The world’s 50 best restaurants 2023 have just been published. They reveal some outstanding foodie destinations you probably don’t know about.
Here’s where to travel to experience the world’s best restaurants. And how these destinations are a starting point for a longer explorer adventure.
1. Lima, Peru
Lima has two restaurants in the top ten, with Central awarded as the world’s best restaurant, and Maido at number six. The Peruvian capital has three more restaurants in the top 100, Kjolle (#28), Mayta (#47) and Merito (#59).
Lima is the origin and home of ceviche, Nikkei, Pisco, and a gastronomy now celebrated in Peruvian restaurants across the world (like La Mar by Gaston Acurio at Atlantis The Royal).
Ceviche in Lima is only eaten for lunch and there are dozens of more local, less celebrated restaurants too. It’s a city where every meal should be carefully planned, because you simply can’t waste stomach space on food that’s only very good.
Stay at Miraflores Park and use Lima as the start and end point for an adventure around Peru.
From Lima you can fly to Cusco and then train to Machu Picchu through the Valley of the Incas. Or fly to the Amazon.
2. Mexico City
Most people are familiar with Mexican food. Did you know that tacos are street food and burritos are not Mexican, they are American Tex-Mex?
This is a country of fabulously fresh and diverse raw ingredients, plus a love for indulgent meals. Recently, Mexico City has become a haven for creative fine dining too.
Mexico City has three restaurants in the top 50, with Quintonil at #9, Pujol at #13 and Rosetta at #49, helmed by Elena Reygadas, awarded The World’s Best Female Chef 2023.
Add in an upcoming art and design scene, plus some awesome new hotels, and Mexico City is one of the world’s most underrated capital cities.
From Mexico City the culture and culinary journey continues. Go to Guadalajara for a meal at Alcalde (#59). From here continue to wild Pacific beaches, with a stay at the new Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, or One&Only Mandarina.
Or travel east instead, to the Yucatan & Riviera Maya, home of stunning Caribbean beaches, Mayan spa rituals and more top food: last year, Merida in the Yucatan hosted Latin America’s Top 50 Restaurants.
Don’t miss the reimagined Belmond Maroma and its Guerlain Spa, reopening on August 3rd 2023. Fly back through Mexico City for a tasting menu at Sud 777 (#70), where most of the ingredients come from the chef Edgar Nunez’s own garden.
3. Spain
Great food has always been one of the main reasons to visit Spain. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list illustrates how the Spanish gastronomic experience stretches to all corners of the country.
Number 2 in the world is Disfrutar in Barcelona. At number 3 it’s Diverxo in Madrid. Number 4 is Asador Extebarri in Basque.
Getaria (#22) and Mugaritz (#30) also represent Basque on the list, showcasing why it’s one of the world’s best foodie regions.
Quique Dacosta in Denia, on Spain’s Costa Blanca is at number 20. On the south coast in Andalusia there’s Aponiente (#64), Ricard Camarena Restaurant (#96) is in Valencia, then there are more in Barcelona (Enigma #82) and Basque (Azurmendi #81).
10 Spanish restaurants make the top 100 yet no two are similar. Their diversity reflects a country of distinct regions and cuisines. You must go to Andalusia for tapas and Valencia for paella!
4. Restaurants to Drive To
Steirereck in Vienna has long been a fixture towards the top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. This year, chef Heinz Reitbauer’s cuisine comes at number 18. Is this your reason to revisit Vienna? With a stay at the Rosewood Vienna too.
Restaurant Tantris (#77) could be a reason to stop in Munich on your next road trip west.
The next time you’re driving to the Swiss Alps make a stop in Furstenau for an experience at Schloss Schauenstein. Located in a hilltop castle, above the smallest town in the world, the world’s 26th best restaurant is a romantic experience, topped off by a stay in one of the castle’s nine rooms.
And how about Slovenia? Former winner of the World’s Best Female Chef, Ana Ros, heads up Hisa Franko in the Slovenian Alps, just across the border from the Italian Dolomites. Her “50 Shades of Life” tasting menu took her restaurant to number 32.
5. Bangkok & Singapore
You expect cities like New York, Tokyo and Paris to have multiple restaurants in the top 100.
More surprising is that restaurants in Bangkok and Singapore make up over 10% of the top 100.
Bangkok: Le Du #15, Gagann Anand #17, Sorn #56, Suhring #72, Nusara #74, Potong #88.
Singapore: Odette #14, Burnt Ends #65, Zen #69, Meta #84, Labyrinth #97.
That means a lot of outstanding dining experiences on a longer holiday to Asia. Bangkok and Singapore are the two main hub cities for exploring an entire region, whether you’re going to a beach in Thailand, Angkor Wat, Vietnamese rice paddies or island hopping in Indonesia.
6. Bogota, Colombia
We could finish with Dubai. This year World’s 50 Best Restaurants list honours how Dubai’s restaurant scene has evolved immensely over the past decade.
But you already know Dubai for its food right? Perhaps one of our travel designers arranged your reservations at the two Michelin star Tresind Studio (#11), Orfali Bros Bistro (#46) or Ossiano in Atlantis, the Palm (#87).
The upcoming foodie destination we’re excited about is Bogota, Colombia’s quirky, misunderstood and extremely cool capital city.
El Chato is at number 33 and Restaurante Leo by Leonor and Laura Espinosa is at number 43.
We recently interviewed this mother and daughter team for Edition IV of Explorer magazine, delving deep into their idea of farm to table cuisine. You can read the full interview when Explorer arrives at your postbox in early September. Leonor told us:
Food is a channel of expression for my art, aesthetically represented in my dishes and on the menu of restaurant Leo in Bogotá. I see culinary creations from the observation and experimentation approach that I borrow from the plastic arts.
Travelling for Food?
Food is a reason to travel. It’s also an integral part of every holiday, with new flavours, cultures and experiences embedded into every dish.
So don’t waste a meal. At EliteVoyage we plan every detail of a holiday, because every detail is incredibly important.
A Holiday Tailored to Every Detail?
