The 2010 winner of the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants is Copenhagen’s Noma. Run by 32 year-old head chef Rene Redzepi.
The illustrious list is compiled by The World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy -- an 806-member panel of the globe's most venerated chefs, food critics, restaurateurs and gourmands.
"The list creates tremendous debate -- and it's meant to," according to the World's 50 Best release.
Eight of the restaurants crowned this year -- Alinea in Chicago, Illinois; Daniel, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, wd~50 and Eleven Madison Park in New York; and The French Laundry in Yountville, California -- are in the United States, this year's most honored country.
Of the remaining 42 top finishers, six are in France; Spain and Italy each have five. Here is the full list:
| Rank | Change | Restaurant | Region | Awards |
| 1 | Up 2 | Noma | Denmark | The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World, The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe |
| 2 | Down 1 | El Bulli | Spain | Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade |
| 3 | Down 1 | The Fat Duck | UK | The Chef's Choice sponsored by Electrolux |
| 4 | Up 1 | El Celler de Can Roca | Spain | |
| 5 | Down 1 | Mugaritz | Spain | |
| 6 | Up 7 | Osteria Francescana | Italy | |
| 7 | Up 3 | Alinea | USA | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In N.America |
| 8 | Up 33 | Daniel | USA | The Highest Climber sponsored by Cocoa Barry |
| 9 | Down 1 | Arzak | Spain | |
| 10 | Down 4 | Per Se | USA | |
| 11 | Up 29 | Le Chateaubriand | France | |
| 12 | Up 26 | La Colombe | South Africa | The Acqua Panna Best Restautant in South Africa |
| 13 | Down 4 | Pierre Gagnaire | France | |
| 14 | Up 2 | L'Hotel de Ville - Philippe Rochat | Switzerland | |
| 15 | — | Le Bernardin | USA | |
| 16 | Down 5 | L'Astrance | France | |
| 17 | up 9 | Hof Van Cleve | Belgium | |
| 18 | Up 6 | D.O.M. | Brazil | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America |
| 19 | Up 10 | Oud Sluis | Holland | |
| 20 | Up 29 | Le Calandre | Italy | |
| 21 | Up 9 | Steirereck | Austria | |
| 22 | Up 3 | Vendome | Germany | |
| 23 | Down 2 | Chez Dominique | Finland | |
| 24 | Down 4 | Les Creations de Narisawa | Japan | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia |
| 25 | Up 25 | Mathias Dahlgren | Sweden | |
| 26 | Up 5 | Momofuku Ssam Bar | USA | |
| 27 | Up 19 | Quay | Australia | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Australasia |
| 28 | Up 17 | Iggy's | Singapore | |
| 29 | Down 11 | L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon | France | |
| 30 | New Entry | Schloss Schauenstein | Switzerland | |
| 31 | 6 | Le Quartier Francais | South Africa | |
| 32 | Down 20 | The French Laundry | USA | |
| 33 | Down 4 | Martin Berasategui | Spain | |
| 34 | New Entry | Aqua | Germany | |
| 35 | Up 7 | Combal Zero | Italy | |
| 36 | Up 12 | Dal Pescatore | Italy | |
| 37 | New Entry | De Librije | Netherlands | |
| 38 | 21 | Tetsuya's | Australia | |
| 39 | New Entry | Jaan Par Andre | Singapore | |
| 40 | New Entry | Il Canto | Italy | |
| 41 | Re-Entry | Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athenee | France | |
| 42 | Down 10 | Oaxen Krog | Sweden | |
| 43 | Down 29 | St John | UK | |
| 44 | Re-Entry | La Maison Troisgros | France | |
| 45 | New Entry | wd~50 | USA | |
| 46 | New Entry | Biko | Mexico | |
| 47 | Down 24 | Die Schwarzwaldstube< | Germany | |
| 48 | New Entry | Nihonryori RyuGin | Japan | |
| 49 | New Entry | Hibiscus | UK | |
| 50 | New Entry | Eleven Madison Park | USA |
