S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009

Ferran Adrià holds on to number one spot whilst witnessing a host of young talent racing up the list

For the fourth year in a row Ferran Adrià has topped the worldwide poll of 806 chefs, critics and other industry experts, whilst Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck retains second place. Below these perennial favourites however it's all change in the eighth annual listing of The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.

Copenhagen's Noma restaurant with its youthful head chef Rene Redzepi ranks third, making an exciting addition to the world's greatest chefs trinity. Noma, which rises 7 places, also takes this year's Chef's Choice Award.
Last year's Chef's Choice, Mugaritz, retains it's highest ever position at number 4, whilst another Spanish restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, rises a staggering 21 places to the fifth place making it 2009's highest climber. With the eponymous restaurant Arzak in the 8th position, Spain can claim more restaurants at the very top echelons of the list than any other country.
Thomas Keller's New York restaurant Per Se strikes the 6th position and with The French Laundry also well placed on the list, this year, Keller is the only restaurateur with two restaurants in the top 50. Perhaps it's his eagle eye trained on the live video streamed from the kitchen on the east coast to the kitchen in the west that enables such unparalleled excellence to be maintained.
Family business, Bras, headed by chef Michel Bras is the highest placed French restaurant at 7. France's culinary heritage and mastery continues to draw in a wealth of admirers from across the globe as it ties with the USA to score the highest number of restaurants on the list, each has 8 establishments in the top 50.

A young star, who refused to let a life threatening illness stall his progress, continues to rise through the ranks. Grant Achatz of Alinea who was the highest new entry in 2007 rose 15 places in 2008 and this year rises a further 11 places to join the top 10.

The highest new entry swoops in from Italy settling at position 13. At Osteria Francescana chef Massimo Bottura introduces Italy's old guard to Spain's new wave by taking traditional Italian flavours and boldly toying with them. Meanwhile last year's highest new entry Vendôme with Joachim Wissler at its helm keeps the momentum going by rising a very respectable 9 places to 25th position.
2009 sees more new talent making its mark on the list than in previous years. Such rising stars and new entries include Steirereck of Austria (30), New York's Momofuku Ssam Bar (31), Mirazur in the South of France (35), Iggy's in Singapore (45) and Quay in Australia (46).