For a decade, Mirazur has inched its way slowly up the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, victory just out of reach—but at Tuesday’s ceremony in Singapore, their long wait was finally over.
The sunny Provencal restaurant beat out culinary darling Noma to clinch the title of the best restaurant in the world. Chef-owner Mauro Colagreco graciously accepted the award, which was draped with a banner combining the flags of his native Argentina, along with those of France, Brazil, and Italy.
Colagreco, who famously became the first ever non-French chef to earn three Michelin stars in France this year, said: “We need to love one another and share and go further than borders and barriers.”
A constellation of culinary stars and jet-setting gastronomers descended on the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands last night in anticipation of the list’s full reveal. This year’s awards are also notable in that the voting panel of over 1000 experts had, for the first time, equal gender representation.
A new hall of fame was also introduced. Dubbed ‘Best of the Best’, all previous no. 1 winners of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards will be entered into the category, making them ineligible for ranking in the next year’s list.
Elsewhere on the 2019 list, Bangkok’s Gaggan was the only Asian restaurant to break through the Top 10, while Singapore’s own Odette catapulted up to no 18, shooting up ten spots from last year.
Restaurants that didn’t make the Top 10 had plenty to celebrate, too. Switzerland’s Schloss Schauenstein—which rounded off the list at no. 50—nabbed this year’s Sustainable Restaurant Award, earning itself the highest marks ever in the category.
At 28, Mexico’s Daniela Soto-Innes became the youngest to win the World’s Best Female Chef award.
Serial restauranteur and founder of World Central Kitchen José Andrés also won the inaugural American Express Icon Award, which recognises his exceptional humanitarian efforts in disaster-hit areas.
Hosts also took some time out of the ceremony to pay tribute to the late Anthony Bourdain, who would’ve turned 63 just the day before.
June 25 was also unofficially dubbed “Tony Bourdain Day”, which the late personality’s friends encouraged people to celebrate by doing the things Bourdain himself loved best: travelling, eating good food, and drinking beer.