El Celler de Can Roca Celebrates a Return to the Top of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

• Girona’s celebrated Roca brothers see their restaurant return to the No.1 spot
• White Rabbit in Moscow is named Highest New Entry, sponsored by LesConcierges
• Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain, is Highest Climber, sponsored by Lavazza
• Sydney’s Sepia is chosen as One To Watch, sponsored by Silestone by Cosentino
• Albert Adrià of Tickets in Barcelona is The World’s Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by Cacao Barry®
• Daniel Humm wins Chefs’ Choice Award, sponsored by Gaggenau
• Relae takes the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Pago Los Balancines
• Eight new restaurants gain a place in the 50 Best list

Tonight, Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca regained its title as The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant. Previously the No.1 in 2013, the Roca brothers’ restaurant has continued to gain global recognition for its gastronomic prowess. The results were announced at the annual celebration of global gastronomy in London: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.

 
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants brings together a unique community of extraordinary culinary talent to celebrate global gastronomy. Featuring restaurants from 21 countries around the world across six continents, the list provides an annual barometer of the greatest gastronomic experiences across the globe.
 
El Celler de Can Roca was opened in 1986 by brothers Joan and Josep alongside their parents’ simple restaurant in Girona. In 2007, younger brother Jordi completed the trio that has since created a gastronomic phenomenon. Head chef Joan, sommelier Josep and 2014’s World Best Pastry Chef, Jordi Roca, have created a culinary experience which explores traditional Catalan ingredients combined with an extraordinary variety of cooking methods that stimulates diners’ senses, emotions and memories – whether via an evocative smell, an explosion of flavour or a visual trick. The food is matched with an ambitious array of wines and finished with a selection of Jordi’s magical masterpieces.
 
With seven restaurants in the 50 Best list, Spain has more than one reason to celebrate with Mugaritz remaining at No.6 and Tickets in Barcelona making its first appearance in the list at No.42. Albert Adrià of Tickets – and formerly pastry chef of El Bulli - is also recognised for his extraordinary talent as the 2015 World’s Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by Cacao Barry.
 
Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana has moved up to No.2 after two years occupying third place. Bottura’s ambitious creations are perfectly executed and altogether enchanting, successfully balancing the demands of both heritage and modernity. Osteria Francescana is one of three Italian restaurants recognised on the list alongside Le Calandre in Rubano and Piazzo Duomo in Alba.

 
France boasts five restaurants in the 50 Best with Mirazur remaining at No.11 for the second year running, followed by L’Arpege in Paris which has climbed 13 places in 2015. 2013’s Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award winner Alain Ducasse celebrates a re-entry into the list at No.47 with the recently re-opened Au Plaza Athénée. 2015 also sees France’s Hélène Darroze take home the Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef Award and Daniel Boulud awarded The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award for his culinary successes around the globe.
 
With six restaurants on the list overall and one new entry, the USA also has many reasons to be proud of its elite restaurants. Eleven Madison Park in New York remains in the top five and claims the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in North America title. Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns outside New York makes its first appearance on the list at No.49.
 
South America boasts nine restaurants from across the region on the list. Central in Lima rises 13 places to No.4 and is crowned the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America. Chile, Peru and Mexico all have new entries including Boragó, Maido, Quintonil and Biko respectively.
 
With seven restaurants recognised in the world list, Asia features twice in the top 10 for the first time. Gaggan in Bangkok rises seven places in the world ranking to No.10 with Narisawa, from Tokyo, moving up to No.8. China also celebrates a new entry at No.24 in the form of Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet.
 
William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “It has been a hugely exciting year with such a variety of culinary talents celebrated here tonight. As the appetite for reaching new gastronomic heights continues to grow we feel privileged to play a part in this journey of discovery and are proud to bring together this unique community of extraordinary talent within the industry.”    
 
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, will be hosting its renowned awards ceremony in New York City in 2016, as part of a global location strategy. Since the list was created in 2002, London has been the host of 14 successful editions of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, but the organisers now feel the time is right to make the event truly global.