World's 50 Best Restaurants List 2017

If you don't live in NYC, it's time to book a flight. And pronto. Eleven Madison Park, the legendary restaurant from Will Guidara and Daniel Humm, now holds the number one slot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

It's the first time in more than a decade that an American restaurant has held the spot. In recent years, René Redzepi's Noma in Copenhagen, Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Italy and the Roca brothers' El Celler de Can Roca in Spain have taken home that prize. Osteria Francescana now holds the number two slot, and El Celler de Can Roca comes in at number three, but Noma, which is currently closed, has dropped off the list, as restaurants must be open to be considered.

Will Guidara thanks his team at Eleven Madison Park... but tells them "don't wreck the restaurant!" #Worlds50Best @wguidara pic.twitter.com/KOaYVBrFId

— The World's 50 Best (@TheWorlds50Best) April 5, 2017

Meanwhile, Cosme, Enrique Olvera's contemporary Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, which didn't break the top 50 last year, has soared to number 40. And Blue Hill at Stone Barns has lept from 48 to 11, the largest jump of the year. Dominique Ansel, who now owns bakeries in New York, Tokyo and London was awarded the World's Best Pastry Chef honor. 

The restaurant list isn't without its controversies. Judges must remain anonymous, but they aren't required to pay for their meals. And the list is almost entirely male. The three restaurants where there are women running the kitchen (Cosme included) are all cocaptained by men.

Last week, when the organization released the list of the restaurants ranked between 51 and 100, Atelier Crenn, the flagship restaurant of Dominique Crenn, came in at 83. Widely considered one of the most gifted chefs in the U.S., many hoped Crenn would crack the top 50 this year, but the organization and even elements of the media have relegated her to the women's corner, naming her the Best Female Chef in the World in 2016. This week, Crenn shot back at a journalist who asked her if she felt like she was missing out on "the very important role of being a mother to children." Crenn, who has twin daughters, responded, "If you have kids, I hope you stay home with them, so that your wife can go out and be a badass woman." That line puts her high on our list.