JungHyun and JeongEun Park inside Atomix this past spring. Photo: Janice Chung
Big news for anyone who enjoys “gastronomic experiences”: The annual list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants was unveiled today at a ceremony in Valencia, Spain. The big winner was Central in Lima, followed by Barcelona’s Disfrutar and Diverxo in Madrid. (No, Grub Street has not eaten at any of them.) As has been the case since 2021, the U.S. was represented by just two restaurants, both from New York: Atomix and Le Bernardin, which came in at Nos. 8 and 44, respectively. (Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare and Cosme are featured further down on the longer list of 100 restaurants.) And, of course, Eleven Madison Park — a previous title holder — is forever part of the “best of the best” sublist, a Hall of Fame–style collection of the previous winners.
For JungHyun and JeongEun Park, the couple behind Atomix, the award comes just weeks after JungHyun, who goes by JP, was named New York’s top chef at the annual James Beard Awards. For Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert, the ongoing recognition from the World’s 50 Best voting committee is notable given the fact that their restaurant, Le Bernardin, is approaching its 40th year in business.
In the past, we’ve noted how silly this entire endeavor can feel — and how tone-deaf it seemed during the heyday of COVID — but this year it mostly felt predictable, with no big changes serving to disrupt the fine-dining world’s status quo.
