Top 10 Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016

Diners Club International

The heart of Mexico City was alive with eager anticipation as some of Latin America’s best gastronomic chefs joined together for the culinary world’s annual Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards on 26th September 2016. The highly anticipated celebration was held at the innovative Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral venue designed by Mexican architect Gerardo Broissin.

The excitement around the awards continued to build as the announcement of the top 50 Latin American restaurants began, counting down from 50 to 1. For the third consecutive year, Central in Lima, Peru was crowned the winner as the No. 1 restaurant in Latin America. Central is the flagship restaurant of Peruvian Chefs Virgilio Martínez Véliz and Pía León. Lima-born Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura of Maido took the No. 2 restaurant title. With 9 Lima-based restaurants awarded during the 2016 ceremony, it proves that Lima truly is still the gastronomic capital of Latin America.

The Red Carpet at the Latin’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016

Additional award highlights included special awards to restaurants and Chefs that have made notable contributions in the world of gastronomy. A few of the specialty award categories included:

It was a special honor for Diners Club, alongside The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, to celebrate the 2016 Lifetime Achievement award winner, Chef Claude Troisgros of the acclaimed Olympe in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Chef Troisgros expressed his gratitude for the award, and said: “This recognition fuels my enthusiasm to continue creating dishes that appeal to both Brazilian and global palates. I am thankful to 50 Best and to Diners Club for their commitment to gastronomy and the support to all of us that have been in the gourmet scene for quite some time.”

Rounding out the Top 10, were: No. 3. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil; No.4 Boragó, Santiago, Chile; No.5 Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico; No.6 Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico; No.7 Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Peru; No.8 Maní, São Paulo, Brazil; No.9 Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina and No.10 Biko, Mexico City, Mexico. The 2016 list also includes two new countries, Paraguay and Panama.

To see the full list and the individual awards for all of the 2016 winners go to Latin’s 50 Best Restaurants. To start your own gastronomic exploration of this year’s winners, here are the signature dishes from the Top 10 — “¡Buen provecho!”

NO.1 Central, Lima, Peru

Ca. Santa Isabel 376, Miraflores, Lima, +51 1 242 8515
http://centralrestaurante.com.pe

Green-Highlands (Alturas-Verdes) | Central

* Checkout Diners Club® Privileges at Central

NO.2 Maido, Lima, Peru

San Martín 399, Miraflores, Lima, Peru, +51 1 446 2512
http://www.maido.pe/

Gindara fish | Maido

No.3 D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil

Rua Barão de Capanema 549, Jardins, São Paulo
+55 11 3088 0761
http://www.domrestaurante.com.br/

Tapioca biscuit & botarga | D.O.M. | Photo Credit: Rubens Kato

No.4 Boragó, Santiago, Chile

Av. Nueva Costanera 3467, Vitacura, Santiago
+56 2 2 953 8893
http://www.borago.cl/

Patagonian lamb à la inverse | Boragó

No.5 Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico

Calle Francisco Petrarca 254, Miguel Hidalgo, Polanco, 11570 Mexico City
+ 52 55 5545 3507
http://pujol.com.mx/

Barbacoa taco | Pujol | Photo Credit: Araceli Paz

No.6 Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico

Newton 55, Polanco, Mexico City,
+52 55 5280 2680
http://www.quintonil.com/

Mamey dessert | Quintonil

No.7 Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Peru

Av. Paz Soldán 290, San Isidro, Lima 27
+51 1 442 2775
http://www.astridygaston.com/

Lemon, basil, strawberry, hot pepper & wafers | Astrid y Gastón

No.8 Maní, São Paulo, Brazil

Rua Joaquim Antunes 210, Jardim Paulistano, São Paulo
+55 11 3085 4148
http://www.manimanioca.com.br/

Corn cones with tuna & avocado tartare | Maní

No.9 Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Costa Rica 5852, Palermo, Buenos Aires
+54 11 5291 3333
http://www.tegui.com.ar/

Hare loin with onion & salsify | Tegui | Photo Credit: Marcelo Setton

No.10 Biko, Mexico City, Mexico

Presidente Masaryk 407, Polanco, Mexico City
+52 55 5282 2064
http://www.biko.com.mx/

Colorin colorado | Biko

Be sure to check out some of #VivaLatAmDining photo booth GIFs from the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants event on our Diners Club Instagram channel.

@CosmeNYC enjoying the photo booth at @LatinAmericas50

Also, don’t forget to download the Diners Club Travel Tools App, which gives you on-the-go access to airport lounge locations. Let your journey begin and ignite your wanderlust for life. Explore. Embark. Belong.