Enjoying, in Barcelona, is number one

(CNN) — Any doubt that Spain remains the gastronomic center of the world has been dispelled with the publication of the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World for 2024.

Six restaurants in the European country appear on the list, three of them among the top five places.

The awards, considered the Oscars of world haute cuisine, were presented at a ceremony at the Wynn in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, in which Barcelona-based Enjoyr won the top award. Ranked second last year, it is led by chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casanas.

The fact that this trio met working at the legendary El Bulli should give some clues as to what diners can expect: imaginative and playful dishes executed with technical mastery, such as the caviar-stuffed Panchino fritter, the frozen gazpacho sandwich, and the Pigeon with kombu, almond and grape spaghetti.

Secondly, Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, near the port of Bilbao. Under the leadership of chef Víctor Arguinzoniz, he is famous for offering an unsurpassed barbecue in which the quality of the ingredients shines, such as the Palamós red shrimp, simply roasted and served alone.

But Paris is never too much. In the French capital, Table, by chef Bruno Verjus, was placed in third place, while another Spanish restaurant, the Madrid-based Diverxo, occupied fourth position.

Fifth place is Maido, from Lima in Peru, one of three restaurants from the city to make the list, giving a new boost to the Peruvian capital’s reputation as South America’s leading gastronomic destination. Mexico was the big winner in North America, with three restaurants on the list, led by Quintonil in Mexico City, which came in seventh.

Enjoy! This famous Barcelona restaurant was one of six restaurants in Spain that made this year’s list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants).

The rest of the list

Six restaurants on the list were enough for Spain to become the big winner of the night in Las Vegas. By city, Paris and Bangkok tied for first place, with four restaurants each. Gaggan Anand, at number nine, was the best restaurant in the Thai capital.

As for the host country of the contest, the United States had two restaurants on this year’s 50 Best list.

New York-based Atomix placed sixth this year, moving up two spots from last year. SingleThread, from the Californian town of Healdsburg, in the Sonoma Valley, came in 47th position.

Three restaurants in Tokyo were awarded, with Sézanne (voted best restaurant in Asia in 2024) being the best in the Japanese capital, with 15 positions.

Hong Kong saw two of its restaurants make the list, both with impressive gains. Wing was the city’s top newcomer on the entire list, ranking 20th, while The Chairman rose the most, rising from last year’s 50th place to 26th.

The list is based on votes from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, made up of 1,080 international restaurant industry experts, including food writers and chefs, from 27 regions around the world.

Restaurants can only win the top prize once, after which they become part of a separate program called “Best of the Best.”

Members of this select group include Geranium and Noma from Copenhagen, as well as Eleven Madison Park from New York, The Fat Duck from London, Osteria Francescana from Modena, Italy, and Mirazur from Menton, France. Last year’s winner, Central de Lima (Peru), now joins them on that list.