Each year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants reflects and celebrates the richness and diversity of the world’s culinary landscape. Thanks to its panel of 1,080 culinary experts, the award ceremony provides a snapshot of some of the best gastronomic destinations, in addition to being a barometer for trends.
The 2024 edition took place yesterday (June 5) in Las Vegas. And the list of establishments unveiled includes two London restaurants.
In 17th place is Kol, run by Mexican chef Santiago Lastra. Ikoyi, which builds its own spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality, is in 42nd place.
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Santiago Lastra launched Kol at the end of 2020 with the ambition of producing authentic Mexican dishes using mainly British ingredients. The only products imported by the restaurant are Mexican essentials, such as corn for tortillas, chocolate and native chillies.
On the ever-evolving tasting menu, Lastra’s signature langoustine taco has been the sole mainstay since launch. The taco arrives pre-assembled and ready to roll, with the head of the crustacean served separately, designed to be pressed onto the dish to add depth to the umami.
Other seasonal specialities include tamal colado, served with pig’s trotters, radishes, kohlrabi and caviar, and nicoalote, made with a technicolour of British pea varieties, a fermented onion custard and plantain, topped with hawthorn flowers. The restaurant, which has a Michelin star, has a four-star rating on TripAdvisor.
A reviewer wrote: “Truly amazing spot in London! The dishes were excellent and delicious, balanced and creative use of local products to show case Mexican flavours.”
The second restaurant to make the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is Ikoyi. It first burst onto the global gastronomic scene when it won the Resy One To Watch Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021, and when it was awarded two Michelin stars.
The restaurant’s signature dish is still its smoked jollof rice, which is a mainstay of the menu in a variety of forms depending on the time of year. It is preceded by dishes such as hibiscus and fermented Scottish bonnet, turbot and egusi miso, cream of mussel with saffron and caviar, and followed by desserts that include elements such as chillies, reinforcing the spicy aspect of the cuisine.
It has a four-star rating on TripAdvisor. “Incredibly tasty and unusual flavours, the cooking is exceptionally refined and the African influences shines through in dish after dish,” said a person.
Here’s a full list of the world’s 50 best restaurants:
- Disfrutar – Barcelona, Spain
- Asador Etxebarri – Atxondo, Spain
- Table by Bruno Verjus – Paris, France
- DiverX – Madrid, Spain
- Maido – Lima, Peru
- Atomix – New York City, USA
- Quintonil – Mexico City, Mexico
- Alchemist – Copenhagen, Denmark
- Gaggan – Bangkok, Thailand
- Don Julio – Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Septime – Paris, France
- Lido 84 – Gardone Riviera, Italy
- Trèsind Studio – Dubai, UAE
- Quique Dacosta – Dénia, Spain
- Sézanne – Tokyo, Japan
- Kjolle – Lima, Peru
- Kol – London, UK
- Plénitude – Paris, France
- Reale – Castel di Sangro, Italy
- Wing – Hong Kong
- Florilège – Tokyo, Japan
- Steirereck – Vienna, Austria
- Sühring – Bangkok, Thailand
- Odette – Singapore
- El Chato – Bogotá, Colombia
- The Chairman – Hong Kong
- A Casa do Porco – São Paulo, Brazil
- Elkano – Getaria, Spain
- Boragó – Santiago, Chile
- Restaurant Tim Raue – Berlin, Germany
- Belcanto – Lisbon, Portugal
- Den – Tokyo, Japan
- Pujol – Mexico City, Mexico
- Rosetta – Mexico City, Mexico
- Frantzén – Stockholm, Sweden
- The Jane – Antwerp, Belgium
- Oteque – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Sorn – Bangkok, Thailand
- Piazza Duomo – Alba, Italy
- Le Du – Bangkok, Thailand
- Mayta – Lima, Peru
- Ikoyi – London, UK
- Nobelhart & Schmutzig – Berlin, Germany
- Mingles – Seoul, South Korea
- Arpège – Paris, France
- Single Thread – Healdsburg, USA
- Schloss Schauenstein – Fürstenau, Switzerland
- Hiša Franko – Kobarid, Slovenia
- La Colombe – Cape Town, South Africa
- Uliassi – Senigallia, Italy
Kol is located at 9 Seymour Street Marylebone, London W1H 7JW. Ikoyi is located at 180 Strand, London WC2R 1EA.
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