The World's 50 Best Restaurants (2013) and the World's 10 Best Cities to Eat Well (2009)

Picture: Chef Joachim Wissler of Vendôme, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany #10 on the 2013 List of the World's Best Restaurants

The World's 50 Best Restaurants (2013)

The new World's 50 Best Restaurants list was released a few weeks ago.

The Top Spots

Taking the top spot overall is El Celler De Can Roca, a restaurant in Girona, Spain. It has been on the list for 8 years but this is the first year that the restaurant has won the #1 ranking. El Celler de Can Roca has long been hailed for its combination of Catalan dishes and cutting edge techniques. The restaurant is helmed by three brothers: the oldest on, Joan Roca, mans the kitchen; Josep is sommelier; and the youngest one, Jordi is the pastry chef.

Positions #2 to #5 were taken by: Chef Rene Redzepi's Noma, in Copenhagen, Massimo Bottura's comparatively low-key Osteria Francescana in Modena, northern Italy, Mugaritz in San Sebastián, Spain and Eleven Madison Park (with Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm) in New York City.

The Best Restaurant award has been dominated by El Bulli and Noma in the past years. In 2002 and 2006–2009, El Bulli was the world's best restaurant, winning more times than any other restaurant. In 2010 to 2012, Noma was #1

Best Restaurants by Country

• United States (6)
• France (6)
• Spain (5)
• Italy (4)
• United Kingdom (3)
• Germany (2)
• Australia (2)
• Peru (2)
• Hong Kong (2)
• Germany (2)
• Denmark (2)
• Brazil (2)
• Japan (2)
• Mexico (2)

The United States has 6 restaurants on the list—tied with France. But this is a poor showing for the US, compared to last year, when 3 US restaurants landed in the top 10. Eleven Madison Park is now the top-ranked restaurant in the United States, snagging the #5 spot. Per Se of New York got bumped to #11 and Alinea’s of Chicago is now at #15. Other U.S. restaurants on the list are Le Bernardin (#19) of New York (Chef Eric Ripert specializes in fish), Daniel (#29) of New York (the flagship restaurant of French Chef Daniel Boulud) and The French Laundry (#47) in Yountville, Ca. (Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville is the only California restaurant on the list). Noticeably absent on this year's list is Momofuku Ssam, which was #37 last year.

France’s restaurants also lost ground except for L’Aperge, which was flat at #16 (and has become the #1 French restaurant), and Septime, which was newly added at #49. Other French restaurants on the list are: Le Chateaubriand #18 (Paris, France), L'Astrance #23 (Paris, France), L'Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon #24 (Paris, France) and Mirazur #28 (Menton, France), the only French restaurant not in Paris.

Spain’s 5 restaurants were mostly unchanged, other than El Celler de Can Roca, which climbed one spot to #1, and Quique Dacosta, which moved up 14 spots to #26.

Italy’s two best restaurants (Osteria Francescana #3; Le Calandre Rubano #27) shrugged off a grim economy to edge up in the rankings, and it added two entrants to the list.

In the UK, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and The Ledbury were flat, and Blumenthal’s erstwhile #1 The Fat Duck dropped 20 places to #33.

Germany has 2 restautants on the list: Vendôme #10 (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) moved up 13 slots while Aqua #30 (Wolfsburg, Germany) fell 8 slots.

Japan has 2 restaurants on the list (Narawisa #20; Nihonryori RyuGin #22), and both moved up 7 slots.

Emerging markets countries made big leaps up the rankings and adding new restaurants to the list: Mexico (Pujol #17, up 19; Biko #31, up 7); Thailand (Nahm #32, up 18); Peru (Astrid y Gaston #14, up 21; Central #50, new) and China (Mr & Mrs Bund #43, new).

The group of countries without any top restaurant include Russia India, Turkey and Canada.

The Top 50 (2013)

1) El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)
2) Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)
3) Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)
4) Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
5) Eleven Madison Park (New York)
6) D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)
7) Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, England)
8) Arzak (San Sebastián, Spain)
9) Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
10) Vendôme (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)
11) Per Se (New York)
12) Frantzén/Lindeberg (Stockholm, Sweden)
13) The Ledbury (London, England)
14) Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Perú)
15) Alinea (Chicago, Illinois)
16) L'Arpege (Paris, France)
17) Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
18) Le Chateaubriand (Paris, France)
19) Le Bernardin (New York)
20) Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
21) Attica (Melbourne, Australia)
22) Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)
23) L'Astrance (Paris, France)
24) L'Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon (Paris, France)
25) Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)
26) Quique Dacosta (Denia, Spain)
27) Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
28) Mirazur (Menton, France)
29) Daniel (New York)
30) Aqua (Wolfsburg, Germany)
31) Biko (Mexico City, Mexico)
32) Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)
33) The Fat Duck (Bray, England)
34) Fäviken Magasinet (Järpen, Sweden)
35) Oud Sluis (Sluis, Netherlands)
36) Amber (Hong Kong, China)
37) Vila Joya (Albufeira, Portugal)
38) Restaurant Andre (Singapore)
39) 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana (Hong Kong, China)
40) Combal.Zero (Rivoli, Italy)
41) Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
42) Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
43) Mr & Mrs Bund (Shanghai, China)
44) Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo-Bizkaia, Spain)
45) Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
46) Maní (São Paulo, Brazil)
47) The French Laundry (Yountville, California)
48) Quay (Sydney, Australia)
49) Septime (Paris, France)
50) Central (Lima, Peru)

The list was drawn from the votes of more than 900 leading figures in the industry - including food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded "gastronomes". The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards is sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna., were presented at the Guildhall in central London.

The World's 10 Best Cities to Eat Well (2009)

The World's Best Cities to Eat Well list of 2009 list was established by Forbes, using the 2009 Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index, which surveyed 10,000 people from 20 countries. Here is the ranking:

1) Paris
2) Rome
3) Tokyo
4) Mexico City
5) Barcelona
6) Madrid
7) Hong Kong
8) Beijing
9) Milan
10) Shangai

Notable absentees include Singapore, New York City, London and San Francisco.

For more, see:
World's Best Cities To Eat Well

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