Look, it’s no secret that London is home to world-class cuisine. We’ve got everything from jaw-dropping Michelin dining experiences to mouth-watering street food and deliciously affordable cuisine. But it’s made all the more official whenever a new award, or ‘world’s best’ list comes out with an impressive London showing. And following yesterday’s unveiling of 2024’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, London has done it again. We’re officially home to two of the best restaurants in the whole world.
The impressive one-Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant Kol, and the two-Michelin-starred African-Asian-British fusion spot Ikoyi both made it to the list. Kol leapt to the top of the pack in the 17th spot, with Ikoyi showing up in the impressive 42nd position.
The two restaurants are already the stuff of foodie legend in London. Any discussion of exciting food in our city has to include the two spots, with everyone (who can afford it) desperate to try out the food at both places.
Ikoyi was recognised by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for its “bold and innovative dishes [that defy] categorisation” and the “unique dining experience”. Kol was applauded for the problem-solving “British nuance” chef Santiago Lastra has lent his Mexican dishes. The list even called out the restaurant’s legendary “signature langoustine taco” (featured image) – one of London’s must-try dishes.
The top ten restaurants in the world
Okay, so London made some good showings in the rankings, but where do you need to go if you want to have some of the best meals in the world? Well, you’re going to need to book some flights, because you’ve got some travelling ahead of you! According to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, these are the restaurants you have to add to your list of spots to try:
- Disfrutar, Barcelona
- Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo
- Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris
- Diverxo, Madrid
- Maido, Lima
- Atomix, New York
- Quintonil, Mexico City
- Alchemist, Copenhagen
- Gaggan, Bangkok
- Don Julio, Buenos Aires
Other London restaurants
While only two London spots made it into the top 50, the list recognised plenty of other London restaurants in the full top 100. The full list included Brat (65), The Clove Club (80), Lyle’s (87), Mountain (94), and Core by Clare Smyth (97).
What can we say? Our city is just FULL of fantastic places to eat!
To read the full World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, head here.