Here Are The World's 50 Best Restaurants For 2016

Culinary luminaries from across the globe gathered Monday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City for the announcement of the World's 50 Best Restaurants for 2016. It's the first time in the prestigious list's 15-year history that the annual accolades took place somewhere other than London. Next year, organizers will be taking the splashy ceremony to Melbourne, Australia.

This year's highest honor belongs to Italy, however, as Osteria Francescana in Modena became the first Italian restaurant to take the top spot. (Check out our interview with its innovative chef, Massimo Bottura.) The prior no. 1, Spain's El Celler de Can Roca, dropped to no. 2.

Sitting pretty at no. 3 this year is New York City's Eleven Madison Park, up two places from no. 5. Peru's Central held steady in fourth place, while last year's runner-up, Copenhagen's Noma, fell to fifth.

Other U.S. restaurants making big moves: NYC's Estela made its first appearance on the list, at no. 44, while San Francisco's Saison debuted all the way up at no. 27. Meanwhile, Chicago's Alinea, fresh off its James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, jumped 11 places to no. 15. It's not all rosy news for the Americans: Famed U.S. restaurants Per Se and the French Laundry both dropped out of the Top 50.

Here's the full list for 2016:

50. Septime, Paris, France

49. Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain

48. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, USA

47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland

46. Combal Zero, Rivilo, Italy

45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, England

44. Estela, New York, USA

43. Biko, Mexico City, Mexico

42. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China

41. Fäviken, Järpen, Sweden

40. Relae, Copenhagen, Denmark

39. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy

38. De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands

37. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand

36. Boragó, Santiago, Chile

35. Vendôme, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

34. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany

33. Attica, Melbourne, Australia

32. Restaurant André, Singapore

31. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo, Japan

30. Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Peru

29. Tickets, Barcelona, Spain

28. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark

27. Saison, San Francisco, USA

26. The Clove Club, London, UK

25. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico

24. Le Bernardin, New York, USA

23. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand

22. The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa

21. Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain

20. Amber, Hong Kong, China

19. L'Arpège, Paris, France

18. White Rabbit, Moscow, Russia

17. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy

16. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain

15. Alinea, Chicago, USA

14. The Ledbury, London, UK

13. Maido, Lima, Peru (highest climber)

12. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico

11. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil

10. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

9. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria

8. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan

7. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain

6. Mirazur, Menton, France

5. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

4. Central, Lima, Peru

3. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA

2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

1. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy