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Copenhagen’s Noma reclaims ranking as world’s No. 1 restaurant

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Danish restaurant Noma in Copenhagen is seen in this March 14, 2012 file photo. Noma reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Restaurant magazine's annual ranking of the world's 50 best restaurants while El Celler fell to No. 2.

Rene Redzepi’s daringly innovative Danish restaurant Noma has reclaimed the title of world’s top restaurant.

Noma — which has a meticulous focus on simple, indigenous ingredients such as snails, moss and cod liver — held the No. 1 spot onRestaurant magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s 50 best restaurants for three years before being bested in 2013 by avant-garde eatery El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain. During a ceremony Monday in London, Noma reclaimed the top spot while El Celler fell to No. 2.

Located on Copenhagen’s waterfront, Noma’s menu is almost obsessively defined by the Nordic landscape. Ingredients often are foraged nearby and the meals at the 45-seat restaurant — which holds two Michelin stars — are meant to viscerally connect diners to the land and sea. The restaurant opened in 2004 and gets thousands of reservation requests a day.

SAN PELLEGRINO WORLD’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS FOR 2014

Rank Restaurant Location
1. Noma Copenhagen, Denmark
2. El Celler de Can Roca Girona, Spain
3. Osteria Francescana Modena, Italy
4. Eleven Madison Park New York
5. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal London
6. Mugartiz San Sebastian, Spain
7. D.O.M. Sao Paulo, Brazil
8. Arzak San Sebastian, Spain
9. Alinea Chicago
10. The Ledbury London
11. Mirazur Menton, France
12. Vendome Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
13. Nahm Bangkok
14. Narisawa Tokyo
15. Central Lima, Peru
16. Steirereck Vienna
17. Gaggan Bangkok
18. Astrid y Gaston Lima, Peru
19. Faeviken Jaerpen, Sweden
20. Pujol Mexico City
21. Le Bernardin New York
22. Vila Joya Albufeira, Portugal
23. Restaurant Frantzen Stockholm
24. Amber Hong Kong
25. L’Arpege Paris
26. Azurmendi Larrabetzu, Spain
27. Le Chateaubriand Paris
28. Aqua Wolfsburg, Germany
29. De Librije Zwolle, Netherlands
30. Per Se New York
31. L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joel Robuchon Paris
32. Attica, Melbourne Australia
33. Nihonryori RyuGin Tokyo
34. Asador Etxebarri Atxondo, Spain
35. Martin Berasategui Lasarte-Oria, Spain
36. Mani Sao Paulo, Brazil
37. Restaurant Andre Singapore
38. L’Astrance Paris
39. Piazza Duomo Alba, Italy
40. Daniel New York
41. Quique Dacosta Denia, Spain
42. Geranium Copenhagen, Denmark
43. Schloss Schauenstein Fuerstenau, Switzerland
44. French Laundry Yountville, California
45. Hof Van Cleeve Kruishoutem, Belgium
46. Le Calandre Rubano, Italy
47. The Fat Duck Bray, UK
48. The Test Kitchen Cape Town, South Africa
49. Coi San Francisco
50. Waku Ghin Singapore

El Celler, which has been run by brothers Josep, Jordi and Joan Roca since 1986, also was ranked No. 2 in 2011 and 2012. The restaurant is known for blending traditional ingredients and innovative cooking techniques.

In third place is Modena, Italy’s Osteria Francescana, the same rank it held last year. The restaurant has placed in the top 10 restaurantssince 2010.

Seven U.S. restaurants made the list, two of them in the top 10 — Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park in New York was No. 4, up from 5th place last year; and Grant Achatz’ ultra-modernist Alinea placed at No. 9, up from 15th last year. Eric Ripert’s seafood-focused Le Bernardin in New York fell from 19th to 21st, while Daniel Boulud’s Daniel in New York slipped from 29th to 40th.

Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York fell from 11th to 30th, and his Yountville, Calif., restaurant The French Laundry, rose from No. 47 to No. 44. The French Laundry held the top spot in 2003 and 2004. Daniel Patterson’s Coi in San Francisco — which focuses on modern California cuisine — made it onto the list for the first time, placing at No. 49.

COMPLETE RANKINGS

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