The top 10 restaurants on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list: 1. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo: Claes Bech-Poulsen

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World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list: No Mena outlets make the cut

Europe dominates the list with 29 entries

Farah Andrews
Farah Andrews

July 19, 2022

The World's 50 Best Restaurants list was announced on Monday, with Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark, coming out on top.

The Danish restaurant is followed by Central in Lima, Peru in second place and Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain, in third.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the top 10 entries on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list

While the list recognises restaurants from around the world, there are notable absentees from the Middle East and North Africa.

Having come out on top of the Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list, it was expected that Dubai restaurant 3Fils would get a spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list this week, however it did not make the cut. Photo: 3Fils

In February, World's 50 Best launched the Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list, with Dubai restaurants 3 Fils and Zuma in the top two spots, followed by OCD Restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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World’s 50 Best Restaurants: why the list needs to serve a dose of diversity

Notably, none of the top three restaurants were included on the final World's 50 Best Restaurants list, despite the fact that earlier this month, Tresind Studio and Orfali Bros from Dubai were included in the extended list of 51 to 100 outlets.

Tresind Studio came in at No 57, while Orfali Bros was at No 87. It's the first time either restaurant has made it on to the extended global list. In the Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list, Tresind Studio was No 4 and Orfali Bros was at No 6.

Tresind Studio new menu: blossom chaat, pumpkin mash, trio of chutney. Photo: Tresind Studio

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list is voted for by 1,080 anonymous experts across 27 regions, and organisers make it clear that "no sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process".

Europe dominates the list, taking 29 of the top 50 spots, South America follows with 10 entries. The highest ranked restaurant from Asia is Den in Tokyo, Japan at No 20; the continent has a total of seven entries on the list, from Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.

There are 12 new entries on the list, the highest being Uliassi in Senigallia, Italy, which came in at No 12. The full list of new entries includes Uliassi, Senigallia (No 12); Alchemist, Copenhagen (No 18); The Jane, Antwerp (No 23); Le Clarence, Paris (No 28); St Hubertus, San Cassiano (No 29); Mayta, Lima (No 32); Fyn, Cape Town (No 37); Jordnaer, Copenhagen (No 38); Sorn, Bangkok (No 39); La Cime, Osaka (No 41); Oteque, Rio de Janeiro (No 47); and Ikoyi, London (No 49).

Best of the Best list

The interiors of the world-class Danish restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. AFP

This is the second year in a row that a Danish restaurant has taken the top spot. Geranium inherits the World's Best Restaurant title from Noma, which is not on the top 50 list this year, instead it has been elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame list. Noma, in its original location, also took the top spot in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

This year, restaurants that have been named No 1 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list were all named Best of the Best and not eligible for voting in 2022 and beyond. Along with Noma, both in its original and current locations, the Best of the Best list includes El Bulli, Roses, Spain; The French Laundry, Yountville, USA; The Fat Duck, Berkshire, UK; El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain; Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy; Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA; and Mirazur, Menton, France.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in full

  1. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
  2. Central, Lima, Peru
  3. Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
  4. Diverxo, Madrid, Spain
  5. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
  6. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
  7. A Casa do Porco, in Sao Paulo, Brazil
  8. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy
  9. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
  10. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
  11. Maido, Lima, Peru
  12. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy
  13. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
  14. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  15. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
  16. Elkano, Getaria, Spain
  17. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany
  18. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark
  19. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
  20. Den, Tokyo, Japan
  21. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
  22. Septime, Paris, France
  23. The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium
  24. The Chairman, Hong Kong
  25. Frantzen, Stockholm, Sweden
  26. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany
  27. Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium
  28. Le Clarence, Paris, France
  29. St Hubertus, San Cassiano, Italy
  30. Florilege, Tokyo, Japan
  31. Arpege, Paris, France
  32. Mayta, Lima, Peru
  33. Atomix, New York, USA
  34. Hisa Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia
  35. The Clove Club, London, UK
  36. Odette, Singapore
  37. Fyn, Cape Town, South Africa
  38. Jordnaer, Copenhagen, Denmark
  39. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand
  40. Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland
  41. La Cime, Osaka, Japan
  42. Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain
  43. Borago, Santiago, Chile
  44. Le Bernardin, New York, USA
  45. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
  46. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal
  47. Oteque, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  48. Leo, Bogota, Colombia
  49. Ikoyi, London, UK
  50. SingleThread, Healdsburg, USA

Mena's 50 Best Restaurants list — in pictures

3 Fils, Dubai, UAE. Photo: 3 Fils
Updated: May 30, 2023, 1:16 PM