Osteria Francescana is the World’s Best Restaurant

What an incredible night! S.Pellegrino, partner of the best events of haute cuisine all around the world, celebrated once again the best chefs with The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony was live streamed on Fine Dining Lovers’ Facebook page on June 13th from Cipriani Wall Street, New York, so that everyone from everywhere could watch the exciting and glamourous countdown in real time and contribute with their comments about the unique evening and the awards.

In this special occasion Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, has been selected as the best restaurant in the world during the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony. This has been the first ever Italian restaurant to make it to number one on the list, while previous number one El Celler De Can Roca was picked as second.

Massimo Bottura dreams big 

Receiving the award, visibly shaken chef Massimo Bottura said: “I have to thank my wife, family and my team who are watching in the restaurant. I want to thank everyone, it’s been so hard, our job is all about hard work: in the kitchen everyday to work and succeed, I think the most important ingredient for the future is culture, because culture brings knowledge and knowledge brings consciousness. I feel like I will cry.” The chef used the opportunity as a call to arms, explaining that he wants all the chefs in the audience to help with his soup kitchen project which is opening in Brazil in August.

Second spot went to Roca Brothers and their El Celler De Can Roca restaurant in Girona, Spain, and third position was awarded to Daniel Humm and Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park, New York.

There were several changes at the peak with a number of restaurants falling out of the top 10: D.O.M, Dinner By Heston Blumenthal and Gaggan in Bangkok all fell. These were replaced by new entries Asador Etxebarri in 10th, Steirereck in 9th and Mirazur in 6th.

Other awards 

The Best Female Chef award went to Dominique Crenn, who runs both the Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn restaurant in San Francisco, and the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Alain Passard who runs L’Arpège restaurant in Paris.

The recipient of the One to Watch award was the Den restaurant in Tokyo while the Chef’s Choice Award went to Joan Roca from El Celler De Can Roca in Girona, Spain. The Sustainable Restaurant award was, for a second year running, awarded to Relae in Copenhagen. The World’s Best Pastry Chef award was given to Pierre Hermé, and the Highest New Entry award went to the team at The Clove Club in London, the city’s first crowd funded restaurant. The Highest Climber award went to Maido in Lima, Peru.

The unique evening, sponsored as every year by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, has been truly one-of-a-kind: click here to discover The World’s 50 Best Restaurants full list, and read the exclusive interview to Massimo Bottura made just after the ceremony.