50 Best

The S.Pellegrino
World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2007

There remains an enduring love affair with restaurants of excellence, here they are the world's best...

Consensus of opinion shows an enduring love affair with innovation embracing chefs: from the highest climber Noma, Copenhagen; highest new entry Alinea, Chicago; and the boat-rocking Italian new entry Combal Zero, Turin. Despite the fact that more than half the 651 voting panel members were new this year, consensus of opinion as to the restaurants at the very top of the list has changed little in a year. Hardly surprising given that once established, true gastronomic genius rarely falters.

All credit must therefore be given to Danish restaurant Noma and its head chef Rene Redzepi who last year came in at a respectable 33 and is now our highest climber up 18 places to number 15. New entries this year include Turin’s Combal Zero, Milan’s Cracco Peck and Chicago’s Alinea whose youthful head chef Grant Achatz has been heaped with praise in recent years.

The Breakthrough Award goes to Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and its head chef, unsung hero, Jason Atherton. Perhaps it is time for Atherton to step out of his master’s shadow. With Ramsay’s eponymous restaurant slipping 10 places on last year’s ranking, Atherton is certainly snapping at his heels (Maze ranks at 55 this year). Chosen by Restaurant magazine, the Breakthrough Restaurant award is new for 2007 and awarded to a real ‘hot property’ on the world’s restaurant stage. To be eligible, the winning restaurant will be less than five years old, will not have appeared in the Top 50 list at any time but appear between 51 and 100 on accumulated votes.

(Left) Neil Perry of Rockpool at the St John Lunch on Tuesday 24th April
(Right) Rene Redzepi of Noma, Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck and Hans Välinäki of Chez Doninique

There’s no tiring of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. Retaining his position at number two he also picked up the Chefs’ Choice Award. This award is voted for solely by the chefs who appeared on the 2006 list. Last year’s Readers’ Choice award went to Pierre Gagnaire’s Sketch. This year, the phoenix-like Shane Osborn’s Pied a Terre rose from the ashes to scoop the award voted for by readers of Restaurant Magazine.

France still stands as the god father of the culinary world with 12 restaurants in the top 50, the USA has eight, the UK seven, Spain and Italy six a piece, Australia two, old favourites Tetsuya’s and Rockpool. Rarely credited Nordic cuisine scores well with ranking restaurants in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. For gourmet travellers, London loses out marginally to Paris, with six Top 50 restaurants compared to the French capital’s nine.

Michel Roux Jr. (La Gavroche), Linda Coltart (GM of Le Quartier Français), Ferran Adria (El Bulli; No 1 in the World)

Restaurant magazine announces
the list of the Top 50
www.theworlds50best.com/2007_list.html

1 EL BULLI, Spain The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant, Best in Europe www.elbulli.com Roses Nr.Barcelona	2 THE FAT DUCK, UK Chef’s Choice www.fatduck.co.uk Bray, Berkshire
3 PIERRE GAGNAIRE, France www.pierre-gagnaire.com Paris	4 FRENCH LAUNDRY, USA Best Restaurant in the Americas www.frenchlaundry.com Yountville, California
5 TETSUYA, Australia Best Restaurant in Australasia www.tetsuyas.com Sydney	6 BRAS, France www.michel-bras.com Laguiole
7 MUGARITZ, Spain www.mugaritz.com Gipuzko, Nr. San Sebastian	8 RESTAURANT LE LOUIS XV, Monaco www.alain-ducasse.com Monte Carlo
9 PER SE, USA www.per-se.com New York	10 RESTAURANTE ARZAK, Spain www.arzak.es San Sebastian
11 EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA, Spain www.cellercanroca.com Girona	12 GAMBERO ROSSO, Italy www.gamberorosso.it San Vincenzo, Livorno
13 L’ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON, France www.robuchon.com Paris	14 HOF VAN CLEVE, Belgium www.hofvancleve.com Kruishoutem
15 NOMA, Denmark Highest climber www.noma.dk Copenhagen	16 LE CALANDRE, Italy www.calandre.com Sarmelo di Rubano
17 NOBU, UK www.noburestaurants.com London	18 JEAN GEORGES, USA www.jean-georges.com New York
19 HAKKASAN, UK +44 (0)20 7927 7000 London	20 ALAIN DUCASSE AU PLAZA ATHÉNÉE, France www.alan-ducasse.com Paris
21 L’ASTRANCE, France +33 (0)1 40 50 84 40 Paris	22 CAN FABES, Spain www.canfabes.com Saint Celoni
23 L’AMBROISIE, France www.ambroisie-placedesvosges Paris	24 GORDON RAMSAY, UK www.gordonramsay.com Royal Hospital Road, London
25 LA MAISON TROISGROS, France www.troisgros.fr Roanne	26 LE BERNARDIN, USA www.le-bernardin.com New York
27 MARTIN BERASATEGUI www.martinberasategui.com Gipuzkoa	28 LE GAVROCHE, UK www.le-gavroche.co.uk London
29 LE CINQ, France www.fourseasons.com/paris Paris	30 CHARLIE TROTTER'S, USA www.charlietrotters.com Chicago
31 DAL PESCATORE, Italy www.dalpescatore.com Mantova	32 DANIEL, USA www.danielnyc.com New York
33 ROCKPOOL, AUSTRALIA www.rockpool.com Sydney	34 ST JOHN, UK www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk London
35 CHEZ DOMINIQUE, Finland www.chezdominique.fi Helsinki	36 ALINEA, USA Highest New Entry www.alinearestaurant.com Chicago
37 BUKHARA, India Best Restaurant in Asia www.itcwelcomgroup.in New Delhi	38 DOM, Brazil www.domrestaurante.com.br Sao Paolo
39 OAXEN SKÄRGÅRDSKROG, Hölö www.oaxenkrog.se	40 CHEZ PANISSE, USA www.chezpanisse.com Berkeley, California
41 ENOTECA PINCHIORRI, Italy www.enotecapinchiorri.com Firenze	42 CRACCO PECK, Italy www.peck.it Milan
43 L’ARPEGE, France www.alain-passard.com Paris	44 THE RIVER CAFÉ, UK www.rivercafe.co.uk London
45 OUD SLUIS, The Netherlands www.oudsluis.nl Sluis	46 COMBAL ZERO, Italy www.combal.org Turin
47 LE QUARTIER FRANÇAIS, South Africa Best in Middle East & Africa www.lequartier.co.za Franschhoek, Western Cape	48 TAILLEVENT, France www.taillevent.com Paris
49 BOCUSE, France www.bocuse.fr Collonges-Au-Mont-D’Or	50 LES AMBASSADEURS, France www.crillon.com Paris

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