Its official, the new list is out! We're thrilled to see some of our favorites jump the ranks or stay in a similar spot despite all the wonderful new entries this year.
First, let's talk about some notable changes in the rankings we noticed with this new release and yes, we are absolutely biased to restaurants we've already been to *hair flip* because they are getting the praise they deserve in our opinion.
Don Julio
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We are very excited for this reservation coming up in December as we've heard SO MUCH about Don Julio, but when we saw this jump our excitement tripled. This is now the second best restaurant in all LatAm!! Note to those thinking of eating here: book now! We booked our reservation back in the beginning of October and couldn't get in until mid-December. Stay tuned on our official review of this one, but we're pretty jacked.
A Casa do Porco
Sao Paulo, Brazil
While this wasn't on our immediate roadmap originally, we've definitely been influenced by how high this one has jumped in the rankings and how absolutely delightful that crispy pork looks. We'll definitely be making a trip to this one soon. This is classified as a BAR if you can believe it!
El Chato
Bogota, Colombia
Another one we hadn't paid much attention to on the 2021 list, but wow are we paying attention now! Way to go El Chato team! The dishes here are clearly elevated so we weren't surprised to see it jump the list, but we were surprised to find out Chef Alvaro Clavijo received an award for being one of the best chefs in the world of 2022. We don't think this is going to the last we'll see of this one, definitely one to keep an eye on in the future.
Kjolle
Lima, Peru
Yet another stunner out of Lima, Peru which we're never surprised to see, but the jump from 52 to 8 in the rankings certainly a surprise for any restaurant to accomplish. It seems they've stepped up in presentation which could be a huge factor, but we won't know for sure until we try it. This is definitely high on our list so stay tuned for our Peru trip where we'll be sure to stop here and see what made it jump so quickly.
Oteque
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A huge bump in the rankings to Chef Alberto Landgraf who studied German and Japanese cooking which may be why this restaurant just keeps jumping the ranks year after year. It's been a steady climb for Oteque, but we don't think they're done there. In fact Chef is opening a new restaurant in London in 2023 that will likely rank in the near future as well.
Evvai
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Brazil is certainly making its way up the list where we've previously seen more of Peru. This has made us deeply curious on how we could possibly visit all these restaurants in one trip. We might have to go back a few times to hit all these amazing spots, but the sheer numbers don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Diversity of styles seems to be the key here. with Chef Luiz Filipe Souza offering signature dishes such as the foie gras lollipop and smoked pumpkin bonbons. Definitely a must try when we make it to Brazil.
Fauna
Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Fauna deserves a special shoutout for many reasons, but getting added to the list for the first time and hitting 16th on the list has to be one of the biggest! That is certainly no easy feat. The mastermind chefs, Chef David Castro Hussong and pastry Chef Maribel Aldaco Silva were actually featured on the list of "Restaurants to watch in 2020" and for good reason it seems. This has jumped to the top of our list for Mexico and with more and more spots in Ensenada (close to Valle de Guadalupe) making the list this year, we can't wait to stay in this area.
Le Chique
Cancun, Mexico
A bit of an unsuspecting hero in Le Chique, with barely any online presence and a simple but beautiful location. Head chef Jonatan Gómez Luna is one of the few in the culinary world today who can say he has trained at three venues which have been named The World’s Best Restaurant. We're intrigued by Chefs style and flair for the dramatic in what we could discover about the restaurant at a distance. We'll certainly be visiting this one soon and report back. We anticipate this restaurant to jump the ranks again in 2023!
Alo's Bistro
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ok here's where the nepotism comes in a little bit. We're SO proud of Alo's for jumping the ranks the way that they have and want to draw particular attention to them because we don't think they're done yet. With Chef Clara providing the level of attention to their dishes and their customers we saw earlier this year we believe they will continue to jump ranks and we may even see them in single digits soon. We've had many a tasting menu between the two of us and we were stunned and blown away by each and every dish at Alo's. So much so, we'll be seeing them again over Thanksgiving break. #sorrynotsorry
Next up: we'll outline some restaurants that weren't featured last year, but promise to DELIVER this year. Stay tuned for more!