DON JULIO TAKES THE NO.1 SPOT IN THE LIST OF LATIN AMERICA'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS 2024

• Don Julio in Buenos Aires is named The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, reclaiming the No.1 spot for the first time since 2020
• The list showcases restaurants from 22 cities, including six new entries
• Buenos Aires maintained its position as the region's top culinary powerhouse with eight restaurants in the ranking, followed closely by Lima and São Paulo with seven restaurants each
• Colombian chef-restaurateur Harry Sasson wins the Woodford Reserve Icon Award for his contributions to the region's dining scene
• Camila Fiol wins Latin America's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by República del Cacao, for her work at Santiago's Fiol Dulcería and beyond
• Trescha in Buenos Aires receives the Highest New Entry Award, landing on the list at No.33
• The Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, goes to Rafael in Lima, which jumps 27 positions to No.19
• By a vote of his fellow chefs, Sergio Díaz of Guatemala City's Sublime is honoured with the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The culinary community descended on Rio de Janeiro for the second year in a row to attend the unveiling of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2024, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Presented at the iconic Museu Histórico Nacional on Tuesday, 26 November, the 12^th edition of the annual ranking celebrates the richness and diversity of the region's gastronomic offerings, featuring restaurants from 22 cities, based on the expert opinions of 300 industry insiders.

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

Don Julio in Buenos Aires claims the top spot this year, winning The Best Restaurant in Latin America and The Best Restaurant in Argentina 2024, accolades that it previously collected in 2020. Climbing to the No.1 position from last year's No.3 ranking, the Argentinian parrilla has won global recognition for its classic steaks, extensive wine list and legendary hospitality. This gastronomic landmark is led by high-profile restaurateur and sommelier Pablo Rivero, who is admired by professionals across Latin America and around the world. His expertise has earned him the prestigious title of the Beronia World's Best Sommelier at The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards.

William Drew, Director of Content for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are delighted to recognise Don Julio as The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2024. Our sincerest congratulations to Pablo Rivero and the team at Don Julio, a truly special place that brings Argentine cuisine to the forefront internationally. We congratulate all the establishments recognised in this year's Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list and reaffirm our commitment to positioning Latin American cuisine among the most esteemed in the world. We look forward to witnessing the ongoing growth and success of these remarkable restaurants in the years to come."

Buenos Aires maintains its prime position in the gastronomic landscape this year with eight restaurants on the 1-50 list, the same number as in 2023, closely followed by Lima and São Paulo with seven restaurants each. Brazil's most populous city, São Paulo, grows its tally of ranked restaurants compared to last year, with Tuju (No.16) reappearing for the first time since 2021, when it landed on the 51-100 list, and Kotori (No.50) making its debut in the 1-50 list. Lima's Maido (No.2) earns the distinction of The Best Restaurant in Peru, while Bogotá's El Chato (No.3) is awarded The Best Restaurant in Colombia.

Other notable wins include Boragó (No.5) in Santiago, voted The Best Restaurant in Chile; Lasai (No.7) in Rio de Janeiro, awarded The Best Restaurant in Brazil and Quintonil (No.9) in Mexico City, awarded The Best Restaurant in Mexico. Additionally, Nuema (No.11) in Quito; Maito (No.14) in Panama City; Sikwa (No.25) in San José; and Gustu (No.38) in La Paz, are voted The Best Restaurant in Ecuador, The Best Restaurant in Panama, The Best Restaurant in Costa Rica and The Best Restaurant in Bolivia, respectively.

Reflecting the region's expanding panorama of culinary offerings, six restaurants appear on the list for the first time. Trescha in Buenos Aires makes its debut at No.33, earning it the Highest New Entry Award and reinforcing the city's status as a gastronomic powerhouse. Huniik in Mérida lands on the list at No.36, while Lo de Tere in Punta del Este enters the ranking at No.41, making it The Best Restaurant in Uruguay. Other new entrants include Manuel (No.42) in Barranquilla, Colombia and Cordero (No.44) in Caracas – awarded The Best Restaurant in Venezuela. Máximo Bistrot (No.43) in Mexico City and Aramburu (No.46) in Buenos Aires re-enter the list after previous recognitions in 2022.

Stefano Bolognese, Sanpellegrino International Business Unit Director, says: "As long-time main sponsors of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are proud to support this prestigious celebration of culinary excellence. This event highlights not only the finest dining experiences across the region but also the incredible talent and creativity that continue to shape Latin America's vibrant gastronomic scene. We applaud the passion and innovation of all the chefs and teams who have made their mark, and we look forward to seeing how their vision will inspire the future of the industry. Congratulations to the winner and to all, and keep pushing the boundaries of creativity to make the world a better place through food."

Seven special award announcements continued the celebration of culinary excellence at the ceremony for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2024. Harry Sasson, Colombia's renowned chef-restaurateur, wins the Woodford Reserve Icon Award for his exceptional contributions to the region's culinary landscape. A pioneer in Bogotá's evolving dining scene, Sasson heads up a network of establishments including his eponymous flagship restaurant, which offers a creative fusion of Latin American, Japanese and European flavours housed in a mock-Tudor mansion.

Latin America's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by República del Cacao, is presented to Camila Fiol, the mastermind behind Santiago confectionary store Fiol Dulcería. A former kitchen assistant under Rodolfo Guzmán at Boragó, Fiol progressed to the position of head pastry chef before leaving in 2012 to start her innovative sweets shop, where she serves up daring and experimental combinations.

Laura Hernández Espinosa takes home the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award, recognising the top Colombian wine professional for her achievements in serving and discovering beverages from indigenous communities. Espinosa serves as the head sommelier at Leo in Bogotá and the bar under the same roof, La Sala de Laura. She is also the executive director of Funleo, a foundation dedicated to restoring and promoting ancestral knowledge.

Earning the Highest New Entry Award, Trescha (No.33) is one of Buenos Aires' most exclusive restaurants, with only 10 seats and an experimental 14-course menu along with a cocktail terrace. Chef patron Tomás Treschanski serves up alluring combinations of global ingredients and influences. Rafael in Lima earns the Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, a special distinction recognising the multi-faceted restaurant's leap from No.46 in 2023 to No.19 this year, scaling 27 positions. Housed in an art-deco mansion, the restaurant, led by Rafael Osterling, mixes up Peruvian, Italian and Japanese flavours and ingredients.

Recognised with the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award, Sergio Díaz heads up Sublime in Guatemala City – named The Best Restaurant in Guatemala – which interprets the country's history through a 12-course tasting menu that spans centuries of ingredients and flavours, from pre-Columbian times to the present. Creative and passion-driven, Díaz was born into a family of restaurateurs in the Guatemalan highlands and has extensive experience as a corporate chef that informs his intensely professional approach to hospitality and food.

Lunario, a rooftop greenhouse eatery in Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe, wins the Sustainable Restaurant Award. Opened in 2019 and led by Sheyla Alvarado, the Baja restaurant's unique approach to sustainability takes inspiration from local agricultural traditions. Most of the ingredients on its six- or eight-course tasting menus are grown at sister farm Finca La Carrodilla, where everything is produced according to organic certification guidelines, while fresh seafood is brought in from the Pacific Ocean just 15 kilometres away.

During the awards evening, recipients of the previously announced special awards were also honoured, including Marsia Taha Mohamed as Latin America's Best Female Chef; Tuju (No.16) in São Paulo, winner of the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award; and Clara in Quito as the recipient of the American Express One To Watch Award.

The Voting Process

The 50 Best organisation's role in promoting restaurants and showcasing culinary talent remains vitally important, 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 2024.

The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy is comprised of 300 regional voting members, each of whom is hand-picked for their expert opinion of the Latin American restaurant scene. The votes of this Academy make up the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list. The Academy is divided into five regions: Mexico, Central America, South America (North), South America (South), and Brazil. Each region has voters made up of journalists, food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-travelled gourmets. Each member submitted 10 votes on what they considered their best dining experiences of the previous 18 months – at least four of those votes must go to restaurants outside their own country. To see more details on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants voting process, click here.

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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 host destination partner: Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is a global city, known around the world for its lush natural beauty and vibrant culture. In addition to the beaches, lakes, forests and mountains mixed up with the urban life, Rio has a pulsating gastronomic life, which is reflected in its aromas, textures and flavours, a unique way of life. From taverns to haute cuisine, from traditional feijoada to seafood, the city offers tourists and locals a diverse and creative cuisine, rich in local ingredients and plural influences. Renowned and award-winning chefs – Brazilian and foreign – delight the most demanding palates. And, even in the simplest places, there is always a door open to the street, a table on the sidewalk, a snack, an ice-cold beer, a caipirinha and the Carioca way of serving the most sophisticated happiness. From traditional Brazilian food, with its indigenous, African and European touches, to the contemporary and cosmopolitan fusion of Asian restaurants, Rio is a city open to foreigners, to the new. From vegetarian cuisine to the classic Brazilian barbecue, the city has open arms for everyone. From a kiosk by the sea to restaurants in the middle of the forest, high up in the mountains, Rio is a true gastronomic capital of Latin America. On the menu: the carioca soul and the flavour of a happy life.

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.

Our partners

• Rio de Janeiro City Hall – Official Host Destination Partner
• S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna – Main Partner & Official Water Partner; sponsor of The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2024
• Gin Mare – Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award
• Woodford Reserve – Official American Whiskey Partner; sponsor of Woodford Reserve Icon Award
• American Express Resy – Official Credit Card and Booking Platform Partner; sponsor of American Express One To Watch Award
• Beronia – Official Wine Partner; sponsor of Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award
• Estrella Damm – Official Beer Partner; sponsor of Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award
• República del Cacao – Official Chocolate Partner; sponsor of Latin America's Best Pastry Chef Award
• Aspire Lifestyles – Official Concierge Partner
• Lee Kum Kee – Official Sauces & Condiments Partner; sponsor of Highest Climber Award
• Copacabana Palace Hotel – Official Host Hotel Partner
• Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana Hotel – Official Hotel Partner

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PDF: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2565803/1_50_the_List.pdf
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