Meat-free hotspot in top foodie city named world’s best restaurant

The restaurant is situated on the eighth floor of Denmark’s national football stadium

Rasmus Kofoed is the head chef of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Copenhagen (AFP via Getty Images)

Copenhagen is the home of the world’s best restaurant for the second year in a row.

Geranium, which serves a meat-free, seasonally based Scandi menu, took the top spot at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards on Monday night.

Based on the eighth floor of Denmark’s national football stadium, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant is open just four days a week in an effort by head chef Rasmus Kofoed and co-owner Søren Ledet to instill work-life balance.

“Rasmus Kofoed, Søren Ledet and their team have created an unforgettable dining experience, taking seasonal cooking to superlative heights and delivering precise, beautiful and elegant food that combines art and flavour alongside a ground-breaking drinks programme,” said William Drew, director of content for The World’s 50 Best Resturants.

“Geranium has cemented its status as a global culinary destination and a much-deserved winner of the coveted title, The World’s Best Restaurant 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna.

“It is also very exciting to recognise this diverse list of restaurants and see this vibrant culinary community coming together to celebrate in London.”

The lavish awards ceremony hosted by Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci took place in London’s Old Billingsgate, a Victorian building that was once the world’s largest fish market in the 19th century.

As per the awards rules, restaurants can only win the top prize once, after which they are entered into a separate “Best of the Best” programme.

Members of the prestigious group include Noma in Copenhagen, which topped the list last year, New York’s Eleven Madison Park, The Fat Duck in Berkshire, Osteria Francescana in Moderna, Italy, and Mirazur in Menton, France.

South American restaurants also did well on this year’s list – Central in Lima, Peru climbed two places to second place, while Maido, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant, placed at number 11. Brazil’s A Caso do Porco, a restaurant dedicated to all things porcine, rose 10 places to number seven.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from the votes of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Acadamy, made up of over 1,000 international restaurant industry experts.

The world’s top 10 restaurants 2022:

1. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)

2. Central (Lima, Peru)

3. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)

4. Diverxo (Madrid, Spain)

5. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)

6. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)

7. A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)

8. Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera, Italy)

9. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)

10. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)