The 50 best restaurants in the world have been revealed – with Spain’s Disfrutar crowned the ultimate place to dine.
The awards, considered the Oscars of international fine dining – were dished out at a ceremony at the Wynn in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Six eateries from the European nation made the cut, and three of them even scored a place in the top five.
But Barcelona restaurant Disfrutar was named the best in the world by the influential 50 Best list in a year dominated by Spanish and Latin American restaurants.
Disfrutar (translating to ‘enjoy’ in Spanish) opened in December 2014 next to the Ninot market in the heart of the Catalan city.
Ranked number two last year, Disfrutar is owned and run by chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casanas.
Diners at the restaurant can expect dishes executed with technical mastery, such as the caviar-filled Panchino doughnut, the frozen gazpacho sandwich and squab with kombu spaghetti, almond and grape.
50 Best, run by British magazine Restaurant, describes it as having ‘far-reaching technique, original thinking and ground-breaking flavours’.
It is run by three chefs who trained at the renowned El Bulli in Roses, Spain, which has topped the 50 Best list five times, including the first-ever in 2002.
A Spanish eatery also took second place: Asador Etxebarri, in the Basque town of Atxondo.
Coming in at number three was Table de Bruno Verjus in Paris, among the most expensive in the French capital.
The 50 Best list was launched in 2002 and quickly established itself as an international alternative to France’s renowned Michelin Guide.
It has more than 1,000 voters across 27 regions around the world – a mix of chefs, food writers and ‘well-travelled gourmets’.
Disfrutar and Table de Bruno Verjus both also have the highest three-star ranking from Michelin, while Asador Etxebarri has one.
Spanish and Latino establishments dominated the top 10 this year, with Madrid restaurant DiverXO in fourth place, Lima’s Maido in fifth, Mexico City’s Quintonil in seventh, and the Don Julio steakhouse in Buenos Aires in 10th.
Sixth place went to Atomix in New York City, an upscale Korean restaurant offering a chef’s tasting menu with beverage pairings.
Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark, was crowned the eighth best and offers diners an immersive dining experience under a dome-shaped roof with various graphic sceneries that change throughout the dinner.
And ninth place went to Gaggan Anand in Bangkok, Thailand, where diners can sit at the chef’s table and overlook the open kitchen area.
Elsewhere in the list, three restaurants from Tokyo were awarded, with eatery Sezanne ranking the highest in the Japanese capital in 15th place.
Hong Kong saw two of its restaurants make the list, as Wing was the city’s highest new entry on the entire list, at 20, while The Chairman was the highest climber, moving from last year’s 50th spot into an impressive number 26.
Restaurants can only scoop the top prize once, after which they;re entered into a separate ‘Best of the Best’ programme.
Members of that elite group include Geranium and Noma in Copenhagen, as well as New York’s Eleven Madison Park, The Fat Duck near London, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and Mirazur in Menton, France.
Last year’s winner, Central of Lima, Peru, now also joins them on that list.