Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana reclaims the No.1 spot in The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2018

BILBAO, Spain, June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

• Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, is revealed as The World's Best Restaurant, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna
• The 2018 list includes restaurants from 23 countries worldwide and features nine new restaurants: six making their debut and three returning to the list as re-entries
• Den in Tokyo, Japan, wins the Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lavazza, rising 28 places to the No.17 spot
• Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain, is announced as the Highest New Entry, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, debuting on the list at No.18
• Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, USA, is voted by his peers as the winner of the Chefs' Choice Award, sponsored by Estrella Damm
• Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark, wins The Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award
• Azurmendi takes home the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Dekton® by Cosentino
• French chef Cédric Grolet wins The World's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Sosa
• Pre-announced special award winners accepting their accolades include:
• • London-based chef Clare Smyth, winner of the elit® Vodka World's Best Female Chef Award 2018
  • Gastón Acurio from Peru, honoured with The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
  • Californian restaurant SingleThread, winner of the Miele One To Watch Award 2018
  • Taiwanese chef Jessie Liu, collecting the inaugural 50 Best BBVA Scholarship

Global stars of the restaurant world gathered this evening (19 June 2018) for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2018 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, held at Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Spain. The awards, which saw 23 countries across six continents honoured with a place on the list, culminated with the announcement of a new No.1, with chef patron Massimo Bottura taking to the stage to collect the award for his Modena restaurant, Osteria Francescana.

Osteria Francescana, which previously held the No.1 position in 2016, was joined in the top three by El Celler de Can Roca (No.2), in Girona, Spain, and Mirazur (No.3), in Menton, France. The top spot for Osteria Francescana is testament to Bottura's continued commitment to driving forward the restaurant's unique character. The discreet Modena restaurant serves Bottura's contemporary cuisine, which challenges and reinvents Italian culinary tradition while making use of the finest produce from the Emilia-Romagna region.