World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021

After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, World’s 50 Best has returned and released its list for 2021. Landing in the top spot was René Redzepi’s Noma. That restaurant will now be placed on the ‘Best of the Best’ list and will no longer be eligible to be named in the top 50 again.

Despite efforts toward inclusivity and a more diverse list of judges, most of the restaurants on the list are from Western Europe or the United States and the vast majority are led by men.

A good number of chefs on the top 50 (and corresponding 51-100) list have written cookbooks, most of them about their highly regarded restaurants. These books are often filled with lush images and recipes that most of us will not try to replicate at home but which can inspire kitchen creativity nonetheless. Restaurants and/or chefs in the top 50 with cookbooks include: 

• Books by René Redzepi (Noma, #1)
• One Day at Geranium Restaurant by Bent Christensen and Claes Bech-Poulsen (Geranium, #2)
• Etxebarri by Juan Pablo Cardenal and Jon Sarabia (Asador Etxebarri, #3)
• Central by Virgilio Martinez and Nicholas Gill (Central, #4)
• Books by Björn Frantzén (Frantzén, #6)
• Books by Enrique Olvera (Pujol, #9)
• Mugaritz. Vanishing Points and Mugaritz: A Natural Science of Cooking by Andoni Aduriz (Mugaritz, #14)
• Elkano: A Culinary Landscape by Juan Pablo Cardenal and Aitor Arregi (Elkano, #16)
• Several books by Alain Passard (Arpège, #23)
• Books by Bertrand Grébaut (Septime, #24)
• Benu by Corey Lee (Benu, #28)
• My Way: From the Gutters to the Stars by Tim Raue (Restaurant Tim Raue, #31)
• Boragó: Coming from the South by Rodolfo Guzman (Boragó, #38)
• Books by Yannick Alléno (Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, #41)
• Books by Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin, #44)
• Books by Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn, #48)
• Eneko Atxa Azurmendi by Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi, #49)