The First Half of the World's Best 2019 Restaurants Have Been Announced

The World's 50 Best has just unveiled its long list, ranking the best restaurants in the world from 51 to 120 (expanding, for the first time, beyond 100). And there are quite a few dramatic changes.

Melbourne's Attica — which was last year's top ranking Aussie restaurant at number 20 — has dropped 64 places, coming in at 84. Fellow Victorian Brae, which last year ranked 58, has this year missed out on the top 100, coming in at 101. The surprising changes don't seem to have just affected Australia's entries, either, with Eater noting that Thomas Keller's famed NY restaurant Per Se had dropped 35 places, down to 115 from last year's 81.

This could mean, in seemingly sad news for Australia, that no national restaurants will feature in the top 50. But, hope is not completely lost. Seeing as it hasn't made an appearance in the long list, the 50 could, possibly, feature Sydney fine-diner Quay. This year will be the first time the restaurant, which has previously featured in the top 100 list nine years in a row between 2009 and 2017, has been reviewed by the World's 50 Best since its extensive renovations in 2018.

Quay by Nikki To

While the World's 50 Best is exceedingly popular, it's not without controversy. The awards have copped much criticism for prioritising "expensive European-esque tasting-menu restaurants run by men", as stated by Eater, and for its separate 'Best Female Chef' award.

Famed chef Dominique Crenn, of the acclaimed Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, won the award in 2016 and has long been critical of the list's lack of diversity. Crenn slammed the female-specific award in an interview with the Washington Post, saying, "It's stupid. A chef is a chef." The late and great Anthony Bourdain also questioned the award's modern-day relevance — way back in 2013.

The World's 50 Best will be announced at a ceremony in Singapore next Tuesday, June 25. Get ready for some big changes here, too — this year, there will be an equal gender balance across the award's 1000-plus global voting panel for the first time. Plus, the awards have this year barred any former winners from being on the list, so there'll be no Eleven Madison Park nor Osteria Francescana.

You can check out the full list of the World's 50 Best top 50–120 restaurants here. The top 50 will be announced on Tuesday, June 25.

Top image: Attica