Now the ten most amazing restaurants in the world

Le Toyen

Saint-Vrain, France

Do you remember when molecular gastronomy was synonymous with a great and innovative restaurant experience? We may not give it up entirely, but experimentation and innovation may be the watchwords instead of tradition and conventional knowledge of what the local soil offers in the form of flavor and nutrition. At Le Doyenné, you sit at a table in the farm’s converted former stables. Here you can also book accommodation, with ingredients grown on the same farm, harvested on the same day and set by two Australian chefs who just left their best restaurants in Paris.

Aikoi

London, United Kingdom

When Ikoyi opened in 2017, Nigerian cuisine was barely represented on the European restaurant map. But restaurateurs Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale have taken their concept to two Michelin stars, standing out in West Africa with a taste of British, organic produce in fierce London competition. If one had to choose a signature dish, it would be the smoked jollofries – and what’s more, each plate is like a small work of art.

Alpine

Brunico, Italy

Every self-respecting restaurant deals in local, seasonal produce, but not everyone does it with a panoramic view of an Alpine peak that puts our mountaintop cabins to shame. Well-known in food circles, Chef Norbert Niederköfler dedicates himself to his “Cook the Mountain” philosophy, which combines culinary traditions from around the world with a common thread derived from cultures at high altitudes. Sustainable, beautiful and delicious.

Yangpan Community

Los Angeles, USA

The number of food courts and delis that you can eat in Los Angeles will not be enough in your lifetime. But if you’re in the Arts District, head to Yangbon Society Snack Bar, a deli-like experience with a focus on American-Korean cuisine. Behind the buzz is the duo Katianna and John Hong, part of setting the tone for a vibrant and robust Korean food culture in LA.

Tailoring House

Pine Plains, USA

New York is full of restaurants that deserve a place on this list, but for those looking for something a little outside the typical restaurant guide, you should head over to New York. In Pine Plains, north of the city, chef Claire de Boer, known from popular pasta restaurant King in Soho and the newly opened Jupiter in Rockefeller Center, has renovated a magnificent two-story 18th-century house and opened Stiching House. The menu is simple, rustic and hearty. The restaurateur tells the New York Times that the idea is to create a local watering hole rather than a destination restaurant — but it may already have become two.

Noma

Copenhagen, Denmark

No less than four times, Noma has been crowned the world’s best restaurant, and has undoubtedly put Copenhagen – and perhaps Scandinavia – on the world’s food map. But in a year, the saga is over, so if you want to tick this classic off the watcher’s list, it’s time to hurry. The reason, said to be somewhat simplified, is that the restaurant has started paying its interns. Gone are the days of unpaid labor and 16-hour shifts with just one item on the plate. “Fine dining is irresistible”, says the founder. Another reason for the antiquated trend we’re seeing?

If you can’t grab one of the last table reservations, don’t cancel that train ticket, instead look towards Geranium. Last year, this Copenhagen icon topped the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. That same year, five years after co-owner and head chef Rasmus Kofod stopped eating meat, they switched to a completely meat-free menu.

Bar Liberty

Melbourne, Australia

A wine bar worth visiting no longer has a long or expensive wine list, but a great address with a great view. We left that behind a long time ago. The bar displays a small red string of Liberty lights and a spray-painted logo over the old one of the place, and a natural wine list and sharing menu we’re writing home about now. If you don’t have past roads, let Bar La Lune show you the way home.

Surutokame

Tokyo, Japan

There are many ways a restaurant can be modern and innovative today – local ingredients, sustainability thinking, plant-based menus and social responsibility. But what happened to the equality debate? This kaiseki restaurant in Tokyo is staffed only by women. It draws attention, like a first-class menu, to one of the most highly regarded branches of Japanese food culture: a well-balanced multicourse meal using specific, traditional techniques. It seats no more than 14 guests at a time, and the bar counter has a full view of the kitchen and the kaiseki mantra created there.

Hama

Bangkok, Thailand

At the end of last year, the restaurant received its first Michelin star. It has attracted attention not only for its neo-Indian menu but also for its more sustainable approach to the restaurant business. Restaurateur Deepangar Khosla grows much of what’s served in his own garden, raises his own fish, and applies a zero-waste mentality throughout the restaurant, not least: feeding the hundreds of thousands of homeless people in Bangkok as a side project.

Franzen

Stockholm, Sweden and London, UK

Björn Frantzén’s fusion between the Nordics and Asia is a success story that has been told more than once. Last year they ranked middle in the list of the world’s 50 best restaurants, a good rating – but nothing to write home about for the owner of Sweden’s first three-star restaurant. The founder has been in the game with several restaurants in Sweden and Singapore, where sister restaurant Zén has gained attention. Now we can partake in Nordic-Asian gastronomy at the top of the historic Harrods in London, where Studio Franzen has a rooftop terrace with space for up to 150 guests.

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