The culinary diversity of Latin America is strongly represented in the 50 Best Restaurants list, which each year highlights the best restaurants in the world, and whose composition in the 2022 edition was revealed on Monday in London, United Kingdom.
In the list, which has been produced since 2002 and in which this year there are 10 restaurants in the region, Geranium, a culinary space based in Copenhagen, Denmark, ranks first.
The second position is occupied by the Peruvian Central, located in Lima and directed by the couple composed of Virgilio Martínez and Pía León.
In third place is Enjoy, a restaurant in Barcelona, Spain, whose owners -Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas- met in the kitchen of the legendary El Bulli, which closed its doors in 2011.
The selection of the best restaurants was made by a group of 1,080 experts.
Here is the list of Latin American restaurants that appear among the 50 best in the world:
2. Central – Lima, Peru
The menu of this restaurant represents the Peruvian ecosystems.
Under this concept, the menu presents a diversity of foods such as scallops, squid, clams from the coast and the Amazon, as well as pork belly and goat neck that come from the Peruvian Sacred Valley.
“The dishes celebrate the unique landscapes, history and traditions of their homeland, using an abundance of local produce,” notes the 50 Best Restaurants website.
5. Pujol – Mexico City
Pujol was founded in 2000 by chef Enrique Olvera. In this place, diners have the opportunity to taste the history of Mexico in each bite.
And it is that each dish is prepared following the traditional techniques of the North American country and contain its unique spices.
The selection of dishes changes seasonally, but you can always find the traditional Mole Madre and Mole Nuevo, as well as a peculiar taco bar.
7. Casa do Porco – São Paulo, Brazil
The specialty of this restaurant is the pig and its menu offers dishes with all parts of this animal.
Its owners, Jefferson Rueda and Janaina Rueda, believe in offering “something for everyone” in their menu.
9. Quintonil – Mexico City
This restaurant, located in the famous Polanco neighborhood, also uses fresh and local ingredients to make its dishes.
The menu may contain seasonal dishes such as spider crab in green mole with kaffir lime and blue corn toast, or nopal sorbet.
There is also a menu that offers dishes such as braised bull in traditional black recado sauce or roasted avocado with escamoles.
The owner is chef Jorge Vallejo.
11. Maido – Lima, Peru
In this gastronomic space, chef Mitsuharu Tsumura experiments with Peruvian ingredients, but using Japanese techniques.
According to 50 Best Restaurants, the result of Tsumura’s work is a “fusion” that creates an “exciting” and “unusual” menu.
14. Don Julio – Buenos Aires, Argentina
The meat at this restaurant, which comes from cattle raised in the fields on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, “is stored in a heated aging chamber for at least 21 days until it reaches optimal maturity.”
Its owners are Pablo Rivero and Guido Tassi. The latter is a specialist in sausages and runs the kitchen.
Among the dishes you can find all the parts of the cow, such as rump steak and entrails.
32. Mayta-Lima, Peru
The dishes at this restaurant have been described as “a work of art”, full of colorful products.
Mayta has among its menu options such as goat with Andean herbs and scallops with broad beans.
The establishment, led by chef Jaime Pasaque, also has a pisco bar that innovates with this traditional Peruvian drink.
43. Borago – Santiago, Chile
Boragó has been described as a restaurant that offers an “experience for the senses”.
The menu changes seasonally, but offers diverse dishes inspired by the regions of Chile, such as Patagonia or the Atacama Desert.
Diners can try Patagonian lamb or maule tomato fillet with wild grapes and fruit.
The chef is Rodolfo Guzmán, who, in addition to working in Chile, has also had experience in European restaurants.
47. Oteque – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Oteque is located in an old house dating from 1938 in the Botafogo neighborhood.
Chef Alberto Landgraf offers a “modern” menu based on seafood.
The kitchen is open, so diners can see how the food is prepared.
48. Leo – Bogota, Colombia
The experts at 50 Best Restaurant say that in this restaurant, owned by chef Leonor Espinosa, people can find little-known ingredients from Colombia, such as copoazú (a kind of cocoa) and arrechón (described as an aphrodisiac drink).
The menu was called by chef Ciclo-Bioma and also focuses on Colombian ecosystems.
“The origin of each ingredient is represented on a map of Colombia that shows how far the chef has traveled to source the unique products used,” says the listing’s webpage.
Here you can see the complete list of the best 50 restaurants in the world:
The World’s 50 Best 2022
1. Geranium (Denmark)
2. Central (Peru)
3. Enjoy (Spain)
4. Diverxo (Spain)
5. Pujol (Mexico)
6. Etxebarri Grill (Spain)
7. A Casa do Porco (Brazil)
8. Lido 84 (Italy)
9. Quintonil (Mexico)
10. Le Calandre (Italy)
11. Maido (Peru)
12. Uliassi (Italy)
13. Steirereck (Austria)
14. Don Julio (Argentina)
15. Reale (Italy)
16. Elkano (Spain)
17. Nobelhart & Schmutig (Germany)
18. Alchemist (Denmark)
19. Piazza Duomo (Italy)
20.Den (Japan)
21. Mugaritz (Spain)
22. Septime (France)
23. The Jane (Belgium)
24.The Chairman (China)
25. Frantzén (Sweden)
26. Tim Raue (Germany)
27. Hof Van Cleve (Belgium)
28. Le Clarence (France)
29. St Hubertus (Italy)
30. Florilege (Japan)
31. Arpege (France)
32. Mayta (Peru)
33. Atomix (USA)
34. Hisa Franko (Slovenia)
35. The Cove Club (UK)
36. Odette (Singapore)
37. Fyn (South Africa)
38. Jordnaer (Denmark)
39. Sorn (Thailand)
40. Schloss Schauenstein (Switzerland)
41. La Cime (Japan)
42. Quique Dacosta (Spain)
43. Borago (Chile)
44. Le Bernardin (USA)
45. Narisawa (Japan)
46. Belcanto (Portugal)
47. Oteque (Brazil)
48. Leo (Colombia)
49. Ikoyi (UK)
50. Singlethread (USA)
