The Worlds Best Restaurants 2012

The World's 50 Best Restaurants

http://www.theworlds50best.com/

Restaurant Magazine (sponsored by S. Pellegrino and & Acqua Panna) have just released their list of the World's Best 50 Restaurants (full list below or go to the link above to get more details). I am sad to say I have only gone to a handful of these... I guess I know what I'll be aiming for for 2012.

The list is created from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 800 international leaders in the restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. The Academy comprises 27 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 31 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘gastronomes’ each of whom has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three of which must be used to recognize restaurants outside of their region. At least 10 panelists from each region change each year.

The Voting Rules:

• Voting is strictly confidential before the awards announcement
• Panelists vote for 4 restaurants within their region and 3 outside of their region
• Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months
• Voters are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have an interest in
• Nominations must be made for the restaurant, not for the restaurateur or the chef
• Panelists submit their 7 choices in order of preference (this information is used to decide on positions in the event of a tie)

Other than this there are “no rules”.

Thomas Keller, the 2012 S.Pellegrino Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, earned two spots on the list this year with Per Se at No. 6 and The French Laundry at No. 43. Six other restaurants from the United States were also crowned this year: Alinea in Chicago, Illinois; Daniel, Le Bernardin, Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Eleven Madison Park in New York; and Manresa in Los Gatos, California.

Leave a comment if you've ever been to any of these or if you think something should/shouldn't be on the list!

These are the world's 50 best restaurants:

1) Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)
2) El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)
3) Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
4) D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)
5) Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)
6) Per Se (New York)
7) Alinea (Chicago, Illinois)
8) Arzak (San Sebastián, Spain)
9) Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, England)
10) Eleven Madison Park (New York)
11) Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
12) L'Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon (Paris, France)
13) The Fat Duck (Bray, England)
14) The Ledbury (London, England)
15) Le Chateaubriand (Paris, France)
16) L'Arpege (Paris, France)
17) Pierre Gagnaire (Paris, France)
18) L'Astrance (Paris, France)
19) Le Bernardin (New York)
20) Frantzén/Lindeberg (Stockholm, Sweden)
21) Oud Sluis (Sluis, Netherlands)
22) Aqua (Wolfsburg, Germany)
23) Vendôme (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)
24) Mirazur (Menton, France)
25) Daniel (New York)
26) Iggy's (Singapore)
27) Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
28) Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)
29) Quay Restaurant (Sydney, Australia)
30) Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
31) Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo-Bizkaia, Spain)
32) Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
33) De Librije (Zwolle, Netherlands)
34) Fäviken Magasinet (Järpen, Sweden)
35) Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Perú)
36) Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
37) Momofuku Ssäm Bar (New York)
38) Biko (Mexico City, Mexico)
39) Waku Ghin (Singapore)
40) Quique Dacosta (Denia, Spain)
41) Mathias Dahlgren (Stockholm, Sweden)
42) Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)
43) The French Laundry (Yountville, California)
44) Amber (Hong Kong, China)
45) Vila Joya (Albufeira, Portugal)
46) Il Canto (Siena, Italy)
47) Bras (Laguiole, France)
48) Manresa (Los Gatos, California)
49) Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
50) Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)