World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2014 Announced

The world’s 50 best restaurants have been officially announced, which means phone lines are going to ring frantically for reservations for the best of the best restaurants that made the list.

According to CNN, the best restaurant in the world was given to Noma in Copenhagen. The prestigious title was announced, along with 49 other restaurants as runner-ups to the number one spot, at a ceremony in a jubilant London venue as part of San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Award. Cheers and whoops of praise, tears of joy, and heartfelt speeches of gratitude were just part of this event which could be paralleled to the intensity of the most raucous sporting event.

Noma‘s head chef, Rene Redzepi, actually made a statement about receiving the award for the best restaurant in the world:

“It’s too (expletive deleted) crazy! Thank you for believing in us.”

Noma isn’t a stranger in being in the top 10 for the list. Last year, they were the second best restaurant in the world. Back then, Redzepi and the rest of the staff made a committment just to work really hard. They’ve planned on making the upcoming year the best Noma has ever had. Becoming the best restaurant in the world was a surprise that none of them expected.

The list, which is now in its 12th year, is primarily dominated by European venues, but there were prizes for restaurants around the world which also included Asia’s first top 20 entry. Central, from Lima, Peru, was the biggest winner pertaining to progression. Last year, they were at the bare bottom of the barrel of best restaurants at #50. This year, they are at #15. For debuts, Gaggan from Bangkok, India, came in at #17.

Below are the 50 best restaurants in the world, as listed by San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as shown on Fox.

1. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
4. Eleven Madison Park, New York
5. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
6. Mugartiz, San Sebastian, Spain
7. D.O.M., Sao Paolo, Brazil
8. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
9. Alinea, Chicago
10. The Ledbury, London
11. Mirazur, Menton, France
12. Vendome, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
13. Nahm, Bangkok
14. Narisawa, Tokyo
15. Central, Lima, Peru
16. Steirereck, Vienna
17. Gaggan, Bangkok
18. Astrid y Gaston, Lima, Peru
19. Fäviken, Järpen, Sweden
20. Pujol, Mexico City
21. Le Bernardin, New York
22. Vila Joya, Albufeira, Portugal
23. Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm
24. Amber, Hong Kong
25. L’Arpege, Paris
26. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
27. Le Chateaubriand, Paris
28. Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany
29. De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands
30. Per Se, New York
31. L‘Atelier Saint-Germain de Joel Robuchon, Paris
32. Attica, Melbourne, Australia
33. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo
34. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
35. Martin Berasategui, Lasarte-Oria, Spain
36. Maní, Sao Paolo, Brazil
37. Restaurant Andre, Singapore
38. L’Astrance, Paris
39. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
40. Daniel, New York
41. Quique Dacosta, Dénia, Spain
42. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
43. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland
44. French Laundry, Yountville, California
45. Hof Van Cleeve, Kruishoutem, Belgium
46. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
47. The Fat Duck, Bray, UK
48. The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa
49. Coi, San Francisco
50. Waku Ghin, Singapore

Look at that! One of the best restaurants is “French Laundry”! Well if Cubans can serve “old clothes” as a dish, then French Laundry is plausible. They must be doing something right if they’re in the top 50 best restaurants in the world. Too bad Olive Garden didn’t make it.

[Images via Bing and Restaurant Promotional Pages]