Italian chef Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana has been named the best restaurant in the world, at the annual World's 50 Best Restaurants awards. At a ceremony in Bilbao on Monday night, the restaurant, which opened in Modena in 1995, was awarded the top spot for the second time – it also came first in 2016.
Last year's best restaurant, Eleven Madison Park in New York, fell to fourth place after it closed for renovations for four months last year. In second place, chef Joan Roca's El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, climbed one place from last year, as did Mauro Colagreco's Mirazur restaurant in Menton, France, which moved from 4 in 2017 to third in 2018. Gaggan in Bangkok, which was 7th last year came in at number 5.
There were three Spanish restaurants in the top 10 this year (El Celler de can Roca, Mugaritz in Errenteria, and Asador Etxebarri in Axpe) and two from Lima, in Peru: Central and Maido.
The highest new entry award went to Disfrutar (which means “enjoy”) in Barcelona. Set up by three former El Bulli chefs, it came in at number 18, while the highest climber was Den, in Tokyo, which jumped from number 45 in 2017 to 17 this year.
There were no Irish restaurants on the list, although four UK entries (all London-based) made the top 50; The Clove Club, Lyle’s, The Ledbury and Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner, in Knightsbridge, which fell nine places from 36 in 2017 to 45 this year.
Bottura holds three Michelin stars at his restaurant, in Modena, Italy, where dishes famously come with quirky names, including “Oops, I Dropped the Lemon Tart” and “An eel swimming up the Po River”. A 10-course tasting menu starts at €250, while à la carte starters come in at €70 to €90.
The restaurant has found fame outside the food world, appearing in Aziz Ansari's Netflix comedy Master of None and in season one of Chef's Table.
Accepting his award, Bottura told the audience of chefs in Bilbao “I’m going to use these spotlights for all of us to show the world that chefs in 2018 are much more than the sum of their recipes. We can have a very loud voice of change if we stay together.”
Rene Redzepi’s Noma – which was named best in the world in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and which reopened as “Noma 2.0” earlier this year wasn’t on the list as it didn’t open in time for voting.
Here is a complete list of the world’s 50 best restaurants:
1. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy) Chef: Massimo Bottura. Last year's rank: 2
2. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain) Chef: Joan Roca Last year's rank: 3
3. Mirazur (Menton, France) Chef: Mauro Colagreco. Last year's rank: 4
4. Eleven Madison Park (New York City) Chef: Daniel Humm. Last year's rank: 1
5. Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand) Chef: Gaggan Anand. Last year's rank: 7
6. Central (Lima, Peru)
7. Maido (Lima, Peru)
8. L’Arpege (Paris, France)
9. Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
10. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
11. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
12. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York, USA)
13. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
14. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
15. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)
16. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
17. Den (Tokyo, Japan)
18. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
19. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
20. Attica (Melbourne, Australia)
21. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)
22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
23. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
24. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China)
25. Cosme (New York City, USA)
26. Le Bernardin (New York City, USA)
27. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
28. Odette (Singapore)
29. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)
30. D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)
31. Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)
32. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)
33. The Clove Club (London, UK)
34. Alinea (Chicago, USA)
35. Maaemo (Oslo, Norway)
36. Reale (Castel Di Sangro, Italy)
37. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
38. Lyle’s (London, UK)
39. Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Peru)
40. Septime (Paris, France)
41. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)
42. The Ledbury (London, UK)
43. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)
44. Mikla (Istanbul, Turkey)
45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, UK)
46. Saison (San Francisco, USA)
47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
48. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
49. Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)
50. The Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)
Additional awards
Best Female Chef: Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth, London)
Chef's Choice Award: Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, New York)
Best Pastry Chef: Cédric Grolet
Lifetime Achievement Award: Gastón Acurio
Art of Hospitality Award: Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
One to Watch: Single Thread (Healdsburg, California)
BBVA Scholarship Winner: Jessie Liu (Taipei)
Sustainable Restaurant Award: Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)
Highest New Entry: Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
Highest Climber Award: Den (Tokyo, Japan)
