Eli Bulli, Fat Duck, Noma Top S. Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants List
The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009 list is out. The list is the result of a poll of over 800 restaurant experts - all well-travelled restaurant commentators, chefs or restaurateurs.
For the fourth year in a row Ferran Adria has topped our worldwide poll of 806 chefs, critics and other industry experts, whilst Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck retains second place. Below these perennial favourites however it's all change in the eighth annual listing of The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Copenhagen's Noma restaurant with its youthful head chef Rene Redzepi ranks third, making an exciting addition to the world's greatest chefs trinity. Noma, which rises 7 places, also takes this year's Chef's Choice Award. After all of the votes had been counted and the top 50 restaurants established, the head chefs of these extraordinary establishments were asked to nominate the restaurant which they considered to be the best in the world. It is the ultimate honour Redzepi's peers can bestow.
Last year's Chef's Choice, Mugaritz, retains it's highest ever position at number 4, whilst another Spanish restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, rises a staggering 21 places to the fifth place making it 2009's highest climber. With the eponymous restaurant Arzak in the 8th position, Spain can claim more restaurants at the very top echelons of the list than any other country.
Spain has four restaurants in the top ten including El Bulli, the #1 restaurant on the list. Here's the top ten:
