There was something for almost everyone on this year’s list of the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Beneath the stained glass windows of London’s Guildhall, an audience of journalists, chefs, and ardent foodies learned that, for the second year in a row, the terroir-centered cuisine of Rene Redzepi, the brilliant young chef of Copenhagen’s noma, had again taken the top spot. For Spain, bereft of long-time winner Ferran Adri now that his restaurant elBulli is set to close, there was the consolation that three of its restaurants had placed in the top ten.
For winners, the evening offered plenty of thrills. Massimo Bottura, chef of Modena’s Osteria Francescana, couldn’t stop smiling after he learned he had come in fourth. “It’s incredible,” he gushed, as tears welled in his eyes. “It’s approbation. They’re telling us we’re on the right path.”
The list this year did manage to ameliorate, slightly, one source of controversy: the paucity of restaurants from regions of the world outside Europe and the United States. Last year, for example, there were only eight restaurants out of 50 for all of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. With only two restaurants on the list, Japan, whose capital city has more Michelin stars than Paris, seemed especially slighted, as did China , with none.
This year, the count was nine. But beyond that slight numerical improvement, the list as a whole seemed more inclusive. A restaurant in mainland China made the list for the first time ever. And Japan’s two restaurants both jumped in the rankings, moving up to 12th and 20th. “After the earthquake and the tsunami, it’s definitely a much-needed boost,” says Yoshihiro Narisawa, whose restaurant Les Creations de Narisawa, was the highest ranked Asian restaurant. “When we get home on Thursday, we’re going to have a party.”
Latin America also improved its standings, in part because, for the first time, the organization created a separate jury for Brazil. The strategy worked: not only did Peru make the top 50 for the first time ever
