THE WORLD'S BEST RESTAURANT OF 2025

According to The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, the top ten in the world are 

1. Maido
    in Lima, Peru.
2. Asador Etxebarri
    in Atxondo, Spain.
3. Quintonil
    in Mexico City, Mexico.
4. Diverxo
    in Madrid, Spain.
5. Alchemist
    in Copenhagen, Denmark.
6. Gaggan
    in Bangkok, Thailand.
7. Sézanne
    in Tokyo, Japan.
8. Table by Bruno Verjus
    in Paris, France.
9. Kjolle
    in Lima, Peru.
10. Don Julio
     in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

In the above top 50 I've only been to Gaggan, twice.  Read about my first time in 2014.  Chef Gaggan Anand is to my left.  But, no restaurants from the USA.  So I checked from #11 to #50 and found:

• Atomix, New York.  That's it.  Only one.
• Tokyo has two.
• Bangkok has five.

In this annual Best 50 Restaurants selection, past winners are excluded.  Plus, several just closed down.  So I asked Google AI Overview to find a list of the most outstanding restaurants in history.

• Delmonico's: Opened in 1837 in New York City, it is considered America's first fine-dining establishment and is credited with inventing dishes like Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska.

• 
  Antoine's: Founded in 1840 in New Orleans, it's known for its French culinary heritage and was an iconic restaurant that shaped dining in America.
• Union Oyster House: Located in Boston and established in 1826, this restaurant offers some of the best seafood in a historic setting, earning a spot among the "Taste Atlas Top 50 Most Legendary Restaurants in the World" in 2023.

• 
  Commander's Palace: A New Orleans institution since 1893, it has redefined Creole cuisine and launched the careers of chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, garnering 7 James Beard awards.

• 
  Chez Panisse: Located in Berkeley, California, it's renowned for its innovative, ever-changing menu and its dedication to fresh, organic ingredients, representing a culinary philosophy inspired by nature.
• El Bulli: Based in Catalonia, Spain, and topping The World's 50 Best Restaurants list multiple times, it's celebrated for its avant-garde cuisine and influential approach to fine dining.

• 
  The French Laundry: Opened in 1994 by Chef Thomas Keller, this Yountville, California restaurant is widely considered one of the greatest restaurants in America and has earned numerous accolades.

• 
  Noma: Located in Copenhagen, Denmark, it topped The World's 50 Best Restaurants list several times, known for its innovative approach to Nordic cuisine.

• 
  Osteria Francescana: Based in Modena, Italy, it earned the No. 1 spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016 and 2018.
• Eleven Madison Park: This New York City restaurant was named No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.
• Mirazur: Located in Menton, France, it was voted No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019. 

There was a period in my life when I travelled the world to dine at many of these Best 50 Restaurants of the World.  Originally, this annual report came from the water company, Pellegrino.  There is also the Michelin (tire company) rating, which goes up to 3-stars for the best ones.

• 
  There are today 157 3-star restaurants, although this number varies depending on when these country/region ratings are published.
• The latest list shows 32 in Japan, 31 France, 16 Spain, 14 Italy, 14 USA and 12 Germany.
• In the U.S.:  New York City 5, San Francisco Bay Area 5, Chicago 2, DC 1, San Diego 1.  We'll be in this city in October.  Perhaps dinner at Addison?

One of the New York City 3-star restaurants is Jungsik.  I had lunch at his first restaurant in Seoul.  That was in 2011.

• The title of this posting was, ONE OF THE FIVE BEST MEALS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE.

• 
  I had my best lunch in Korea, even better than brunch yesterday.  But my experience at Jung Sik-dang today was so fabulous that I rank it among the very best of meals ever.  I now only review lunches, and JSK compares well with Noma (Copenhagen), La Terrazza (Rome) and Konigshof Restaurant (Munich).

• 
  I was sent here by the W Seoul Concierge, Rachel, and joined by Professor Kiryun Choi, who made the experience all the better by paying for it.  The first photo above has Kiryun with Ms. Yim, our primary interface.  The key individual, of course, is Chef Yim Jung-sik, who started as a cook in the South Korean Army, then, against the wishes of his parents, went on to the Culinary Institute of America, learned from several top rated restaurants in New York City, then also spent time in San Sebastian, Spain.

So in 2016 when I was again in Seoul, I had lunch, I returned to Jungsik.

I would say, though, that in this Seoul stay, I had a better lunch at Pierre Gagnaire, which is today a Michelin 2-star restaurant.

I was in 2016 staying at the Sheraton D-Cube City, where the free breakfast buffet must have had a dozen stations in the Club Lounge.  Ate light that morning.  

Alas, my favorite Seoul hotel closed down during the Covid Pandemic, and never returned.  This was a short trip just to South Korea and Japan, which I called My Fabulous Fall Food and Foliage Fantasy.

I'll close at the other end of the food spectrum:  fast food chains.  Did you know that the top 23 restaurants, at least in numbers, are all based in China or U.S.?

• Largest with 45,000+ locations, Mixue Ice Cream and Tea, China.
• 
  #2  McDonald's with 41,822.  Opened in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, selling hamburgers for 15 cents.

• 
  #3  Starbucks 40,199.  There are over 7800 Starbucks in China.
• #4  Subway, 37,000.
• #5  KFC, 30,000+
• #6  Luckin Coffee, 22,340, China.
• #24 is Tim Hortons, 5701 locations Canada.

I don't follow the Tour de France, but once did.  

• Lance Armstrong (left) won seven consecutive titles from 1999 to 2005, but got stripped for doping, so no official winner  was declared for those years.  

• 
  This you might have forgotten, but the year following, 2006, another American, Floyd Landis (right) won, but he too was later disqualified, testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.  He was the one who blew the whistle on Armstrong.  Ugly Americans. 
• No American has won the Tour de France since then, and the last one to win a stage was Sepp Kuss in 2021.  Of course. no American again this year.
• 
  The heavy favorite is Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, for he has a lead entering the final stage of 4 minutes and 46 seconds.  You can watch this 21st and final leg from 2PM Sunday on NBC.

• Tour de France 2025: All riders and teams - complete  list
• Tour de France 2025: Full schedule, all stage results and standings - Daily live updates

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