Chef Rasmus Kofoed and Geranium Copenhagen receive the awards for The World’s Best Restaurant and The Best Restaurant in Europe 2022.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022, held at the historic Old Billingsgate market in the City of London, marked the 20th year of the prestigious global gastronomic ranking.
Geranium in Copenhagen is named The World’s Best Restaurant 2022.
The crème de la crème of the world’s restaurant community gathered in London on July 18 to celebrate The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The awards ceremony, hosted by internationally renowned actor and gourmet Stanley Tucci, honoured gastronomic excellence from 24 territories across five continents before naming Copenhagen’s Geranium as The World’s Best Restaurant 2022 and The Best Restaurant in Europe 2022.
Taking over the No.1 position from Noma – which has been elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame – Geranium, led by chef Rasmus Kofoed, was voted the No.2 restaurant in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list. Geranium’s mission is to create food that awakens the senses, and Chef Kofoed’s meticulous cooking and incredible vision, including his recent decision to go meatless, have won accolades and fans worldwide. Geranium is joined in the top three by Central (No.2) in Lima and Disfrutar (No.3) in Barcelona.
“We are delighted to announce the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and to celebrate Geranium as the new No.1. Rasmus Kofoed, Søren Ledet and their team have created an unforgettable dining experience, taking seasonal cooking to superlative heights and delivering precise, beautiful and elegant food that combines art and flavour alongside a ground-breaking drinks programme. Geranium has cemented its status as a global culinary destination and a much-deserved winner of the coveted title, The World’s Best Restaurant 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. It is also very exciting to recognise this diverse list of restaurants spread across five continents and to see this vibrant culinary community coming together to celebrate in London.” – William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
South America continues to make culinary waves, as Central Restaurant in Lima is named No.2 in the list and The Best Restaurant in South America, with the continent boasting eight restaurants overall including new entry Mayta (No.32) in Lima and Oteque (No.47) in Rio de Janeiro. Asia follows with seven restaurants in the list, including new entries Sorn in Bangkok (No.39) and La Cime, Osaka (No.41). The Best Restaurant in Asia is Den in Tokyo (No.20), while list debutant Fyn in Cape Town (No.37) is crowned The Best Restaurant in Africa. Pujol (No.5) in Mexico City takes The Best Restaurant in North America spot for the third time.
The Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award is presented to Atomix, a 14-seat tasting menu restaurant set around a single U-shaped counter in New York, run by husband and wife team Junghyun ‘JP’ and Ellia Park. With JP leading the kitchen and Ellia the front of house, the duo deliver a standout culinary experience, offering ground-breaking Korean cuisine and impeccable service to international visitors and New Yorkers alike.
René Frank of Coda, Berlin, is the recipient of The World’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Sosa. The renowned pastry chef leads Germany’s first and only specialist high-end dessert restaurant. Frank’s innovative and memorable creations, with a basis in traditional techniques, have attracted an ever-growing fanbase as well as help build the chef’s reputation internationally.
Introduced as a new award for 2022, the Beronia World’s Best Sommelier title is awarded to Josep Roca, sommelier and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain. Roca is a world-renowned sommelier, whose talent exemplifies excellence within wine and food and whose passion is captivating. El Celler de Can Roca, which Josep runs with his brothers Joan and Jordi, now sits in the Best of the Best hall of fame having won The World’s Best Restaurant title in both 2013 and 2015.
Uliassi Restaurant (No.12) in Senigallia, Italy is the winner of the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, in recognition of the restaurant’s contemporary cuisine inspired by the traditions of the Adriatic Coast.
Further new entries include: Alchemist Restaurant (No.18) and Jordnær Restaurant (No.38), both in Copenhagen; The Jane Restaurant (No.23) in Antwerp; Le Clarence Restaurant (No.28) in Paris; St Hubertus (No.29) in San Cassiano, Italy; and Ikoyi (No.49) in London.
Nobelhart & Schmutzig Restaurant (No.17) is awarded the Villa Massa Highest Climber Award, after the Berlin restaurant climbed 28 places since the publication of the 2021 list. Proud of its “vocally local” philosophy, Nobelhart & Schmutzig sets its focus firmly on its producers, resulting in high demand for its 10-course signature menu.
Jorge Vallejo, chef-owner of Quintonil Restaurant (No.9) in Mexico City wins the Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice Award. Voted on by his peers – the world’s leading chefs – it is awarded to a chef who has had a significant influence on the culinary community.
Aponiente Restaurant in the south-west of Spain takes home the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award. This award is independently audited by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which rates establishments that self-nominate for the award based on a wide range of criteria, including environmental and social responsibility.
The evening also celebrated those honoured with pre-announced special awards. These included the Champions of Change winners: Dieuveil Malonga, Koh Seng Choon and duo Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina; Leonor Espinosa, winner of The World’s Best Female Chef Award, sponsored by Nude Glass; social entrepreneur Wawira Njiru, winner of the Icon Award; and Marseille restaurant AM par Alexandre Mazzia, winner of the American Express One To Watch Award.
The Voting Process
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list is voted for by 1,080 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets who make up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The gender-balanced Academy comprises 27 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairperson. No sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is independently adjudicated by professional services consultancy Deloitte. This adjudication ensures that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 is protected.
Best of the Best
Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants (listed below) have more than proved their worth and will now be forever honoured as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame. The chefs and restaurateurs who have led their restaurants to the pinnacle of the list have expressed their desire to invest in the future of the sector and ‘give back’ to the food world through new projects and initiatives.
The following restaurants have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since the list’s inception and were therefore not eligible for voting in 2022 and beyond:
- El Bulli Restaurant (2002, 2006-2009);
- The French Laundry Restaurant (2003-2004);
- The Fat Duck Restaurant (2005);
- Noma Restaurant – original location (2010-2012, 2014);
- El Celler de Can Roca Restaurant (2013, 2015);
- Osteria Francescana Restaurant (2016, 2018);
- Eleven Madison Park Restaurant (2017);
- Mirazur Restaurant (2019);
- Noma Restaurant – current location (2021).
@The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022
