Only 1 US restaurant landed on latest list of 'World's 50 Best': Where is it?
(NEXSTAR) – A ceremony honoring “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” took place in Turin, Italy, on Thursday night, attracting the attention of chefs, restaurateurs and foodies from across the globe.
This year, the voting body behind the annual ceremony named Maido, a restaurant in Lima, Peru, as the “best” in the world. Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, in Spain’s Basque region, and Quintonil, in Mexico City, rounded out the top three.
The U.S., meanwhile, has only one restaurant in the top 50: Atomix, in New York City.
Atomix, which ranked No. 6 on the 2024 list, specializes in “elevated Korean counter dining,” as described by the 50 Best organization. The restaurant offers only tasting menus, but current dishes include tilefish with black truffle noodles, a sundubu (tofu stew) with sweet shrimp and chili oil, and yangnyeum (sweet and spicy) lobster flavored with fermented soybean.
Run by husband-and-wife duo Chef Junghyun Park and manager Ellia Park, Atomix has also earned two Michelin stars and a recent James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality.
Although no other U.S. restaurants were featured among the “50 Best,” several additional eateries in America were found within the 51–100 rankings, including SingleThread, in Healdsburg, California (No. 80), Le Bernadin in New York City (No. 90), Atelier Crenn in San Francisco (No. 96) and César in NYC (No. 98).
The entire 2025 rankings can be found at TheWorlds50Best.com.
The annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is spearheaded by William Reed Ltd., a U.K.-based multimedia firm specializing in the food and drink sector. It’s also compiled based on the reviews of 1,080 “culinary experts,” according to the group’s website.
Somewhat controversially, these reviewers are allowed to accept “free meals and other perks,” The New York Times reported. Still, the officials behind the rankings say its “trusted” voters are subject to strict guidelines, and that the ranking itself is “subject to independent adjudication” by the London-based accounting and professional services firm Deloitte.
“The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has earned its legitimacy by providing guidance to aspiring gourmets, inspiring diners to travel and explore restaurants and bars, unveiling up-and-coming chefs and culinary trends, and showcasing the subtlety and complexity of various cuisines and cultures from around the world – with many more still to discover and celebrate,” the website reads.
