The 25 best restaurants in the world: photos that will make your mouth water

For yet another year, the list of 'The World's 50 best restaurants' has been published by William Reed Business Media of the United Kingdom. It details the 50 restaurants that have stood out the most for their flavors, innovations, and dining experiences.

The first place is held by Virgilio Martínez, who opened the doors of Central, located in Lima, Peru, in 2008. It is a restaurant that seeks to create culinary experiences based on Peruvian cuisine. His menu accompanies diners on a journey of 15 different dishes classified by altitude, starting from 15 meters below the Pacific Ocean to 4200 meters in the Andes.

Photo: Instagram @centralrest

Each dish reflects the origin of its ingredients, from Valle Seco (shrimp, loche squash, avocado) to Agua Amazónica (pacu fish, watermelon and coca leaf), according to The World's 50 best restaurants. Below we reveal 24 more of the 50 best restaurants and what you can find in their tasting menus.

Photo: Instagram @centralrest

Under the guardsman-ship of chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas, 'Disfrutar' promises food that surprises and delights in equal measure, all under the most modern techniques based on traditional cuisine. The restaurant's menu changes a couple of times a year: we can start with a doughnut filled with caviar and cream cheese, to gazpacho ice cream sandwiches perfumed with vinegar and pistachio and eel spheres, among other inventions such as crustaceans perfectly cooked on a plate served with dry ice and steam.

Photo: Instagram @disfrutarbcn

From 'The World's 50 best restaurants' they describe chef Dabiz Muñoz's restaurant as 'hedonistic, creative and unpredictable'. The tasting menu consists of 12 dishes that are a spectacle, starting with tapas of grilled octopus with ham essence and ending with moche chocolates with Thai-style dulce de leche and lime. The cuisine has a clear Asian influence and is at the mercy of the chef's creativity.

Photo: Instagram @dabizdiverxo

This is a restaurant located among the mountains and vegetation of Vizcaya, Spain, under the hand of chef Bittor Arguinzoniz. All his food goes through the chef's custom-designed grills, from the anchovies to the beet milk ice cream that closes the gastronomic experience. His tasting menu consists of 14 dishes containing homemade chorizo, seasonal delicacies, baby eels and Basque peas.

Photo: Instagram @asadoretxebarrioficial

The Alchemist promises an experience divided into 'acts' that transport diners to different places with art and craft offerings, created by chef Rasmus Munk. How about a piece of cod with edible 'plastic' to raise awareness about ocean pollution? Or a coffin-shaped chocolate bar to remind us of child labor in the chocolate industry?

Photo: Instagram @restaurantalchemist

Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura is the chef who promises to take diners on a journey through Japanese techniques combined with Peruvian ingredients from Nikkei cuisine. Between 10 and 14 dishes are part of his tasting menu, always prepared with seasonal products and fresh fish of the day.

Photo: Instagram @mitsuharu_maido

Located on Lake Garda, the restaurant bases its menu on Italian food under the watch of chef Riccardo Camanini. His dishes are constantly renewed, so the tasting menu varies according to the latest culinary discoveries made by the chef. Among its most famous dishes are the Rigatoni Casio e Pepe in Vessie, an ode to the pasta of classic Italian cuisine.

Photo: Instagram @ristorantelido84

Atomix offers a tasting menu of 12 original Korean dishes, with a combination of flavor and texture that place it among the best in the world. Fermentation and other classic techniques form an important part of its elaborations that range from sea urchins to steamed carrot cake; although it also includes grilled wagyu beef and noodles. An experience conceived by chef Junghyun Park.

Photo: Instagram @atomixnyc

Under the command of chef Jorge Vallejo, 'Quintonil' bases its cuisine on fresh ingredients, local flavors and traditional Mexican techniques. Its tasting menu may contain seasonal dishes such as green mole crab with kaffir lime and blue corn tostadas or nopal sorbet. We can also find other dishes such as braised oxtail, roasted avocado with escamoles or Mexican herb chips. Many of the ingredients come from the restaurant's own urban garden.

Photo: Instagram @rest_quintonil

To give you an example, you can savor a dark chocolate-covered tarte covered in dark chocolate mixed with caper cream and a little osetra caviar or a soft homemade madeleine dipped in Kardamili, as suggested by the chef. Table is an open kitchen restaurant where you will be able to observe the delicate and meticulous preparation of the dishes at all times, all of them with a story behind them that chef Bruno Verjus will be happy to tell.

Its current menu called 'Tasting India' features dishes representing the north, south, east and west of the subcontinent. For example, the west is represented by a mix of vibrant and spicy spices such as tamarind and yogurt, accompanied by pumpkin; while the south pays homage to the coast with a crab curry mixed with cinnamon and spices. Undoubtedly a gastronomic journey that envelops and captivates you with its colors, flavors and originality. The chef in charge of the kitchen is Himanshu Saini.

The restaurant gets its name from its cuisine focused on pork. It has a tasting menu in which every part of the animal is cooked in all its forms, although they also serve a very original vegetarian menu. The kitchen is headed by chefs Jefferson Rueda and Janaína Torres Rueda.

Photo: Instagram @acasadoporcobar

Their tasting menu has a constant and permanent presentation: the taco. All their dishes are colorful, elegant and include everything from an orange aguachile with lime to a lobster taco with macha sauce, macadamia nuts and fresh cheese. For dessert you can try a cactus sorbet, pickled figs or fig leaf ice cream. Enrique Olvera and Jesús Delgado Durón are the chefs in charge of offering these unique experiences.

Photo: Instagram @pujolrestaurant

Named the best restaurant in Asia in 2023, Odette is a modern French restaurant run by chef Julien Royer. The tasting menu is a fusion of French cuisine with Asian influences, so it offers dishes such as pepper-crusted squab from Kampot or miso-glazed endive from Kyoto. Tasting menus range from five to seven dishes based on seasonal products.

Le Du features chef Thitid Tassanakajohn's personal culinary interpretations, created exclusively with Thai ingredients. The restaurant's signature dish is 'Khao Kluk Kapi' which consists of shrimp from the Tapi River in southern Thailand, grilled and served with a risotto made with two types of rice from northern Thailand mixed with shrimp paste and seasonings.

Photo: Instagram @ledubkk

Reale seeks to leave his diners amazed and shocked with every bite. With names as modest as 'Carrot', 'Cauliflower' or 'Zucchini', his dishes are minimalist but enhance great flavors. Chef Niko Romito works with similarities of colors in the dishes but contrasting and impactful flavors based on herbs, vegetables and fruits.

Photo: Instagram @ristorantereale

A 'culinary adventure of the senses and a roller coaster of emotions', they say from 'The World's 50 best restaurants'. Its menu is based on progressive Indian cuisine with an elegant twist. From using emojis to represent his dishes to encouraging diners to eat with their hands or even lick the plate, chef Gaggan Anand seeks to reinvent fine dining.

Photo: Instagram @gaggan_anand

Chef Heinz Reitbauer looks to combine the historical with the contemporary. His menu features different types of meat and fish, varieties of fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs grown on the restaurant's rooftop. His tasting menu includes asparagus, poppy seeds, apricot and lamb's lettuce; catfish with beans, loquat and calamansi; shoulder of pork with peas and pimpernel salad.

Photo: Instagram @steirereck

Don Julio serves almost all parts of the cow, although it is recommended to order house cuts such as rump steak and entraña. You can also opt for corn, pumpkin and cheese empanadas, a selection of handmade sausages such as chorizo, blood sausage and grilled sausage. The cuisine and menu has been designed by chefs Pablo Rivero and Guido Tassi.

Photo: Instagram @donjulioparrilla

Chef Quique Dacosta's tasting menu is inspired by Spanish tapas elevated to a more advanced and innovative technique. His menu includes golden saffron 'fideuá' (similar to paella but with noodles) with razor clams and sprinkled with white petals; and lobster roe salad enhanced by an intense bisque poured from a snail shell. It also includes blue fin tuna, duck, smoked eel with rosemary and a series of nods to traditional paellas.

Photo: Instagram @qiqedacosta

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa's cuisine is based on traditional Japanese cuisine with a sensory experience. You can taste foie gras, a classic 20-ingredient salad and great surprises such as 'Dentucky Fried Chicken' wings, exclusive to the restaurant.

Photo: Instagram @zaiyuhasegawa

The innovations of its grill have led to the success of 'Elkano'. Its tasting menu is inspired by Spanish Cantabrian cuisine, includes kokotzxas (cod) served in four textures (grilled, battered in green sauce and other spices), plus marinated lobster and a banging sea bass.

Photo: Instagram @elkano_jatetxea

Run by Mexican chef Santiago Lastra, 'Kol' seeks to replicate Mexican food using British ingredients. Its tasting menu arrives in the form of sandwiches, followed by larger dishes such as the chef's specialty prawn taco. Other standout dishes include purple carrot mole with fermented blackcurrant and steamed halibut with seaweed butter and pine nuts.

Photo: Instagram @kol.restaurant

This is a restaurant that bases its menu on French cuisine, according to the seasons and seasonal ingredients. Each of their dishes contains global culinary touches such as this one on their menu: raw cuttlefish noodles in a seaweed and cardamom broth served with quail egg or asparagus with homemade lardo, accompanied by wild garlic and pistachio butter.

Photo: Instagram @septimeparis

Belcanto offers two tasting menus that promise to envelop diners in a journey through contemporary Portuguese cuisine. Among its outstanding dishes are beef tenderloin with artichoke millefeuille and truffle sauce or red shrimp with curry, green apple gel, asparagus and coriander, among others. All under the astuteness and creativity of chef José Avillez.

Photo: Instagram @belcanto_joseavillez