The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 - the complete list

Gavin Hanly 25 June 2019

The San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant list is the restaurant world's nearest equivalent to the Oscars. Every year hundreds of restaurant experts - all 'well-travelled restaurant commentators, chefs or restaurateurs’ vote for their favourite restaurants. And this year, for the first time, the previous chart-toppers are no longer allowed on the list.

We take a closer look at the top ten restaurants from the 2019 World's list to find out what's so great about them, as well as the full rundown from 1-120.

World's 50 best restaurants 2019: The top 10

1 - Mirazur

Where in the world? Menton, France

What's so great about it? This three Michelin-starred restaurant in Menton, France is run by Mauro Colagreco who hails originally from Argentina. The restaurant itself couldn't be in a prettier position, hugging the hill and looking out over the Riviera. The restaurant has an extensive vegetable garden where Mauro grows produce from South America as well as fruit native to the area here.

How much: Eveil des Sens 160 euros (not available at weekends). Mirazur Universe 260 euros.

For more info: Mirazur website

2 - Noma

Where in the world? Copenhagen, Denmark

What's so great about it? Having previously topped the list four times, Noma is probably the restaurant most associated with the World's 50 Best and is certainly the one that, when it first nabbed the spot, brought the list (and restaurant) global fame. Having closed it down and reopened just by the edge of Christiania, René Redzepi and his team created a new space and approach (which means that, unlike other no 1 restaurants, they got another go at the top spot). Menus change according to the season - focusing on seafood in winter and spring, game and forest produce from October to December and then purely vegetarian and vegan during the summer.

How much: It's about £300 for dinner or £180 if you're a student.

For more info: Noma website

3 - Asador Extebarri

Where in the world? Atxondo, Spain

What's so great about it? Located between Bilbao and Spanish food mecca San Sebastian, this is wood-fired barbecue like you've never had it before. Its chef Victor Arguinzoniz is a local and his kitchen is all built by himself. Victor has his own buffalo grazing nearby and serves up produce from his garden too.

How much: The tasting menu is around £160.

For more info: Asador Extebarri website

4 - Gaggan

Where in the world? Bangkok, Thailand

What makes it the best? If you're travelling across the world for a meal then you really are going to want to order the tasting menu. Billed as 'progressive Indian cuisine' it's a labour of love by chef Gaggan Anand who arrived in Bangkok in 2007 for a consultancy job and never left. The restaurant itself is pretty special too - housed in an old Colonial style, whitewashed house.

How much: 23-course menu is £170 while a nine-course menu is just over £100.

For more info: Gaggan website

5 - Geranium

Where in the world? Copenhagen, Denmark

What's so great about it? This three Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen is from Rasmus Kofoed, with a new take on Scandinavian cooking. Plus there are some stunning views.

How much: About £300

For more info: Geranium website

6 - Central

Where in the world? Lima, Peru

What's so great about it? Chef Virgilio Martinez - who also owns Lima in London - is all about discovering and championing local ingredients, whether from the lower Andes or the coastline of Peru. Each dish on the menu features the altitude its key ingredient can be found. How about Valley of the Trees, featuring carob, avocado and cactus from 230m? Central has also taken the top slot in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurant list.

How much: £125 for the Alturas Mater Tasting Menu

For more info: Central website

7 - Mugaritz

Where in the world? San Sebastián, Spain

What's so great about it? You've got to want to try the cuisine of any chef who's so into his food he's willing to spend two years of his life studying the chemistry of coagulation in order to produce the perfect poached egg. Mugaritz was opened by chef Andoni Aduriz in 1998, and caused quite a stir when it leapt into the no 10 position in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2006. We tried his food when Andoni made a trip to the UK, including the famed edible stones.

How much: Around £200

For more info: Mugaritz website

Photo by José Luis López de Zubiría

8 - Arpege

Where in the world? Paris, France

What's so great about it? Arpege, under Alain Passard, has had three Michelin stars since 1996. It recently celebrated its 30th birthday but its presence in the top 10 list shows that it maintains its relevance. And Passard was one of the first great Parisian chefs to renounce red meat when he returned from a year's sabbatical in 2001 and took it out of his menu. As fine dining blogger Elizabeth Auerbach said of a meal there a few years back, "Alain Passard's cooking not only encapsulates the essence of the ingredients but transforms these ingredients into dishes that transcend their constituent parts."

How much: £380 for the Earth & Sea tasting menu, £160 for the Gardeners Lunch

For more info: Alain Passard's website

9 - Disfrutar, Barcelona

Where in the world? Barcelona, Spain

What's so great about it? Founders Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch all met whilst working at elBulli. Here in their restaurant in the heart of Barcelona, they're all about the element of surprise, so you won't see a menu before you arrive. It's molecular gastronomy, but where taste hasn't been sacrificed at the alter of 'just because we can'.

How much: There are two tasting menus - one at 150 euros and one at 190 euros. You can choose between one that focuses on their signature dishes, or one's that more seasonally led.

For more info: Disfrutar website

10 - Maido

Where in the world? Lima, Peru

What's so great about it? Maido in Lima is a Nikkei restaurant serving up a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food. Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura from Lima trained up first in America and then Japan. Expect dishes like dulce de leche churros with cinnamon ice cream and the 50-hour wagyu shortrib is not to be missed.

How much: About £100 for the Nikkei Tasting Experience

For more info: Maido website

World's 50 best restaurants 2019: 11 - 50

We're updating this as it's announced - UK entries are in bold below: