World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019

  1. Mirazur (Menton, France)

  2. Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)

  3. Asador Etxebarri(Atxondo, Spain)

  4. Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand)

  5. Geranium(Copenhagen, Denmark)

  6. Central(Lima, Peru)

  7. Mugaritz(San Sebastian, Spain)

  8. Arpège(Paris, France)

  9. Disfrutar(Barcelona, Spain)

  10. Maido(Lima, Peru)

  11. Den (Tokyo, Japan)

  12. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)

  13. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)

  14. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)

  15. Septime (Paris, France)

  16. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)

  17. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)

  18. Odette (Singapore)

  19. Twins Garden (Moscow, Russia)

  20. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)

  21. Frantzén (Stockholm, Sweden)

  22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)

  23. Cosme (New York City, USA)

  24. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)

  25. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)

  26. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)

  27. The Clove Club (London, United Kingdom)

  28. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, USA)

  29. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)

  30. Elkano (Getaria, Spain)

  31. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)

  32. Nerua (Bilbao, Spain)

  33. Lyle’s (London, United Kingdom)

  34. Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

  35. Atelier Crenn (San Francisco, USA)

  36. Le Bernardin (New York City, USA)

  37. Alinea (Chicago, USA)

  38. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)

  39. A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)

  40. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)

  41. The Chairman (Hong Kong)

  42. Belcanto (Lisbon, Portugal)

  43. Hof Van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)

  44. Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)

  45. Sühring (Bangkok, Thailand)

  46. De Librije (Zwolle, Netherlands)

  47. Benu (San Francisco, USA)

  48. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China)

  49. Leo (Bogotá, Colombia)

  50. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)

Shout-out to The Chairman in Hong Kong making the list!

#20 Tickets Bar was one of our best meals ever. Glad to see it’s still up there.

Scratching my head with Cosme…

As am I with Le Bernardin and when EMP was #1.

1 Like

This list is becoming more suspect as the years go by. I haven’t encountered anyone who has raved about Gaggan.

My impression of the list:

  1. popularity contest
  2. trends and innovations is prioritized
  3. you can win with very few votes since nobody has enough time to go to more than 50 of these places within a 2 year span
  4. tourism boards lobbying and comping meals for votes happen frequently

It was already quite shady in my book when it debuted.

Restauranteurs fawning over the (all-too-receptive) “judges” with comps and special experiences. Many on the panel who determine the list are the jetset, with nothing but time to party it up all over the world.

1 Like

Which is all the more surprising with how the little tiny hole in the wall The Chairman ended up on the list. Perhaps the Hong Kong tourism board worked hard to get people to dine there…

Tickets Bar was the first or maybe the second place opened by the Adria brothers (El Bulli).

Cosme is the best restaurant in America? really? They lose all credibility there. Doesn’t even rank in the top 25 of Midtown Manhattan. This list is complete garbage. I’m surprised they haven’t been attacked from all sides like Michelin, but that’s probably because they have very little real influence, i.e. the list is so egregious that no one even attempts to take it seriously.

Everybody is too busy arguing about diversity and inclusitivity instead of talking about merit and quality.

The list has always been bullshit, the fact that it started as a stunt from a water company and has come this far is a joke.

If anything the Opinionated About Dining list I tend to take more seriously.

I can’t get over the fact that only two restaurants in Japan made this list, and they’re Den and Narisawa. So that implies that every_single_other_restaurant in Japan is inferior to the ones that made this list. :crazy_face:

Yes, people should stop frequenting Japan, shitty food. Please go to Cosme instead.

3 Likes

As much as I enjoyed Narisawa, I think food wise I was more blown away by L’Effervescence, as talented as the beverage director was at Narisawa (who is no longer there).

I loved The Chairman and Danny Yip’s writings as a freelancer in the Chinese newspapers, very dedicated to the food and culture. Some people don’t like him for various reasons. But it’s undeniable how great the food can be as a visitor. Problem is those who voted for the restaurant are also characters themselves…

A few influential voters for this list are OAD top reviewers also. One of them can’t stop raving about Gaggan and of course took him around to eat when he visited the country where the voter resides. One of them knows absolute jack about Japanese food.

Again, you shouldn’t need a list where to tell you to eat. Ditto for shows on Netflix.

1 Like