Lifestyle / Gastronomy

List of World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2012

For the third year in a row, chef René Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant Noma has taken the top spot to be declared the best restaurant in the world.

May 01, 2012 | By AFPRelaxnews

worlds-50-best-restaurants-2012

For the third year in a row, chef René Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant Noma has taken the top spot to be declared the best restaurant in the world.

At the 10th annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in London Monday night, Redzepi cemented his position as the “standard bearer for the New Nordic movement” after his restaurant took home the grandiose title of best in the world.

Redzepi is quickly following in the footsteps of Ferran Adrià, whose now-shuttered Catalan restaurant El Bulli topped the list five times and who became widely accepted as the best chef in the world.

This year’s list offered few surprises as the top three restaurants remain unchanged from 2011: after Noma comes El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz, both in Spain.

It’s been a banner year for Redzepi. In April, the Danish chef graced the cover of Time magazine as a “Locavore Hero.” Redzepi has also been tapped to open a pop-up version of his restaurant in London to mark the Olympic Games.

Unlike the star-based Michelin system, restaurants that land on the World’s 50 Best list are voted on by a panel of more than 800 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs.

The Academy is divided into 27 separate regions around the world and each region has a panel of 31 members.

Each member gets seven votes, three of which must be for restaurants outside their region. Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months.

Denmark Noma

Here are the winners for 2012, as announced at Guildhall in London:

1     Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
2     El Celler de Can Roca – Girona, Spain
3     Mugaritz – San Sebastián, Spain
Mugaritz chef Andoni Luis Aduriz was also given the Chef’s Choice award
4     D.O.M. – São Paulo, Brazil
 Also named Best Restaurant in South America
5     Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
6     Per Se – New York, USA
Per Se chef Thomas Keller was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Per Se
       was named Best Restaurant in North America
7     Alinea – Chicago, USA
8     Arzak – San Sebastián, Spain
 Arzak Head Chef Elena Arzak was named The World’s Best Female Chef
9     Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, UK
 Highest New Entry 
10    Eleven Madison Park – New York, USA
11    Steirereck – Vienna, Austria
Slow Food UK Award
12    L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon – Paris, France
13    The Fat Duck – Bray, UK
14    The Ledbury – London, UK
Highest Climber Award
15    Le Chateaubriand – Paris, France
16    L’Arpège – Paris, France
17    Pierre Gagnaire – Paris, France
18    L’Astrance – Paris, France
19    Le Bernardin – New York, USA
20    Frantzén/Lindeberg – Stockholm, Sweden
21    Oud Sluis – Sluis, Netherlands
22    Aqua – Wolfsburg, Germany
23    Vendôme -Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
24    Mirazur – Menton, France
25    Daniel – New York, USA
26    Iggy’s – Singapore
Best Restaurant in Asia
27    Narisawa – Tokyo, Japan
28    Nihonryori RyuGin – Tokyo, Japan
29    Quay – Sydney, Australia
  Best Restaurant in Australasia
30    Schloss Schauenstein – Fürstenau, Switzerland
31    Asador Etxebarri – Atxondo, Spain
32    Le Calandre – Padua, Italy
33    De Librije – Zwolle, Netherlands
34    Fäviken – Järpen, Sweden
35    Astrid y Gastón – Lima, Peru
36    Pujol Mexico City – Mexico
37    Momofuku Ssäm Bar – New York, USA
38    Biko – Mexico City, Mexico
39    Waku Ghin – Singapore
40    Quique Dacosta – Denia, Spain
41    Mathias Dahlgren – Stockholm, Sweden
42    Hof Van Cleve – Kruishoutem, Belgium
43    The French Laundry – Yountville, USA
44    Amber – Hong Kong
45    Vila Joya – Albufeira, Portugal
46    Il Canto – Siena, Italy
47    Bras – Laguiole, France
48    Manresa – Los Gatos, USA
49    Geranium – Copenhagen, Denmark
50    Nahm – Bangkok, Thailand


 
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