12 Best Restaurants in the World (2024)

If you’re an avid foodie like me, then you may be after some unforgettable experiences to add to your travel bucket list. In this guide, I’ve handpicked 12 of the best restaurants in the world for you to discover.

No matter the theme or location, you can be sure of exceptional food and an unforgettable experience at these restaurants.

Whether you’re a seasoned gastronome or someone who appreciates the finer things in life, these dining destinations represent the epitome of culinary achievement.

Let’s unearth the best restaurants in the world.

Author Bio: Jessie Moore

Jessie Moore is a luxury travel expert with years of experience travelling the world to find the best destinations, hotels and adventures.

1. Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark

Unique feature: 50 courses served across five acts in different rooms.

Perfect for: Adventurous eaters seeking an immersive culinary experience.

Alchemist in Copenhagen — Photo credit: Alchemist

The Alchemist is where food is served in a succession meant to give pleasure and pique curiosity.

Chef Rasmus Munk serves around 50 courses in multiple rooms. Dinner is part meal and part theatre.

In one act, you could find yourself eating under a dome crafted like a planetarium.

The projections on it change as you sample thought-provoking dishes, with names like “Plastic Fantastic”. This is an edible plastic bag filled with seafood, which alludes to ocean pollution.

The restaurant teams up with scientists and NGOs to promote ethical practices and sustainability.

Dinner isn’t just about the food here; it’s about making the guests think and ponder.

If you’re planning a trip to Copenhagen, have a read of my guides before you go:

2. Plénitude in Paris, France

Unique feature: Chef Arnaud Donckele’s novel “Absolutes”, which are concentrated essences forming the foundation of his sauces.

Perfect for: Refined French Cuisine and nuanced, reinvented tastes.

At Plénitude, the secret is in the sauces! Chef Arnaud Donckele has developed over the years what he calls “Absolutes”.

These are intensely flavoured bases that take weeks to reduce, settle, mature, and become just perfect.

One of my favourites is the “Velours de chêne” sauce, which is a melange of oysters and bonito, with a dash of champagne.

Adding this elaborate blend to a turbot instantly transforms it into something extraordinary.

The restaurant also offers stunning views of the Seine, as it’s located in the Cheval Blanc Paris hotel, so dinner is truly a feast for the senses.

If you’re planning a trip to the French capital, have a read of my guides before you go:

3. Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Switzerland

Unique feature: A Michelin-starred restaurant set in a 12th-century Swiss castle.

Perfect for: Alpine cuisine in an epic setting.

Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Switzerland

Schloss Schauenstein offers the elevated standards of Michelin-starred restaurants with the medieval, vintage, feel of dining in an ancient castle.

Chef Andreas Caminada’s speciality is creating grand flavours from rudimentary ingredients, often collected fresh from the surrounding Alpine Meadows.

I recommend starting with drinks in the castle tower. After an hour or so, move to the dining room for your main meal, then finish with the most delicate petit fours in the lounge.

If you’re planning a trip to Switzerland, have a read of my guides before you go:

4. Frantzén in Stockholm, Sweden

Unique feature: A three-floor townhouse with only 23 seats.

Perfect for: An intimate and exclusive dining experience.

Frantzén in Stockholm — Photo credit: Frantzén Group

The spaces and décor at Frantzén are so warm and cosy that dining there feels more like eating at someone’s home.

There’s also something fun and dynamic about having to move between the floors as the meal progresses.

Having cocktails in the lounge with friends is a great start to the evening, then comes the highlight of the gathering with Chef Björn Frantzén blends.

Here you’ll find the freshest Nordic ingredients cooked with global techniques and impeccable precision.

To add more magic, tableside preparations are masterful and the aroma is mouthwatering.

Don’t’ miss the “Swedish sushi”, which is a bite of Vendace roe on crisp seaweed and warm rice.

5. Trèsind Studio in Dubai, UAE

Unique feature: A modern artistic take on Indian cuisine in an exclusive setting.

Perfect for: Lovers of Indian cuisine.

At the Trèsind Studio, Indian food is truly reinvented. Chef Himanshu Saini takes street food classics that people all around the world know and love, and he gives them a fine-dining twist.

The “Chaat Trolley” brings every conceivable Indian snack right to your table. In this luxurious Middle Eastern restaurant, the familiar becomes extraordinary.

Innovative techniques and unexpected flavour combinations elevate traditional Indian dishes to new heights.

6. Uliassi in Senigallia, Italy

Unique feature: A romantic beachfront location.

Perfect for: Seafood lovers.

Located on the incredibly scenic Adriatic coast, Uliassi is a celebration of the Italian seaside.

Chef Mauro Uliassi’s cuisine is deeply rooted in tradition but in a playful contemporary way.

The “Explosion” menu is packed with ocean flavours. I recommend the spaghetti with raw purple prawns and seaweed, which is a simple, yet sophisticated dish.

All the seafood dishes are crafted from the freshest catch of the day, and the result is truly exceptional flavours.

7. Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain

Unique feature: Avant-garde cuisine and innovative techniques.

Perfect for: Molecular gastronomy enthusiasts.

Barcelona’s Disfrutar is more like a playground for Catalan culinary creativity.

Chefs Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas, and Eduard Xatruch have infused their fun-loving, playful, spirit into incredibly delicious tapas.

Their approach is both scientific and artistic, and the result is fantastic. That’s not too surprising, since Disfrutar means “enjoy” in Spanish.

The open kitchen lets you watch the chefs working their magic, which adds a lot of cheer to the dining experience.

My recommendation? Definitely the “panchino”, which is a warm brioche, drizzled with olive oil.

Those who enjoy adventurous dining experiences will love this restaurant – expect a bit of whimsy and the occasional surprise thrown in.

If you’re planning a visit to Barcelona, have a rad of my guides before you go:

8. Atomix in New York, USA

Unique feature: A Korean-inspired tasting and sampling experience, where each course comes with a card explaining its cultural background.

Perfect for: Those who love Asian food and want to learn more about Korean cuisine.

Atomix takes you on an authentic tasty tour of Korea, right in the heart of New York.

Chefs Junghyun and Ellia Park serve a mouthwatering 10-course tasting menu that is as educational as it is delicious.

I love their meticulous attention to detail and exquisite balance of flavours.

You might’ve tasted nurungji before, but their version of it, topped with sea urchin and mussel cream, is out of this world!

9. Odette in Singapore

Unique feature: French cuisine with Asian influences.

Perfect for: Those who like novel tastes, precision in their food, and art lovers.

Odette is named after chef Julien Royer’s grandmother, and that sentimentality carries through the ambience, taste, and elegant presentation.

At Odette, everything feels like a work of art. Fortunately, the taste is just as exquisite and memorable.

Every item on the menu is transcendent, but I’d recommend trying the “pigeon beak to tail” dish, and the Normandy brown crab dish, which is a delicate crab custard, topped with Kegani crab meat and apple.

Read my guide to the best things to do in Singapore.

10. SingleThread in Healdsburg, USA

Unique feature: Farm-to-table tasting menu.

Perfect for: A hyper-seasonal dining experience.

If you’re into knowing where exactly your food comes from, then you’ll love the SingleThread.

This restaurant takes farm-to-table pretty seriously, with every ingredient sourced from their farm right down the road.

I truly admire Chef Kyle Connaughton’s philosophy and commitment to offering only nature’s bounties.

You’ll love their “donabe course”, which is a dish cooked in a Japanese clay pot.

It typically contains local ingredients like Dungeness crab or foraged mushrooms; it’s a taste that’s hard to forget – in a good way!

11. Elkano in Getaria, Spain

Unique feature: Whole grilled turbot is their speciality, plus, simply prepared Basque food.

Perfect for: Seafood purists

Elkano in Getaria Spain — Photo credit: Elkano

Elkano is an iconic restaurant with demonstrable mastery in grilled fish and seafood.

The Basque region has undeniable charm, and the laid-back atmosphere in that stunning coastal location makes dining at Elkano a dream come true.

I’d recommend ordering the whole grilled turbot – in one word, it’s legendary!

It’s cooked to perfection with its crispy skin, succulent flesh, and juste comme il faut seasoning.

12. Pujol in Mexico City, Mexico

Unique feature: A modern take on classic Mexican cooking, featuring unconventional presentations of Mole Madre, Mole Nuevo, and taco omakase dishes.

Perfect for: A high-end Mexican dining experience.

Pujol is a culinary institution in Mexico City, where traditional everyday food becomes sophisticated dining.

It’s all thanks to Chef Enrique Olvera who brilliantly reinvented Mexican dishes.

The star of the show is certainly the Mole Madre. It’s a dish featuring a mole sauce that’s been cooking for more than 2500 days!

So if you want to savour Mexican food with a brand new approach, Pujol is the place to do it.

Have you eaten at any of the best restaurants in the world? Or any you’d add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

12 best restaurants in the world for your foodie bucket list