WORLD'S BEST RESTAURANTS 2024

I was planning to again find fault with Donald Trump, but no, that is getting tiresome.  The end to the Hamas-Israel War keeps being pushed forward, so no sense trying to predict anything.  Nothing new happening in Ukraine and I just am not interested in the fate of Hunter Biden.

Condé Nast Traveler sent me the just announced results of The World's 50 Restaurants 2024, so I will today summarize what happened.  This all began in 2002 when the water company, Pellegrino, led the way.  That other guide, was started by tire company Michelin, and they began awarding stars in 1926.  Look for a huge centennial version in two years.

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  All the ceremonial stuff took place at Wynn Las Vegas, and the top restaurant named was Disfrutar in Barcelona.  I was recently in that city, got no notice of this coming selection, and had as my best meal in the city Popeye's Chicken.  Disfrutar was #2 last year.  All the chefs operating this kitchen met at El Bulli, the best of the best in the 1990's.  Hey, you'll never get a chance now to dine at Disfrutar, so watch this 20-minute video.
• As some of you know, once you become #1, you are disqualified from competing again.  Thus you will no longer see listed:  Noma, Osteria, Francescana, Mirazur and Central of Lima, the winner in 2023.

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  The restaurant to watch award went to Kato in Los Angeles, which is Asian, with a Taiwanese chef, Jonathan Yao.
• Best Pastry Chef award went to 33-year old Nina Métayer, who is the first female to win this honor.  She doesn't work for a restaurant, and is a consultant.
• In the Best 50, Bangkok and Paris have 4, and Tokyo 3.  The entire USA has one, Atomix of New York at #6.
• Here is the list.

1. Disfrutar, Barcelona

2. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

3. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris

4. Diverxo, Madrid

5. Maido, Lima

6. Atomix, New York

7. Quintonil, Mexico City

8. Alchemist, Copenhagen

9. Gaggan, Bangkok

10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires

11. Septime, Paris

12. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera

13. Trèsind Studio, Dubai

14. Quique Dacosta, Dénia

15. Sézanne, Tokyo

16. Kjolle, Lima

17. Kol, London

18. Plénitude, Paris

19. Reale, Castel di Sangro

20. Wing, Hong Kong

21. Florilège, Tokyo

22. Steirereck, Vienn

23. Sühring, Bangkok

24. Odette, Singapore

25. El Chato, Bogotá

26. The Chairman, Hong Kong

27. A Casa do Porco, São Paulo

28. Elkano, Getaria

29. Boragó, Santiago

30. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin

31. Belcanto, Lisbon

32. Den, Tokyo

33. Pujol, Mexico City

34. Rosetta, Mexico City

35. Frantzen, Stockholm

36. The Jane, Antwerp

37. Oteque, Rio

38. Sorn, Bangkok

39. Piazza Duomo, Alba

40. Le Du, Bangkok

41. Mayta, Lima

42. Ikoyi, London

43. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin

44. Mingles, Seoul

45. Arpege, Paris

46. Single Thread, Healdsburg

47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau

48. Hisa Franko, Kobarid

49. La Colombe, Cape Town

50. Uliassi, Senigallia

• Counting backwards, #100 to #51.

100. Fauna, Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico

99. Cosme, New York, USA

98. Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia

97. Core by Clare Smyth, London, UK

96. Onjium, Seoul, South Korea

95. Meta, Singapore

94. Mountain, London, UK

93. Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan

92. Labyrinth, Singapore

91. Neolokal, Istanbul, Turkey

90. Smyth, Chicago, USA

89. Indian Accent, New Delhi, India

88. Tantris, Munich, Germany

87. Lyle's, London, UK

86. Mosu, Seoul, South Korea

85. Ceto, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France

84. Restaurant Jan, Munich, Germany

83. Willem Hiele, Oudenburg, Belgium

82. Sud 777, Mexico City, Mexico

81. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain

80. The Clove Club, London, UK

79. Alléno Paris Au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, France

78. Masque, Mumbai, India

77. La Grenouillère, La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, France

76. Flocons de Sel, Megève, France

75. Ernst, Berlin, Germany

74. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand

73. Mil, Cusco, Peru

72. Aponiente, El Puerto de Santa María, Spain

71. Le Bernardin, New York, USA

70. Le Doyenné, Saint-Vrain, France

69. Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China

68. Burnt Ends, Singapore

67. Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico

66. La Cime, Osaka, Japan

65. Brat, London, UK

64. Orfali Bros Bistro, Dubai, UAE

63. Bozar, Brussels, Belgium

62. Coda, Berlin, Germany

61. Nuema, Quito, Ecuador

60. Fyn, Cape Town, South Africa

59. Enigma, Barcelona, Spain

58. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

57. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand

56. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan

55. Mérito, Lima, Peru

54. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark

53. Leo, Bogotá, Colombia

52. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy

51. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy

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  Le Bernardin, the restaurant we experienced on our recent stop in New York, placed #71.
• Read about my second time at Narisawa, #56.
• I first went to Gaggan, now #9, a decade ago.

You might wonder what is the difference between those Michelin 3-star and the Best World's Restaurants?

• Michelin has been around since 1903 when travelers in Europe were provided this guide.  The 50 Best began in 2002, just about a century later, by British magazine Restaurant.
• While The 50 Best has focused on the world, Michelin initially was for Europe, and more recently reached out to the entire globe.
• The Michelin voting process involves a secret list of prestigious inspectors, who remains anonymous, with restaurants not even knowing when they were there.
• The 50 Best is an academy with more than a thousand judges, audited by Deloitte.
• Only the cuisine is important for Michelin, while The 50 Best takes into account everything.
• Michelin now has 146 3-star restaurants, the equivalent, sort of, of the the Best 100 World Restaurants.
• The leading 3-star countries are France with 30, Japan 20, Spain 15, Italy and USA 13, Germany 10, Hong Kong/Macau 10, UK 9, mainland China 5 and Swizerland 4.
• Counting all starred restaurants, you would think that Paris should be #1.  Nope:  Tokyo with 194, Paris 136, Kyoto 103, Osaka 95 and London 80.
• Here is another list:  Tokyo 226, Paris 119, Kyoto 108, Osaka 98 and New York City 76.  This is for 2024, so the other one must have been for 2023.
• More specifically, Tokyo has 11 3-star restaurants, 47 with 2 stars and 165 with one.
• I scanned the Michelin list and I think I went to seven of them.

Finally, when we went around the world from March to May of this year, after Bangkok, there was a dearth of ramen restaurants in Europe.  Here is one list of the best world ramen restaurants

• Of course. almost all are in Japan.  However at #25 was one in Los Angeles,  and #44, Ippudo in New York City.  I was in this restaurant last month.  And, incidentally, Ippudo Ebisu, is #9 in the following list.  I usually stay at the Tokyo Westin in Ebisu, and Robuchon a Michelin 3-star restaurant is across the street.  We went there on our recent trip, so we'll need to find Ippudo the next time we stay there, and also #4 Afuri.
• #1    Ichiran Nakasu, Fukuoka
• #2    Tsuta, Tokyo
• #3    Ippudo Daimyo, Fukuoka
• #4    Afuri, Ebisu
• #5    Ginza Kagari, Tokyo
• #6    Shin Shin, Fukuoka
• #7    Ichiran Shibuya, Tokyo
• #8    Ichiran Canal City, Fukuoka
• #9    Ippudo, Ebisu
• #17  Ippudo Nishikikoji, Kyoto
• #25  Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen, Los Angeles
• #44  Ippudo, New York
• #62  Kanada-Ya, London
• #63  Totto Ramen, New York
• #64  Ippudo, Sydney...and it's possible we went there just before boarding the Seabourn Odyssey
• #73  Ichiran Brooklyn, New York
• #79  Shoryu, London
• #80  Ramen Tatsu-ya, Austin, Texas
• #81  Tsujita LA, Los Angeles
• #82  Ippudo London
• #83  Cocolo Ramen, Berlin
• #97  Daikokuya, Los Angeles
• #99  Hakata Ikkousha Ramen, Singapore
• 108  Gogyo Sydney
• 109  Pastaria, Clayton, Missouri
• 112  Menya Ultra, San Diego
• 113  Na Ni Wa Noodles and Soups, Dusseldorf
• 114  Menya Itto , Bangkok
• 126  Banki Ramen, Florence
• 127  Ippudo Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
• 128  Tonkotsu, London
• 129  Shujinko, Melbourne
• 130  Kodawari Ramen, Paris
• 132  Ramen Shop, Oakland
• 133  Fufu Ramen, Bordeaux
• 134  Kitakata Ran, Costa Mesa
• 147  The Hangar Bay Cafe, Atlantic Beach
• 148, Marutama Ramen, Vancouver
• 154  Mensho Tokyo, Bangkok
• 155  Takumi, Dusselddorf
• 156  HinoMaru, New York City
• 158  Ramen-ya Hiro, Barcelona
• 159  Tora-Ya Ramen, Quebec City
• 160  Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen, Sao Paulo
• 165  Ichitora Ramen, Hong Kong
• 166  Koku, Mexico City
• 167  Hakata Choten, Paris
• 168  Ichiran Taipei
• 169  Ippudo Singapore
• 171  Pai Men Miyake, Portland
• 172  Ramen Yushoken, Mantinlupa, Philippines
• 173  E.A.K. Ramen, New York City
• 174  Mexipon Ramen and Curry Bar, Ensenada, Mexico

Why do I show all those?

• To begin, there are 32,000 ramen restaurants in Japan.  Some shops are so popular that customers wait an hour and more to pay $6.50 for a bowl.
• The USA has more than 1400 ramen shops.  The number rose 72% since 2000.
• If a ramen shop made the top 300 in the above list, they would be in the top one tenth of one percent in the world.
• Los Angeles has become the ramen capital of the nation.  Top Ramen and Cup O'Noodles, for example, of Nissin Food Products of Japan, are made in Gardena.
• Nissin created the first instant ramen in 1958, and opened up their Gardena plant in 1972.  They expect sales of $85 million this year.  They cost $1 each.
• Lipton introduced their ramen cup in 1983, but quit two years later.
• Look for Campbell Soup to soon market its first Oriental noodle product.

To end, we went to two Wagamama restaurants--they feature ramen bowls--on our global journey, and almost went to a third in New York City.  Turns out that the company was founded in 1991 and first opened in London, led by Alan Yau, who subsequently created Hakkasan and Yauatcha.  The Wagamama chain now has 190 restaurants all over the world.  Our first was in Copenhagen, and second in Southampton.

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