We were there: the presentation of the major awards at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

It was an incredible event in London last night: the announcement of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and the eventual winners in various categories. Chefs and entourages from all over the world waited in suspense, the sense of togetherness was strong, and the release of tension was possibly even greater. And you can imagine; at a chefs’ party of this calibre, the food and drinks are top-notch and seemingly endless. Naturally, we were more than happy to be there!

After a fairly nerve-racking countdown ceremony, during which all 50 restaurants and their chefs were briefly put in the spotlight in slickly produced videos, the winning restaurant was finally announced. The very best restaurant in the world this year, in a competition that one nominee I spoke to called “actually even more important than Michelin stars”, is: Geranium in Copenhagen!

Climbing hard

In between the countdowns, a number of important awards in various categories were presented. The restaurateur nominee I spoke to was not just any nominee, but the ‘Highest Climber’ compared to last year: Berlin restaurant Nobelhart & Schmutzig rose from 45th place last year to 17th this year! The award in this category was made possible by Villa Massa Limoncello, and that impressive rise of no fewer than 28 places certainly deserved a celebration. And yes, as far as we’re concerned, no party is complete without a limoncello spritz (or two)…

Greasy fingers are allowed—no, encouraged

FavorFlav attended the ceremony as a guest of Villa Massa and, as you probably know: put us in a room with chefs and good drinks and we can keep going all night. After the celebratory ceremony, there was time to speak at length with owner and sommelier Billy Wagner, who runs the restaurant with chef Micha Schaefer. What is so special about their establishment in the trendy Kreuzberg district? They work exclusively with local ingredients, have built a close-knit community with their surroundings and want to work from a ‘noble heart’. Ideally, they want the table to be completely covered with empty serving dishes, empty wine bottles and stains on the tablecloth at the end of the evening, as proof that the guests have truly had a top night here. Hence: Schmutzig.

Moving winner

Geranium, meanwhile, was represented by chef Rasmus Kofoed and sommelier Søren Ledet, who were also shining like crazy. Kofoed gave a moving speech in which he mentioned how, as a teenager, he looked in the mirror and didn’t see someone he wanted to be. But just a few years later, he found himself in a space (namely, a restaurant kitchen) where the colours were brilliant and the flavours enchanting, and finally there was balance in his life. Well, that had me dabbing away tears, honestly—wow…

Rock stars

I could go on endlessly about the sky-high rock-star factor of this event (if you’re into food and restaurants, that is), how insanely good the after-party was and how endless the mojitos and smash burgers were, but take it from us: this is an awards ceremony and an occasion that makes food lovers see stars, and it is extremely beneficial to a restaurant’s profile. As Massimo Bottura and René Redzepi said last night: without winning the World’s 50 Best Award, their restaurants (Osteria Francescana and Noma, respectively) would never have become so famous worldwide. So: cheers to all the winners, and of course to the nominees too!

Also read:

• The simple yet surprising pasta pesto recipe from famous chef Massimo Bottura***
• 5 European top restaurants we want to eat at as soon as possible
• Always a hit: 50 of the best pizzas in Europe

Header image: World’s 50 Best Restaurants