Top year for UK in World's 50 Best Restaurants

The UK had one of its best years with four restaurants in the 50 Best, including a brand new entry at number 38 and the accolade of World's Best Female Chef. 

By Lisa Jayne Harris

The World's 50 Best Restaurants were announced in Bilbao this last week. Whilst missing the top spots, the UK still had one of its best years with four restaurants in the 50 Best, including a brand new entry at number 38 from London's Lyle's restaurant and the accolade of World's Best Female Chef going to Northern Irish chef Clare Smyth. 

"For any country to have four restaurants in the top 50 is exceptional," said group editor of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, William Drew. "It's been a super strong year for the UK." Xanthe Clay, Chair of the UK & Ireland region for the 50 Best voting, supported this praise saying that, "The UK has performed really well. Only the US, Spain and France have more restaurants on the list than us."

Number one went to Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Italy, reclaiming its 2016 title from the USA's Eleven Madison Park. El Celler de Can Roca (Spain) came in 2nd, followed by Mirazur (France) and Eleven Madison Park in fourth. With Gaggan from Bangkok at number five and two Peruvian restaurants in the top ten (Central and Maido), the results this year went some way to shake off Eurocentric criticisms, however over half of this year's list are still based in Europe.

Taking the top spot: Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Italy. Photo courtesy of San Pelligrino. 

"France and Spain simply have a stronger culinary heritage in fine dining" explains Drew when I ask why they have so many more restaurants in the top 50 than the UK. "Spain has Arzak and the legacy of El Buli, whilst French restaurants follow on from Bocuse." 

The same three London restaurants remained in the top 50 from last year, albeit slipping a few places. Heston Blumenthal's Dinner sat at number 45 (previously 36), whilst the Notting Hill's The Ledbury came in at number 42 (previously 27) and Shoreditch's The Clove Club was the top UK restaurant at number 33 (previously 26). A drop in the list doesn't mean a drop in quality, as Chef Clare Smyth said "The voting committee can't keep going to the same restaurants over and over, so new restaurants have to come in. It's a natural cycle." Perhaps not enough new restaurants are in the cycle, however, as the same three or four restaurants jostle for the top slot each year.

The UK's National Restaurant Awards have more new openings hitting the top slots (as Kiln did this year), which makes it feel fresh and exciting. However the 50 Best is a global competition, so restaurants have to be around for a while to get international judges at the table. Which goes some way to explain why UK favourites Sabor and Brat didn't make an appearance in the 50 Best this year.   

"I'm so excited about Lyle's joining the list," says Xanthe Clay, "It's a sign that the list is dynamic." Drew believes that Lyle's coming in at number 38 says something about a wider UK trend on a return to simplicity: "James' cooking is anything but simple, however it has a simple philosophy: he finds beautiful produce and gets the most flavour out of it. He's not trying to reinvent cooking." 

Winners in the top 50 seem to fall into two broad camps: there's the re-inventors with edible balloons and trompe l'oeil chocolate 'olives' from the likes of Alinea and Disfrutar, or the return to providence, seasonality and ingredient-focused venues, as typified by 2018 one-to-watch Single Thread and Lyle's, among others. 
 

Best female chef went to the UK's Clare Smyth. Photo courtesy of San Pelligrino. 

The number of female chefs or female co-chefs rose from three to five this year, but chefs like Dominque Crenn (who was herself listed as Best Female Chef in 2016) have blasted the awards for being gender biased. There should be more women in the whole list, rather than a special award that treats them like a separate entity. However this year she was left off the list completely.

The UK's Clare Smyth (who was voted World's Best Female Chef this year, but whose restaurant still didn't make the top 100) said she "can't wait until we achieve equality and the debate moves on." She expressed frustration at always being asked 'what's it like being a female chef?', to which she replies "I wouldn't know. I've never been a male one."

Given that this '50 Best' is based on personal experiences, rather than strict criteria, it can never be definitive. The awards are voted for by an independent committee of over 1,000 chefs, food writers and restaurant industry experts, and then adjudicated by Deloitt. 26 regions are represented, with a voting panel of 40 members per region who cast 10 votes for their best restaurant experiences in the past 18 months (at least four of which must be outside of their region). Drew maintains that "It doesn't matter if you're number 50 or 5: to be on the list is a massive achievement."

But does this year's results mean we can expect to see more British restaurants making the top 50? "Internationally and in the gastronomic community, the UK is now widely respected," says Drew, "But I'd be loathed to predict if there's going to be some big surge of UK restaurants next year, because it's just so difficult to get on this list in the first place." 

France and Spain might have a head start over the UK with tradition, but new entries like Lyle's demonstrate that the UK is at the forefront of change: "The UK is getting stronger and stronger", says Clove Club chef Isaac McHale, "And we're giving some serious competition now."

The world's 50 best restaurants

1. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy) *best restaurant in Europe*

2. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain) 

3. Mirazur (Menton, France) 

4. Eleven Madison Park (New York City) *best restaurant in North America*

5. Gaggan (Bangkok) *best restaurant in Asia* 

6. Central (Lima, Peru) *best restaurant in South America*

7. Maido (Lima, Peru)

8. Arpege (Paris, France)

9. Mugaritz (San Sebastian, Spain)

10. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)

11. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)

12. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York)

13. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)

14. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)

15. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)

16. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy) 

17. Den (Tokyo, Japan) *highest climber*

18. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain) *highest new entry*

19. Geranium (Copenhagen)

20. Attica (Melboure, Australia)

21. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)

22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)

23. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)

24. Ultraviolet (Shanghai, China)

25. Cosme (New York City)

26. Le Bernardin (New York City)

27. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)

28. Odette (Singapore) *new entry*

29. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)

30. D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)

31. Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)

32. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)

33. The Clove Club (London, UK)

34. Alinea (Chicago)

35. Maaemo (Oslo, Norway) *new entry*

36. Reale (Castel Di Sangro, Italy)

37. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)

38. Lyle's (London) *new entry*

39. Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Peru)

40. Septime (Paris, France)

41. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)

42. Ledbury (London, UK)

43. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain) *sustainable restaurant award*

44. Mikla (Istanbul, Turkey) *new entry*

45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, UK)

46. Saison (San Francisco)

47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzlerand) *new entry*

48. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia) *new entry*

49. Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)

50. Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa) *Africa's best restaurant