Lyle's in Shoreditch joins World's 50 Best elite

The restaurant is the only new UK entry on the list at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018, sponsored by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, announced last night (19 June) in Bilbao, Spain.

It takes the number of UK venues on the list to four, up from three last year.

The Shoreditch restaurant, from James Lowe and John Ogier, came in at number 38 on the list, making it the second highest placed restaurant in the UK.

The list was once again topped by Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, which knocked New York’s Eleven Madison Park off the number one spot. The Modena restaurant had previously been named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2016.

Last year's third placer and 2015 winner El Celler de Can Roca, took second place and France's Mirazur, ranked fourth last year, climbed one spot to third.

Bangkok's Gaggan was ranked at five on the list and Lima's Central at six.

A host of special awards were announced, including Clare Smyth, of Core by Clare Smyth in London, who was named Best Female Chef; Gaston Acurio of Astrid y Gastón in Lima, who won the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement; Cédric Grolet, of Le Meurice in Paris who won Best Pastry Chef; and SingleThread, a farm restaurant in Northern California, which won the Miele One to Watch award. 

The UK’s highest placed restaurant is The Clove Club, also in Shoreditch, which fell seven places on the list from number 26 to 33 this year. 

Regulars The Ledbury and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal also featured on the list again, with the former, headed up by Brett Graham, dropping from number 27 to number 42 and the latter, at the Mandarin Oriental, ranked at number45. 

Noma, usually a mainstay of the list, dropped off last year as restaurants that are closed are not eligible for inclusion. Its reopening was too late to allow it to be included on this year’s list. 

Launched in 2002, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from the votes of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, comprising over 1,000 international restaurant industry experts. The academy is split into 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own voting panel of 40 members including a chairperson to head it up.

This year’s award ceremony was held at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Spain.

The list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 in full:​

1. Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)​

2. El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)​

3. Mirazur (Menton, France)​

4. Eleven Madison Park (New York, US)​

5. Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand)​

6. Central (Lima, Peru)​

7. Maido (Lima, Peru)​

8. L’Arpege (Paris, France)​

9. Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)​

10. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)​

11. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)​

12. Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York, US)​

13. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)​

14. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)​

15. White Rabbit (Moscow, Russia)​

16. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)​

17. Den (Tokyo, Japan)​

18. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)​

19. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)​

20. Attica (Melbourne, Australia)​

21. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (Paris, France)​

22. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)​

23. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)​

24. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China)​

25. Cosme (New York City, USA)​

26. Le Bernardin (New York City, USA)​

27. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)​

28. Odette (Singapore)​

29. Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, France)​

30. D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)​

31. Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)​

32. Tickets (Barcelona, Spain)​

33. The Clove Club (London, UK)​

34. Alinea (Chicago, US)​

35. Maaemo (Oslo, Norway)​

36. Reale (Castel Di Sangro, Italy)​

37. Restaurant Tim Raue (Berlin, Germany)​

38. Lyle’s (London, UK)​

39. Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Peru)​

40. Septime (Paris, France)​

41. Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)​

42. The Ledbury (London, UK)​

43. Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)​

44. Mikla (Istanbul, Turkey)​

45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, UK)​

46. Saison (San Francisco, USA)​

47. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)​

48. Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)​

49. Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)​

50. The Test Kitchen (Cape Town, South Africa)​

Best Female Chef: Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth, London)​

Chef’s Choice Award: Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, New York)​

Best Pastry Chef: Cédric Grolet​

Lifetime Achievement Award: Gastón Acurio​

Art of Hospitality Award: Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)​

One to Watch: Single Thread (Healdsburg, California)​

BBVA Scholarship Winner: Jessie Liu (Taipei)​

Sustainable Restaurant Award: Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)​

Highest New Entry: Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)​

Highest Climber Award: Den (Tokyo, Japan)​