Latest news with #WorldsBestRestaurant
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025: Who takes the top spot - and how does Europe fare?
The World's 50 Best Restaurants has announced this year's recipients of 'The World's Best Restaurant' - one of the world's most prestigious food awards. The awards ceremony took place last night in Turin, Italy, where the crowd gathered to celebrate the top restaurants and chefs for 2025. A panel of more than 1,000 experts, split into 27 regions around the world, came together to decide on the final ranking. So, what is the World's Best Restaurant this year? The accolade went to Maido in Lima, Peru – which was placed at number 5 in the 2024 awards and now unseats last year's winner, Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain, to the top spot. Maido's Lima-born chef Mitsuharu Tsumura cooks a fusion of Latin American and Japanese flavours, and said: 'We talk a lot about sustainability of the environment, but we rarely talk about human sustainability. I think this industry can be an example of how we can bring people together with the power of food.' Every year, the panel awards special prizes to chefs, front-of-house staff, and activists who are leading the charge in hospitality in 2025. This year's special awards went to the Best Female Chef, Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij of Potong, Bangkok and Mindy Woods in Byron Bay, winner of the Champions of Change 2025 award. The World's Best Pastry Chef award went to Parisian chef Maxime Frederic, while the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award went to Alberta Adrià, head chef of Enigma in Barcelona. The highest-ranking restaurants on each continent were given a special mention. Maido, as the best restaurant in the world, takes care of South America. Incidentally, Peru was well represented in the Top 50 list, as three other Lima-based establishments joined Maido: Kjolle (9); Mérito (26); Mayta (39). Tresind Studio in Dubai (ranked number 27 in this year's awards) was named the best restaurant in the Middle East. The best restaurant in Asia is Gaggan in Bangkok, at number 6, while the best restaurant in North America is Quintonil in Mexico City (number 3). The best restaurant in Europe is Asador Etxebarri in Spain (number 2 this year and last year). Spain also has DiverXO in Madrid in the global Top 5, retaining its number 4 spot. Elsewhere in the Top 20, Denmark's Alchemist (Copenhagen) ranks number 5 and climbs three spots compared to last year; France's Paris-based Table by Bruno Verjus drops to number 8 from its number 3 ranking in 2024, and Plénitude (also in Paris) has the 14th spot this year, up four compared to last year; and the UK's Ikoyi, which was ranked 42nd in 2024, jumps up to number 15. Italy is the European country with the most restaurants in 2025's Top 20 list, with Lido 84 in Lake Garda, Reale in Castel di Sangro and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico all ranking 16th, 18th and 20th respectively. Here is the full Top 50 restaurant list (European entries in bold): 1. Maido, Lima, Peru 2. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain 3. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico 4. DiverXO, Madrid, Spain 5. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark 6. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand 7. Sezanne, Tokyo, Japan 8. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris, France 9. Kjolle, Lima, Peru 10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina 11. Wing, Hong Kong 12. Atomix, New York, USA 13. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand 14. Plénitude, Paris, France 15. Ikoyi, London, UK 16. Lido 84, Lake Garda Italy 17. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand 18. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy 19. The Chairman, Hong Kong 20. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy 21. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan 22. Serene, Bangkok, Thailand 23. Boragó, Santiago, Chile 24. Elkano, Getaria, Spain 25. Odette, Singapore 26. Mérito, Lima, Peru 27. Tresind Studio, Dubai, UAE 28. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 29. Mingles, Seoul, South Korea 30. Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand 31. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy 32. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy 33. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria 34. Enigma, Barcelona, Spain 35. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand 36. Florilège, Tokyo, Japan 37. Orfali Bros, Dubai, UAE 38. Frantzen, Stockholm, Sweden 39. Mayta, Lima, Peru 40. Septime, Paris, France 41. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark 42. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal 43. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy 44. La Cime, Osaka, Japan 45. Arpege, Paris, France 46. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico 47. Vyn, Skillinge, Sweden 48. Celele, Cartagena, Colombia 49. Kol, London, UK 50. Restaurant Jan, Munich, Germany
CNA
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025: Singapore's Odette is No 25, Lima's Maido takes top spot
Maido, a Nikkei restaurant in Lima, Peru has been named The World's Best Restaurant 2025. French restaurant Odette is Singapore's only representative in the top 50 at No 25. The winners of The World's 50 Best Restaurants list were unveiled in a live ceremony on Jun 19, 8pm (SGT 2am) at Lingotto Fierre, an events venue in Turin, Italy. Restaurants from 22 territories across five continents, including 10 new entries, were represented on the list. Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain and Quintonil in Mexico City took second and third place respectively. Odette remains Singapore's only representative on the top 50 list since 2018. Modern Singapore restaurant Labyrinth and grill restaurant Burnt Ends are 97th and 93rd, respectively. Maido, which was ranked No 5 last year, is helmed by chef-owner Mitsuhara "Micha" Tsumura, who was born and raised in Peru after his Japanese parents immigrated to the country. The 15-year-old restaurant blends Japanese techniques with Peruvian ingredients in a multi-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons. In an emotional thank-you speech, Tsumura paid tribute to his staff who have been with him since the restaurant opened, saying: 'This is not only a dream of an award but a dream of making people happy through food and hospitality. Although we have our differences, I believe the gastronomic industry right now can be an example of what can be done in environmental and human sustainability through the power of food.' The list has largely skewed towards the Americas and Europe continents but Asia has been rising. Establishments in lesser-known cities have also been appearing such as Vyn in Skillinge, Sweden, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, Italy. Bangkok had the most impressive showing with six restaurants on the rankings including highest lister Gaggan (6th) and the Highest New Entry Award winner Potong (13th). The other restaurants were Sorn (17th), Suhring (22nd), Le Du (30th) and new entry Nusara (35th). Potong's chef-owner Pichaya "Pam" Soontornyanakij was also named World's Best Female Chef 2025. Other Asian restaurants on the list include Hong Kong's Wing (11th) and The Chairman (19th), Seoul's Mingles (29th), Tokyo's Sezanne (7th), re-entry Narisawa (21st) and Florilege (36th) as well as Osaka's La Cime (44th). Wing also picked up the Art of Hospitality Award. Other special awards included Highest Climber, given to London's Ikoyi (15th), which leapfrogged 27 spots from last year's 42nd ranking. Italian chef-restaurateur Massimo Bottura and his partner Lara Gilmore received the Icon Award for their leadership in global gastronomy, culinary innovation and social impact. Besides running the art-filled guesthouse Casa Maria Luigia in Modena and Osteria Francescana, which was voted The World's Best Restaurant in 2016 and 2018, they also champion sustainability and inclusion in initiatives like Food for Soul and the Tortellante Project. Paris-based Maxime Frederic from hotel Cheval Blanc Paris won The World's Best Pastry Chef Award 2025 while The World's Best Sommelier Award 2025 was presented to Mohamed Benabdallah of Asador Etxebarri. Celele in Colombia's port city of Cartagena took home the Sustainable Restaurant Award and Albert Adria from Enigma in Barcelona received the Chefs' Choice Award 2025, the only peer-voted award on the list. The Champions of Change Award went to Mindy Woods, chef-owner of Karkalla On Country, a dining experience in Bundjalung Country in Australia that invites guests to connect with aboriginal culture and locally sourced, native ingredients. Contemporary Egyptian restaurant Khufu's in Cairo was named as One To Watch, given to an establishment most likely to break into the top 50 in the years to come. The World's 50 Best Restaurants list has been produced by UK media company William Reed since 2002. A total of 1,120 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets vote the winners, and the results are independently adjudicated by professional services consultancy Deloitte. Restaurants who have previously been named No 1, such as Copenhagen's Geranium, Mirazur in Menton, France, and Barcelona's Disfrutrar are inducted into the Best of the Best Hall of Fame and are not eligible to be voted on future lists. THE WORLD'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS 2025 LIST *new entry, **re-entry Maido, Lima Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo Quintonil, Mexico City DiverXO, Madrid Alchemist, Copenhagen Gaggan, Bangkok Sezanne, Tokyo Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris Kjolle, Lima Don Julio, Buenos Aires Wing, Hong Kong Atomix, New York Potong, Bangkok* Plenitude, Paris Ikoyi, London Lido 84, Lake Garda Sorn, Bangkok Reale, Castel di Sangro The Chairman, Hong Kong Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico* Narisawa, Tokyo** Serene, Bangkok Borago, Santiago Elkano, Getaria Odette, Singapore Merito, Lima* Tresind Studio, Dubai Lasai, Rio de Janeiro* Mingles, Seoul Le Du, Bangkok Le Calandre, Rubano** Piazza Duomo, Alba Steirereck, Vienna Enigma, Barcelona* Nusara, Bangkok* Florilege, Tokyo Orfali Bros, Dubai** Frantzen, Stockholm Mayta, Lima Septime, Paris Kadeau, Copenhagen* Belcanto, Lisbon Uliassi, Senigallia La Cime, Osaka** Arpege, Paris Rosetta, Mexico City Vyn, Skillinge* Celele, Cartagena* Kol, London Restaurant Jan, Munich*
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MAIDO, LIMA, IS NAMED NO.1 IN THE LIST OF THE WORLD'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS 2025
Maido in Lima, Peru, is named The World's Best Restaurant 2025, sponsored by & Acqua Panna Ranking includes restaurants from 22 territories across five continents and 10 new entries Potong in Bangkok earns the Highest New Entry Award Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, goes to Ikoyi, London Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore receive the Woodford Reserve Icon Award Paris-based Maxime Frédéric wins The World's Best Pastry Chef Award 2025, sponsored by Sosa The World's Best Sommelier Award 2025 is presented to Mohamed Benabdallah of Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship, in association with Parmigiano Reggiano, is awarded to Angélica Ortiz Celele in Cartagena is announced the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award Albert Adrià from Enigma in Barcelona receives the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award 2025 TURIN, Italy, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The world of gastronomy came together in the city of Turin, Region of Piedmont, Italy this evening to celebrate and recognise The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, sponsored by & Acqua Panna, with Lima's Maido named The World's Best Restaurant. The awards ceremony, hosted at Lingotto Fiere, honours the very best global gastronomic talent from 22 territories across five continents. For the full 1-50 list, please see the attached graphic or see the bottom of this release. Maido, the Lima restaurant run by chef-owner Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura, is named The World's Best Restaurant 2025, sponsored by & Acqua Panna, succeeding the 2024 winner, Disfrutar in Barcelona, which now enjoys an elevated position in the Best of the Best hall of fame. Ranked at No.5 in the 2024 list, Maido is a masterclass in Nikkei cuisine, blending meticulous Japanese techniques with vibrant Peruvian ingredients to create a dining experience that is both culturally rich and innovatively modern. The restaurant takes its name from a Japanese phrase used to greet people: 'Maido!' – the very first word diners hear as Chef Micha's team warmly welcomes them into the space. Now more than 15 years since its inception, Maido remains rooted in its founding philosophy, showcasing the finest local ingredients, adapted with the seasons, in a tasting menu that stretches across more than 10 courses. Maido is followed in the ranking by Asador Etxebarri (No.2) in Atxondo, Spain and Quintonil (No.3) in Mexico City. William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, comments: "It is with great excitement that we announce the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, sponsored by & Acqua Panna, and honour Maido as The World's Best Restaurant. Led by the brilliant Micha Tsumura, the team has demonstrated remarkable dedication, seamlessly incorporating Japanese techniques with traditional Peruvian ingredients to create dishes that captivate and surprise diners. This year's list celebrates culinary excellence across 22 territories, with 10 new entries making the 1-50 ranking, underscoring the growing global appreciation for diversity, creativity and excellence in hospitality." Albert Adrià, the chef-owner of Enigma (No.34), wins the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award 2025; the only award to be voted for by his peers, it reflects Adrià's commitment to creative dining, as he continues to influence modern gastronomy with Enigma's standing as a distinctive presence on the global culinary scene. Esteemed chef-restaurateur Massimo Bottura and partner Lara Gilmore have been jointly awarded the Woodford Reserve Icon Award. The dynamic duo are leaders in global gastronomy, known for their culinary innovation and social impact. Together they run Osteria Francescana, voted The World's Best Restaurant in 2016 and 2018, and the art-filled guesthouse Casa Maria Luigia in Modena. Through initiatives like Food for Soul and the Tortellante Project, they champion sustainability and inclusion, redefining the role of hospitality in society. Maxime Frédéric is named The World's Best Pastry Chef 2025, sponsored by Sosa. Pastry Chef at Cheval Blanc Paris and Plénitude in Paris (No.14), Frédéric has set a new standard in luxury patisserie with his intricate pastry artistry and dedication to craftsmanship. Ten restaurants make their debut on the 1-50 list this year, including Potong (No.13) and Nusara (No.35) in Bangkok; Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler (No.20) in Brunico, Italy; Mérito (No.26) in Lima; Lasai (No.28) in Rio de Janeiro; Enigma (No.34) in Barcelona; Kadeau (No.41) in Copenhagen; Vyn (No.47) in Skillinge, Sweden; Celele (No.48) in Cartagena and Restaurant Jan (No.50) in Munich, demonstrating the ranking's growing global reach in celebrating the world's finest dining destinations. A further four restaurants re-entered the 1-50 ranking in the form of Narisawa (No.21) in Tokyo; Le Calandre (No.31) in Rubano, Italy; Orfali Bros (No.37) in Dubai and La Cime (No.44) in Osaka. Based in Bangkok, chef Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij's Potong (No.13) is recognised with the Highest New Entry Award 2025 and Ikoyi (No.15) in London, secures the Highest Climber Award 2025, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, moving up 27 spots from the 2024 list. The winner of the 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship, in association with Parmigiano Reggiano, was also announced this evening, with Angélica Ortiz, an aspiring Colombian chef currently working at Oxomoco in New York, winning a place on the programme. After a brief hiatus, the 50 Best organisation relaunched the scholarship in 2025, open to chefs worldwide with less than three years of professional kitchen experience. The winner will gain invaluable insight with paid internships at El Celler de Can Roca, a two-time No.1 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, learning directly from the three Roca brothers and experiencing the magic of the iconic Girona establishment. Ortiz will also spend time at SingleThread in Healdsburg, California (ranked No.80), dividing her experience between kitchen and farm to receive a comprehensive education in sustainability and hyper-seasonal gastronomy. The World's Best Sommelier Award is presented to Mohamed Benabdallah, head sommelier and restaurant manager at Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain. Renowned for his deep expertise in wine and masterful pairing skills, Benabdallah enhances the purity and simplicity of Asador Etxebarri's celebrated cuisine. Celele (No.48) in Cartagena is announced the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award in recognition of its strong commitment to sustainability and preserving Colombia's Caribbean culinary heritage. By sourcing 90 per cent of its ingredients locally, many from the wild, and partnering with local communities and environmental organisations, the restaurant creates a regional and seasonal menu that supports biodiversity and traditional practices. The evening also celebrated those honoured with pre-announced special awards. These included: Champions of Change winner Mindy Woods, chef-owner of Karkalla On Country, an immersive culinary and cultural dining experience set on Bundjalung Country in Australia, which invites guests to connect with Aboriginal culture and locally sourced, native ingredients; Chef Pam, winner of The World's Best Female Chef Award; Wing in Hong Kong, which was presented with the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award; and Khufu's in Cairo, which picked up the Resy One To Watch Award. The Voting Process The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list is voted for by 1,120 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets who make up The World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The gender-balanced Academy comprises 28 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairperson. No sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process. Professional services consultancy Deloitte independently adjudicates The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, including the ranking from 51-100. This adjudication ensures that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting lists are protected. See more details on The World's 50 Best Restaurants voting process here. Best of the Best Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants (listed below) have delivered on their exemplary reputations time and again and will be forever honoured as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame. The chefs and restaurateurs who have led these restaurants to the pinnacle of the list have expressed their desire to invest in the future of the sector and 'give back' to the food world through new projects and innovation. The following restaurants have been named No.1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants since the list's inception and were therefore not eligible for voting in 2025: El Bulli (2002, 2006-2009) The French Laundry (2003-2004) The Fat Duck (2005) Noma – original location (2010-2012, 2014) El Celler de Can Roca (2013, 2015) Osteria Francescana (2016, 2018) Eleven Madison Park (2017) Mirazur (2019) Noma – current location (2021) Geranium (2022) Central (2023) Disfrutar (2024) EDITOR'S NOTES: 1-50 List: Position Restaurant Location 1 Maido Lima 2 Asador Etxebarri Atxondo 3 Quintonil Mexico City 4 Diverxo Madrid 5 Alchemist Copenhagen 6 Gaggan Bangkok 7 Sézanne Tokyo 8 Table by Bruno Verjus Paris 9 Kjolle Lima 10 Don Julio Buenos Aires 11 Wing Hong Kong 12 Atomix New York 13 Potong Bangkok 14 Plénitude Paris 15 Ikoyi London 16 Lido 84 Gardone Riviera 17 Sorn Bangkok 18 Reale Castel di Sangro 19 The Chairman Hong Kong 20 Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler Brunico 21 Narisawa Tokyo 22 Sühring Bangkok 23 Boragó Santiago 24 Elkano Getaria 25 Odette Singapore 26 Mérito Lima 27 Trèsind Studio Dubai 28 Lasai Rio de Janeiro 29 Mingles Seoul 30 Le Du Bangkok 31 Le Calandre Rubano 32 Piazza Duomo Alba 33 Steirereck Vienna 34 Enigma Barcelona 35 Nusara Bangkok 36 Florilège Tokyo 37 Orfali Bros Dubai 38 Frantzén Stockholm 39 Mayta Lima 40 Septime Paris 41 Kadeau Copenhagen 42 Belcanto Lisbon 43 Uliassi Senigallia 44 La Cime Osaka 45 Arpège Paris 46 Rosetta Mexico City 47 Vyn Skillinge 48 Celele Cartagena 49 Kol London 50 Restaurant Jan Munich For media centre access, please visit: Follow 50 Best Follow on Instagram: @TheWorlds50Best #Worlds50Best Follow on X: @TheWorlds50Best Like on Facebook: Subscribe to the YouTube channel: 50 Best Restaurants TV Visit the website: About The World's 50 Best Restaurants Since 2002, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has reflected the diversity of the world's culinary landscape. The annual list of the world's most prestigious restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for and a pioneer of global gastronomic trends. The 50 Best family also includes Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, North America's 50 Best Restaurants, The World's 50 Best Hotels, The World's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Bars, North America's 50 Best Bars, 50 Best Discovery and the #50BestTalks series, all of which are owned and run by William Reed. 50 Best aims to bring together communities across the hospitality sector to foster collaboration, inclusivity, diversity and discovery and help drive positive change. About the main sponsor: & Acqua and Acqua Panna are the main partners of The World's 50 Best Restaurants. and Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being. About the host region: Piedmont and TurinLocated in northwest Italy, Piedmont is a region surrounded by the Alps, rich in natural beauty, art and culture. A hub of ingenuity and creativity, it is the cradle of the Italian automobile industry and home to several 'Made in Italy' products and icons. Its vibrant capital, Turin, has evolved by blending its industrial heritage with research, technology, education and the arts. In 2014, it was awarded Creative City for Design. With its unique history and landscape of lakes, hills and mountains, Piedmont is a perfect year-round destination. Home to five UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Savoy Royal Residences, it is also a paradise for international gourmets, offering Alba white truffles, artisanal cheeses and 19 DOCG and 41 DOC wines, enjoyed in trattorias, cafés and renowned restaurants. Our partners: Visit Piemonte – Official Host Destination Partner & Acqua Panna – Main Partner & Official Water Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Restaurant 2025 American Express Resy – Official Credit Card and Booking Platform Partner; sponsor of Resy One To Watch Award Estrella Damm – Official Beer Partner; sponsor of Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award Gin Mare – Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award Woodford Reserve – Official American Whiskey Partner; sponsor of Woodford Reserve Icon Award Sosa – Official Ingredients Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Pastry Chef Award Aspire Lifestyles – Official Concierge Partner; sponsor of ceremonial scarves Parmigiano Reggiano – Official Cheese Partner; sponsor of the 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship Lee Kum Kee – Official Sauces and Condiments Partner; sponsor of the Highest Climber Award Dassai – Official Sake Partner Martini – Official Vermouth Partner Craft Irish Whiskey – Official Whiskey of the World Partner Tequila Ocho – Official Tequila Partner Cinco Jotas – Official Iberico Ham Partner Ancho Reyes – Official Chile Liqueur Partner Piemonte Land of Wine – Official Local Wine Partner Kaviari – Official Caviar Partner illycaffè – Official Coffee Partner Three Cents – Official Mixers Partner Berto's Chef Solutions – Official Kitchenware Partner Jaén Selección – Official Olive Oil Partner Photo - - Logo - View original content: SOURCE 50 Best Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Disfrutar Innovated To Become The World's Best Restaurant
Disfrutar awarded World's Best Restaurant in 2024, and their fried eggs with flavored, colored ... More centers Disfrutar, the restaurant from the partner team of Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, for the past year has reigned as the 'The Number One Restaurant in The World'. The award bestowed by 'The World's Best Restaurants' is chosen by 1,100 restaurant experts from around the world. That recognition was achieved that through hard work, tremendous creativity, iteration, challenging conventional notions about the entire restaurant experience, and constant questioning by every employee. The trio worked together for over 15 years at El Bulli, 5-time winner of the World's Best Restaurant Award, located near Roses on Catalonia magnificent Costa Brava. Disfrutar is a model of innovation for any business in any sector. The constant quest to be in the vanguard is a self-imposed pressure that ensures constant innovation and the search for new culinary concepts. I wrote about Disfrutar in Forbes in 2017, and it's been fascinating to follow how it rose to number 1 globally. Logos of Disfrutar and Compartir restaurants in Barcelona The trio's first restaurant, Compartir, which means to share, opened in Cadaques on the Costa Brava in 2012. The idea was to serve sharable plates of regional dishes prepared with modern techniques. Disfrutar opened in Barcelona in December 2014, extending the groundbreaking creativity and innovation of Ferran Adrià and El Bulli. Disfrutar's goal was first and foremost, to create a dining experience guests would enjoy, hence the name, which means to enjoy in Spanish. For the past 17 years, since reading the Harvard Business School Case El Bulli: A Taste of Innovation when it was written in 2008, and teaching it in MBA and Executive MBA programs ever since, I've been struck by how much businesses of all types can learn. What follows are Disfrutar's inspiring and instructive examples. The special "living table" at Disfrutar designed by Merche Alcalá. The Entire Organization Is Empowered To Innovate Beyond the exceptional food and artistic presentations Disfrutar and Compartir are known for, every detail of the experience has created opportunities to excel. Each department (cook, service, wait staff, creativity, design, media & comms, human resources, admin, consulting, student collaborators, and its design agencies) are empowered to constantly innovate. A prime example is the special 'Living Table' - a dining table conceived by the design studio Merche Alcalá with 40 compartments that open from the top, to reveal beautiful plant arrangements and dishes. Chart with all the elements that go into an exceptional meal The diagram above, titled 'What's Behind the Menu', was created with input from Disfrutar team members and loyal customers and is a visual reminder of all the elements that go into creating an entire restaurant experience. It can be adopted and adapted by innovation teams in different industries. The graphic encourages teams to think more broadly about all the ways they can both innovate and that their products are perceived by end users. For Disfrutar, the elements include technique, creativity, emotions, memories, flavors, sensations, stimulation, knowledge, fun, and much more. Disfrutar's mission to constantly develop major new food, presentation, and experience concepts, requires an organizational mindset to always be on the hunt, and to look outside the food sector and Spain for unconventional ideas. Disfrutar collaborates with students from Barcelona's Massana and EINA Schools of Design, many of whom study jewelry design, for unique presentation vessels, cutlery, and serving utensils. Aside from the land and sea throughout Catalonia which are huge sources of inspiration, Oriol, Eduard and Mateu travel to countries including Japan, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, and Singapore to discover new ingredients, cooking techniques and equipment that have been used in a kitchen before in Spain. Once a month, the chef Oscar Albiñana shares new products he's found throughout the food industry. The Korean OCOO pressure double boiler being used to transform cauliflower in color and flavor Equipment traditionally used for one purpose can be applied to create new dishes like Disfrutar's Black Cauliflower that uses an OCOO pressure double boiler using the setting for 'aged eggs' (aka thousand-year-old eggs or century eggs). After many hours, the cauliflower develops balsamic flavor notes and a soft texture, yet maintains its original shape. The team iterated varying the number of hours the cauliflower cooked until the desired taste and appearance were achieved. Fried eggs with basil, tomato and squid ink flavored centers Always Asking Questions And Challenging The Status Quo The Disfrutar team constantly asks how things can be done differently. Ingredients are subjected to different cooking processes, and familiar processes are applied to atypical ingredients. Questions are asked like: - Why must an egg yolk only be yellow and contain only yolk? - Why can't a yolk be combined with other ingredients like pesto, tomato or squid ink and be red, green, or black? - Can a different round ingredient be fried on top of an egg white, besides a yolk? - How can a piece of equipment used for one preparation, be used to transform another ingredient? - Why must butter always be smooth, yellow, and solid? Why can't it be full of aerated bubbles that when cold, melt before your eyes at room temperature? - Why must cooked leeks be soft? Why can't they be stiff batons, that are crunchy and brittle and used for dipping? Different Types of Innovation Ten years ago I was inspired by the way the El Bulli team innovated to write my book, Catalyzing Innovation, that identifies 64 different ways companies can innovate strategically, with 1,100 cross-sector, global examples. Many of what I identified in the book as 'innovation lines of thinking' are used by the Disfrutar team. Fried donut filled with caviar and sour cream Both Disfrutar and Compartir serve a remarkable warm donut filled with cold caviar and sour cream. It's both indulgent, delicious, comforting, and familiar, and every bite is savored. Metallic looking egg yolks made with edible gold, silver and copper Disfrutar makes what look like egg yolks, and colors them with edible gold, silver, dark silver, and copper to create shiny, metallic looking orbs that ooze like a runny egg yolk when cut with a fork. Spheres of corn flavored purée encapsulated and fused to look like corn on the cob Analogizing is a favorite line of thinking for the Disfrutar team, like the example above that looks like corn on the cob. One of El Bulli's most famous food concepts was spherical olives. A sodium alginate membrane encapsulated an intense green olive purée that burst in your mouth with flavor. Disfrutar evolved the technique to create 'multi-spherification'. In this dish, individual small orbs with intensely flavored corn purée inside are placed in small molds where they adhere to each other like corn kernels on a cob. Freeze dried calçot, like leeks, that are transformed from soft to brittle sticks for dipping Braised leek-like calçot, a winter time favorite in Catalonia, are turned into crispy batons through freeze-drying. They're dipped in a unique variation of Catalonia's iconic romesco sauce. The calçot are 'plated' on newspaper, which is how they're typically served in the country-side during harvest season. Flavored, colored butter-like spreads with an aerated texture In place of typical, smooth butter to spread on bread, Disfrutar creates flavored, aerated, cylindrical shaped fats ranging from pistachio oil, to cocoa butter, and Iberico Ham fat that melt before your eyes at room temperature. It plays with texture, taste, mouthfeel, aroma, appearance, and emotions associated with butter. "Spherified" pea necklace surrounding squid Constant Iteration On Concepts And Scaling Them Once a major new concept is developed, like 'spherification', it can be applied in a number of different ways (similar to the way Apple might apply their iOS operating system to different device types). The 'spherification' concept has been applied to pea-size colored spheres, miniature caviar-like pearls, ravioli size, and egg yolk sizes as previously mentioned. Key Learnings There is so much to learn from Disfrutar. In some ways, it's easier to innovate with food compared to other industries because the costs and capital investment are not as prohibitive, and experimentation can be faster and more varied. Based on studying Oriol, Eduard and Mateu's methods, my advice to companies in virtually every sector, from automotive, to fashion, hotels, consumer package goods, and financial services is to: - Look to other sectors and countries beyond the obvious, to benchmark how analagous problems are dealt with - Empower the entire organization with a mindset of constant questioning and reinvention - Push your organization to explore different innovation lines of thinking vs. the usual, like making experiences more multi-sensory, varying materials, colors, shapes, product forms, distribution methods, presentation and merchandising, and business models - Give significant thought from the beginning of product development to how the innovations can be scaled and extended
