The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Have Been Revealed (And None Of Them Are Australian)

The world’s culinary elite are once again in the spotlight thanks to the vaunted 50 Best Restaurants rankings, and in 2024, Barcelona’s Disfrutar has been crowned king.

Sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, for those of you who aren’t familiar with this highly-anticipated annual list, it’s essentially the hospitality industry’s Oscars; and this latest edition featured restaurants from 26 territories and five continents.

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Back to the matter of Disfrutar, which soared to the heights of #2 in the 2023 rankings, as per the official rationale detailing the fine dining establishment’s most recent triumph:

“Chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas [of El Bulli fame] have many reasons to celebrate this year. In addition to marking the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary, they have also received top honours. The trio is also taking home the trophy for The Best Restaurant in Europe 2024.”

“Imaginative dishes are executed with exceptional technical skill and served in the most playful way possible.”

What exactly are the major draws here?

“Two parallel menus of 30 courses are on offer: The Classic and The Festival. The former features dishes such as Thai-style cuttlefish with coconut multi-spherical, and squab with kombu spaghetti, almond and grape, while the famously indulgent caviar-filled Panchino doughnut and brilliant frozen gazpacho sandwich can be found in the Classic option.”

“Regardless of the chosen menu, one thing is certain: you will have the dining experience of a lifetime.”

“We are so excited, we are so proud, and we think our struggle will be quieter now,” Casañas said of his top-ranked restaurant.

When prompted about the shifting nature of tastes, with specific regards to Disfrutar’s reputation for lengthy and avante-garde degustations, he added: “Maybe it’s not the more fashionable way to do things, but for us, we do the things we want, and we never change our way. And today we are here.”

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In addition to being the third ever #1 establishment from Spain, Disfrutar is one of three entries in the top four hailing from the Southwestern European country in this year’s rankings; Atxondo’s Asador Etxebarri came in at #2, while Madrid’s DiverXO closed it out at #4. Clearly, the Iberian kingdom is doing something very right.

Side note: despite punching above our weight when it comes to fielding international renown for steak and pizza, interestingly enough, not a single Australian dining spot was given the nod in the top 50 this time around. The sole Aussie acknowledgement comes all the way down in the extended round-up’s #98 (Josh Niland’s Saint Peter).

Check out the complete list of the world’s 50 best restaurants for 2024 below.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (2024)

1. Disfrutar (Barcelona)
2. Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo)
3. Table by Bruno Verjus (Paris)
4. DiverXO (Madrid)
5. Maido (Lima)
6. Atomix (New York)
7. Quintonil (Mexico City)
8. Alchemist (Copenhagen)
9. Gaggan (Bangkok)
10. Don Julio (Buenos Aires)
11. Septime (Paris)
12. Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera)
13. Trèsind Studio (Dubai)
14. Quique Dacosta (Dénia)
15. Sézanne (Tokyo)
16. Kjolle (Lima)
17. Kol (London)
18. Plénitude (Paris)
19. Reale (Castel di Sangro)
20. Wing (Hong Kong)
21. Florilège (Tokyo)
22. Steirereck (Vienna)
23. Sühring (Bangkok)
24. Odette (Singapore)
25. El Chato (Bogotá)
26. The Chairman (Hong Kong)
27. A Casa do Porco (São Paolo)
28. Elkano (Getaria)
29. Boragó (Santiago)
30. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin)
31. Belcanto (Lisbon)
32. Den (Tokyo)
33. Pujol (Mexico City)
34. Rosetta (Mexico City)
35. Frantzén (Stockholm)
36. The Jane (Antwerp)
37. Oteque (Rio de Janeiro)
38. Sorn (Bangkok)
39. Piazza Duomo (Alba)
40. Le Du (Bangkok)
41. Mayta (Lima)
42. Ikoyi (London)
43. Nobelhart & Schmutzig (Berlin)
44. Mingles (Seoul)
45. Arpège (Paris)
46. SingleThread (Healdsburg)
47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau)
48. Hiša Franko (Kobarid)
49. La Colombe (Cape Town)
50. Uliassi (Senigallia)

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