Japan has once again defended its status as a culinary mecca.
At the 2022 edition of the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards held in London on July 18, four restaurants in Japan cracked the top 50, and six made it into the top 100.
To the surprise of few, the highest placing of the Japanese contingent at No. 20 was Tokyo's Den, which was named Asia's best restaurant earlier this year. Florilege and its modern French cuisine earned it the No. 30 spot, followed by La Cime (Osaka's only awardee) at No. 41 and Narisawa at No. 45.
Outside of the top 50, two more Tokyo restaurants — Sazenka (No. 59) and Sezanne (No. 82) — completed the strong showing from Japanese chefs up and down the list.
Copenhagen's Geranium walked away with the top honors of the night, but of particular note for Japan-based gourmands is the Peruvian restaurant named second best in the entire world: Central. While the thought of flying to Lima just for a meal might not be the most appetizing, you might find the trip to Maz, Central chef-owner Virgilio Martinez's first restaurant in Japan located in downtown Tokyo, a much more palatable proposition.