The wildly inventive spot was crowned as the top dining spot by the World’s 50 Best organization. It is set behind an unassuming entrance in a bright dining room is run by a team of chefs — Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch — who cooked at the game-changing El Bulli. The menu features idiosyncratic dishes like Fear: The Prawn, comprised of seafood surrounded by (non-harmful) dry ice; diners have to feel through the fog to find the shrimp. There are also sandwiches stuffed with frozen gazpacho ice cream and their signature panchino — a fried doughnut that when broken open reveals a caviar filling.

Three of the top five spots went to restaurants in Spain. Asador Etxebarri in Axpe was named No. 2, with a menu is based on food expertly cooked over charcoal.  Diverxo in Madrid, known for over-the-top cuisine and atmosphere, came in at No. 4. In all, the country had five restaurants in the top 50.

The awards were staged at a live event at the Wynn Las Vegas, the first time the event took place on the West Coast of the US. Last year it was set in Valencia, Spain.

At No. 6, New York’s dynamic Korean tasting menu spot Atomix, from Junghyun and Ellia Park, was the top-ranked US restaurant. “It’s a big recognition for our culture and heritage, also representing both Korea and the United States together. It’s very meaningful for diversity of all the cultures,” says Ellia Park. “Its a big opportunity for us but for our country too.”

Another notable winner was Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris, at No. 3. The ingredient-driven restaurant is helmed by a former food blogger.

Last year’s No. 1, the innovative Peruvian dining room Central in Lima, now moves to the Best of the Best category, no longer eligible for the 50 Best list. That decision to force change at the top of the list has been in force since 2019; before that Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy was twice named No. 1, and Noma, which plans to close in 2025, won five times.

The 50 Best ceremony is the latest major event in Las Vegas this year, including Super Bowl LVIII and November’s F1 Grand Prix. 

Restaurants ranked 51 through 100 were announced on May 22. Among the prominent dining spots that fell to the second half of the list are Dubai’s Orfali Bros., twhich twice topped the World’s 50 Best regional list for the Middle East and North Africa. It was seen as a place that would climb up the list; instead it fell from No. 46 to No. 64. Clove Club in London dropped more than 40 spots to 80, and New York’s venerable Le Bernardin went from No. 44 to No. 71. 

Ahead of the ceremony, Los Angeles’ Kato was named the Resy One to Watch, for chef Jonathan Yao’s inventive Taiwanese-tinged menu. Janaína Torres of Sao Paulo’s a Casa do Porco won Best Female Chef. 

The World’s 50 Best List is owned and operated by the UK-based William Reed Business Media. The list was created in 2002. The ranking is generated based on the votes of  1080 panelists around the world.

Here are this year’s winning restaurants. Last year’s rankings are listed in parentheses; restaurants that are new to the list this year are marked with an asterisk(*).

1. Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain (2)
2. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain (4)
3. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris, France (10)
4. Diverxo, Madrid, Spain (3)
5. Maido, Lima, Peru (6)
6. Atomix, New York, US (8)
7. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico (9)
8. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark (5)
9. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand (17)
10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina (19)
11. Septime, Paris, France (24)
12. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera, Italy (7)
13. Trèsind Studio, Dubai, UAE (11)
14. Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain (20)
15. Sézanne, Tokyo, Japan (37)
16. Kjolle, Lima, Peru (28)
17. Kol, London , UK (23)
18. Plénitude, Paris, France (36)
19. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy (16)
20. Wing, Hong Kong (90)
21. Florilège, Tokyo, Japan (27)
22. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria (18)
23. Sühring, Bangkok (72)
24. Odette, Singapore (14)
25. El Chato, Bogotá, Colombia (33)
26. The Chairman, Hong Kong (50)
27. A Casa do Porco, São Paulo, Brazil (12)
28. Elkano, Getaria, Spain (22)
29. Boragó, Santiago, Chile (29)
30. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany (40)
31. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal (25)
32. Den, Tokyo, Japan (21)
33. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico (13)
34. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico (49)
35. Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden (30)
36. The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium (39)
37. Oteque, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (76)
38. Sorn, Bangkok , Thailand (56)
39. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy (42)
40. Le Du, Bangkok , Thailand (15)
41. Mayta, Lima, Peru (47)
42. Ikoyi, London, UK (35)
43. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany (45)
44. Mingles, Seoul (89)
45. Arpège, Paris (62)
46. SingleThread, Healdsburg, US (68)
47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland (26)
48. Hiša Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia (32)
49. La Colombe, Cape Town (94)
50. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy (34)

Here are the previously announced winners, from 51 to 100

51. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy (41)
52. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy *
53. Leo, Bogotá, Colombia (43)
54. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark (91)
55. Mérito, Lima, Peru (59)
56. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan (51)
57. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand (88)
58. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (58)
59. Enigma, Barcelona, Spain (82)
60. Fyn, Cape Town, South Africa (75)
61. Nuema, Quito, Ecuador (79)
62. Coda, Berlin, Germany *
63. Bozar, Brussels, Belgium *
64. Orfali Bros Bistro, Dubai, UAE (46)
65. Brat, London, UK (53)
66. La Cime, Osaka, Japan (60)
67. Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico 
68. Burnt Ends, Singapore (65)
69. Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China (99)
70. Le Doyenné, Saint-Vrain, France *
71. Le Bernardin, New York, USA (44)
72. Aponiente, El Puerto de Santa María, Spain (64)
73. Mil, Cusco, Peru
74. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand  (74)
75. Ernst, Berlin, Germany (55)
76. Flocons de Sel, Megève, France (80)
77. La Grenouillère, La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France (48)
78. Masque, Mumbai, India *
79. Alléno Paris Au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, France (78)
80. The Clove Club, London, UK (38)
81. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain  (31)
82. Sud 777, Mexico City, Mexico (70)
83. Willem Hiele, Oudenburg, Belgium 
84. Restaurant Jan, Munich, Germany 
85. Ceto, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France  (95)
86. Mosu, Seoul, South Korea *
87. Lyle’s, London, UK (86)
88. Tantris, Munich, Germany (77)
89. Indian Accent, New Delhi, India 
90. Smyth, Chicago, USA *
91. Neolokal, Istanbul, Turkey (63)
92. Labyrinth, Singapore (97)
93. Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan 
94. Mountain, London, UK *
95. Meta, Singapore (84)
96. Onjium, Seoul, South Korea *
97. Core by Clare Smyth, London, UK (71)
98. Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia *
99. Cosme, New York, USA (73)
100. Fauna, Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico *