For the third year in a row, chef René Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant Noma has taken the top spot to be declared the best restaurant in the world.
At the 10th annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in London Monday night, Redzepi cemented his position as the “standard bearer for the New Nordic movement” after his restaurant took home the grandiose title of best in the world.
Redzepi is quickly following in the footsteps of Ferran Adrià, whose now-shuttered Catalan restaurant El Bulli topped the list five times and who became widely accepted as the best chef in the world.
This year’s list offered few surprises as the top three restaurants remain unchanged from 2011: after Noma comes El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz, both in Spain.
It’s been a banner year for Redzepi. In April, the Danish chef graced the cover of Time magazine as a “Locavore Hero.” Redzepi has also been tapped to open a pop-up version of his restaurant in London to mark the Olympic Games.
Unlike the star-based Michelin system, restaurants that land on the World’s 50 Best list are voted on by a panel of more than 800 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs.
The Academy is divided into 27 separate regions around the world and each region has a panel of 31 members.
Each member gets seven votes, three of which must be for restaurants outside their region. Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months.
Here are the winners for 2012, as announced at Guildhall in London:
1 Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
2 El Celler de Can Roca – Girona, Spain
3 Mugaritz – San Sebastián, Spain
Mugaritz chef Andoni Luis Aduriz was also given the Chef’s Choice award
4 D.O.M. – São Paulo, Brazil
Also named Best Restaurant in South America
5 Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
6 Per Se – New York, USA
Per Se chef Thomas Keller was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Per Se
was named Best Restaurant in North America
7 Alinea – Chicago, USA
8 Arzak – San Sebastián, Spain
Arzak Head Chef Elena Arzak was named The World’s Best Female Chef
9 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, UK
Highest New Entry
10 Eleven Madison Park – New York, USA
11 Steirereck – Vienna, Austria
Slow Food UK Award
12 L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon – Paris, France
13 The Fat Duck – Bray, UK
14 The Ledbury – London, UK
Highest Climber Award
15 Le Chateaubriand – Paris, France
16 L’Arpège – Paris, France
17 Pierre Gagnaire – Paris, France
18 L’Astrance – Paris, France
19 Le Bernardin – New York, USA
20 Frantzén/Lindeberg – Stockholm, Sweden
21 Oud Sluis – Sluis, Netherlands
22 Aqua – Wolfsburg, Germany
23 Vendôme -Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
24 Mirazur – Menton, France
25 Daniel – New York, USA
26 Iggy’s – Singapore
Best Restaurant in Asia
27 Narisawa – Tokyo, Japan
28 Nihonryori RyuGin – Tokyo, Japan
29 Quay – Sydney, Australia
Best Restaurant in Australasia
30 Schloss Schauenstein – Fürstenau, Switzerland
31 Asador Etxebarri – Atxondo, Spain
32 Le Calandre – Padua, Italy
33 De Librije – Zwolle, Netherlands
34 Fäviken – Järpen, Sweden
35 Astrid y Gastón – Lima, Peru
36 Pujol Mexico City – Mexico
37 Momofuku Ssäm Bar – New York, USA
38 Biko – Mexico City, Mexico
39 Waku Ghin – Singapore
40 Quique Dacosta – Denia, Spain
41 Mathias Dahlgren – Stockholm, Sweden
42 Hof Van Cleve – Kruishoutem, Belgium
43 The French Laundry – Yountville, USA
44 Amber – Hong Kong
45 Vila Joya – Albufeira, Portugal
46 Il Canto – Siena, Italy
47 Bras – Laguiole, France
48 Manresa – Los Gatos, USA
49 Geranium – Copenhagen, Denmark
50 Nahm – Bangkok, Thailand