Lima’s Central is no longer just the world’s best Latin American restaurant, it’s the world’s best restaurant, period.
At least that’s according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, which awarded the Peruvian destination led by chefs Virgilio Martinez and Pía León the No. 1 spot on the 2023 list, curated by culinary media company William Reed.
(Gisella Benavides courtesy Central)
Central’s star has long been on the rise. Maxim spotlighted the restaurant tucked into Lima’s Barranco neighborhood in early 2022 before it went on to take that year’s top position on the World’s Best organization’s 50 Best Latin American Restaurants list and the No. 2 spot overall.
Central is known for using Peru’s indigenous ingredients, staying faithful to the region’s historic traditions and championing sustainability.
“Part of learning to understand Peru is that it is not seen as a seasonal issue, it is seen in a different way: Its agriculture is seen by its altitudes,” Martínez previously told Maxim of his view of mountainous country’s locally grown food.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list is determined by 1,080 international restaurant industry experts and well-traveled gourmets who make up a voting panel represented by 27 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairperson.
The organization claims that “no sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process.”
See all 50 restaurants that were honored above, and head to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants website to see various Individual Awards and picks for 51-100.