The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2017

Book Eleven Madison Park if a high-commitment vegan French tasting menu is exactly what you want, not just because it is famous. The case is strongest for first-timers who care about tasting-menu structure, formal service, a room built for a major occasion; diners wanting flexibility, meat, or an easier group dinner should choose another New York splurge.

Osteria Francescana is the benchmark for progressive Italian cooking in Europe: three Michelin stars, back-to-back World's 50 Best number-one rankings, a 97-point La Liste score in 2025 and 2026. Book months ahead; this is one of the hardest seats in Italy. Lunch is quieter and marginally easier to secure than dinner, with no reduction in menu ambition.

A destination-level Girona booking for progressive Spanish cooking, best treated as the anchor meal of the trip rather than a casual dinner slot. Worth the splurge for diners who want a serious tasting-menu experience; cross-shop Massana or Esperit Roca if flexibility, location, or booking pressure matters more.

Mirazur is the French Riviera's most recognised kitchen: 3 Michelin stars, a #1 World's 50 Best ranking in 2019, 98 La Liste points in consecutive years. Book lunch Wednesday through Sunday for the full experience with daylight views of the hillside gardens and coastline. Reservations require months of advance planning; this is near-impossible to book last minute.

Central in Barranco holds the #1 spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2023 and has ranked in the top six every year since 2017. The tasting menu moves course by course through Peru's ecosystems, from Pacific coast to high Andes. Book three to four months out minimum; this is a near-impossible table, the wait is justified.

Ranked #2 in the World's 50 Best (2024) and named Best Restaurant in Europe for 2025, Asador Etxebarri is a strong yes; if you can get a table. Chef Victor Arguinzoniz's fire-cooking in a rural Basque valley requires months of advance planning, but for food and travel enthusiasts willing to make the trip, it sits at the top of Spain's fine dining hierarchy. Lunch only, Tuesday to Sunday.

Gaggan Anand is the #1 restaurant in Asia (2025) and the most decorated dining experience in Bangkok; a 14-seat counter, up to 25 courses, a theatrical format built around progressive Indian cuisine with French, Thai, Japanese influences. Book months ahead or not at all. At ฿฿฿฿ with a near-impossible table, this is the special-occasion booking Bangkok is known for.

Named the World's Best Restaurant 2025 and a perennial Top 10 fixture at the World's 50 Best, Maido is Lima's hardest table to book and, for Nikkei cuisine, its most compelling. Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura's tasting menu draws on seasonal Peruvian ingredients; increasingly Amazonian; executed with Japanese precision. Book 2 to 3 months out minimum, treat this as a full-evening commitment.

Mugaritz is worth booking if you want the Basque Country's experimental side rather than a safe luxury meal. The €€€€ format, major awards profile, Errenteria location make it a destination choice, but it suits curious diners better than groups seeking classic celebration comfort.

Austria's most decorated restaurant by a wide margin; three Michelin stars, a top-25 World's 50 Best ranking, a La Liste score of 98 points. Getting a table is genuinely hard (book four to six weeks out minimum), but Steirereck im Stadtpark justifies every effort with research-driven Austrian cuisine, an extraordinary wine programme, service that makes three-star dining feel welcoming rather than forbidding.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is worth the splurge for diners who want a chef-led Progressive American meal tied to the Hudson Valley setting, not a flexible à la carte dinner. The awards profile is serious, the price tier is high, the first-timer move is to treat it as the anchor of the day rather than a quick Tarrytown booking.

Arpège is the strongest case in Paris for a milestone dinner built around vegetables. Alain Passard's three-Michelin-star kitchen sources daily from three biodynamic farms, the menu shifts with the seasons; meaning no two visits are identical. At €€€€, it is worth booking if this specific philosophy excites you; if you need protein at the centre of the plate, look elsewhere.

Piazza Duomo holds three Michelin stars, a World's 50 Best #39 ranking (2024), and one of the most plant-driven tasting menus in Italy. Chef Enrico Crippa runs four menus including a midweek lunch format for a lower-commitment entry point. Booking is near impossible without months of advance planning; but for a special occasion in the Langhe, no other table comes close.

D.O.M. holds two Michelin stars and a decade-long World's 50 Best track record, making it São Paulo's strongest case for a special-occasion tasting dinner. Chef Alex Atala's focus on Amazonian and Brazilian native ingredients gives the menu a specificity that separates it from the city's other fine-dining options. Book weeks in advance; Saturday dinner fills first.

Le Bernardin is worth the splurge when the brief is polished French seafood, calm Midtown formality, a meal built for celebration rather than spectacle. It is less useful for diners chasing a lively room or broad menu flexibility, but for a focused seafood dinner at $$$$, it remains a serious New York booking.

Narisawa is a strong Tokyo special-occasion pick when you want French-innovative cooking with major recognition rather than a sushi-counter format. At ¥¥¥¥, it makes sense for anniversaries, date nights, polished business meals; choose lunch for a calmer food-focused booking and dinner when the meal is the main event.

Denmark's only three-Michelin-star restaurant and the No. 1 on the World's 50 Best list in 2022, Geranium is the benchmark for serious dining in Copenhagen. The menu runs 80% plant-based, the wine list spans over 6,000 selections, the eighth-floor setting above Parken stadium is unlike any other fine-dining room in Scandinavia. Book months ahead.

Pujol is the splurge choice in Mexico City for a serious Mexican tasting-menu dinner, especially for anniversaries, client meals, destination-dining trips. Choose it over more flexible peers when recognition, polish, chef-driven structure matter more than ease, speed, or value.

Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star flagship delivers one of America's most theatrical tasting experiences, with scented vapors, tabletop desserts, a black truffle explosion that justifies the hype. Bookings sell out in minutes, dinner runs three to four hours, the $210–$265 per person price tag (before wine) makes this a clear special-occasion choice. Worth it if you value performance alongside precision.

Quintonil is a serious Mexico City splurge for diners who want contemporary Mexican cooking with major award credentials and a polished Polanco setting. Book lunch if the meal is the priority and dinner if the occasion needs a more formal rhythm; either way, treat the reservation as a primary trip anchor, not a last-minute add-on.

White Rabbit is Moscow's most internationally decorated restaurant, holding a World's 50 Best Top 25 placement and an 88.5-point La Liste score. Chef Vladimir Mukhin's tasting menu moves through historic Russian ingredients; sea buckthorn, Borodinsky bread, swan liver; in a glass dome above the city. Book four to six weeks out minimum; demand is consistent and walk-ins are not realistic.

Amber is a serious $$$$ French Contemporary tasting-menu booking in Central, led by Richard Ekkebus and backed by 2026 Michelin 3 Stars, Forbes 5-Star recognition, La Liste 97pts. Book it for a high-commitment special occasion or wine-focused fine-dining night; cross-shop Ami or Feuille for a softer spend, Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco for another Hong Kong splurge.

Two Michelin stars and World's 50 Best #86 anchor Isaac McHale's ingredient-led tasting menus (£185–£235) in a stripped-back Shoreditch room. Book 60–90 days ahead for the hyper-seasonal British cooking that uses every part of the ingredient; prawn heads, sardine bones, pulled pork in tacos; with minimal fine-dining formality.

The Ledbury holds three Michelin stars and the #1 Star Wine List ranking in the UK; making it the strongest combined food-and-wine destination in London at the ££££ tier. At £285 per head for the eight-course evening menu, it rewards occasions where both the kitchen and the cellar need to perform. Book months ahead: availability is near impossible, especially at weekends.

Nahm holds a Michelin star and a decade of World's 50 Best placements, with Chef Pim Techamuanvivit running a kitchen that serves until 11:30 PM every night at ฿฿฿; a tier below most of its award-level Bangkok competition. Order the Heritage set menu for the full picture. Book as far ahead as possible; availability is tight.

Le Calandre is worth planning around if you want a serious progressive Italian meal in Rubano with major international recognition and Massimiliano Alajmo's creative cooking at the center. Lunch is the smarter choice for food-led travelers because it gives the meal more space in the day; dinner works better when the restaurant is the sole evening plan.

Arzak has held three Michelin stars since 1974 and scored 99 points on La Liste 2026; the credentials for a special-occasion meal in San Sebastián are unambiguous. Elena Arzak leads the kitchen with a research-driven approach that stays rooted in Basque tradition. Book two to three months ahead minimum; weekday lunch slots are your most realistic path to a table.

Yannick Alléno's three-Michelin-star flagship delivers tasting-menu precision built around his sauce-extraction technique, housed in a neoclassical pavilion near the Champs-Élysées. The room runs quiet and formal, the progression demands focus, the €€€€ price justifies itself only if you value methodical exploration over ingredient spectacle. Book three to four months ahead; if unavailable, Le Gabriel or Blanc offer comparable technique with better odds.

Attica is Melbourne's hardest reservation and its most decorated tasting menu restaurant, scoring 96 points on La Liste 2025 and reaching #20 on the World's 50 Best. Ben Shewry's kitchen builds multi-course sequences around native Australian ingredients with technical precision that has no direct peer in the city. Book months in advance and go with a clear evening free.

One of Lima's most credentialed Modern Peruvian restaurants, Astrid & Gastón operates from a 17th-century hacienda in San Isidro and delivers a tasting menu built around Peruvian biodiversity. It ranked 9th in South America in 2025 and peaked at #14 in the World's 50 Best. Book three weeks out minimum for dinner; lunch offers a marginally easier window and better light through the courtyard.

De Librije has held three Michelin stars since 2004 and ranks #20 in Europe on Opinionated About Dining (2025). Chef Nelson Tanate leads a kitchen built on regional produce, deep vegetable work, a wine program with four Star Wine List awards. Book months ahead; this is the reference point for Dutch fine dining, the chef's table format is worth requesting for special occasions.

Septime delivers Michelin-starred seasonal French cooking at €85 lunch / €135 dinner, a price point that undercuts most peers by 30–40%. Chef Bertrand Grébaut's produce-forward tasting menus and natural wine list have kept the neo-industrial dining room on the World's 50 Best list for over a decade. Reservations open exactly three weeks ahead and vanish in minutes.

Two Michelin stars, a historically grounded British menu, a room overlooking Hyde Park in the Mandarin Oriental make Dinner one of London's most consistently delivered ££££ experiences. Booking is genuinely difficult; peak slots go within hours of release; so plan well ahead. The Meat Fruit and Tipsy Cake are non-negotiable orders; dinner service outperforms lunch for the full experience.

Saison is a high-price, dinner-focused San Francisco choice for serious special occasions, not a casual test run. Book when progressive American and Californian cooking, formal pacing, major dining recognition justify the spend; cross-shop Aphotic, Benu, Luce, The Wild, Harbor House if cuisine style or format matters more than the name on the reservation.

Azurmendi holds three Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 98 points, with Eneko Atxa's single tasting menu (Adarrak) moving through the property itself before arriving at the dining room. Book two to three months out minimum; Saturday dinner fills first. The wine list, focused on limited-production labels, is one of the stronger arguments for choosing Azurmendi over comparable three-star alternatives in northern Spain.

Cosme holds a firm place among New York City's most globally recognised modern Mexican restaurants, with seven consecutive years on the World's 50 Best list. The a la carte format, dark and energetic room, rotating seasonal menu reward multiple visits. Book as far ahead as possible; reservations are near impossible at short notice.

Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet is the hardest restaurant reservation in Shanghai and one of the most awarded in Asia, ranked #1 in Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in Asia (2023) and a World's 50 Best fixture for seven years. Ten seats, a secret address, a fixed multi-course tasting menu, a fully controlled sensory environment make this the right booking only if you are specifically after immersive format dining at the top of the market.

Boragó is Santiago's most internationally recognised restaurant and the strongest case for booking a tasting menu in Chile. Chef Rodolfo Guzmán's Endémica menu draws on over 200 native producers across the country, earning consistent placement in the World's 50 Best (#29 in 2024) and a #3 OAD ranking in South America. Book well ahead; this fills fast.

Three Michelin stars and a World's 50 Best top-20 ranking make Reale one of the most credentialled restaurants in Italy. Set in a 16th-century monastery in remote Abruzzo, Niko Romito's research-driven, minimalist cooking demands a dedicated trip and months of advance planning. Book if precision and restraint at the highest level are what you are after.

Brae is a destination fine dining restaurant outside Melbourne where chef Dan Hunter cooks from a working organic farm on the property. La Liste awards 93 points for 2025 and 2026; the World's 50 Best ranked it number 44 in 2017. Book two to three months ahead minimum: availability is near impossible and the two-hour drive from Melbourne means you plan a day around it.

Den is the Tokyo booking to chase when creative Japanese cooking matters more than formal luxury. Aim for lunch if the trip is food-led and schedule-sensitive; choose dinner when the meal is the occasion. It suits couples, solo diners, small groups who are comfortable with a set-format experience.

L'Astrance is one of Paris's most consistently awarded fine dining rooms, with Pascal Barbot's produce-driven, Asian-influenced contemporary French cooking earning Michelin recognition and over a decade in the World's 50 Best. Booking is near impossible and the format is tasting menu only. Worth pursuing for serious food enthusiasts, especially for a midweek lunch.

Vendôme at Schloss Bensberg is Germany's most historically decorated restaurant still operating at the top level: two Michelin stars, a decade in the World's 50 Best (peaking at #10), and Joachim Wissler in the kitchen. Book if you are serious about fine dining and can secure a table; the four-evening-per-week schedule makes availability tight year-round.

Restaurant Tim Raue holds two Michelin stars and a consistent World's 50 Best ranking for Asian-influenced tasting menus that combine Japanese, Thai, Chinese technique. This is not conventional Chinese fine dining; expect high acidity, pronounced spice, zero gluten, sugar, or lactose. Book weeks ahead; tables are difficult to secure and the format does not accommodate walk-ins.

Tegui is Buenos Aires' strongest case for fine dining: a World's 50 Best Restaurants entry (#49, 2017) with a tasting menu format, intimate space, near-impossible booking window. Plan at least four to six weeks ahead. Best for special occasions and small groups who want a kitchen-guided meal at an internationally credentialled level.

Hof van Cleve is one of Belgium's most decorated dining addresses: two Michelin stars, a La Liste score of 96.5, six appearances in the World's 50 Best. Chef Floris Van der Veken's plant-forward tasting menu has earned 5 We're Smart Radishes with high distinction. Book well ahead; this is Near Impossible to reserve; and plan for a €€€€ evening in the Flemish Ardennes.