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If you’re like most twenty-thirty-somethings and spend your TV time watching shows like Chef’s Table, Master Chef, No Reservations and Parts Unknown, there’s a chance you’ve already coughed up your hard earned cash in order to post up at one of these hard-to-get tables.
If not, it’s time turn off the Cooking Channel, put down the remote, and reserve your spot at one the 50 best (and in most cases, expensive) restaurants in the world…
Just don’t be surprised if you have to wait for months to get that coveted seat.
50. The Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)
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The world renowned gourmet laboratory of Luke Dale-Robert features extremely creative fare with many Asian influences.
Small bites pave the way for mains like eiland (local oryx) carpaccio, local kingklip smoked with curry leaves and scallops with a Cape Malay sabayon.
Chef: Luke Dale-Roberts
Average cost: $81
49. Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)
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What one of te most inexpensive restaurants to make the list lacks in price makes up for in flavor.
Make sure to try the Coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with kalamansi lime.
Chef: Pim Techamuanvivit with head chef Suraja Ruangnukulkit
Average cost: $76
48. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)
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This hyper-local restaurant in Slovenia features the one and only Ana Roš’ fresh ravioli.
Chef: Ana Roš
Average cost: $99-139
47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)
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This contemporary Swiss restaurant features Swiss pikeperch from Lake Lucerne with red onion, buttermilk and radish.
Chef: Andreas Caminada
Average cost: $261
46. Saison (San Francisco, USA)
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A restaurant based on product, fire and time by Joshua Skenes @jskenes
Chef: Joshua Skenes
Average cost: $500 per person
45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, UK)
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Make sure to order the Meat fruit: mandarin, chicken liver parfait and grilled bread.
Chef: Ashley Palmer-Watts
Average cost: $198
44. Mikla (Istanbul, Turkey)
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Noted as owning one of the finest views in the world, “Mikla’s dining room has an outdoor terrace from which guests can look over the Bosphorus to see a glimpse of both Asia and Europe.”
Chef: Chef-owner Mehmet Gürs (pictured) with Cihan Çetinkaya
Average cost: $NA
43. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)
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Another in a long list of excellent Spanish restaurants to rank in the top 50.
Chef: Eneko Atxa
Average cost: $202
42. The Ledbury (London, UK)
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Modern British cuisine makes the list with dishes like warm bantam’s egg, celeriac, arbois, dried ham and black truffle.
Chef: Brett Graham
Average cost: $152
41. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)
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The menu at Nihonryori RyuGin changes throughout the year to reflect te freshest produce available base on season. Try the Fugu and Matsubagani at this modern Japanese establishment.
Chef: Chef patron Seiji Yamamoto with Takeo Ozawa
Average cost: $240
40. Septime (Paris, France)
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Try the coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with kalamansi lime at this micro-seasonal restaurant.
Chef: Chef-owner Bertrand Grébaut
Average cost: $60+
39. Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Peru)
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Another in a long line of top notch, award winning Peruvian restaurants, Astrid y Gastón offers the quintessential, upscale Peruvian dining experience.
A tasting menu at a slightly lower price point relative to other Top 50 restaurants.
Chef: Gaston Acurio
Price: $260-336
38. Lyle’s (London, UK)
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Simply stated, this modern British restaurant in Shoreditch will not be serving you boiled herring, bangers, or mash.
Chef: James Lowe
Average cost: $48-100
37. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)
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Asian cuisine has made its way to the heart of Belin, and if you make it to Tim Raue, make sure to try the wasabi langoustine.
Chef: Tim Raue
Average cost: $150-300
36. Reale (Castel Di Sangro, Italy)
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This monastery in Abruzzo hosts Cristiana and Niko Romito’s restaurant #Reale (3 Michelin Stars), a pro cooking school, and the boutique hotel #Casadonna.
Chef: Chef patron Niko Romito with Berardino Como
Average cost: $112
35. Maaemo (Oslo, Norway)
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Owner of 3 Michelin Stars means that if you ever find yourself in Oslo, Norway, you should definitely find your way to a table at the world renowned Maaemo.
Chef: Esben Holmboe Bang
Price: $650 per person.
34. Alinea (Chicago, USA)
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All while battling tongue cancer, chef Grant Achatz is at the forefront of the Chicago culinary world.
Chef: Grant Achatz
Price: $255-500 per person.
33. The Clove Club (London, UK)
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The Clove Club serves a tasting menu featuring interesting and often overlooked British ingredients and produce on their Chef’s tasting menu.
Chef: Isaac Mchale
Average cost: $160+
32. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)
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If you missed your chance to visit Ferran and Albert Adrià’s El Bulli, consider this your next best option.
Chef: Albert Adrià with Fran Agudo
Average cost: $115
31. Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)
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The Arzak restaurant has been in the family for several generations, but with an updated menu, Elena put this Basque restaurant on the culinary map.
Chef: Elena Arzak with Juan Mari Arzak
Average cost: $229
30. D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)
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Chef Alex Atala forages for his own ingredients sourced from the Amazon to deliver modern Brazilian dishes.
Chef: Alex Atala with Geovane Carneiro
Average cost: $140
29. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)
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Try the hot sea urchin soup served in a burned grapefruit shell at this modern French establishment.
Chef: Yannick Alléno
Average cost: $480+
28. Odette (Singapore)
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Chef Julien Royer brings modern French cuisine to the million dollar shores of Singapore.
The heirloom beetroot variation is a true standout at Odette.
Chef: Julien Royer
Average cost: $88+
27. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)
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For nearly a decade chef Rodolfo Guzmán has delivered the rarest of Chilean ingredients that are only available for a few weeks out of the year.
Chef: Rodolfo Guzmán
Average cost: $87
26. Le Bernardin (New York City, USA)
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If you’re going to Le Bernardin you don’t order the chicken, you order the fish. After all, it’s Eric Ripert.
Chef: Eric Ripert
Average cost: $215
25. Cosme (New York City, USA)
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No need to travel to Mexico City to take part in the modern Mexican movement, simply head to Cosme on E. 21st St.
Chef: Daniela Soto-Innes
Average cost: $164
24. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China)
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Conceived by Paul Pairet since 1996 and opened in 2012, Ultraviolet is the first restaurant of its kind uniting food and multi-sensorial technology.
Chef:Paul Pairet
Price: $821+
23. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
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Modern Italian favorites include a delicious saffron and liquorice rosotto.
Chef: Massimiliano Alajmo
Average cost: $259
22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)
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Innovative Satoyama cuisine dishes include a soup made from the broth of a poisonous snake.
Chef: Yoshihiro Narisawa
Average cost: $264
21. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)
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Don’t expect anything less than spactacular from this Michelin Star legend.
Chef: Alain Ducasse
Average cost: $449
20. Attica (Melbourne, Australia)
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Don’t expect dishes familiar to Australians, or to foodies from around the world. Instead get ready for black ant lamington and bunya bunya.
Chef: Ben Shewry
Average cost: $163
19. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
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Order the Beeswax and pollen ice cream with intense rhubarb at this modern Scandinavian restaurant.
Chef: Rasmus Kofoed
Average cost: $300-500
18. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
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Featured is a 30-course avant-garde Spanish chef’s tasting menu in a simple, minimalist package.
Chef: Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch
Average cost: $NA
17. Den (Tokyo, Japan)
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This Japanese standout is known for fried chicken wings. Yes you heard that right, chicken wings.
Chef: Zaiyu Hasegawa
Average cost: $NA
16. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
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Most noted for “Salad 21… 31… 41… 51”, which features a “cornucopia of leaves, herbs and vegetables, the precise number and make-up of which changes according to the season.”
Chef: Enrico Crippa
Average cost: $276
15. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)
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Don’t be scared off by our current US-Russia relations if you’re into burnt cabbage and caviar.
Chef: Vladimir Mukhin
Average cost: $105
14. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
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Yes you heard right, Steirereck is housed in a monolithic glass cube and their standout dish features Char with beeswax, yellow carrot, pollen and sour cream.
Chef: Heinz Reitbauer
Average cost: $164
13. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)
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If you haven’t heard of this Mexico City standout, what you need to order is the Mole Madre (aged for more than 1500 days).
Chef: Alex Bremont with chef-owner Enrique Olvera
Average cost: $86
12. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York, USA)
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Located just 30 miles north of Manhattan New York sits Dan Barber’s foray into the farm-to-table movement.
From zuchinni stem penne to vegetables cooked from the heat given off by composting vegetable waste, Blue Hill is on the cutting edge of sustainability.
Chef: Dan Barber
Average cost: $216
11. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
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Contemporary Mexican cuisine at a relatively affordable price is what you’ll find in one of Mexico City’s best restaurants.
While dishes can be ordered a la carte, the chef’s tasting menu is really what you came for.
Chef: Jorge Vallejo
Average cost: $60
10. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
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If you’re not the type of person who cares for the 20-course tasting menu thing, then Asador Etxebarri might be the place for you. Sure, getting to spain might not come cheap, but if devouring pounds of fresh meat is your thing, then you might as well make a vacation out of it.
Chef: Victor Arguinzoniz
Average cost: $156
9. Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
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Known as the successor to Spanish legend Ferran Adrià, Andoni Luis Aduriz treats Mugaritz as a research lab and encourages innovation and creativity in his staff.
Chef: Andoni Luis Aduriz
Average cost: $213
8. L’Arpege (Paris, France)
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Chef Alain Passard serves up French classics as well as several options for vegetarians and vegans alike at this storied Parisian restaurant.
Chef: Alain Passard
Price: $426
7. Maido (Lima, Peru)
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Peruvian-Japanese might be the seemingly oddest combination of food cultures to make the list of top restaurants in the world, but make no mistake, Maido is a crowd pleaser.
If you’re in the mood for something a little more traditional, try the adjoining sushi bar where Japanese favorites are served a la carte.
Chef: Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura
Average cost: $111
6. Central (Lima, Peru)
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It’s through no accident that restaurants in Lima, Peru hold multiple spots on this list of the 50 best restaurants in the world.
Central is the brainchild of Peruvian chef, Virgilio Martínez Véliz, and in addition to being his flagship restaurant, Central also serves as his workshop where he can test the limits of the Peruvian ingredients, most notably a potato grown at 5,000 meters above sea level.
Chef: Virgilio Martínez Véliz
Average cost: $120
5. Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand)
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Serving as the first chef of Indian descent to intern with Ferran Adrià‘s research team at Spain’s famed elBulli, Gaggan Anand took a circuitous route to chef fame and fortune, ultimately deciding that the only way to do anything truly new in the culinary world was to do it himself.
Anand decided to open Gaggan in Bangkok after having several conversations with his friends and colleagues. The rest is history.
Chef: Gaggan Anand
Last year’s rank: 7
Estimated cost: THB 6,500
4. Eleven Madison Park (New York City)
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Don’t expect to spend less than $2,000 for a party of five at this New York staple. From fois gras adorned coctails to confections made in house, chef Daniel Humm will not disappoint.
Chef: Daniel Humm
Last year’s rank: 1
Average cost: $315 (service-included)
3. Mirazur (Menton, France)
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It’s only fitting that a Friench restaurant finds its place in the top 5 of this years world’s best restaurants list given the French pedigree.
From fresh picked vegetables grown in the back to breathtaking views, Mirazur does not disappoint.
Chef: Mauro Colagreco
Last year’s rank: 4
Average cost: €110-€210
2. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)
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Ever since the early days of El Bulli, Spain has become a hotbed for the world’s best restaurants and a breeding ground for the best chefs in the world.
While Joan Roca i Fontané’s restaurant won’t tip the scales at the upper financial end of this list, you can expect quality and consistency from this Spanish master.
Chef: Joan Roca
Last year’s rank: 3
Average cost: €165-€195 (USD $184-$218)* 2015 pricing.
1. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)
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After struggling for 6 years to no critical acclaim, chef Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana has finaly been recognized as owning the best restaurant in the world. He flipped Italian cuisine on it’s head through his avant-garde deconstruction of the classics and is finally being recognized for it.
With 3 Michelin stars and title of best restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana is the ultimate place to burn your paycheck.
Chef: Massimo Bottura
Last year’s rank: 2
Average cost: €250-€270
