts, who make up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.

The gender-balanced academy represents 27 regions around the world, each of which has 40 members, including a chairperson.

The night ended with a vibrant after-party at Encore Resort, next to sister property Wynn on the Las Vegas Strip.

“We feel proud of the breadth and depth of the culinary offerings available in Las Vegas, and we’re honoured to be working with 50 Best this year,” said Steve Hill, head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, as he opened the night’s proceedings.

This is the second time the awards ceremony has been held in the United States, New York having hosted it in 2016.

The full list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants

50. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy

49. La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa (Best Restaurant in Africa)

47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland

46. Singlethread, Healdsburg, California, United States

45. Arpège, Paris, France

44. Mingles, Seoul, South Korea

43. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany (Sustainable Restaurant Award)

42. Ikoyi, London, UK

41. Mayta, Lima, Peru

40. Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand

39. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy

38. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand

37. Oteque, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

36. The Jane, Antwerp, The Netherlands

35. Frantzen, Stockholm, Sweden

34. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico

33. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico

32. Den, Tokyo, Japan

31. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal

29. Borago, Santiago, Chile

28. Elkano, Getaria, Spain

27. A Casa do Porco, Sao Paulo, Brazil

26. The Chairman, Hong Kong (Highest Climber Award)

25. El Chato, Bogota, Colombia

24. Odette, Singapore

23. Sühring, Bangkok, Thailand

22. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria

21. Florilège, Tokyo, Japan

20. Wing, Hong Kong (Highest New Entry)

19. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy

18. Plénitude, Paris, France

17. Kol, London, UK

16. Kjolle, Lima, Peru

15. Sézanne, Tokyo

14. Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain

12. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy

11. Septime, Paris, France

10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

9. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand (Best Restaurant in Asia)

8. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark

7. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico

4. DiverXO, Madrid, Spain

3. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris, France

2. Asador Extebarri, Atxondo, Spain

1. Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain (Best Restaurant in Europe, World’s Best Restaurant)