Since 2002, San Pellegrino has been assembling a worldwide ranking of culinary brilliance. The fresh 2007 edition has just arrived, shining a light on the planet’s boldest kitchens. Below are the ten distinguished venues that secured a prized place on the list.
10. Arzak – Spain
Arzak weaves deep Basque heritage with daring modernity, drawing adventurous diners to its laboratory‑like kitchen where avant‑garde creations abound. The Nueva Cocina Vasca movement shines in plates such as apples roasted in foie‑oil, a prawn‑and‑cactus soup, the whimsical “From the Egg to the Chicken,” and the poetic “Lemon, The Sand and The Dates.”
But the experience doesn’t stop at the table – Arzak’s cellar is a treasure trove of wines, featuring top Spanish and French selections, plus rare finds from the Golan Heights and Porto, a dedicated Champagne and sparkling‑wine suite, and even a cigar lounge stocked with Cuban, Mexican and Canary Island smokes.
9. Per Se – United States of America
Thomas Keller, already a legend from his stints at La Réserve, Restaurant Raphael and Rakel, cemented his US reign at The French Laundry before unveiling Per Se in Manhattan in 2004. Designer Adam Tihany crafted a sleek field‑stone setting echoing the iconic blue door of The French Laundry, complete with a graceful fireplace and sweeping park vistas for an intimate fifteen‑seat dining room.
Per Se presents two nine‑course tasting journeys – the chef’s classic tasting and a vegetable‑focused version. Guests can savor classics like the famed Oysters and Pearls and Salmon Tartare, alongside Keller’s inventive creations such as the “Schnitzel Holstein” pan‑roasted veal sweetbread and the playful Sunny‑Side‑Up Quail Egg.
8. Le Louis XV – Monaco
Le Louis XV greets diners with the four‑course Les Jardins de Provence, a largely vegetarian prelude that sets the Riviera tone. Highlights include wild strawberries in their natural juice, silky mascarpone sorbet, cocotte‑cooked veal, baked potatoes, braised lettuce, and a delicate artichoke risotto.
The dining room exudes 17th‑century Versailles opulence, shimmering with gold, mirrors and flood‑lit French windows. Guests can also explore the on‑site aquarium and a smaller kitchen‑adjacent salon where six video screens broadcast the culinary choreography.
7. Mugaritz – Spain
Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz shuns flashiness, quietly steering the next wave of chefs with his subtle, intellectual cuisine, served in a converted cider bar tucked in the hills outside San Sebastián, Basque Country.
Mugaritz celebrates vegetables—oven‑roasted, raw, sprouts, wild and cultivated greens—enhanced with browned butter, seeds, petals, and even Emmental. Its foie gras owes a scientific edge to a partnership with the University of Granada’s liver‑transplant unit, allowing Aduriz to hand‑pick the finest duck lobes, discarding 70 % of each purchase, and preparing them through a multi‑stage sear, roast, smoke and rest.
6. Bras – France
Set against the stark Aubrac plateau, Michel Bras’ restaurant rises on Le Puech du Suquet, housed in a futuristic glass‑and‑steel structure by architect Eric Raffy, a striking contrast to the surrounding forests and pastures.
The menu centers on aligot—an ultra‑rich, elastic mash of potatoes and Laguiole cheese—still lovingly prepared by Bras’ mother. Menters are printed twice daily and evolve throughout the six‑month season (April‑October), when Aubrac’s forests, pastures and meadows reach peak vigor.
5. Tetsuya’s – Australia
Perched in Sydney’s former Seagram’s building, Tetsuya’s Restaurant, helmed by chef Tetsuya Wakuda, fuses Australian, Japanese and global flavors, showcasing local gems like the signature Tasmanian sea trout. Diners can indulge in a ten‑course degustation for AUD $195 (GST inclusive), with an optional wine pairing for AUD $90.
The venue boasts a string of honors: top‑50 mentions from 2004‑2006, three Chef’s Hats from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007, Restaurant of the Year and Best Fine Dining at the 2005 Restaurant & Catering Association Awards, and a fifth‑place finish on the 2007 world top‑50 list.
4. The French Laundry – United States of America
The French Laundry, a 62‑seat sanctuary in Yountville, Napa Valley, is led by chef‑owner Thomas Keller, who also runs Bouchon and Per Se. Its alumni read like a hall of fame, featuring Jonathan Benno (Per Se), Grant Achatz (Alinea), Ron Siegel (The Dining Room at the Ritz‑Carlton), among many others.
Tasting menus range from five to eleven courses, with optional upgrades such as white truffles, foie gras, Wagyu beef or black truffles for $30‑$100 extra. An unadvertised, roughly twenty‑course extravaganza can be arranged for about $400, mirroring Keller’s elaborate New York offering.
3. Pierre Gagnaire – France
Pierre Gagnaire, a celebrated French chef, runs his eponymous restaurant at 6 rue Balzac in Paris. An iconoclast, he pioneered fusion, dismantling classic French conventions with daring flavor, texture and ingredient pairings. After earning three Michelin stars in Saint‑Étienne, he now presents a ‘Modern French’ menu that pushes culinary boundaries.
The Paris venue ranks among France’s finest, while Gagnaire also heads Sketch in London. Both establishments secured top‑20 world rankings in Restaurant magazine’s 2005 list, and Pierre Gagnaire placed third in the 2006 and 2007 editions.
2. The Fat Duck – United Kingdom
Helmed by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, The Fat Duck claimed the world’s best restaurant title in 2005 and held the runner‑up spot in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Nestled in a modest cottage‑style house within a tranquil village, it offers an intimate setting.
Blumenthal’s devotion to molecular gastronomy amplifies the dining experience through a scientific grasp of cooking’s physical and chemical processes, birthing whimsical creations like snail porridge, sardine‑on‑toast sorbet, and salmon poached with liquorice, each testament to his inventive spirit.
1. El Bulli – Spain
El Bulli, a three‑Michelin‑star beacon run by chef Ferran Adrià in Roses on Catalonia’s Costa Brava, overlooks Cala Monjoi bay. Heralded as “the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet,” it pioneered molecular gastronomy and earned the world’s best restaurant title three times—in 2002, 2006 and 2007—a record.
Operating a limited season from April to September, the restaurant accepts reservations on a single day the preceding October. With only 8,000 seats per season, it attracts about 800,000 hopeful diners—roughly 400 requests per table.
A typical tasting runs €250, and despite running at a loss since 2000, the venture stays afloat thanks to book sales and Adrià’s lectures.