The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards has released its list for 2021, once again naming Copenhagen restaurant Noma to the top spot.
By and large, most eateries to make the cut come out of Europe, with 27 being picked from accross the continent in countries like Italy, France, and Spain.
But six of the best spots can be found in the US with New York City’s Cosme coming in highest at 22, Benu in San Francisco ranking 28, and SingleThread in Healdsburg, California numbering 37.
Three more American restaurants also made the cut: Atomix and Le Bernadin in NYC, and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards has released its list for 2021, with Cosme in New York City earning the rank of top American restaurant at number 22
Cosme is helmed by chef Enrique Olvera, who was born in Mexico. He previously won arwards for his restaurant Pujol in Mexico City, which is also on the list
Current menu items include striped bass with carrot and orange aguachile, and duck carnitas with onions, radishes, and cilantro
Menu prices are some of the least expensive on this list, with items ranking from $19 to $98 (for a shared plate)
The awards, considered the Oscars of the dining world, returned last night for the first time in two years with an event in Antwerp after the 2020 iteration was cancelled due to COVID.
The US’s highest-ranked restaurant, Cosme, is helmed by chef Enrique Olvera, who was born in Mexico. He previously won arwards for his restaurant Pujol in Mexico City, which is also on the list.
It was launched in 2014 by Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes, who has since left, and has a changing menu with items like striped bass with carrot and orange aguachile, corn esquites with crab and gorgonzola, brisket with chile morita and avocato, and duck carnitas with onions, radishes, and cilantro.
Menu prices are some of the least expensive on this list, with items ranking from $19 to $98 (for a shared plate).
In 2019, Cosme was given the No. 23 spot. That year, Soto-Innes was also labeled the ‘World’s Best Female Chef,’ which Eater called ‘absurd’ and ‘unnecessarily gender-specific, implying that women require a different category than men to be noticed within the culinary sphere.’
The second highest-ranked American restaurant, San Francisco’s Benu (#28), has earned three Michelin stars since it opened in 2010
It’s headed up by chef Corey Lee, who previously worked at such renowned restaurants as Blue Ribbon Sushi and Daniel in New York City and The French Laundry in the Napa Valley
For $350 per person, he serves a tasting menu with items like xiao long bao with black vinegar and house-made soy sauce
At Benu, he serves up dishes like lobster xiao long bao with black vinegar and house-made soy sauce, barbecued Wolfe Ranch quail with XO sauce and steamed bao with black truffle cream, and — for desset — milk pudding with salted caramel.
The second highest-ranked American restaurant, San Francisco’s Benu (#28), has earned three Michelin stars since it opened in 2010.
The hotspot is headed up by Korean-American chef Corey Lee, who previously worked at such renowned restaurants as Blue Ribbon Sushi and Daniel in New York City and The French Laundry in the Napa Valley.
At Benu, he serves up dishes like lobster xiao long bao with black vinegar and house-made soy sauce, barbecued Wolfe Ranch quail with XO sauce and steamed bao with black truffle cream, and — for desset — milk pudding with salted caramel.
Like many other restaurants on the list, Benu only offers a tasting menu — no a la carte offerings — which sets diners back $350 per person.
They reccommend planning three hours for dinner.
The third highest-ranked American restaurant, SingleThread in Healdsburg, California (#37), is located at the SingleThread Farm and Inn
The third highest-ranked American restaurant, SingleThread in Healdsburg, California (#37), is located at the SingleThread Farm and Inn.
The restaurant, which has three Michelen stars, serves an 11-course tasting menu, showcasing ‘the seasonal bounty’ from the farm.
Prices start at $295 per person, not including wine pairings.
Chef Kyle Connaughton, who owns the inn and restaraurnt with his wife Katina Connaughton, cooks up a changing menu of things like black cod ‘fukkura-san’ with leeks, brassicas, and chamomile dashi; guniea hen with sansho, matsutake, and red kuri squash; and inaniwa udon.
New York City Korean restaraurnt Atomix (#43) is also run by a husband and wife team, Chef Junghyun and manager Ellia Park
That’s followed by New York City Korean restaraurnt Atomix (#43), which is also run by a husband and wife team, Chef Junghyun and manager Ellia Park.
Opened in 2018 as a followup to their restaurant Atoboy, the serve up $175 tasting menus with $155 wine pairings.
Current dishes on Atomix’es menu include sweet shrimp with eggplant, tomatoe, and salmon roe; songyi rice with mussel ganjang; green circle chicken with ehwaju, popcorn, and black currant; and mangalitsa pork rack with pearl onion and unripe blueberry.
Manhattan’s Le Bernardin, by chef Eric Ripert and co-owner Maguy Le Coze, came in at #44
Manhattan’s Le Bernardin came in at #44, moving down several spots from #36 in 2019 — but chef Eric Ripert and co-owner Maguy Le Coze are likely unworried with their three Michelen stars.
The French seafood-focused eatery offers a $280 per person ($430 per person with wine pairing) that currently includes a sautéed langoustine with fennel-leek compote and sea urchin sauce Américaine; caviar; poached lobster with chanterelle, baby turnips, and truffled lobster jus; and a milk chocolate-hazelnut praline mousse for dessert.
For a less expensive option, Le Bernardin offers a $185 four-course prix fixe menu, currently with options like oysters, octpus, salmon, and filet mignon.
Lunch is a three-course $115 prix fixe menu, while $48 tuna, a $48 lobster roll, a $110 smoke salmon croque monsieur with caviar, and a $240 Imperials Gold Osetra Caviar can be ordered a la carte.
The last American restaurant to make the cut is Atelier Crenn in San Francisco (#48), which also has three Michelin stars
The last American restaurant to make the cut is Atelier Crenn in San Francisco (#48), which also has three Michelin stars.
French-born Chef Dominique Crenn is currently the only female chef in the United States to attain three Michelin stars. She is also engaged to actress Maria Bello.
Crenn offers a 14-course prix-fixe that starts at $345 per person which have included items like geoduck tart with oyster, trout mousse, caviar and koji rice tart, and leek vinaigrette and oyster rmulsion.
Best of the best: Award-winning Copenhagen restaurant Noma has taken home the top spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards
A new rule introduced in 2019 means restaurants can now only win the top spot once — but Noma, which has previously topped the list in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, was eligible because it had closed and reopened in a new location in 2018.
The eatery, where a lunch with wine pairing costs $760, gained a third Michelin star last month.
Another Copenhagen restaurant, Geranium, took second place, cementing the Danish capital as the global leader in fine dining.
Rounding out the top five are Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain; Central in Lima, Peru, and Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain.
The list includes 27 European restaurants, eight Asian restaurants, eight North American restaurants, six South American restaurants, one African restaraunt and zero Australian restaurants.