If you're owning foodies, here's a challenging question: What is the country with the highest number of restaurants rated as the best in the world? The answer may come as a surprise.
Neither Italy nor France, since we have big eyes and rumbling stomachs, will save you the wait with a spoiler: the country with the most restaurants ranked in the list of the 50 best restaurants for 2023 is Spain (the ranking in this context refers not to where the restaurants went but to the number of restaurants in the country that entered the ranking itself). This year's World 50 Best ceremony took place in Spain in June. It ranked restaurants from 24 regions around the world, out of five continents. 12 of them entered this year's prestigious rankings for the first time.
The winners of the ceremony, photo: David Holbrook
Before we expand on the best restaurants in Spain, we note that the country where the best restaurant in the world was ranked is Peru. In addition to taking the top spot with the Central restaurant, it starred on the list with four top restaurants located in its capital Lima. Other honorary representatives were Italy with five restaurants, France with four and Britain with three.
Spain, which has managed to rank with no less than six restaurants on the prestigious list, has a rich culinary tradition and a reserved place of honor on the list of the best restaurants in the world for a decade. The famous El Bulli restaurant, which closed in 2011, has won first place on the list five times since 2002.
Some of the chefs in Spanish restaurants ranked on this year's list underwent apprenticeships at El Bulli under the direction of famous Spanish chef Ferran Adrià, who specializes in molecular gastronomy.
The six Spanish restaurants that conquered the list
Disfrutar in Barcelona
The two-Michelin-starred Disfrutar restaurant was ranked second on the world list and first on the list of the best restaurants in Europe. The restaurant which means "enjoy" is run by chefs Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch. All three met and interned at El Bulli. Its tasting menu is set in Middle Eastern style and starts at €255 per person.
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DiverXO in Madrid
Another restaurant, ranked third on the list, is DiverXO in Madrid. It not only comes with a three-star Michelin award and a two-time winner of the title of best chef in the world, but also with a colorful backstory that can be felt in every step, whether in design or menu. Her tasting menu has been uniquely named "The Flying Pigs" and starts at about €365, excluding drinks.
The restaurant is located inside a hotel in Madrid and has, as mentioned, a design concept that alone constitutes an art lesson. Its glass doors are covered with white curtains, the ceiling is decorated with colorful butterflies, metal ants, and statues of pigs with wings. Instead of tailored suits, the waiters are dressed in circus suits.
Why pigs? The chef, Deviz Muñoz, said in the past that his father used to mock him and say that on the day he had his own restaurant and people came there in particular, pigs would have wings.
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Asador Etxebarri in Extundo Valley
The fourth-ranked and Michelin-starred Asador Etxebarri restaurant specializes in unique cooking - all its dishes, including desserts, are seared on fire or coals according to the exact dose of heat, time, the level of "cooking" of the wood used as combustion material and their source. All under the direction of chef Victor Arginsonisonis, nicknamed "The Coal Whisperer" - a former forest man, who supervised the hills and forests of the Basque country, just above the building where his restaurant is located today. The menu changes daily and its starting price is about 176 euros per person.
Quique Dacosta in Costa Blanca
The Quique Dacosta restaurant in Denia (a coastal town on the Costa Blanca) was ranked 20th on the list and has been awarded three Michelin stars. Led by chef Quique Dacosta, the restaurant specialises in a theatrical gourmet menu. The chef's latest menu was titled "For the Love of Art". It comes in four parts: one dedicated to the local area where the restaurant is located, one to the sea, one to tradition and one to what is defined as "sweet beauty". The menu starts at about €275 per person (about $295) excluding drinks.
Elkano at Getaria
The Elkano restaurant in Getaria, ranked 22nd on the list, was founded in 1964 by the late Pedro Arregui. Under the direction of his son Aitor Arregui, the restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2014. The restaurant's emphasis is on fresh seafood and sustainable seasonal products. Diners can choose between a set menu of dishes for about €200 per diner, excluding drinks, or "a la carte" - a French expression meaning according to the menu. If you choose this route, each food item will have its associated price.
Mugaritz in San Sebastian
Mugaritz Restaurant in San Sebastian was ranked 31st on the list. Led by chef Andoni Luis (a graduate of El Bulli), the restaurant closes its doors for four months each year to create a new culinary experience for diners. Its latest concept, which came to an end this month, was "Memories Of The Future."
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The restaurant, which has two Michelin stars, is considered eccentric in terms of concept and dishes. It was described in the 50 Best ranking as "a three-hour journey through the world that sometimes makes you uncomfortable, emotionally arousing and sometimes just plain weird, but one that won't leave you in the end unresponsive." Its tasting menu starts at €253 excluding drinks.
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