The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023: The Full List of Winners (2024)

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List was announced today at an awards ceremony in Valencia, Spain. As ever, the list aims to evaluate and subsequently rank the entire world’s global culinary output.

This year, as like last year, we were guaranteed to see a restaurant achieve No. 1 status for the first time. In 2019, the organization announced a rule change that after a restaurant ascends to the No. 1 spot, it becomes ineligible and is removed from the list in future years. This year, Central, in Lima, earned the top spot. Run by married chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pia León, Central’s tasting menu takes diners through the Peruvian ecosystem and its produce by focusing each course on specific altitudes. León’s restaurant Kjolle debuted on the list this year at No. 28. This also marks the first time a restaurant with a female chef has earned the top spot, and the first time a restaurant outside of Europe or the United States has won.

It was a weirdly bad year for the United States of America. Modern Korean tasting menu spot Atomix in New York City was the highest ranked in North America, and the highest climber (over 20 slots, from last year’s No. 33). The only other U.S. restaurant on the list is also in New York City: Fancy French seafood insitution Le Bernardin ranked at No. 44. It bears noting here that it’s surprising to see only New York City restaurants honored on the list from the U.S. considering that the Bay Area is a tremendous center of fine dining, and there’s amazing cooking of course happening around the country, not just in New York City. It would have been exciting to see something like Nikki Nakayama’s kaiseki-inspired Los Angeles restaurant N/Naka or even something like Mashama Bailey’s The Grey in Savannah make the list.

But ultimately, ranking the best restaurants in the world is a wild premise. What does best mean? Best to whom? As such, the list doesn’t really live up to that task. Instead, the list historically focuses primarily on fine-dining establishments around Europe and the United States, though in recent years restaurants from east Asia, South America, and Central America have appeared on the list with more frequency.

At No. 14, Odette — a French leaning tasting menu spot — became the highest ranked in Asia, and its chef, Julien Royer, earned the chef’s choice award. New entry Trèsind Studio in Dubai ranked the highest for restaurants in the Middle East and Africa at No. 11. Once again, the list featured no restaurants from India; and this year there wasn’t a single restaurant from the entire African continent. At No. 2, Disfrutar took was the highest ranked in Europe, while Central was the highest ranked in South America. Among the other awards awards, Kwame Onwuachi took home the one to watch award for his work at Tatiana in New York City and Pía Salazar earned best pastry chef for her desserts at Nuema, Quito.

The organization still continues to award a “best female chef.” This year, the winner is Elena Reygadas (Rosetta, Mexico City) – her restaurant ranked at No. 37 on the Latin America’s 50 Best list last year and makes her main list debut this year at No. 49. The award has been the subject of intense criticism over the years (including from chefs who have won the award), but the organization and its voters (a gender-balanced mix of chefs and food experts) can’t seem to figure out how to adequately represent and honor the culinary output of women in the world without it.

We’ll be updating this list in real time as winners are announced, so stay tuned and refresh often. Head here to watch and for more on what to expect this year.

1. Central, Lima

2. Disfrutar, Barcelona

3. Diverxo, Madrid

4. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

5. Alchemist, Copenhagen

6. Maido, Lima

7. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy

8. Atomix, New York City [Highest Climber]

9. Quintonil, Mexico City

10. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris [Highest New Entry]

11. Trèsind Studio, Dubai

12. A Casa do Porco, Sao Paulo