Copenhagen home to three of world's best restaurants

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list was revealed at a ceremony in New York City on Monday evening and little Denmark was well-represented.

 

Three Copenhagen restaurants made the list, with Noma leading the way. Rene Redzepi’s restaurant was ranked fifth, a fall of two spots from last year’s ranking. Noma has topped the list three times. 

 

“The Scandi gastronomy movement that has taken hold across the world started at a renovated warehouse in Copenhagen in 2003 when René Redzepi took it upon himself to revive and update Nordic food using contemporary cooking methods,” the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy wrote. “Noma has since gone on to change the way dining rooms operate and put foraging for ingredients firmly in the spotlight.

 

Denmark’s first-ever three-star Michelin restaurant Geranium came in at number 28 on the list. That marked a huge jump from last year’s 51st place ranking for head chef Rasmus Koefoed and company. 

 

The academy points out that “Kofoed is the only chef to have ever won bronze, silver and gold at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or cooking competition in France.”

 

Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant Relæ came in at number 40 and was named the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award for the second time.

 

“Chef Christian Puglisi and front-of-house head Kim Rossen set up Relæ in 2010 after meeting at Noma,” the academy wrote. “The influence of René Redzepi's restaurant is clear, but Puglisi is not constrained by New Nordic principles, using ingredients from Italy and further afield.

 

The title of best in the world was given to Osteria Francescana from Modena, Italy, which leapfrogged last year’s victor El Celler de Can Roca from Catalonia, Spain into top spot. 

 

The only other Nordic restaurant to make the top 50 was Fäviken Magasinet in Järpen, Sweden. 

 

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List is compiled by a group of nearly one thousand leading figures in the international restaurant industry.