Mugaritz and Arzak , around or in San Sebastian, Spain, confirmed their prestigious ranking in 2012, respectively as # 3 and #8 as per the World’s 50 best restaurants . San Sebastian is only a 20 minute drive from the trendy French towns most of my clients select as a home base for their vacation, ie ST Jean de Luz and Biarritz. No French restaurant made the top 10. That being said, on both sides of the border in the Basque country you will find plenty of options to choose from, from casual fares to 3 star Michelin restaurants. San Sebastian also has created the first university program focused on gastronomy. The availability and richness of local ingredients has enabled the Basque region to establish a strong reputation when it comes to eating well for many years. It has provided a fertile terrain for local chefs to express their personality and talent.
FOR INFO as appearing on the World’s 50 best restaurants web site:
Organised by Restaurant magazine, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of over 800 international restaurant industry experts. What constitutes “best” is left to the judgment of these trusted and well-travelled gourmets. The results are a simple computation of votes. Given that this well-constructed list is based on personal experiences it can never be definitive, but we believe it is a honourable survey of current tastes and a credible indicator of the best places to eat around the globe.