A humble British pub has been named as the toughest restaurant in the world to get a table at. Beating off stiff competition from some of the world's most renowned eateries, The Bank Tavern in central Bristol currently has an eye-watering waiting list of four years, according to a study by business payment provider Dojo. Coming in second is a fine-dining spot in New York State's Hudson Valley; Damon Baehrel has a backlog of one year. Less surprising is that a New York City restaurant, Masalawala & Sons, comes in third – where diners will have to wait six months before they can get a table.
The lengthy wait at The Bank Tavern is specifically for the pub’s Sunday roast, which regulars say is one of the best in Britain. Demand is so fierce the restaurant has even had to close bookings for the foreseeable future. Those lucky enough to get a reservation can feast on creative starters like Greek squid balls and dahl pakoras, followed by beautifully presented mains of 30-day dry-aged rare topside of beef and slow cooked pork belly, served with homemade gravy and mammoth Yorkshire puddings.
The Bank Tavern is no stranger to awards either; its hearty roasts were named the best in Britain by the Observer Food Monthly Awards in 2019. Thankfully, diners wanting to try the pub’s regular lunch menu can easily get a table on other days of the week. Other British restaurants on Dojo's list include Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Bray, coming in seventh thanks to a four-month waiting list, and London’s The Clove Club, which is ninth with a three-month backlog.
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant that’s second hardest to get a reservation for is in New York – though not in the Big Apple. Foodies looking to get a table at Damon Baehrel, located in Earlton, in the Hudson Valley, will have to wait a year for their meal, but reviewers say it’s well worth the wait. There are just 16 seats and owner Damon Baehrel is famous for serving elaborate 20-plus-course meals with unique ingredients from his 12-acre native farm. Damon basically does everything himself too, acting as chef, waiter, forager, gardener and cheesemaker.
Third on the list is another New York spot (this time in NYC), the recently opened Masalawala & Sons, which commands a waiting list of six months. Since launching in September 2022, the Brooklyn-based Indian restaurant has gathered rave reviews from the likes of The New York Times and Time Out. On the menu you’ll find authentic Bengali cuisine that’s heavy on the heat, with popular dishes including Biyebarir Fish Fry and Dahi Vada.
Fourth on the list is La Mesita De Almanza in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, a super-remote restaurant located in a tiny fishing village on an isolated island. The name Tierra del Fuego translates to ‘the end of the world’ and, you’ll need to travel by boat or helicopter to get there. It’s often on lists of the world's best remote restaurants but if you manage to get a table (the wait is six months) you’re guaranteed a warm welcome and exquisite fresh seafood.
Mesa 1 in Nayarit, Mexico, comes in fifth with a six-month waiting list. Located in the exclusive W Hotel in Punta Mita, a tropical 1,500-acre private peninsula, this stunning restaurant has such a long waiting list because it only has one seating (serving between two and 10 guests) per day. Guests rave about the island-to-table food, flamboyant multi-course tasting menus and amazing service.
Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain was named the best restaurant in Europe – and the second best in the world – in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards, so it’s no surprise that diners will have to wait five months for a table here, putting it sixth on the list. Judges at the awards said Disfrutar was "an exciting fast-paced, roller-coaster ride of a culinary experience at the highest level", with dishes like the Panchino (a doughnut filled with caviar and cream cheese) and black cauliflower with coconut and lime bechamel.
This unassuming white building houses one of the world's most influential restaurants. The Fat Duck in Bray, England is Heston Blumenthal's renowned temple to molecular gastronomy, famous for its 14-course tasting menu featuring dishes such as snail porridge, scrambled egg and bacon ice cream, and an Alice in Wonderland–inspired mock turtle soup. It’s seventh on our list with a four-month waiting list – which is actually an improvement on what it used to be. Also in England is London’s The Clove Club (ninth on the list) with a wait of three months.
Fronted by experimental chef René Redzepi, Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark is one of the most sought-after restaurants in the world. This massively influential spot spearheaded New Nordic cuisine and is known for its creative hyper-local menus that change with the seasons. Noma is eighth on the list with a three-month wait for a reservation, but as it’s unfortunately shutting down in 2025, a coveted table at the restaurant is even more exclusive.
Brae, in Birregurra, Australia, is one of the country’s most exciting spots, known for its farm-to-table ethos. Headed up by visionary chef Dan Hunter, the menu pivots around ingredients grown on the restaurant’s organic farm, with an olive grove, free-range chickens and beehives on site. Brae’s motto is ‘eat from the land’ and signature dishes include a parsnip and apple dessert and prawn and kohlrabi hand roll. It’s 10th on our list, with a waiting list of two months.
Want to hear more about the most amazing restaurants (where you might actually have a chance at getting a table)? Read on for the winners of the 2023 World's 50 Best Restaurants, with some big surprises on the list...
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards – arguably the most prestigious culinary awards on the planet – took place on 20 June in Valencia, Spain. Chefs, restauranteurs, foodies and media from all over the world gathered to see who would make the much-coveted list, with the night culminating in Central in Lima, Peru being officially crowned the finest eatery on the planet. Here we take a look at the 50 restaurants that can make claim to being the best in the world.
The Chairman moved to a new location in the Wellington Tower in central Hong Kong last year with a fresh new interior, but with the same restaurant team cooking the finest local cuisine and fresh seafood. Head chef Kwok Keung Tung’s signature dish is flowery crab steamed in aged Shaoxing wine, chicken fat and clam juice, served with fragrant chicken oil and flat rice noodles. Do note, some of the restaurant's best dishes are labour intensive and need to be pre-ordered.
New entry Rosetta is set over several rooms in a beautiful mansion, with chef Elena Reygadas serving up a daily changing menu of revamped traditional Mexican dishes using seasonal ingredients. Regular dishes include corn tamale with celeriac, sea bass with samphire and white mole with fermented carrots. There's also a bakery within the mansion specialising in sourdoughs.
Set in the boutique hotel Relax & Chateaux in the countryside of northern France, newly voted in La Grenouillère is surrounded by pretty gardens, but it's the food that takes centre stage. There's a daily changing menu, including a nine-course tasting lunch and an 11-course dinner. The hotel and restaurant is set in a 16th century cottage but inside you'll find uber modern interiors with a huge stainless steel open kitchen.
Mayta is a restaurant that places colourful Peruvian produce front and centre – whether you choose to sample its 12-course Yachay tasting menu or dine à la carte. With an acute focus on sustainability, Chef Jaime Pesaque’s mission is to recover the biodiversity of the Ica region of Peru, working regularly with ingredients like paiche, an Amazonian fish that’s eaten to prevent it from killing off other local species.
Voted The Best Restaurant in Middle East & North Africa, Orfali Bros Bistro is run by three chef brothers from Syria. The bottom of the impressive two-storey open kitchen is run by TV chef Mohammad, who creates Arabic cuisine with a twist, while pastry chefs Wassim and Oma can be found upstairs whipping up pastries, buns, éclairs and desserts.
Nobelhart & Schmutzig calls itself 'Berlin's most political restaurant' as it's commited to promoting environmental and ecomomic sustainability, using only ingredients from the greater Berlin region. Chef Micha Schäfer’s 10-course tasting menu champions the region’s producers by naming them alongside each dish, from chicken with marjoram to celeriac with blackcurrant wood oil. Owner-sommelier Billy Wagner and Micha have a strict 'no cameras allowed' policy to ensure diners immerse themselves in the experience.
This legendary New York institution has long been considered one of the world’s top seafood restaurants. First opened by brother and sister team Gilbert and Maguy Le Coze in Paris in 1972, Le Bernardin opened in New York in 1986, where the kitchen has been run by chef Eric Ripert for more than 20 years. The French and Asian-influenced menu has three sections: Almost Raw, Barely Touched and Lightly Cooked. Examples of dishes include tuna tartare with sea urchin toast and poached lobster with a foie gras, mushroom and truffle cake.
Leo was opened in 2017 by Leonor Espinosa, who also received the accolade of The World's Best Female Chef in the 2022 awards. Espinosa's work in using lesser-known Colombian ingredients and recipes, such as corozo fruit (a tangy red berry), arrechón (an aphrodisiac drink) and bijao (a banana-like plant), has revitalised the country's gastronomic traditions while supporting local producers.
Read our interview with Leonor Espinosa, the World’s Best Female Chef 2022
Tucked away in the narrow streets of Alba in Italy's Northwest, Enrico Crippa's Michelin-starred, pink-frescoed restaurant is one of the world’s finest. Under the incredibly creative chef's careful instruction, Piazza Duomo serves two different tasting menus that celebrate organic ingredients from the world-famous truffle region, Piedmont, with herbs and vegetables grown in the restaurant’s own garden. Enrico is inspired by the art world and this is reflected in dishes such as the Matisse panna cotta and a hazelnut and crème caramel dessert said to pay homage to an Andy Warhol painting.
Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo inherited Le Calandre from their parents in 1994. Since then, with Massimiliano in the kitchen, the brothers have transformed it into one of the world’s best restaurants, with Massimiliano becoming the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. The menu features dishes such as such as toasted mullet with crumbs of blackberry and plum bread served with a kiwi and seaweed sauce. Previously placed at number 10, it will be interesting to see if the brothers can climb back up the list.
A regular on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, the menu at Tim Raue’s eponymous restaurant reflects his fascination with Asian cuisine, described as a 'combination of Japanese product perfection, Thai aromatics and Chinese kitchen philosophy'. Housed in a two-storey building near Checkpoint Charlie in the German capital, the chef’s bold fusion food has won him two Michelin stars. Signature dishes include Raue’s take on Peking Duck, as well as wasabi langoustine.
Set in a beautiful, lovingly renovated 19th-century military hospital that once stood empty, The Jane is now a temple to fine dining, where chef-owner Nick Bril serves up a set menu of mainly raw fish and shellfish. On old warehouse roofs nearby, you’ll find PAKT, an urban vegetable, fruit and flower garden that supplies the restaurant with fresh ingredients. Bril’s signature lobster with dashi butter is the star of the show.
Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis, and Johnny Smith’s two Michelin-starred The Clove Club, located in a historic town hall in London, Shoreditch, highlights modern British food with a few surprises thrown in. With Scottish chef Isaac McHale in the kitchen, diners can expect sensations such as hot smoked Wiltshire trout with almond milk and watercress, and duck breast with citrus and endives – with a gâteau Saint Honoré with Yorkshire rhubarb and ginger ale for dessert.
Another new addition to the list, Sézanne at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, is a modern French restaurant taking inspiration from the town of the same name in France's Champagne district. Expect high-end bubbles served from the drinks trolley, plus a Champagne bar and a delicious menu. Highlights include gamecock marinated in vin jaune, chef Daniel Calvert's take on Cantonese drunken chicken, and roast Hokkaido venison.
New to the list, the three Michelin-starred Plénitude is located in the luxurious Cheval Blanc hotel where head chef Arnaud Donckel serves up fine French cuisine. Diners can choose from a three-course set menu with optional cheese course or the six-course Symphony tasting menu. Expect to see Arnaud pop in and out of the kitchen to chat to diners, plus there's a gorgeous panoramic view of the Seine to enjoy while you eat.
Launched by friends Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale in 2017, Ikoyi is a restaurant that’s hard to categorise, bringing together techniques from African, Asian and European cooking – with herbs and spices being sourced from around the world, and proteins and produce taken from the British Isles. It's a pricy affair with the set tasting menu coming in at £300. There is a smaller lunch menu serverd on Wednesdays and Thursdays priced at £180.
Uliassi is a stunning restaurant overlooking the sea on Italy’s Adriatic Coast boasting three Michelin stars. Home to chef Mauro and his sister Catia, the restaurant is famed for its masterful marriage of marine flavours and meat-based dishes – all developed at an annual Uliassi team brainstorming session nicknamed the 'Uliassi Lab'. Ten new dishes are added to the various tasting menus on offer every year, with current highlights including the Rimini Fest (squid skewer and icy citronette) and smoked spaghetti with clams and grilled cherry tomatoes.
The hip and bustling Latin restaurant El Chato is a new entry to the list thanks to its menu of local classic dishes with a twist, focusing on seasonal and unusual Colombian ingredients. You can expect the likes of chicken hearts, young potatoes, egg yolk and sorrel and mushroom tartare, all whipped up in the downstairs open-plan kitchen. Upstairs you'll find a spice library and the chef's table. Those in the know request the famous off-menu avocado souffle.
Chef Ana Ros was voted The World’s Best Female Chef in 2017 and her restaurant in the stunning Soça Valley has drawn visitors to Slovenia from all over the world. This year the restaurant is offering a special celebratory tasting menu called 50 Shades of Life to mark its 50th anniversary. The menu features white asparagus with smoked egg dip and walnut, and two-day-aged trout cooked on the barbecue and served with brown butter fish sauce and horseradish. The restaurant is located in a big house in the country, where Ana also runs a wine bar.
Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz’s 'techno-emotional Spanish' style is not for fine dining traditionalists. But for those in search of real innovation, Mugaritz is an essential stop. You can expect an astonishing array of aromas, flavours and temperatures, with the three-hour meal being full of theatrical surprises – a recent dish involved diners sucking sheep’s milk from a breast-shaped mould. Each year the restaurant shuts between January to April so the team can come up with more creative dishes for the tasting menu.
Bjorn Frantzén’s Stockholm eatery serves an experiential 10-course menu that marries Nordic cuisine with Asian notes. While taking a tour of the townhouse the restaurant is housed in, diners can enjoy dishes such as langoustine with Koshihikari rice, mandarin and ginger, monkfish with white asparagus, ikura and salter fennel, and quail 'barbecue' with miso, foie gras, vanilla and Kampot pepper.
Chef Rodolfo Guzmán works with 200 foraging communities and small producers to source ultra-seasonal ingredients for his restaurant's menu, which showcases the incredible variety that Chile has to offer. Guzmán even has his very own food research centre, the CIB, and a biodynamic farm that supports his mission for zero-kilometre cooking. This year's 'Endémica' menu features dishes such as pink Maule tomato steak with wild grapes and fruits and Patagonian lamb with figs.
Chef owner Pía León has a mission to preserve natural flavours at Kjolle, with the restaurant team spending months researching the best ways to get the most from every ingredient, creating the least amount of waste and maximising flavour. Pia won The World’s Best Female Chef award in 2021. Dishes on the menu include sea bass and clams with quinoa leaf, and beef cheeks with corn, purple cabbage and mochero pepper.
Hiroyusu Kawate is the chef behind Florilège, a sustainable restaurant serving French-Japanese cuisine that prides itself on reducing food waste. For example, the restaurant only serves meat from cows that have had at least one calf. Made using hyper-seasonal ingredients, every dish at Florilège has a personal touch and story that connects it to its chef.
Schloss Schauenstein is housed in a fairy-tale castle in Fürstenau, the smallest town in the world. Owned by Swiss chef Andreas Caminada, who took over the then-empty castle in 2003 when he was 26, the restaurant is a romantic affair. What also impresses the commitment to respecting the environment; it scooped the Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2019. The menu features dishes like trout with kohlrabi and dill, deer cooked with wine and yogurt, and beef served with local flowers.
Chef José Avillez took over Belcanto in 2012; it earned its first Michelin star that year and grabbed a second two years later. High, vaulted ceilings and minimalist chandeliers are the backdrop to a menu that features quirky plates such as the whimsical 'garden of the goose that laid the golden eggs' (egg, crunchy bread and mushrooms) and 'springtime scarlet shrimp' with shrimp head curry, green apple gel, asparagus and coriander. Dishes are designed to take diners on a gastronomic journey of contemporary Portuguese cuisine.
This super-cool Parisian spot, headed up by chef Bertrand Grébaut, offers seasonal, modern French food. Famed for its fair pricing and relaxed-but-flavoursome creations, Septime is also big on sustainability, having scooped the Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2017. Expect dishes such as raw cuttlefish noodles in a seaweed and cardamom broth served alongside a perfect quail egg, or asparagus with house-made lardo accompanied by a wild garlic and pistachio butter. Getting a table here is notoriously difficult with online bookings taken three weeks in advance.
Michelin-starred modern Mexican restaurant Kol has the tagline 'Mexican soul, British ingredients' and uses produce from around the UK to create inventive dishes, all served in the open central kitchen. The menu features tostados with seared lamb, chalk stream trout or salt-baked beetroot and sharing dishes such as pulpo and melt-in-the-mouth pork cheeks. There's also Mezcaleria, a lively downstairs bar, serving a range of Mexican spirits, which gives this new entry some edge.
Traditional Spanish seafood in a beautiful environment is what diners will find at Elkano. The restaurant has made itself well-known for its impeccable service and perfectly grilled fish – just one example of the richness of Basque cuisine. The best chefs in the world journey here to experience the skills the family behind this restaurant have perfected.
The aim of Zaiyu Hasegawa’s restaurant Den is that guests leave smiling, a goal that's usually easily achieved with the help of the eatery's loyal chihuahua mascot, Puchi Jr. The menu offers a relaxed spin on Japan's traditional multi-course kaiseki cuisine, with Hasegawa's signature foie gras monaka (wafer sandwich) being a must-order appetiser. Also, don't miss Dentucky Fried Chicken – a house take on chicken wings.
A bright, white Valencian villa, chef Quique Dacosta’s eponymous restaurant is famous for tasting menus that celebrate the fish, seafood and rice dishes of the Levant in an extraordinarily artistic style. Served as a series of tapas-like courses, each dish is a combination of traditional and modern, think prawn bread stuffed with chilli crab and served on a ceramic lettuce leaf, or lobster roe salad with bisque served in a shimmering sea snail shell.
Steak takes centre stage at owner Pablo Rivero’s Buenos Aires eatery, Don Julio. All the beef on the menu comes from Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle, raised in the countryside outside the Argentinian capital and matured in a climate-controlled ageing chamber for a minimum of 21 days. There's also a delicous selection of starters on offer, including the yellow corn, pumpkin and cheese empanadas and a selection of artisanal charcuterie such as chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) and salchicha parrillera (spiral sausage).
Heinz Reitbauer’s space specialises in modern Austrian fare, highlighting the diverse produce of the Styrian region in a number of delicious yet simple dishes. The chef transforms the basics into cutting-edge food that’s big on theatre; for example, freshwater char is cooked at the table in hot beeswax before being returned on a plate with yellow carrot, pollen and sour cream. The restaurant also loves a trolley – the bread trolley features 25 different varieties, plus expect to see an apertif trolley, impressive cheese trolley and even a tea trolley.
Legendary Indian chef Gaggan Anand closed his award-winning restaurant in 2019, before reopening in a new Bangkok site later that year. Famous for creative menus, once only written in emojis, Anand takes fine dining to a new level with molecular gastronomy and cutting-edge equipment. Expect dishes such as Brain Freeze – an ice cream where ingredients have to be guessed by diners. Guests receive a questionnaire to complete prior to their booking with questions including their favourite band, swear word and Kama Sutra position – this is a dining experience not for the faint-hearted.
Since chef Niko Romito took the reins at Reale in 2000, the family trattoria has gone from strength to strength, winning three Michelin stars in two decades. The reason for its success? It’s all down to the Niko Romito 'system' – the food here is thoroughly analysed in the pursuit of optimal flavour results. We recommend trying Romito's minimalistic Carrot, Courgette and Cauliflower creations for proof.
Also voted the best restaurant in Asia and Thailand, Le Du is a new entry and it's easy to see why. Showcasing refined, modern Thai cuisine, there are four or six-course tasting menus to choose from with dishes including crab with mushroom and homemade sriracha, and the restaurant's signature dish, khao kluk kapi (river prawn with brown rice risotto laced with shrimp paste). Le Du is derived from the Thai word for season, which is reflected in the seasonally changing menu. Head chef Thitid 'Ton' Tassanakajohn is also a trained sommelier, with the restaurant boasting a fantastic global wine list.
Now the holder of three Michelin stars, Julien Royer’s wonderfully feminine restaurant serves up modern French dishes such as seared foie gras, miso caramel, lemon quinoa and Japanese strawberries, from its location in Singapore’s National Gallery. Paying homage to Julien's grandmother of the same name, the restaurant uses ingredients sourced from specialist artisans across the globe, from Europe to Asia and Australia – and the hospitality is second to none.
Chef Enrique Olvera has been delivering rustic Mexican flavours at his restaurant Pujol for more than two decades. Now presided over by chef de cuisine Jesús Durón, the restaurant's beautiful menu is built from local ingredients. Highlights include blood orange aguachile with lime and lobster taco with salsa macha, macadamia nuts and fresh cheese. Desserts include cactus sorbet and pickled figs with fig leaf ice cream.
One of the most affordable restaurants on the list, A Casa do Porco, 'house of the pig', is indeed the best place to try pork in all its glory. Located in São Paulo and run by husband-and-wife team Jefferson and Janaina Rueda, the restaurant uses contemporary techniques to highlight the best pork has to offer – and it isn’t shy when it comes to experimenting. Take, for example, one of their most renowned dishes: sushi of pork jowl. There's also a vegetarian menu on offer featuring dishes such as mushroom sushi and cheese ‘crackling’.
Also voted the Best Restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa, Trèsind Studio takes traditional Indian food and gives it a modern, creative spin using ingredients sourced from organic, sustainable farmd in the UAE. The Tasting India set menu is split into four sections, exploring the country's north, south, east and west regions with diners moved to different areas of the restaurant for each part, providing an exciting theatrical gastronomic journey. There are just 20 seats available, making it an especially initimate dining experience.
The highest new entry in the list, Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris has two Michelin stars and is the talk of the town thanks to the interesting history of its chef-owner and its stunning cuisine. Self-taught chef Bruno Verjus, 63, opened the restaurant aged 54 following many different careers, including stints as a medical student, photographer, author and food critic. Table features a long counter designed like a wave and an open kitchen. It serves up a tasting menu which always features the Colours of the Day, a daily changing plate of seasonal herbs and vegetables, and an iconic chocolate, capers and caviar tart for dessert.
Named after a Mexican green herb which features on the menu, Jorge Vallejo’s restaurant has been showcasing the best of the country’s food since 2012. With many of the ingredients coming from a nearby garden (travelling only 30 metres from patch to plate), the restaurant also keeps its carbon footprint low. On the tasting menu, you'll find dishes such as spider crab in green mole with lime kaffir and blue corn tostadas, and cactus sorbet.
Run by chef JP Park and his wife Ellia, Atomix is a dynamic New Korean restaurant in the NoMad district of Manhattan and as well as being this year's highest climber (it was previously placed at number 33), was also voted the Best Restaurant in North America. While seated at the restaurant’s single, U-shaped counter, 14 diners are treated to a 12-course tasting menu that comes complete with beautiful cards outlining the English translation, ingredients and meaning of each dish. Expect to try sea urchin with steamed carrot cake, kohlrabi with yellow beetroot and mussels and sea cucumber served with shrimp and egg over rice.
With one menu that focuses on the classics and another that's all about innovation, Lido 84 has something to please everyone. Of course, you really can’t go wrong when using the best Italian ingredients, sourced from the surrounding pastures and the Lake Garda region. The kitchen is led by chef Ricardo Camanini, whose signature dish is cacio e pepe en vessie: rigatoni pasta cooked inside a pig’s bladder with its juices, and tossed with pecorino cheese.
Maido combines Japanese techniques and Peruvian ingredients in a 10-14 course tasting menu that takes you on a gastronomic journey. Chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura, aided by head chef Cesar Choy, serve up dishes such as Tiradito de Toro (fatty tuna, seafood, tiger’s milk, zarandaja bean cream and chalaca sauce) and Nikkei Sudado (fried fish, shrimp dumpling, sudado stew reduction and mussels). Expect big flavours and bright colours, and a separate sushi counter to boot.
Hidden away in a remote part of Copenhagen that’s famous for little more than its industrial buildings, you’ll find the mysterious bronze doors of Alchemist. You don’t need a magic wand to enter, though; wait for a couple of moments and the doors automatically swing open, welcoming you along on a true culinary tour. Dreamt up by head chef Rasmus Munk, your experience will be divided into several 'acts', taking you through different locations – and creatively presented dishes – along the way. The restaurant is also the winner of the Art of Hospitality Award.
Located in the verdant Spanish Basque Country, self-taught chef Victor Arguinzoniz’s restaurant Asador Etxebarri takes grilling up a notch. He's renowned for drawing out incredible flavours from humble ingredients by cooking them over open-hearth grills – all of which he built himself. Expect dishes like homemade chorizo, plus seasonal delicacies including baby eels and caviar-like Basque peas. Although it's certainly Spanish wood-fired barbecue at its best, the restaurant is informal, and also renowned for its charming service and a village pub-like feel at the bar.
If there's one person that represents the 'chefs are the new rock stars' movement, it's Dabiz Muñoz. DiverXO is his masterpiece: its food filled with political commentary, bold flavours and over-the-top presentation. The 12-course tasting menu is a feast of Asian-inspired cuisine, featuring dishes including roasted baby octopus with jamón essence and ending with mochi bonbons with Thai-style dulce de leche and finger lime.
Led by three chefs – Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch – Barcelona restaurant Disfrutar, whose name means 'enjoy' in Spanish, opened its doors in 2014. Unexpected treats like a Panchino (a doughnut filled with caviar and cream cheese) and a frozen gazpacho ice cream sandwich are just part of a thrillingly original dining experience designed to 'please, surprise and excite' diners, taking them on a rollercoaster ride of contemporary techniques and daring combinations.
The Best Restaurant in the World and Best Restaurant in South America, Central is run by husband-and-wife team Virgilio Martínez and Pía León. The couple source their ingredients from across the country, and the tasting menu takes diners through 15 different Peruvian ecosystems, categorised by altitude – from 15 metres under the Pacific Ocean to 4,200 metres up in the Andes. Dishes include Dry Valley (shrimp, loche squash, avocado) and Amazonian Water (pacu fish, watermelon and coca leaf).