The 10 best restaurants in Europe
They say there's no accounting for taste. Nevertheless, there are restaurants whose creations even make professional gourmands stop in their tracks. Recently the world's 50 best restaurants were chosen by a team of experts. We present the 10 best ones in Europe.
August 24, 2022
10: Elkano, Getaria/Spain
Chef: Aitor Arregui
Must try: Tasting menu "Taste of Biscany"
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €130
The master of playing with fire conjures up crispy delicious specialties from the grill. © Elkano
The master of playing with fire conjures up crispy delicious specialties from the grill. © Elkano
The list of the best restaurants in Europe starts with Basque chef Aitor Arregui's renowned locale. His menu focuses on seafood-inspired cuisine and includes lobster and perch, among other delicacies. The fact that he can swing a wooden spoon like no one else in this region isn't by chance: Arregui is the third generation in a family of chefs – and boasts a Michelin star to boot.
Herrerieta Kalea, 2, 20808 Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Spain, restauranteelkano.com
9: Reale, Castel di Sangro/Italy
Chef: Niko Romito
Must try: Grilled squid with pink grapefruit (€50)
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €170
Pigeon and pistacchio: Although plant-based dishes take center stage, the meat options are noteworthy as well. © Roberto Sammartini
Pigeon and pistacchio: Although plant-based dishes take center stage, the meat options are noteworthy as well. © Roberto Sammartini
The space is sparsely decorated. Almost as if Romito wanted to make sure that nothing would distract from his excellent compositions, which primarily focus on plant-based cuisine. And it tastes as spectacular as it looks. That ingredients like carrots, zucchini and cauliflower can taste so complex might surprise even the most seasoned of vegetarians. Meat-based options are also available à la carte.
Piazza del Mezzogiorno, 67031 Castel di Sangro AQ, Italy, nikoromito.com
8: Steirereck, Vienna/Austria
Chef: Heinz Reitbauer
Must try: Wiener schnitzel from milk-fed veal (€36)
Price: 7-course dinner menu without wine pairing €195
Roebuck with gooseberries, a variety of spinach and yacón. © Heinz Reitbauer
Roebuck with gooseberries, a variety of spinach and yacón. © Heinz Reitbauer
It's not only the legendary bread wagon with an extensive selection that delights guests: the modern interpretations of Austrian cuisine are the indisputable stars of the show. And they're not just variations on meat and schnitzel. Reitbauer also serves capuchin flowers with tiger nuts or celeriac with orange blossoms.
Am Heumarkt 2A, 1030 Vienna, Austria, steirereck.at
7: Uliassi, Senigallia/Italy
Chef: Mauro Uliassi
Must try: Spaghetti Affumicati, Brodetto all'Anconetana
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €240
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The Uliassi is considered the highest new entry on the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants this year. Located between the port and the beach of Senigallia, it's especially attractive for contemporary seafood connoisseurs. The restaurant has been around since 1990 and has three Michelin stars to its name. Why hasn't it been on the world's best list before? Perhaps local foodies were trying to keep it a secret and prevent it from being overrun by masses of tourists.
Banchina di Levante, 6, 60019 Senigallia AN, Italy, uliassi.com
6: Ristorante Le Calandre, Rubano/Italy
Chef: Massimiliano Alajmo
Must try: tasting menu "Classici"
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €260
Things that don't actually go together, come together here – like mozzarella and almonds, for example – and the results are oh, so good. © Le Calandre
Things that don't actually go together, come together here – like mozzarella and almonds, for example – and the results are oh, so good. © Le Calandre
Guests have the choice of three tasting menus and can also choose from 3, 4 or 5 courses. Our recommendation: The "Classici" tasting menu with 5 courses will hit the mark for lovers of Italian food. In addition to cannelloni with crispy ricotta, the menu also boasts risotto and hand-cut beef tartare. The other two menus, "Max" and "Raf," change seasonally. The restaurant is a member of Relais & Chateaux. It's also been awarded with three Michelin stars.
Via Liguria 1, località Sarmeola, Rubano, 35030, Italy, alajmo.it
5: Lido 84, Gardone/Italy
Chefs: Riccardo and Giancarlo Camanini
Must try: 9-course menu
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €130
Another iconic classic at Lido 84: risotto with black-fused garlic and berries. © Ludeart
Another iconic classic at Lido 84: risotto with black-fused garlic and berries. © Ludeart
It doesn't get more idyllic than this: the 5th spot on the list of the best restaurants in Europe goes to a special place in Italy. More precisely: Lake Garda. On its shores, the Camanini brothers serve Italian classics – their reinterpretation of classics, of course. Among them are, for example, an excellent parmigiana and torta di rose, made with fresh lemons from Lake Garda. For its outstanding fare, the restaurant brought a Michelin star home to bella Italia.
Corso Giuseppe Zanardelli, 196, 25083 Gardone Riviera BS, Italy, ristorantelido84.com
4: Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo/Spain
Chef: Victor Arguinzoniz
Must try: tasting menu
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €242
Grilled caviar? Why not! After all, playing with fire is Chef Arguinzoniz's supreme discipline. © Etxebarri / Mariano Herrera
Grilled caviar? Why not! After all, playing with fire is Chef Arguinzoniz's supreme discipline. © Etxebarri / Mariano Herrera
While guests sit on the terrace of Asador Etxebarri and watch the grazing cows pass by here in the Basque Country, Chef Arguinzoniz works his magic in the kitchen. He is known as a master griller – and it's not by chance. Arguinzoniz combines smoky flavors and grilled delicacies on his plates. These include homemade chorizo, fresh shrimp and buffalo cheese. There are no vegan or even vegetarian menus.
3: diverXO, Madrid/Spain
Chef: Dabis Muñoz
Must try: tasting menu "Cerdos Voladores" ("Flying Pigs")
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €365
Things tends to get a little crazy when Dabis Muñoz wields his wooden spoon. He sees it as a paintbrush that creates art on a canvas (or plates, in this case). © diverXO
Things tends to get a little crazy when Dabis Muñoz wields his wooden spoon. He sees it as a paintbrush that creates art on a canvas (or plates, in this case). © diverXO
The meals served by the team at the restaurant, dominated by shades of white, pink and red, are influenced by innovative Asian flavors. Cantonese sea noodles with eel stew and hare katsu sando (Japanese sandwich) are on the menu here.
NH Eurobuilding, C. del Padre Damián, 23, 28036 Madrid, Spain, diverxo.com
2: Disfrutar, Barcelona/Spain
Chefs: Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas, Eduard Xatruch
Must try: Classic tasting menu with the staples of the house
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €235
Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside: the panchino is filled with Beluga caviar. @ Francesc Guillamet
Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside: the panchino is filled with Beluga caviar. @ Francesc Guillamet
"Disfrutar" translates to "enjoy." And that's what the chefs of the Barcelona restaurant, which opened in 2014, specialize in. The cuisine is creative and very progressive, without sacrificing flavor. The restaurant's ambience is modern as well, with contemporary elements and flooded with light. In addition to being ranked the 2nd best restaurant in Europe, it has received 2 stars from the Michelin Guide.
C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain, disfrutarbarcelona.com
1: Geranium, Copenhagen/Denmark
Chef: Rasmus Kofoed
Must try: tasting menu
Price: Tasting menu without wine pairing €430
Juniper-flavored scallop with an Ingrid Marie reduction. © Claes Bech-Poulsen
Its location on the 8th floor of a building in Fælledparken already reveals what this place is all about: nature. Geranium is surrounded by the largest public green space in the Østerbro district. The menu is fixed, changes seasonally, and doesn't include meat. It's not only the best in Europe (and the world) according to the world's 50 best restaurants list – it also has three Michelin stars to its esteemed name.
Per Henrik Lings Allé 4, 8th Sal, 2100 København, Denmark, geranium.dk
