Cosme Lands on World’s 50 Best Restaurants List for First Time

The biggest news out of the announcement of the World’s 50 Best list is that Eleven Madison Park has been named the number one best restaurant in the world — a big deal for Daniel Humm and Will Guidara’s tasting menu restaurant known for its hospitality on crack. The annual rankings list is incredibly influential (albeit controversial), and Eater’s Ryan Sutton dives into details on that accomplishment here.

But several other New York restaurants also had some major moves on the list this year. Cosme, the esteemed and upscale Mexican restaurant from Enrique Olvera and chef de cuisine Daniela Soto-Innes, made the top 50 list for the first time, ranking 40th on the list. Last year, the Flatiron restaurant earned a place among the 51-100 listings.

It was the only new restaurant on the list to be helmed by a woman, albeit in partnership with a man. That increases the number of female chefs on the top 50 list up to three. Cosme is also Olvera’s second restaurant in the top 50, which makes him the only chef to boast two places on the list. His Mexico City restaurant Pujol is ranked number 20 this year.

Meanwhile, Blue Hill at Stone Barns skyrocketed on the list this year. Dan Barber’s upscale restaurant with a farm in Pocantico Hills, New York shot up to number 11 on the list — jumping up more than any other restaurant in the top 50. Last year, the seasonal-obsessive restaurant was number 48.

The trailblazing restaurant has long been considered one of the New York area’s finest high-end dining experience. Eater’s national roving critic Bill Addison named it “restaurant of the year” in 2016. With a jump like that, a place in the top ten may not be far away.

Finally, Le Bernardin ticked up a few notches in the middle of the top 50 list. Eric Ripert’s luxe French restaurant in Midtown landed at number 17 on the list year, up slightly from number 24 last year. Cronut master Dominique Ansel also received the nod this year for best pastry chef in the world.

In total, the New York region had four restaurants on the top 50 list this year, three of them in Manhattan. The awards come from a 1,500 person voting panel composed of food writers, chefs, restaurateurs, and general gastronomes.

The list has been criticized for favoring only pricey restaurants — a characterization that holds true for the New York picks — and for ignoring female-run restaurants. Voters must be anonymous, but they also do not have to pay for their meals, another point of controversy.

Still, the list is wildly popular and respected by traveling fine dining devotees around the world. A spot on it makes a difference for restaurants sales and esteem.

• The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017: The Full List of Winners [Eater]
• Eleven Madison Park Named ‘World’s Best’ Restaurant [Eater]