The best restaurants in the world for inventive dishes, creative chefs and slick surroundings

Picking the best restaurants in the world is certainly no easy task.

Since everyone has a different opinion on what makes a place or a dish wonderful compiling a ‘best list’ of anything will always cause debate and discussion. 

Like the best hotels in the world, choosing the best restaurants is all about joy, so if a dish or a restaurant sparks a sense of happiness through taste, memory, or creativity, we’ve included it in our round-up.

Our edit includes homey, affordable joints that always guarantee a memorable meal, high-end multiple Michelin star winners, and everything in between.

Here, we take your tastebuds on a trip around the globe with a look at the best restaurants in the world right now. 

The world’s best restaurants

Gini, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Gini impresses with interesting dishes and moreish cocktails that showcase some of Sri Lanka’s most wonderful ingredients; local Negombo char-grilled prawns sit atop shimmering pools of Jaffna-inspired curry sauce, herb-infused coconut cream accompanies plump oysters and heady arrack (a local spirit made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers) is muddled with lime and kithul (flowery palm syrup) resulting in the tipple of dreams. And Gini’s setting is as dreamlike as the food as diners sit alfresco surrounded by leafy plants and twinkling lights, it’s the place to be in Colombo. 

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This all-new third edition of the global restaurant guidebook features over 4,500 restaurants in more than 70 countries as recommended by the world's best chefs. 

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Lita, London, UK

Utilising open-fire cooking, this self-styled neighbourhood bistro has one of the most beautiful interiors in London; think dark wood parquet flooring, fun works of art and exquisite light fittings. Friendly talkative staff are on hand to whisk diners through the bountiful menu that features an abundance of British produce, from delicate hand-dived Isle of Skye scallops topped with blood orange and beautiful Scottish langoustines to the must-order dish of the day, on-the-bone grass-fed shorthorn sirloin steak. Lita impresses from the very moment you enter, ticking off everything you'd expect of one of the world's best restaurants, food you can't stop thinking about, gorgeous interiors, knowledgeable staff and an atmosphere you feel right at home in. 

Hisa Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia

Hisa Franko’s Ana Roš was named the world's best female chef in 2017, thanks to her inventive dishes like the dosa (fermented lentil pancake) with goat kid, salty yoghurt and curry leaves, seen above. Helping to make her small Alpine homeland one of Europe's prime gastronomic destinations her countryside restaurant has an incredible three Michelin stars, stunning valley views and plate after plate of joy-inducing deliciousness.

Tate Dining Room, Hong Kong

As the only female chef in Asia with a double Michelin star, Vicky Lau is smashing boundaries in the very male-dominated world of professional chefs with her restaurant, Tate Dining Room. Serving up beautifully presented plates such as warm Hokkaido scallops with sauce of scallop and caviar (above), Vicky’s creations take the diner on an exciting culinary journey through Hong Kong. 

Leo, Bogota, Colombia

Having been one of best restaurants in Colombia for years,  this stunning restaurant, in downtown Bogota, has made it to the world stage thanks to head chef Leonor Espinosa’s passion for local produce such as umari, guayaba fruits, cacao nibs, and cashew apples. She deservedly gained the title of best female chef in the world in 2022 and continues to serve up joy-evoking dishes as part of her restaurant Leo’s wonderful 12-course tasting menu - not to be missed when in Colombia. 

Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand

Calcutta-born chef Gaggan Anand's eponymous restaurant in Bangkok features visually stunning dishes born out of a love for progressive cooking. With a desire to showcase sweet, sour, salty, and spicy in the same bite Anand's dishes comprise inventions like fresh Bonito with katsuobushi ice cream and a time-consuming South Indian ‘paper’ made with curry leaf, coconut and tamarind. 

Galeyan, Istanbul, Turkiye

Food lovers will adore Istanbul’s plethora of incredible restaurants, of which Galeyan takes centre stage with carefully crafted dishes using the country’s unique flavours and ingredients. Highlights include charred Adana kebabs, an array of beautifully presented meze, and the most incredible smoked cacık made with refreshing yoghurt, fresh cucumber and finely chopped garlic. 

Odette, Singapore

This timeless fine dining destination helmed by Chef Julien Royer is often frequented by some of the world’s best chefs on account of its exciting dishes that feature exceptional ingredients from the most passionate farmers and producers around the world. Named after Royer’s grandmother, Odette, wows with mini works of plated art, like this beautiful Miyazaki Mango Tart with edible flowers. 

Restaurant Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark

Combining gastronomy with a heady dose of drama and art, Restaurant Alchemist isn’t afraid to break the mould with their four to six-hour dining experience that takes diners on a seriously playful gastronomic journey. Chef Rasmus Munk serves up crazy cool dishes that have been concocted to make a statement on the current state of the world including child labour, battery farms and the ethicality of foie gras - if nothing else it’s a lesson on the bleakness of the current state of the world. Above, a diner holds a creation called ‘Daisy’; a mix of makrut lime, juniper and kombucha.

Corrida, Colorado, USA

This Spanish-inspired restaurant does a lot of dishes well, including incredible streaks sourced from regenerative ranches to foster a healthier planet but in terms of beauty and flavour it’s hard to beat Hamachi crudo (above), a delightful dish of thinly sliced raw hamachi (yellowtail) dressed in citrus, Fresno chili, white onion, rhubarb, and a touch of chocolate mint and served with edible petals.

Restaurant Le Kitchen, Lyon, France

While there’s no storage of incredible restaurants in Lyon, including multi-Michelin star winners, it’s Restaurant Le Kitchen that really wows with its bold creations that span breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Seasonal and local ingredients are very much the focus with bread coming from Luc Mano bakery, while fruits and vegetables are supplied by Le Jardins de Vartan or Pyot & Ondine. 

La Table du Castellet, Castellet, France

For perfectly executed, elegant dishes Fabien Ferre’s La Table du Castellet nestled in the southern coast of France is unbeatable. Here, carabineros (red deep sea prawns) are served with tanned rhubarb and coral velvet. Ferre became the youngest triple-starred French chef for his Mediterranean cuisine, and even succeeded in wining the three Michelin stars at once, without going through the traditional first, then second.

The Portrait Restaurant, London, UK

With panoramic views across London, The Portrait Restaurant by Richard Corrigan sits above the brilliant National Portrait Gallery and its wonderful etched door art by Dame Tracey Emin. The simple restaurant allows the dishes to speak for themselves, focusing on honest, well-sourced seasonal ingredients with stand-out dishes including whole John Dory, served with a creamy clam velouté, smokehouse salmon and steamed Dover sole. Neither showy nor overly flowery, this is precisely its charm, The Portrait Restaurant is like entering a secretive world where you're guaranteed a good, heart-warming meal and the produce at its forefront really does make it world-class. 

Celele, Cartagena, Colombia

Celele shines a spotlight on Colombian techniques and recipes that were previously in danger of being lost with pretty petals featuring throughout the menu; think bright white frangipani flowers. Local ingredients, from pickled cashew fruit and locally grown greens to cane flower vinaigrettes conspire to make dishes not only taste incredible but look amazing too. 

Flocons de Sel, Megeve, France

Emmanuel Renaut gained three Michelin stars for his work at Flocons de Sel, an alpine restaurant where creative cooking takes front and centre stage. Local wild mushrooms, honey, and herbs feature abundantly on the menu with curious and intriguing dishes evoking delight with every mouthful. 

Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico

Elegant and refined in every way, Rosetta is nestled in the hip neighbourhood of Colonia Roma. It has a botanical theme running throughout, with lots of palm prints and leafy plants. The menu features delights such as sweet potato tamal with macha sauce and buttermilk as well as confit veal sweetbreads with coconut yoghurt and pomegranate but changes seasonally according to which ingredients are available. Pasta dishes are also very good. 

Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka

The beach village setting of Smoke & Bitters where magical sunsets put on a show each evening, turning the sky to shades of peach and pink, is reason enough to visit this vibey restaurant and bar, but the food and cocktails are something else. Order a range of dishes to share because you’re going to want to try each and every plate on the fun menu.

Aseka, Istanbul, Turkiye

Located in a 100-year-old historical building in the Karakoy neighbourhood, Aseka is an immersive, multi-sensory dining experience not to be missed. The menu features a kaleidoscope of cuisines, from vichyssoise soup and pumpkin risotto with artisan cheese to Korean pork belly sliders with kimchi, yet all are fantastic, well executed, and moreish. 

Mono, Hong Kong

Venezuelan chef Ricardo Chaneton’s Mono is a delightful Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong. simple, yet aesthetically pleasing to the eye, the space features 30 seats, including 10 kitchen counter stools. Chaneton marries Latin American flavours with French techniques resulting in a fascinating menu that boasts ox tongue tacos, Danish langoustines and Australian wagyu with Bolivian quinoa porridge. 

The Fuji Grill, London, UK

This absolutely brilliant restaurant, tucked away at the back of one of the world's most beautiful hotels, Beaverbrook Town House (link), has two dining spaces; The Fuji Grill where tasting menus of grilled fish, delightfully delicate sashimi and nigiri feature on the menu, as well as an omakase menu served at a very intimate nearby chef's table. Both areas are well designed, decked out in a pleasing colour palette of peach and pale green and service is second to none - don't miss it. 

Anna & Pepe, Mahon, Menorca

Anna & Pepe is the place to go for simple Spanish tapas done really really well; the patatas bravas are laden with creamy garlic sauce, the tuna tartare with guacamole is heavenly, the huge green olives are buttery and moreish, while the burrata salad and Iberico jamón croquetas will have you dreaming about them for months. No stars, no awards, just laid-back perfection.

Olivia, Denver, USA

With over ten accolades, including ‘best date night restaurant’ and ‘best Italian restaurant in America’ this pretty spot is the place to come for seriously delicious homemade pasta. Olivia serves up local mushroom filled tortellini, caramilised onion ravioli and a decidant risotto swiled with parmigiano reggiano, escenza balsamico and compound truffle butter. Should you have room for dessert, make a beeline for the olive oil cake served with marshmallow fluff. 

Clove Club, London, UK

This dish of raw Orkney scallop with clementine, hazelnut and Western Australian manjimup truffle is one of the Clove Club’s most loved and it’s easy to see why. The cutting-edge, two-start restaurant sits in Shoreditch Town Hall and is headed up by Isaac McHale, a Scottish-born chef with a penchant for local seafood. 

Maido, Lima, Peru

Opened by Peruvian Nikkei chef Mitsuharu Tsumura, known as Misho, in Lima on June 17, 2016, Maido has been a mainstay on best restaurants in the world lists for years. The restaurant features hundreds of thick pieces of natural and red coloured rope hanging from the ceiling to form the Japanese flag, but the theatre doesn’t stop there, since the food is just as sublime as the surroundings. 

Core by Clare Smyth, London, UK

As the first woman to hold three Michelin stars in the UK, Core by Clare Smyth deserves a spot in the limelight. The elegant fine-dining restaurant crafts exquisite dishes using the best British produce, like the above dish of potato and roe, as well as restaurant staples like Rhug Estate venison, ‘haggis’ with pearl barley, and 16-year-old Lagavulin whisky as well as her dainty caviar sandwich.

Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand

Michelin-starred Thai chef Thitid Tassanakajohn heads up the fine dining restaurant Nusara, in Bangkok, where rich interiors and jewel tones set the tone for the restaurant’s impressive dishes. Often labelled as one of the country’s brightest culinary stars, Tassanakajohn serves up delights such as rich Panang curry, Thai wagyu, and pandan-layered custard desserts. 

Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain

Consistently topping the best restaurant lists since its inception in 2014, Disfrutar is the creme de la creme of contemporary fine dining. Run by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas (three chefs who met at the legendary El Bulli restaurant) Disfrutar impresses with bright and bold creations playing with texture and form. Of late, some of the most playful dishes have included a gazpacho sandwich, a mushroom spaghetti and truffle dish and a parmesan frozen biscuit. 

Brutto, London, UK

Homely, friendly and with a menu that caters to all budgets, Brutto is one of the best Italian restaurants around, not only because they serve a famed and affordable house negroni, but because the ambience and food are both downright heavenly. There aren't many places where you actually feel like you've been transported to another country in London but Brutto manages to do just that. 

Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden

This 17-seat restaurant by chef Björn Frantzén on Stadsholmen Island in Stockholm is renowned for wild pairings using ingredients almost entirely grown by two local farmers. The Satio Tempesta salad (above) features 40 different kinds of fruit and vegetables and is a must-order for first-time visitors to the pretty restaurant. 

NIJŪ, London, UK

A Japanese dining experience with a difference, offering authentic home-cooked cuisine with plates of well-prepared sushi, nigiri, sashimi, wagyu and Kobe beef, Nijū impresses diners with its sharing concept, where all dishes have been designed to evoke joy. The restaurant's private dining room is particularly beautiful with plenty of leafy plants, sculptural lighting and pretty furniture.

L'Arpege, Paris, France

Ravioles consomme is just one of the delicious dishes available at the three-star restaurant L'Arpege by Alain Passard. Situated in Rue de Varenne, close to the Rodin Museum, this haute cuisine go-to focuses on seasonal fine dining and homegrown organic produce. 

Le Doyenne, Saint-Vrain, France

Australian chefs Shaun Barney and James Henry opened their farm-garden restaurant, Le Doyenne, in Saint-Vrain, southwestern Paris to be closer to the products needed to create their sublime dishes. The restaurant focuses on produce grown using regenerative agriculture with the resulting dishes including the likes of rose coco beans with wild mushrooms and guinea fowl from Milly-la-Fôret.