The world's top 50 restaurants 2014

Danish restaurant Noma, which lost its 'World's Best Restaurant' title to a Spanish competitor last year, has stolen back the crown. Who else made the top 50?

The results

This year over half of the 'World's Best Restaurants' were European, with Spain securing three positions in the top 10. The UK has three restaurants in the top 50: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, The Ledbury and The Fat Duck.

The overall winner, taking home the title of 'World's Best Restaurant', was Noma from Denmark. It held the number one spot from 2010 to 2012, but was pushed back one by El Celler de Can Roca (Spain) last year. El Celler might've slipped back to second, but it did pick up the award for 'The World's Best Pastry Chef'.

On Noma regaining pole position, chef owner Rene Redzepi says, "We didn't expect it at all, we thought we had had our moment on this list. I know that for the team, this is the biggest moment.

"We came in here expecting nothing. The newspapers said Noma is over. We have a moment that is mind boggling!

"Every year there's a rumour about who is number one. This year there was nothing. There is nothing better than a genuine surprise."

Noma

Pictured here are a couple of dishes from Noma. Reindeer moss and cep mushrooms (left) and red currant and lavender (right). These illustrate the type of food to be had at Noma, which is somewhere between foraging and fine dining (one appetiser involves rummaging in the table decoration for malt flatbread).

The manifesto

The 'World's 50 Best Restaurants' competition, which is run by Restaurant Magazine, aims to provide 'an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts.'

Rather than relying on a set of defined criteria, judgement of what their 'best' experience has been is left to the team, who cast their vote for seven restaurants they have eaten at over the past 18 months, at least three of which must be outside their region.

William Drew, Group Editor of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, said, "It has been another exciting year for the awards... The appetite for reaching new gastronomic heights continues to grow and grow and we are honoured to play a small part in that process. It’s fantastic to witness the strength and breadth of talent that exists across all corners of the globe."

Results that are hard to stomach

The awards have previously been criticised for having an 'unreliable' rating system and attempting to rival the Michelin Star system. Matthew Fort responded to the 2003 list to say: "[T]he world's top restaurants? Humbug. By what criteria? In whose judgement? Who says so? Not me."

It's also notable that despite the apparent inclusivity of the manifesto ("an interesting experience in a simple establishment, where exceptional innovation was discovered, could be judged better than a more opulent meal from a widely feted restaurant team"), the restaurants dominating the list are those where diners can expect to pay a very large sum of money for their meal.

The top 50 restaurants of 2014

Individual awards

Meanwhile, Fergus Henderson of St. John restaurant, London, picked up the Lifetime Achiever's Award for endorsing the nose-to-tail eating approach, which has since become "an intrinsic part of contemporary gastronomy" according to the judges.

What do you think of the awards? Are these restaurants deserving of their spots? Does the list have a real impact on where we decide to eat? Talk to us in the comments box below.

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