The World’s 50 Best Restaurants For 2015

It’s a list that’s as controversial as the rankings of  “Best Airlines In the World” and “Best Hotels In The World“, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested in the newly released 2015 World’s Best Restaurants.

This is an annual list produced by Restaurant magazine in the UK with results based on a polling of chefs, restauranteurs, and food critics. In other words, the scores are probably about as subjective as a figure skating competition or college football’s BCS.

Nonetheless, people love lists, my wife in particular being one of them, and we certainly pay close attention to these rankings as another source of information when planning our eating adventures for upcoming trips. For the most part we have had amazing meals from restaurants on this list, including this year’s #1 El Celler de Can Roca, #14 Astrid y Gaston, and #15 Seirereck. But we have also had disappointing meals from places on this list, most notably #22 Nahm in Bangkok.

But almost all of our most memorable meals and dining experiences have been at places not on this list, so it’s important to do your homework. For example, we’re planning an upcoming trip to Paris later this year, and as I researched the 4 Parisian entries on the list by cross-referencing both Yelp and TripAdvisor, the most common theme among those reviews was that they were over-rated and over-priced. That was enough of a yellow flag for me to look elsewhere.

Here’s the full list of top 50 restaurants below. As always, let me know if you have any recommendations, or more importantly, any that should be avoided?

1. El Celler de Can Roca – Girona, Spain

2. Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy

3. Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark

4. Central – Lima, Peru

5. Eleven Madison Park – New York City, USA

6. Mugaritz – San Sebastian, Spain

7. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, UK

8. Narisawa – Tokyo, Japan

9. D.O.M. – Sao Paulo, Brazil

10. Gaggan – Bangkok, Thailand

11. Mirazur – Menton, France

12. L’Arpege – Paris, France

13. Asador Etxebarri – Atxondo, Spain

14. Astrid y Gaston – Lima, Peru

15. Steirereck – Vienna, Austria

16. Pujol – Mexico City, Mexico

17. Arzak – San Sebastian, Spain

18. Le Bernardin – New York City, USA

19. Azurmendi – Larrabetzu, Spain

20. The Ledbury – London, UK

21. Le Chateaubriand – Paris, France

22. Nahm – Bangkok, Thailand

23. White Rabbit – Moscow, Russia

24. Ultraviolet By Paul Pairet –  Shanghai, China

25. Faviken – Jarpen, Sweden

26. Alinea – Chicago, USA

27. Piazza Duomo – Alba Italy

28. The Test Kitchen – Cape Town, South Africa

29. Nihonryori Ryugin – Tokyo, Japan

30. Vendome – Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

31. Restaurant Frantzen – Stockholm, Sweden

32. Attica – Melbourne, Australia

33. Aqua – Wolfsburg, Germany

34. Le Calendre – Rubano, Italy

35. Quintonil – Mexico City, Mexico

36. L’Astrance – Paris, France

37. Biko – Mexico City, Mexico

38. Amber – Hong Kong, China

39. Quique Dacosta – Denia, Spain

40. Per Se – New York City, USA

41. Mani – Sao Paolo, Brazil

42. Borago – Santiago, Chile

42. Tickets – Barcelona, Spain

44. Maido – Lima, Peru

45. Relae – Copenhagen, Denmark

46. Restaurant Andre – Singapore

47. Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athenee – Paris, France

48. Schloss Schauenstein – Furstenau, Switzerland

49. Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Pocatino Hills, USA

50. The French Laundry, Yountville, USA