The document provides the rankings and award winners from The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2011, with Noma in Denmark taking the top spot and receiving The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World award. It also explains how the list is compiled annually from votes by an Academy of over 800 international leaders in the restaurant industry, with each voter selecting 7 restaurants based on their experiences over the past 18 months. The main rules are that voting is confidential, voters must have dined at nominated restaurants in the last 18 months, and they cannot vote for restaurants they have an interest in.

1. 2011 Award Winners
RankPositionRestaurant Country Awards
The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World. The AcquaPanna Best
1 — Noma Denmark
Restaurant in Europe
2 Up 2 El Celler De Can Roca Spain
3 Up 2 Mugaritz Spain
4 Up 2 OsteriaFrancescana Italy The Chefs' Choice sponsored by Electrolux
5 Down 2 The Fat Duck UK
6 Up 1 Alinea USA The AcquaPanna Best Restaurant In North America
7 Up 11 D.O.M Brazil The AcquaPanna Best Restaurant In South America
8 Up 1 Arzak Spain
9 Up 2 Le Chateaubriand France
10 — Per Se USA
11 Down 3 Daniel USA
12 Up 12 Les Creations de Narisawa Japan The AcquaPanna Best Restaurant In Asia
13 Up 3 L'Astrance France
14 Up 15 L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon France
15 Up 2 Hof van Cleve Belgium
16 Down 3 Pierre Gagnaire France
17 Up 2 OudSluis Netherlands
18 Down 3 Le Bernardin USA
Re-
19 L'Arpege France
Entry
20 Up 28 NihonryoriRyuGin Japan Highest Climber Sponsored by Lavazza
21 Up 1 Vendome Germany
22 Down 1 Steirereck Austria
23 Up 7 SchlossSchauenstein Switzerland
24 Up 26 Eleven Madison Park USA
25 Up 9 Aqua Germany
26 Up 1 Quay Australia The AcquaPanna Best Restaurant In Australasia
27 Up 1 Iggy's Singapore
28 Up 7 Combal Zero Italy
29 Up 4 Martin Berasategui Spain
Re-
30 Bras France
Entry
31 Up 15 Biko Mexico
Down
32 Le Calandre Italy
12
Re-
33 Cracco Italy
Entry
New
34 The Ledbury UK Highest New Entry Sponsored by Silestone
Entry
Down
35 Chez Dominique Finland
12
South
36 Down 5 Le Quartier Francais The AcquaPanna Best Restaurant In The Middle East and Africa
Africa
New
37 Amber Hong Kong
Entry
38 Down 2 Dal Pescatore Italy
39 Up 1 Il Canto Italy
Down
40 MomofukuSsam Bar USA
14
41 Up 2 St John UK
New
42 Astrid Y Gaston Peru
Entry
43 Up 6 Hibiscus UK

2. 44 — MaisonTroisgros France
Alain Ducasse au Plaza
45 Down 4 France
Athenee
46 Down 9 De Librije Netherlands
Down
47 Restaurant de l'Hotel De Ville Switzerland
33
New
48 Varvary Russia
Entry
New
49 Pujol Mexico
Entry
Re-
50 AsadorEtxebarri Spain
Entry
How we do it
The list of the World‘s 50 Best Restaurants (and the award ceremony organised to celebrate its annual unveiling) is organised
and compiled by Restaurant Magazine. None of the employees of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, including the
headline one, votes or has any influence over the results.
The list is created from The World‘s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 800 international leaders in the
restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. The Academy comprises 27
separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 31 members including a chairperson to head it up. The
panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‗gastronomes‘ each of whom has seven votes. Of the
seven votes, at least three of which must be used to recognise restaurants outside of their region. At least 10 panellists from
each region change each year.
The results are published online as soon as they have been announced to the assembled chefs and academy members in April.
Some regions span more than one country. The decision as to how the world is divided up is left to the regional chairs and is
debated and reassessed annually. The divisions are designed to fairly represent the global restaurant scene at the current time.
The main rules of voting are:
Voting is strictly confidential before the awards announcement
Panellists vote for 4 restaurants within their region and 3 outside of their region
Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months
Voters are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have an interest in
Nominations must be made for the restaurant, not for the restaurateur or the chef
Panellists submit their 7 choices in order of preference (this information is used to decide on positions in the event of a
tie)
Other than this there are ―no rules‖.
This is what makes the S. Pellegrino World 50 Best Restaurants unique and not comparable to any other guide or ranking of
restaurants.
These criteria are designed to allow our panellists to vote far and wide. They could vote for a small, unknown restaurant in a
secluded region, or select the best-known restaurants in the world – it is their opinion and the experiences they have had that
matters.
This method means that restaurants cannot apply to be on the list, and cannot be nominated, and no external influences (from
Restaurant magazine or our sponsors) can influence the list. It also means that every restaurant in the world is eligible, unless
the restaurant is closed at the time of going to print in mid April, or we receive notice that it will be closing in the near future after
the results are published.
There are no criteria that a restaurant has to meet. They certainly do not have to sell a certain product. They do not need to have
been open a certain number of years and they do not need to have won any other culinary accolades.

3. 2012 top 10 best restaurants
Noma
Copenhagen - Denmark
No Change
1
El Celler de Can Roca
Girona - Spain
No Change
2
Mugaritz
San Sebastian - Spain
No Change
3
D.O.M
Sao Paulo - Brazil
Up 3
4
OsteriaFrancescana
Modena - Italy
Down 1
5
Per Se

4. New York - USA
Up 4
6
Alinea
Chicago - USA
Down 1
7
Arzak
San Sebastian - Spain
No Change
8
Dinner By Heston Blumenthal
London - England
New Entry
9
Eleven Madison Park
New York - USA
Up 14
10