On June 5, hospitality aficionados from around the globe gathered in Las Vegas for the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, where Barcelona’s Disfrutar was named as the best restaurant in the world for 2024.
Run by El Bulli alumni Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch, Disfrustar first opened in 2014 and quickly garnered acclaim for its disruptive, experimental take on fine dining. In 2023, the restaurant ranked number two in the World’s Best list; in 2024, it knocks Lima’s Central off the top spot.
Central now moves over to The Best of the Best list, which recognizes restaurants that have previously sat at the top spot, and includes El Bulli, The French Laundry, Noma and Eleven Madison Park.
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“It is with great excitement that we announce the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna,” says William Drew, director of content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
“Hosting the awards in the US for only the second time in its history, we’re thrilled to showcase the diversity of cuisines that light up the US gastronomic scene, as well as providing a global guide for food lovers hungry for fresh experiences.”
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Coming in at second place is Asador Etxebarri in Spain’s Basque Country, with Paris’ Table by Bruno Verjus snagging the third spot. Topping the list for the US is New York City’s Atomix, which has risen two places to come in at number six. Helmed by chef Junghyun Park, the elevated Korean restaurant first opened on Park Ave in 2018.
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Conversely, just three restaurants made their debut on the coveted list: Wing, Hong Kong at number 20; Mingles, Seoul at number 44; and La Colombe, Cape Town, at number 49.
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The list – which also expands into a Best 100 Restaurants shortlist – is voted for by a global academy of 1,080 restaurant industry experts, with an independent adjudicator ensuring voting integrity. The organization routinely emphasizes that no event sponsor has influence over the awards.
Other notable honors from the evening include Berlin’s Nobelhart & Schmutzig – which ranked at number 43 – receiving the Sustainable Restaurant Award for its self-proclaimed ‘brutally local’ approach to ingredient procurement, and the Resy One to Watch Award 2024, which went to Kato in Los Angeles.
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