Cream of the Crop: NYC Snags World’s Top Restaurant Crown

The Good Life

New York is one of the world’s biggest and best culinary capitals. So it should come as no surprise that the best restaurant in the world for 2017 sits right in the Big Apple. The World’s 50 Best Restaurant list was revealed last month and New York City favorite Eleven Madison Park took the top spot. This is the first time a non-European restaurant hasn’t been at the top of the list since Thomas Keller’s French Laundry came in first in 2003 and 2004. Two other NYC restaurants, Le Bernardin (17) and Cosme (40), made the list, while Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York was ranked number 11.

Since it’s debut in 2002, the list has steadily gained both authority and notoriety in the restaurant industry—some criticize it for it’s tendency to favor pricier restaurants, the lack of female-run kitchens and casual attitudes toward judges accepting freebies. Nevertheless, diners around the globe take the ratings into consideration in their search for the best meal they’ve ever eaten, and high placement guarantees a restaurant’s tables will be more or less filled for the foreseeable future.

The list, which is independently refereed by Deloitte Consulting, comes from the votes of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group comprised of roughly 1,500 members of the international restaurant community, including food critics, writers, restaurateurs and chefs. The judges are required to cast 10 votes for their favorite restaurants from the past 18 months, listing their choices in preferential order, and at least four of the restaurants they choose must be located outside the region they live in. Any restaurants that have closed, or are about to close, are not eligible to be included.

In a press release, William Drew, group editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, commented: “As well as showcasing emerging talent and highlighting new culinary trends, this group also features perennial favorites that demonstrate enduring quality. Overall, the list reflects the diversity, promise and excitement surrounding global gastronomy.”

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