The Spanish city unveiled The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 on Tuesday evening, marking not just a grand evening of significant victories for Spain, but also a triumph for Bangkok with two debut entries on the roster.
Here’s an account of the night’s proceedings, from major victories to delightful surprises.
Gourmet enthusiasts worldwide tuned in to witness the reveal of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 in Valencia as the prestigious list of top 50 restaurants was announced.
In the wake of the 51-100 list’s unveiling just a few days earlier, the disclosure of the 1-50 rankings completes this year’s roll of the top 100 dining establishments worldwide.
From the opulent awards event held within Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences complex, to the thrilling new inclusions on the list, continue reading for all the notable highlights from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023.
Central Receives “the World’s Best Restaurant 2023” Title
The 21st iteration of this yearly restaurant ranking spanned 24 territories across five continents this year, featuring 12 first-time entries, two of which hail from Thailand.
Central in Lima claimed the number one position, creating a historical moment as the first South American locale to clinch the culinary accolade.
It is also the first restaurant in this rank to be jointly managed by a female chef, as Central is well-known for being led by the husband-wife duo Virgilio Martínez and Pía León.
Central’s triumph as the world’s best restaurant trails its win as the best restaurant in Latin America in 2022, a position it held from 2014-2016 as well.
Central’s achievement further solidifies the Peruvian capital as a gastronomic hotspot, with Lima boasting three more spots in the top 50 (Maido at no. 6, Kjolle at no. 28, and Mayta at no. 47).
Following Central are three Spanish establishments, with Barcelona’s Disfrutar at no.2, Madrid’s Diverxo at no.3, and the Basque region’s Bittor Arquinzoniz at no.4.
Debut Entries and Significant Leaps
While it was a spectacular night for Peru, it was also a grand night for the emerging dining destinations of Dubai, the UK, and France. This year, only two U.S. restaurants made it to the top 50 rankings.
In Asia, Bangkok certainly captured attention, as we witnessed two Bangkok restaurants make the list for the first time.
Japan saw 3 entries (Den at no. 21, Florilège at no. 27, and Sézanne at no. 37), and Hong Kong had one entry (The Chairman at no. 50). Singapore had a single entry, Odette at no.14, which was also voted the Best Restaurant in Asia.
Bangkok Restaurants on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 This year has proven quite successful for Bangkok restaurants on the rankings.
The Thai capital had four entries on the 51-100 list, inspiring numerous Bangkok food lovers to speculate which restaurants would feature on the top 50 list. The guesswork wasn’t too challenging.
While certainly not new to the dining scene, Bangkok is represented by first-timers to the World’s 50 Best with Le Du at no. 15, and Gaggan Anand at no. 17.
This comes months after Le Du was crowned Asia’s Best Restaurant, with Gaggan Anand occupying the no.2 spot on that list.
On the 51-100 list, Thailand was represented by Potong (no. 88), Nusara (no. 74), Sühring (no. 72), and Sorn (no. 56). This signifies that Bangkok is represented by a total of 6 restaurants in the top 100.
Last year, Sorn was the sole Thai restaurant to rank within the top 50, coming in at no. 39 in 2022.
Special Awards The special awards segment at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 ceremony elicited strong emotions.
Julien Royer, the French chef from Singapore’s much-loved Odette restaurant, won the Estrella Damn Chefs’ Choice Award. Fyn, situated in Cape Town, secured the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award 2023.
The Best Female Chef award was conferred upon Elena Reygadas of Mexico City’s Rosetta. Meanwhile, the Resy One to Watch award was presented to Tatiana in New York.
