Disfrutar in Barcelona Named ‘World’s Best Restaurant’

This story was originally published on April 5, 2017, and has been updated to reflect the 2024 results

Disfrutar, Barcelona’s most acclaimed fine dining destination, became even more so after landing the top spot on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant, which continues the Spanish tradition of molecular gastronomy with theatrically plated spheres and foams, was expected to take the top spot; it was second on the list in 2023 and in the No. 3 spot in 2022.

Disfrutar will occupy the number one position until next year. That’s because in 2019 the organization announced a rule change stating that after a restaurant ascends to the No. 1 spot, it becomes ineligible and is removed from the list in future years. Although the change in eligibility rules was at first billed as a diversity initiative, reporting from Lisa Abend in 2019 revealed that chefs fearing a ding to their reputations as they fell from the top spot lobbied for the change.

Below, a comprehensive look at all of the restaurants that the World’s 50 Best have deemed best in the world. You’ll note that nearly all of the restaurants that have been ranked first are located in Europe; those that aren’t in Europe serve European-style tasting menus; and all of the restaurants except Central are helmed exclusively by men.

Monica Burton/Eater

Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain

Years at No. 1: 2024
Vital intel: Chefs Eduard Xatruch, Mateu Casañas, and Oriol Castro opened Disfrutar in December 2014 and have accrued accolades ever since. In addition to holding the top spot on the World’s 50 Best List, it was awarded three Michelin stars in 2024. The El Bulli-trained chefs offer diners their choice of tasting menus featuring either Disfrutar classics or seasonal dishes, each with around 20 courses for 290 euros ($315 USD). Those courses celebrate molecular gastronomy, with surprising textures and whimsical platings served in an ambiance that, the Eater Guide to Barcelona notes, is “never too stuffy.”

Cesar del Rio

Central, Lima, Peru

Years at No. 1: 2023
Vital intel: Chef-owners Virgilio Martínez and Pia León take diners through Peru’s various ecosystems by borrowing ingredients and inspiration for each course on Central’s menu from a different altitude. From their flagship space in Lima, they offer both “classic” and “experimental” versions of a set tasting menu, for PEN 1590 (that’s about $404). Central is the first restaurant outside of Europe or the United States to take home the top honors, and the first restaurant with a woman credited as a co-chef or chef to hold the number one spot.

Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark

Years at No. 1: 2022
Vital intel: Helmed by chef Rasmus Kofoed, Geranium is one of Denmark’s most celebrated culinary establishments, and the first restaurant in the country to earn three Michelin stars. (Yes, it beat Noma to it by several years.) From its eighth floor perch, the restaurant’s dining room overlooks the scenic Fælledparken gardens. Currently, the three-hour “Spring Universe” tasting menu clocks in at $4,200 DKK (about $613 USD). The restaurant has been meat free since 2022.

Jason Loucas/Noma

Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

Years at No. 1: 2021, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010
Vital intel: René Redzepi, famed for his foraging expeditions and fermenting techniques, redefined what it means to be a locavore with Noma. The restaurant’s new Nordic, hyper-local cuisine made Copenhagen a global dining destination and served as a training ground for a number of notable chefs. In 2016, Redzepi closed Noma. He opened a new Noma in Copenhagen in early 2018. That restaurant was considered eligible for the 2019 list, landing at No. 2. And after 2020 pandemic hiatus, the restaurant won the top honors on the 2021 list. In January 2023, the restaurant announced that it would close — permanently, this time — by the end of 2024, with plans to do the occasional pop-up.

Mirazur, Menton, France

Years at No. 1: 2019
Vital intel: Mirazur, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, isn’t known for being particularly influential, but Colagreco has been building his reputation for years. The Italian-Argentine chef honed his approach to French cuisine working along side chefs Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse. He opened Mirazur in 2006 serving a tasting menu inspired by three themes: sea, garden, and mountain. That menu, available for both lunch and dinner currently costs 450 euros, or around $490, per person.

Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy

Years at No. 1: 2018, 2016
Vital intel: Osteria Francescana had been hovering near the top spot before making it to no. in 2016. Massimo Bottura’s Italian restaurant was ranked second in 2015, and third the year before that. The first Italian restaurant to reach the top of the list, Osteria Francescana has a reputation for being near-impossible to get into, thanks in part to chef Bottura’s whimsical menu items, like “You say Tomato, I say Tomato… and Bread” and “From Gragnano to Bangkok.” The tasting is currently 350 euros, or $381.

Gary He/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Eleven Madison Park, New York

Years at No. 1: 2017
Vital intel: Daniel Humm and Will Guidara vied for the top spot on the World’s 50 Best list since their restaurant made it into the top 50 in 2010, a year before the chef and general manager purchased EMP from Danny Meyer. The restaurant, which serves a seasonal tasting menu and also has three Michelin stars and four from the New York Times, is just the second American restaurant to be named best in the world by this particular list. Just months after landing the No. 1 spot, the restaurant underwent a major renovation; in 2021, Humm announced its menu would go completely vegan. Currently, it offers a five-course tasting for $285, or a full tasting for $365.

El Celler De Can Roca, Girona, Spain

Years at No. 1: 2015, 2013
Vital intel: In 2013, the modernist Spanish restaurant became the second restaurant from the Girona region of Spain to make it to the top of the list. At El Celler De Can Roca, Roca brothers Joan, Josep, and Jordi serve two avant-garde tasting menus: a regular tasting with five main courses, and a “festival” version with a whopping 12 main courses (not including appetizers and desserts). Since being named the world’s best, the brothers have been as committed to international outreach as they are to innovation, becoming Goodwill Ambassadors for the United Nations Development Program and embarking on a 2014 worldwide tour.

El Bulli Restaurant/Getty Images

El Bulli, Girona, Spain

Years at No. 1: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2002
Vital intel: The first restaurant to nab the top spot, El Bulli ties with Noma for most years spent at number one. The Spanish restaurant pioneered modernist, molecular gastronomy techniques, and El Bulli chef Ferran Adrià trained several renowned chefs early in their careers, including José Andrés and fellow World’s 50 Best chef René Redzepi. El Bulli closed in 2011, with Adrià turning it into a foundation, research lab, and museum called El Bulli 1846.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Fat Duck, Bray, England

Years at No. 1: 2005
Vital intel: At the time the Fat Duck topped the list, it was unusual to appear for just a single year. At the time, chef Heston Blumenthal’s 10-year-old restaurant was lauded for its highly innovative multi-course tasting menu, which included the now-retired snail porridge and egg and bacon ice cream. In 2017, Blumenthal was recognized by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for lifetime achievement. The restaurant is still going strong, with its current “Sensorium” tasting menu — billed as “a journey through the mind at the Fat Duck” — starting at £275 ($351).

The French Laundry, Yountville, California

Years at No. 1: 2004, 2003
Vital intel: Thomas Keller’s the French Laundry was the first American fine dining establishment to make it to the No. 1 spot on the list. The restaurant, which featured Keller’s French cooking in a picturesque Napa Valley setting, was also the first on the World’s 50 Best list to take the spot two years running. In the years since, the French Laundry remained stubbornly on list of back 50 restaurants, ranking no. 86 in 2018. It’s now, of course, off the list for good.

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