Elite Traveler May-June 2016

INSPIRE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS

THE TRENDS The outstanding story from the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants 2016 is the rise of the US fine-dining scene. Over a fifth of this year’s list are located in the US, with France the nearest rival at 15. And while New York remains at the heart of the US food scene, with 10 restaurants, there are seven US cities on the list (including three in the top 10), stretching from the east coast to the west. But it's not all over for Europe. It remains a bastion of fine dining, with over half of the restaurants (53) in Europe and new hot spots, such as Copenhagen, joining the likes of London and Paris. While there are more cities with three or more restaurants on the list (nine, rather than seven last year) the geographical reach is more noticeable. The message is that there is a better spread of top-class restaurants around the world. There are six different countries in the top 10 (US, Spain, Italy, China, Brazil and France) compared to four last year, and this year while countries as diverse as Mexico, Japan and Australia have an improved presence. For all the interest in trends and developments from one year to another, there is a consistency to the list (one benefit of it being voted for by loyal customers, rather than critics who place more stock on innovation and change). This is a story of evolution, rather than revolution. The majority of restaurants deemed worthy of the list in 2016 were here last year. But it's worth highlighting Alain Passard's L'Arpege, which rocketed 51 places this year, while congratulations are due to Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas at Alinea for maintaining their position at the top of the list for the fifth year.

For more on the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants and for details on this year's three top chef awards, visit elitetraveler.com/top100