Danish vegetarian restaurant tops World's Best List again, no it's not Noma

Moscow's White Rabbit restaurant got the chop after it was supposed to host the 2022 awards. Photo / Supplied

Thomas Bywater

Writer and Multimedia Producer

For a country that lists pickled herring and dense, dark rye bread as delicacies - Denmark has been enjoying a culinary revolution.

For the second year in a row, the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards have crowned a Copenhagen diner as the best place to eat.

In the past 20 years, Copenhagen has gone from a Baltic backwater to the top of the food chain when it comes to eating out.

This year it is Geranium that gets top honours. Remarkable, not only for the close proximity to last year's winner, also because the restaurant is an entirely "meat-free zone."

Geranium features of 20-course vegetarian tasting menu, made of seasonal, foraged ingredients. Photo / Supplied

Head chef, Rasmus Kofoed made the decision that his restaurant would go entirely vegetarian this year. It hasn't hurt the menu or the appetites of diners. Geranium recently claimed its third Michelin star.

Although, small amounts of fish and seafood still make it onto the menu - including the smoked lumpfish caviar and rollmöpse - the ingredients are all seasonally foraged.

These are not cheap eats. To enjoy Kofoed's menu you will need plenty of money and time. There is no a-la-carte in this Copenhagener diner, only a seasonal 20-course tasting menu.

Geranium says diners must set aside a minimum of three hours and 3,200 DKK (around $700 NZ).

The World's Best Restaurant winners 2022. Photo / Supplied, 50 Best David Holbrook

This morning head chef Rasmus Kofoed said he was "still full of butterflies inside."
Having attended the 50 Best awards in London the cook was recovering from a heavy night of celebration.

Thanking his staff and the competition he said the award was proof "Copenhagen is the best food city in the world", he wrote to the restaurant's social media.

Just a bread roll's throw away from the well-established Noma restaurant, the famous foraging restaurant was crowned Best in 2021. While the awards rules dictate previous winners are no longer eligible, winning restaurants go on a 'Best of the Best' competition to see how they rank with previous entries.

50 Best Restaurants director William Drew announced the winner, thanking the crème de la crème of restaurateurs for attending the gala.

Carpaccio by best chef Tala Bashmi. Photo / Supplied

"Rasmus Kofoed, Søren Ledet and their team have created an unforgettable dining
experience, taking seasonal cooking to superlative heights and delivering precise, beautiful and elegant food that combines art and flavour alongside a ground-breaking drinks programme," he said.

South America was well represented with Brazil's Casa do Porco and Peru's Central Lima in the top 10.

In spite of the pomp and ceremony there were few further south than the equator, and no entries from either Australia or New Zealand.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 the White Rabbit Moscow. Photo / Supplied

In previous years Kiwi listings have included Hiakai in Wellington and Kika in Wanaka, however New Zealand restaurants were suspiciously absent.

Russian restaurants were also not on the list, including Moscow Restaurant White Rabbit, which was due to host the awards. The venue for the ceremony was changed earlier this year to London's Old Billingsgate market, following the invasion of Ukraine.

World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022

1. Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)
2. Central (Lima, Peru) *Best Restaurant in South America*
3. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain)
4. Diverxo (Madrid, Spain)
5. Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico) *Best Restaurant in North America*
6. Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
7. A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)
8. Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera, Italy)
9. Quintonil (Mexico City, Mexico)
10. Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)
11. Maido (Lima, Peru)
12. Uliassi (Senigallia, Italy)
13. Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)
14. Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
15. Reale (Castel di Sangro, Italy)
16. Elkano (Getaria, Spain)
17. Nobelhart & Schmutzig (Berlin, Germany)
18. Alchemist (Copenhagen, Denmark)
19. Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)
20. Den (Tokyo, Japan) *Best Restaurant in Asia*