With international travel picking back up, gourmands have understandably been waiting for the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings to be released for 2022. And without further ado, here it is – gifting us a nicely curated hitlist of haute and hybrid cuisine for those who want to zone in on only the best dining experiences from New York City to London and beyond. As always, the World’s Best Restaurants list names and ranks the greatest menus from regular culinary hotspots like Copenhagen, San Sebastian, Lima, and Tokyo. And in 2022, it appears there’s a new “best restaurant in the world,” with Geranium in Copenhagen moving up a spot to unseat last year’s winner, Noma (also from Copenhagen).
As this year’s front-runner and last year’s runner-up, Geranium is consistently described as “seasonality personified,” positioned in the city’s National Football Stadium with a tight grip on Scandinavian food and fine wines. Helmed by chef Rasmus Kofoed, Geranium is Copenhagen’s only restaurant aside from Noma to hold the coveted three-Michelin-star rating and recently announced it would be ditching meat from the menu to focus exclusively on seafood and vegetables.
And although Noma has slipped from #1, it should be noted that former winners are no longer eligible to win again. That isn’t to say Geranium moved up to the top spot by default, but it’s interesting to see World’s 50 Best introduce this policy. After all, Noma has taken the top spot no less than five times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021). Rene Redzepi’s iconic restaurant is now featured in a “best of the best” category alongside past winners like France’s highly-sought Mirazur.
This year’s runner-up status goes to list-regular Central in Lima, with the Top Three rounded out by Barcelona’s Disfrutar. No Australian restaurants have managed to sneak into the Top 50, although only one made the 51-100 list, which was released a few weeks ago and notably features the debut from Melbourne’s Gimlet at no. 84.
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The results of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced during a ceremony in London at the top of this week, which was hosted by actor and epicurean Stanley Tucci.
Browsing the list, you might notice that two of last year’s entries, White Rabbit and Twins Garden have dropped off completely. That’s because both restaurants – which came in at no. 25 and no. 30, respectively – are located in Moscow and, at least for this year, World’s 50 Best made the decision to bar any restaurants in Russia from eligibility, for obvious reasons.
Spain and Italy are the two countries that absolutely dominated the list this year. Spain is represented six times, with the country’s top entry being Diverxo in Madrid at no, 4, while Italy also clocks in with six total entries, the highest being Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera at no. 8. Interestingly, Europe and South America make up the overwhelming majority of the Top 20. Asia is only represented once, scrapping in with Tokyo’s Den placed at no. 20, ahead of Hong Kong’s The Chairman at no. 24.
The United States doesn’t ever appear in the Top 30 this year, with the country’s highest entry just missing out with New York City’s Atomix coming in at no. 33. Of course, the city’s famous Eleven Madison Park hasn’t fallen out of favour after being a list-regular for just about every year. The former number one also slides into the aforementioned “best of the best” category alongside Noma and Mirazur.
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Heading overseas this year? A lot of these restaurants are completely booked out with only wait-list availability, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep trying to score a reservation at some of the best restaurant’s in the world right now.
We’ve included the full 1-50 list below, followed by the 51-100 spots so you take a look at the full long list and decide which of these culinary powerhouses you’ll be inhaling this year.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants [2022]
- Geranium, Copenhagen
- Central, Lima
- Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
- Diverxo, Madrid, Spain
- Pujol, Mexico City
- Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
- A Casa do Porco, Sao Paulo
- Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy
- Quintonil, Mexico City
- Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
- Maido, Lima
- Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy
- Steirereck, Vienna
- Don Julio, Buenos Aires
- Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
- Elkano, Getaria, Spain
- Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin
- Alchemist, Copenhagen
- Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
- Den, Tokyo [Highest Entry In Asia]
- Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
- Septime, Paris
- The Jane, Antwerp
- The Chairman, Hong Kong
- Frantzén, Stockholm
- Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin
- Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Germany
- Le Clarence, Paris
- St. Hubertus, San Cassiano, Italy
- Florilège, Tokyo
- Arpège, Paris
- Mayta, Lima
- Atomix, New York City [Highest Entry in US]
- Hisa Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia
- The Clove Club, London
- Odette, Singapore
- Fyn, Cape Town
- Jordnær, Copenhagen
- Sorn, Bangkok
- Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland
- La Cime, Osaka
- Quique Dacosta, Dénia, Spain
- Boragó, Santiago
- Le Bernardin, New York City
- Narisawa, Tokyo
- Belcanto, Lisbon
- Oteque, Rio de Janiero
- Leo, Bogota
- Ikoyi, London
- Single Thread, Healdsburg, CA
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (51 – 100) [2022]
51. Alcalde, Guadalajara
52. Sud 777, Mexico City
53. D.O.M., São Paulo
54. Lyle’s, London
55. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu
56. La Colombe, Cape Town
57. Trèsind Studio, Dubai
58. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris
59. Sazenka, Tokyo
60. Rosetta, Mexico City
61. La Grenouillère, La Madelaine–sous–Montreuil
62. Ernst, Berlin
63. Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, New York
64. Fu He Hui, Shanghai
65. Le Du, Bangkok
66. Sühring, Bangkok
67. Evvai, São Paulo
68. Kjolle, Lima
69. Cosme, New York
70. Zén, Singapore
71. Mingles, Seoul
72. Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
73. Kol, London
74. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills
75. Samrub Samrub Thai, Bangkok
76. Neighborhood, Hong Kong
77. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris
78. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro
79. Estela, New York
80. AM par Alexandre Mazzia, Marseille
81. Brat, London
82. Sézanne, Tokyo
83. El Chato, Bogotá
84. Gimlet at Cavendish House, Melbourne
85. Raan Jay Fai, Bangkok
86. Mikla, Istanbul
87. Orfali Bros Bistro, Dubai
88. Mishiguene, Buenos Aires
89. Máximo Bistrot, Mexico City
90. Wolfgat, Paternoster
91. Oriole, Chicago
92. Indian Accent, New Delhi
93. Hertog Jan at Botanic Sanctuary, Antwerp
94. Burnt Ends, Singapore
95. Meta, Singapore
96. ManÃ, São Paulo
97. Benu, San Francisco
98. Tantris, Munich
99. Flocons de Sel, Megève
100. Wing, Hong Kong
On the domestic side, be sure to check out our lists for the best new restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
