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50 Best Restaurants in the World for 2022


In an announcement certain to divide foodies across the globe, the world’s best restaurants have officially been named for 2022. Unveiled as part of the annual World’s 50 Best Awardsthe culinary crusade through the continents delivered more than a few surprises. However, the standout performers hailed from the most expected of origins. The old guard of Paris, London and New York managed to nab a few places in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, but for the second year running, it was the exciting and somewhat experimental approach of Copenhagen that took home top honours. Last year’s runner-up, Geranium was named the world’s best restaurant after fellow Copenhagen mainstay and 2021 award-winner, Noma, fell out of eligibility. Turns out those Danes are good for more than just pastry.

Top 5 Best Restaurants in 2022

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Geranium, Copenhagen | Image: Geranium

1. Geranium, Copenhagen

Helmed by award-winning chef Rasmus Kofoed and co-owner Søren Ledet, Geranium is exactly the kind of avant-garde dining experience you’d expect to see top the list. Located on the eighth floor of Copenhagen’s national football stadium, the restaurant features a locally-inspired, seasonally-changing ‘Universe’ tasting menu that takes place over three hours. The 20-course extravaganza is split evenly across appetisers, savoury dishes and sweets, meaning there is a little something for everyone.

In 2016, Geranium became the first Danish restaurant to win three Michelin stars, however, the venue has diversified its offering, continually evolving the menu to better suit the needs of patrons. In 2022, Kofoed made Geranium a completely meat-free zone, focusing solely on locally sourced seafood and vegetables from biodynamic farms across Scandinavia. According to the 50 Best Awards, the standout dishes come from the ‘Spring Universe’ menu, which features options like lightly smoked lumpfish roe with milk, kale and apple, and forest mushrooms with beer, smoked egg yolk, pickled hops and rye bread.

Service options: Dine-in · No takeaway · No delivery
Located in: Parken
Address: Per Henrik Lings Allé 4, 8. Sal, 2100 København, Denmark
Hours: Wed-Sat: 12pm-3:30pm, 6:30pm-12am
Phone: +45 69 96 00 20

Check it out

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Central, Lima | Image: Central

2. Central, Lima

Coming in second place for this year was Central in Lima. Chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León’s elevated ode to Peru is a celebration of local produce that has grown steadily in popularity over the past few years. The husband and wife pair first made their presence felt on the list way back in 2013, however, they’ve continued to climb up the rankings. In 2021, the restaurant was named in the top four, however, it’s moved up two places, giving the Danes a run for their money.

According to the World’s 50 Best Awards, Central was rewarded for its unique approach to sustainable sourcing, with judges noting its plates were bursting with “incredible biodiversity”. The restaurant is best-known for its tasting menu, which features scallops, squid and clams that come fresh from the coast and the Amazon, while the Sacred Valley offers up pork belly and goat’s neck.

Address: Av. Pedro de Osma 301, Barranco 15063, Peru
Hours: Mon-Sat: 12:45pm-1:45pm, 7pm-8:30pm
Phone: +51 1 2428515

Check it out

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Disfrutar, Barcelona | Image: Disfrutar

3. Disfrutar, Barcelona

In Barcelona, you’ll find the third best restaurant in the world, Disfrutar. A name that translates to ‘enjoy’, Disfrutar is described as a “boundary-pushing gastronomic experience”, and it’s not hard to see why. Chefs Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch’s ambitious project blends contemporary techniques with surprising flavour profiles to create something truly unique. From the fluffy bun stuffed with caviar and sour cream to the eel skin with royal sea cucumber, there’s a lot going on here.

“We do not give credit to this great surprise – we’re extremely thankful to everyone who makes it possible, team, customers and everyone you believe in Disfrutar,” the restaurant wrote after the awards were announced. “Congratulations to all the colleagues who are part of this list.”

Service options: Dine-in · Takeaway · Delivery
Address: C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: Mon-Fri: 1pm-4:30pm, 8pm-12am
Phone: +34 933 48 68 96

Check it out

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DiverXO, Madrid | Image: DiverXO

4. DiverXO, Madrid

Coming in at number four on the World’s Best Restaurants list is Madrid-based eatery DiverXO. The brainchild of culinary whizkid Dabiz Muñoz, the restaurant is renowned for its 12-course tasting menu, which takes diners on a bizarre journey through Asia. Here, you’ll enjoy Cantonese sea noodles with eel stew, hare katsusando with toasted butter brioche, or ‘Galician lobster waking up on the beaches of Goa’. Unsurprisingly, each dish arrives like a work of art.

Service options: Dine-in · No takeaway · No delivery
Located in: NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding
Address: NH Eurobuilding, C. del Padre Damián, 23, 28036 Madrid, Spain
Hours: Wed-Sat: 1–5:30pm, 7:30pm–12:30am
Phone: +34 915 70 07 66

Check it out

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Pujol, Mexico City | Image: Pujol

5. Pujol, Mexico City

The top performing North American restaurant this year, Pujol is a rather unexpected entry for the uninitiated. Back in 2000, chef Enrique Olvera turned an architecturally designed home into a stunning sit-down eatery, complete with an incredible urban menu. Now with Jesús Durón on board as Pujol’s chef de cuisine, the venue is going from strength to strength.

Pujol is best known for its varied seven-course tasting menu that changes seasonally, however, always encompasses the traditionally Mole Madre and Mole Nuevo dishes. According to the World’s 50 Best Awards, the chef’s favourites feature on an omakase menu and include the likes of amberjack ceviche with palm hearts, fennel and parsnip, and baby corn with chicatana ant mayo.

Address: Tennyson 133, Polanco, Polanco IV Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11570 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours: Mon-Sat: 1:30pm-9:30pm
Phone: +52 55 5545 4111

Check it out

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Pujol, Mexico City | Image: Pujol

50 Best Restaurants in the World 2022

While Copenhagen, which is among the most expensive cities in the world, once again claimed top honours in the rankings, the rest of the world’s 50 best restaurants featured some unsurprising names. Italy had the most entries this year with six, including Lido 84, which came in at number eight and Uliassi at number 12. Looking more broadly, the best restaurant in Africa for 2022 was new entry Fyn, from Cape Town in South Africa, which was named at number 37, while the best restaurant in Asia was Den from Tokyo in Japan at 20. For North America, the fifth-placed Pujol in Mexico City was the top performer, with number two, Central in Peru the best in South America.

Unfortunately for us, the best restaurant in Australia didn’t even make the top 50, with our best-placed finish, Melbourne’s iconic Gimlet at Cavendish House, coming at number 84. Here is a list of the 50 best restaurants in the world for 2022.

1. Geranium, Copenhagen
2. Central, Lima
3. Disfrutar, Barcelona
4. Diverxo, Madrid
5. Pujol, Mexico City
6. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo
7. A Casa do Porco, São Paulo
8. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera
9. Quintonil, Mexico City
10. Le Calandre, Rubano
11. Maido, Lima
12. Uliassi, Senigallia
13. Steirereck, Vienna
14. Don Julio, Buenos Aires
15. Reale, Castel di Sangro
16. Elkano, Getaria
17. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin
18. Alchemist, Copenhagen
19. Piazza Duomo, Alba
20. Den, Tokyo
21. Mugaritz, San Sebastian
22. Septime, Paris
23. The Jane, Antwerp
24. The Chairman, Hong Kong
25. Frantzén, Stockholm
26. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin
27. Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem
28. Le Clarence, Paris
29. St. Hubertus, San Cassiano
30. Florilège, Tokyo
31. Arpège, Paris
32. Mayta, Lima
33. Atomix, New York
34. Hiša Franko, Kobarid
35. The Clove Club, London
36. Odette, Singapore
37. Fyn, Cape Town
38. Jordnær, Copenhagen
39. Sorn, Bangkok
40. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau
41. La Cime, Osaka
42. Quique Dacosta, Dénia
43. Boragó, Santiago
44. Le Bernardin, New York
45. Narisawa, Tokyo
46. Belcanto, Lisbon
47. Oteque, Rio de Janeiro
48. Leo, Bogotá
49. Ikoyi, London
50. SingleThread, Healdsburg

The alchemist
Alchemist, Copenhagen | Image: Alchemist

The Best of the Rest (51-100)

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. Mani, São Paulo
97. Benu, San Francisco
98. Tantris, Munich
99. Flocons de Sel, Megève
100. Wing, Hong Kong

Pujol
Pujol, Mexico City | Image: Pujol

How the 50 Best Restaurants are Judged

An annual rundown of the globe’s top restaurants, the World’s 50 Best Awards are collated through the combined experiences of 1,080 international restaurant industry experts. The globally recognised ranking takes into account a number of factors, however, there is no pre-determined checklist of criteria.

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The Voting Rules

In the interest of complete impartiality, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and awards are organised and compiled by William Reed, with none of the employees of the organiser, or of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, allowed to partake in the voting Academy. The academy is made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restauranteurs and foodies, with each given 10 votes to hand out. The votes are completely confidential and remain anonymous throughout the process.

World’s Best Restaurants

For the past decade or so, the World’s Best Restaurants list has been dominated by one name, Noma. One of the globe’s most celebrated culinary establishments, the Rene Redzepi-led venue secured top spot in the rankings in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2021, however, this year, there was a change-up. The World’s 50 Best organisation instituted a new rule back in 2019 that prevents restaurants from winning the accolade a second time, which Noma skirted around by moving locations last year. In 2022, however, the famed bistro was officially ineligible to win the category and instead, passed the reins to a fellow Copenhagen favourite.

Remarkably, in the list’s 20-year run, only European or North American restaurants have managed to win. As of yet, no South American or Asian restaurants have ever placed first and there are no restaurants on the top 50 list from the Middle East. That may soon be about to change, however, with Central in Lima moving up two places to second spot for the 2022 Best Restaurants in the World list. With the new rule now preventing Geranium from scoring a second title next year, we could soon see a first for South America. Here are the top five best restaurants in the world for this year.

General FAQs

What is the best restaurant in the world?

According to international adjudicator The World’s Best 50, the best restaurant in the world for 2022 is Geranium in Copenhagen. The high-concept destination offers multiple course tasting menus, plus panoramic views from a stunning 8th floor setting.

What is the best restaurant in Australia?

According to international adjudicator The World’s Best 50, the best restaurant in Australia is Gimlet at Cavendish House. The iconic destination finished in 84th place in the world rankings for 2022.