The UK boasts a total of 12 restaurants in the Elite 100 Restaurants 2014, with eight of these based in London: The Ledbury (9), Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (23), Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (24), Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester (54), Le Gavroche (74), Amaya (76), Nobu (96) and Zuma (99).
Meanwhile outside the capital, Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck (3) in Berkshire makes it into the top five restaurants in the world, with Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir in Oxfordshire (30) and Alain Roux’s The Waterside Inn (94) also putting in an appearance on the list.
Alinea is Number One
The number one spot on the prestigious countdown is claimed by Chicago’s Alinea, with Grant Achatz and his team coming out on top for a third consecutive year. The three-Michelin-starred destination offers a spectacular eighteen course tasting menu.
Heston Blumenthal
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck is the highest UK entry in third place, beaten only by Alinea and New York’s Restaurant Daniel at number two. His London restaurant, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park also jumps up the rankings from number 44 in 2013 to 23 in 2014.
On his high placing on the global list, Heston Blumenthal commented: “Food critics are very important for the business and obviously to bring the general public in, but ultimately you’re cooking for your customers and you want to give them the best pleasure and experience. So to have this recognition, after we’ve been going for nearly twenty years, it’s fantastic.”
The Ledbury
The Ledbury in Notting Hill also climbs this year, rising one place from number 10 to 9 in the annual guide.
Head Chef Brett Graham said: “We’ve got a great, enthusiastic young team here. We all work really hard together to do our best towards the guests’ experience and it’s really nice for the team to get an award like this and recognition of all their hard work. This is an important award and we’re very pleased we’re included in it.”
London and UK ranking ‘no surprise’
London and the UK’s restaurant ranking isn’t a surprise, according to renowned food critic Andy Hayler, a man who has eaten at every Michelin star restaurant in the world. On London and the UK’s stellar performance in the Elite 100 Restaurants 2014, he said: “This year on the Elite 100 list there are a dozen restaurants from the UK – eight of those are from London – and I think this really reflects London’s status as an international dining destination. London’s got a terrific mix of nationalities in terms of its population and that’s reflected in the dining scene.
“At the high end you’ve clearly got some very good restaurants as well, so restaurants like The Ledbury. It’s particularly well thought of in London. It’s interesting to see the list including Le Gavroche, an old favourite of mine, which is much more classical in style, and I think it’s good to see that type of restaurant getting recognition,” he added.
16 new entries
Overall, there were 16 new restaurant entries on the list, with Spanish Azurmendi the highest new entry at number seven. A delighted Head Chef Eneko Axta said: “It is fantastic for me since this is a recognition given by the readers. I always say that the client comes first and is the most important, and in this case, it is really special to me since Elite Traveler readers have voted for us.”
This year’s Top Ten on the Elite Top 100 Restaurants
- Alinea, Chicago, US
- DANIEL, New York, US
- Fat Duck, Bray, UK
- Eleven Madison, New York, US
- Le Bernardin, New York, US
- El Celler Can Roca, Spain
- Azurmendi, Spain
- La Pergola, Rome, Italy
- The Ledbury, London, UK
- Osteria Francescana, Italy
To see the full top 100 list click here
About Elite Traveler
Elite Traveler Media Group is a leading luxury lifestyle media group targeting Ultra High Net Worth Consumers. The group is based in New York and holds titles such as Elite Traveler, the Private Jet lifestyle magazine; Elite Traveler Annual Hotels/Resorts/Spas Issue; Jewelry Guide; Watch Guide; Elite Traveler Asia, Elite Traveler Superyachts and Elitetraveler.com. Elite Traveler is the only audited publication with worldwide circulation aboard private jets and private jet terminals giving advertisers unique access to the wealthiest consumers as they travel with friends, family and business associates.
