Every year San Pellegrino shakes down the world’s best eateries to anoint a reigning gastronomic king. In the competition for the top restaurants of 2011, an old king keeps the throne. Noma, in Denmark, is considered the top restaurant in the world for the second year in a row according to San Pellegrino. Noma (video above) first took the top spot in 2010, dethroning legendary El Bulli of Spain. The chef of Noma, René Redzepi, is no stranger to El Bulli and migrated over from the Spanish institution in 2004. Noma is best described as new Nordic cuisine and is noted for being exceptionally clean and inventive.
Of the top fifty, the French are not among the top eight, but rule the teens with nonchalance. The top five all hail from Europe, and in fact, thirty-three of the restaurants on the list are from the European continent. Six continents are represented in the top fifty with the inclusion of a new entry, Peruvian restaurant Astrid y Gaston, representing South America along with D.O.M. in Brazil. Eight restaurants from North America are represented and five from Asia. The fastest climber year over year was Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo. The Japanese eatery rose twenty-eight spots to number twenty on the list. Here are the top twenty restaurants from the San Pellegrino top fifty:20. Nihonryori Ryugin – Japan
19. L’Arpege – France
18. Le Bernardin – USA
17. Oud Sluis – Netherlands
16. Pierre Gagnaire – France
15. Hof Van Cleve – Belgium
14. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon – France
13. L’Astrance – France
12. Les Creations de Narisawa – Japan
11. Daniel – USA
10. Per Se – USA
9. Le Chateaubriand – France
8. Arzak – Spain
7. D.O.M. – Brazil
6. Alinea – USA
5. The Fat Duck – England
4. Osteria Francescana – Italy
3. Mugaritz – Spain
2. El Cellar De Can Roca – Spain
1. Noma – Denmark
The full list can be viewed here.
Video – noma from pocketfork on Vimeo.