CENTRAL IN LIMA IS NAMED NO.1 AS THE LIST OF LATIN AMERICA'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS IS REVEALED FOR 2022

• Central in Lima reclaims its spot as The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The last time Central claimed the No.1 spot in the annual ranking was in 2016.
• The list highlights establishments from 21 destinations and introduces 10 restaurants to the ranking for the first time
• Buenos Aires and Lima lead the way each with eight restaurants each on the list followed by São Paulo with seven and Mexico City with five
• Restaurateur and sommelier Pablo Rivero of Don Julio in Buenos Aires becomes the first-ever recipient of the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award
• Ecuadorian Pía Salazar of Nuema in Quito is named Latin America's Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by República del Cacao
• Diacá in Guatemala City wins the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award
• Oteque in Rio de Janeiro takes home the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award
• Fauna in Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe is the recipient of the Highest New Entry Award after landing in the No.16 spot
• Maito in Panama City wins the Highest Climber Award, scaling 36 spots to No.6
• Jonatan Gómez Luna of Le Chique in Cancún is presented with the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award as voted by his fellow chefs

MÉRIDA, Mexico, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The stars of the culinary world descended on Mérida, Yucatán for the first full gathering of Latin America's gastronomic community since 2019, as the list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was unveiled. The ceremony celebrated the diversity and richness of the region's culinary landscape by recognising the excellence of establishments from 21 different destinations on the list before naming Lima's Central as The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2022 and The Best Restaurant in Peru.

For the full 1-50 list, please see the attached graphic or scroll to the bottom of this release.

Chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León's flagship restaurant, Central – an ode to Peru's unique landscapes, history and traditions – tops the annual vote for the first time since 2016. The accolade is presented one year after Central was named The Greatest Restaurant in Latin America 2013-2021 as part of the one-off, retrospective list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2021: Pasado y Futuro. Central is joined in the top three by Don Julio (No.2) in Buenos Aires as The Best Restaurant in Argentina and Maido (No.3) in Lima.

William Drew, Director of Content for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are thrilled to return to the region with the first regular list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants since 2020 and our first full gathering of the region's gastronomic community since 2019. The last three years have spurred significant change in the sector which has lent itself to an array of new restaurants and destinations being highlighted on the list for 2022. It is our honour once again to be able to celebrate the region's resilience and richness in gastronomy."

Stefano Bolognese, Sanpellegrino International Business Unit Director, says: "For the tenth consecutive year, S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna are sponsors of Latin America's most prestigious culinary awards programme: it's an honour for us to be part of tonight's celebrations. The Yucatán is home to one of the best gastronomy scenes and we are proud to play an active role in supporting the promotion of local restaurants and the showcasing of culinary talent, inspiring diners and food lovers to seek out the most exciting experiences."

Buenos Aires and Lima continue their reign as culinary meccas with eight restaurants on the list each. In addition to Don Julio at No.2, other notable additions in the Argentinian capital include new entry Julia (No.50) and Elena (No.40), which re-enters the list. São Paulo follows closely with seven entries, including A Casa do Porco (No.4), named The Best Restaurant in Brazil, and new entries Metzi (No.27), Charco (No.35) and Nelita (No.39). Mexico City secures five entries with Pujol (No.7) again being named The Best Restaurant in Mexico.

The diversity of the region takes centre stage in this edition with 10 restaurants added to the ranking for the first time. In addition to Buenos Aires' one and São Paulo's three new entries, debuting restaurants include Fauna (No.16) in Valle de Guadalupe; Villa Torél (No.18) in Ensenada; Arca (No.29) in Tulum; Sublime (No.31) and Diacá (No.47), both in Guatemala City; and Mesa Franca (No.49) in Bogotá.

Seven special awards were announced at the ceremony of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. The Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award is presented to Oteque in Rio de Janeiro – an intimate restaurant in which six large, round wooden tables look onto an open kitchen and fish tank. Diners can admire the chefs at work while observing their seafood not long before it is brought to the plate. 

Ecuadorian Pía Salazar of Nuema in Quito is named Latin America's Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by República del Cacao. At Nuema, Salazar crafts a variety of intricate desserts that express the biodiversity of Ecuador, including the long-standing favourite turrón, composed of wafers, rice pudding and nougat, served with salted and dehydrated crunchy peas, honey ice cream and apples.

Introduced as a new award for 2022, the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier title is awarded to Pablo Rivero, sommelier and owner of Don Julio in Buenos Aires, which was the winner of The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2020. Rivero's winery boasts more than 14,000 Argentine labels, displayed via empty bottles along the walls of Don Julio's 19^th century building interior, converting the rustic space into a welcoming wine sanctuary.

Fauna in Valle de Guadalupe is recognised as the recipient of the Highest New Entry Award with its rise to the No.16 spot after being named the winner of the One To Watch Award in 2020. Maito in Panama City wins the Highest Climber Award, rising 36 spots from the previous vote in 2020 to No.6.

Jonatan Gómez Luna of Le Chique in Cancún is presented with the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award, as voted by his fellow chefs, for his inspirational work in the hospitality sector. Gómez Luna's tasting menu explores the different tastes of Mexico using cutting-edge and molecular techniques to deconstruct and transform traditional dishes into new creations.

Diacá in Guatemala City receives the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award for its efforts to build networks between producers and restaurant kitchens, with respect for people and indigenous Guatemalan ingredients being at the heart of everything they do. This award is independently audited by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which rates establishments that self-nominate for the award based on a wide range of criteria, including environmental and social responsibility.

Recipients of the pre-announced special awards were also honoured throughout the evening. These include Manoella 'Manu' Buffara as Latin America's Best Female Chef; social gastronomy advocate Rafael Rincón as the winner of the Icon Award with Volvo; and La Paz restaurant Ancestral in Bolivia as the recipient of the American Express One To Watch Award.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants announced the inaugural list of restaurants ranked between 51^st and 100^th – a staple feature of The World's 50 Best Restaurants that made its debut in the Latin America region this year. The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, aims to shine a spotlight on the diverse culinary cultures of the region as 50 Best continues its mission to celebrate a greater number of hospitality establishments than ever before. For the complete list of restaurants, click here.

The Voting Process              

The 50 Best organisation's role in promoting restaurants and showcasing culinary talent remains more important than ever, continuing to support the hospitality sector by inspiring diners to seek out exciting gastronomic experiences. 50 Best works with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner to help protect the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022.

The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy is comprised of more than 300 regional voting members, each of whom is hand-picked for his or her expert opinion of the Latin American restaurant scene. The votes of this Academy make up the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, an annual barometer of taste. The Academy is divided into five regions: Mexico, Central America, South America (North), South America (South) and Brazil. Each region includes expert voters made up of journalists, food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-travelled gourmets. In 2022, each member submitted 10 votes for what they considered their best dining experiences of the previous 18 months – at least three of those votes went to restaurants outside their own country (Academy members unable to travel internationally voted only for seven restaurants in their own country). To see more details on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants voting process, click here.

EDITOR'S NOTES:

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About Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants

Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants was launched in 2013 to celebrate gastronomy across the region and to provide diners around the globe with local insight and culinary recommendations. The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list is created by the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Latin America, each selected for their expert opinion of Latin America's restaurant scene. The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list is published by William Reed, which also publishes The World's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2002; Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2013; and Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2022.

About the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Yucatán

Yucatan is rich in natural, cultural and heritage attractions, with 234 miles of beautiful white sand beaches lapped by emerald and turquoise waters. It boasts wide and varied wildlife, has archaeological sites of world relevance such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal, and is a mosaic where the living culture of the Mayans stands out and offers a vast and exquisite gastronomy. Walk the duality of traditional restaurants and venues offering the latest fusion options.

Yucatan's capital, Merida, is the only city in the world to be recognized twice as American Capital of Culture. Merida is also the only city in Mexico named one of the Top 10 of Best Cities in the World by Condé Nast Traveler in the category of large cities. For more information, visit yucatan.travel.

About the main sponsor: S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna

S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna are the main sponsors of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being.

Other partners

• Estrella Damm – Official Beer Partner; sponsor of Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award
• American Express Resy – Official Credit Card & Booking Platform Partner (Resy); sponsor of the American Express One To Watch Award
• República del Cacao – Official Chocolate Partner; sponsor of the Latin America's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by República del Cacao
• Gin Mare – Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Gin Mare Art Of Hospitality Award
• Beronia – Official Wine Partner; sponsor of the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award
• Flor de Caña – Official Rum Partner; sponsor of the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award
• Tequila Ocho – Official Tequila Partner
• Volvo Car Mexico – Official Car Partner; sponsor of the Icon Award with Volvo
• Hyatt Regency Merida – Official Hotel Partner

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