The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012: Noma Tops Influential List For Third Straight Year

Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark has been named the best restaurant in the world for the third year in a row by Restaurant magazine's World's 50 Best list.

Chef Rene Redzepi has enjoyed a long run of media coverage over the past couple years including most recently gracing TIME magazine's cover abroad. He was hailed one of the magazine's Top 100 most influential people this year.

The top North American restaurant went to Per Se, which placed at number six. Thomas Keller's New York fine dining palace beat out his Napa Valley restaurant, French Laundry, which placed at 43. Also on the top ten was Chicago's Alinea (7) and New York's Eleven Madison Park (10). Other notable American placements included Manresa (48) located outside of San Francisco, which returned to the list this year, and Momofuku Ssam Bar (37), Daniel (25) and Le Bernardin (19), all from New York City.

As is the case with all food ranking lists, the World's 50 Best has it share of detractors, though few other publications attempt to rank such a global list. The ranking has only been around for a decade. In the past 10 years, the list has zipped to one of the most recognizable restaurant ranking systems. While Michelin offers a comprehensive city-wide guide around the world, and Zagat covers most of the U.S., neither company attempts to rank the entire world in one list. Still there are plenty of discrepancies between Michelin and the World's 50 Best. Noma, for example, has two -- not three -- Michelin stars.

In the past ten years, the World's 50 Best list has continued to gain traction, and is now one of the few arenas where chefs from all over the world converge together. It can be hard to rank restaurants over such a wide span, so here is how the organization breaks it down:

The awards are decided by over 800 international restaurant industry experts, though there is no predetermined set of criteria, but rather just a simple computation of votes. The judges are divided into 27 different world regions, in which a chairman for each region appoints 30 jurors, including journalists, chefs and restaurateurs and food lovers. Each juror can vote for seven restaurants, and only four are allowed to be from the juror's region.

Two awards were announced in advance of the Top 50 list. The title of Best Female Chef went to Elena Arzak, who is the fourth generation of her family to head Arzak restaurant in San Sebastián, Spain. The restaurant ranked eighth on the 2012 list. Thomas Keller received the Lifetime Achievement award. The magazine described Keller as "a true colossus of the gastronomic world."

Check out the Top 50 winners below:

50. Nahm, Bangkok
49. Geranium, Denmark
48. Manresa, California
47. Bras, France
46. Il Canto, Italy
45. Villa Joya, Portugal
44. Amber, China
43. The French Laundry, California
42. Hof Van Cleve, Belgium
41. Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden
40. Quique Dacosta, Spain
39. Waku Ghin, Singapore
38. Biko, Mexico
37. Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York
36. Pujol, Mexico
35. Astrid Y Gaston, Peru
34. Faviken, Sweden
33. De Librije, Netherlands
32. Le Calandre, Italy
31. Asador Etxebarri, Spain
30. Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland
29. Quay, Sydney, Australia
28. Nihonryori RyuGin, Japan
27. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
26. Iggy's, Singapore: Best Restaurant In Asia
25. Daniel, New York
24. Mirazur, France
23.Vendome, Germany
22. Aqua, Germany
21. Oud Sluis, Netherlands
20. Frantzén/Lindeberg, Sweden
19. Le Bernardin, New York, New York
18. L'Astrance, France
17. Pierre Gagnaire, France
16. L'Arpege, France
15. Le Chateaubriand, France
14. The Ledbury, United Kingdom: Highest Climber
13. The Fat Duck, United Kingdom
12. L'Atelier De Joel Robuchon, France
11. Steirereck, Austria

Comments

[write the world]

06:47 PM on 05/14/2012

Well, you can see why the rich are thin -- there ain't no food on those plates!!

[Red The Grey]

08:19 AM on 05/04/2012

McDonalds isn't on the list ?

[butchcliff]

06:27 AM on 05/04/2012

Too bad Three Small Rooms in Toronno (sic) is gone, it would've made this list

[crimminy]

12:53 AM on 05/03/2012

The two California restaurants listed are both fixed price menus. The French Laundry can run from 550-600 dollars for two people. This is not a list for the 99%!

[fitness lady22]

03:41 PM on 05/08/2012

Considering the portion sizes, names, and prices it looks like most people would never be able to afford any of these meals.

[MsMeryMac]

08:07 PM on 05/14/2012

The portion sizes are perfect. Thomas Keller's theory is that you have about 2 bites of food on each plate - enough to get a taste, to want more... and then it's gone. Good thing you get 14 of them at French Laundry, huh?

[travelingblogger]

11:53 AM on 05/02/2012

The food served at every restaurant on the list is pretentious, stuff, fluffy, and not appetizing at all. I want FOOD. REAL food. Not that garbage shown.

There's nothing like a well marbled, aged cowboy cut ribeye, loaded baker, and fresh green beans accompanied by a salad of locally grown veggies and homemade dressing.

Ok, yeah I know. I should expand my palate, you say. Here's the thing: I did - for over 35 years. I've had all that nonsense flavor of the moment food listed and then some (Anthony Bourdain hasn't anything on what I've seen an eaten!!).

Now I want real food. Comfort food at its best. I dare them to do a Top 50 Comfort Food restaurant list!!

[LibertarianCentrist]

02:33 PM on 05/02/2012

Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean it's garbage... Daniel and Le Bernedan listed on the top 50 happen to both be INCREDIBLE restaurants.

[Billy Banter]

08:37 AM on 05/02/2012

Pretty pretentious list, where is Gobblers Restaurant in Butte Montana, that's one heck of a good eatery.

[travelingblogger]

11:53 AM on 05/02/2012

AGREED!!!!!

[thehuff]

06:58 AM on 05/02/2012

Wow, Spain has 3 in the Top 8! (how arbitrary is that?)

[Francois G]

05:10 AM on 05/02/2012

I wonder how they could select Le Chateaubriand and leave behind Yannick Aleno (Le Meurice) and Anne-Sophie Pic...
Doesn't make any sense to me...

[leeanders]

01:01 AM on 05/02/2012

Half that mess looks like something designed by a landscaper. Where's the food???

[travelingblogger]

11:54 AM on 05/02/2012

Exactly what I'm talking about!! WHERE'S THE FOOD!

[frank1946]

11:59 PM on 05/01/2012

A New Bucket List.

[jcjksimba]

11:38 PM on 05/01/2012

I'm sorry, but that top picture looks like a bunch of grass hoppers and bumble bees on it. Yeck!

[dianejcdc]

10:55 PM on 05/01/2012

Why was'nt White Castle on the list,greatest belly bombers in the world. !!!

[barroldm]

08:30 PM on 05/01/2012

Mama's Fish House? If you're talking Maui it's got to be Mala and Honu.

[apmarina]

07:20 PM on 05/01/2012

Once again, passed over the The Pantry, downtown LA. What do these snobs know about real food?

[MsMeryMac]

08:06 PM on 05/14/2012

Honestly, I think Providence in LA (Hollywood) is the best restaurant in Los Angeles. Great service and cocktails, too. And one of the best Sommeliers, for sure!

[mwmwmw]

07:19 PM on 05/01/2012

They forgot to add Native Foods.

[cjt456]

12:17 AM on 07/11/2012

this isnt exciting to me at all the food is probably over $30.00 and you could eat everything on the plate in one bite. wait a minute why did i say $30.00? it is most likley 50 dollars for all of this i doubt that this will be the best of your life and worth that much money.