Restaurant News

Attica has dropped out of The World’s 50 Best restaurants shortlist

And there’s disappointing news for Brae too.

By Yvonne C Lam
Attica's Ben Shewry.
For the first time since it appeared on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Attica has dropped out of the top 50 rankings.
The international awards places Attica at number 84 on the longlist, meaning the Melbourne restaurant falls 64 places from last year's all-time high of number 20.
It's mixed news for Brae in regional Victoria, too. The judging panel named Dan Hunter's Birregurra restaurant as "one of Australia's most worthwhile food destinations", but it dropped from last year's 58th place to 101st. (This year, the longlist has expanded from 100 entries to 120.)
The Ledbury in London, the contemporary British restaurant led by Newcastle native Brett Graham, slipped from number 42 to 64.
It's not all bad news for Australian chefs. Singapore's woodfired restaurant Burnt Ends, led by Perth-born Dave Pynt, has climbed two spots to number 59. And Sydney restaurant Quay – last spotted at 98th spot in 2016 before a multimillion-dollar renovation last year – has not appeared on the 2019 extended list, sparking speculation that it may crack the top 50.
It's a year of change for The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Over the years, the awards have faced criticism for a lack of diversity in its rankings, which skewed heavily towards European restaurants, and kitchens led by male chefs. This year, it's introducing a system where former winners are no longer eligible for the number-one spot. The contentious "world's best female chef" award, however, still remains (this year it was awarded to Daniella Soto-Innes of New York restaurants Atla and Cosme).
Notably, it's the final time that Swedish restaurant Faviken will appear on the list. In May, chef Magnuss Nilsson announced he was closing his groundbreaking restaurant at the end of the year.
The top 50 restaurants will be revealed at an awards ceremony on 25 June in Singapore.
Explore the longlist here.
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