Dig in: "Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants Awarded"

Lima’s nowhere near ready to leave the culinary limelight. This week the city’s much-admired Astrid & Gastón restaurant claimed yet another accolade. Its newest title? Best restaurant in Latin America.

Astrid & Gastón joined six other Peruvian restaurants—all located in Lima—recognized in the inaugural list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. The list is Latin America’s regional version of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, a prestigious collection of dining establishments voted upon and published in Restaurant magazine since 2002.

Culinary gurus from across Latin America ascended on Peru’s capital where the event took place. This is the second time this year Lima has hosted an international award ceremony and walked away with the main prize. In July, the capital hosted the first ever Central and South America division of the respected World Travel Awards where it won the title of best culinary destination in Latin America for the second year in a row. In 2012, the global edition of World Travel Awards gave Peru a nod as “Best Culinary Destination” overall.

But the tasty titles don’t stop there. LIMA27, a relatively new restaurant in Lima’s district of San Isidro, is recognized as one of the 10 Best Destination Restaurants in the World in National Geographic’s upcoming edition of “The 10 Best of Everything” guide, to be published in 2014. This is in addition to acknowledgment from “Food and Travel Magazine Readers Awards,” an online voting session organized by the UK cuisine publication in which Peru earned “Best Restaurant of the Year” and “Best Destination of the Year.”

Astrid y Gaston itself has also already made news in the culinary world this year. In 2013’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Astrid y Gaston—now officially Latin America’s best restaurant—was the only Latin American establishment to rank in the top 15 and was noted as the year’s highest climber (moving from #35 to #14). The restaurant, led by Peru’s beloved chef Gaston Acurio and overseen in collaboration with Head Chef Diego Muñoz, debuted on the list in 2011.

Just how do eateries end up on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants? They’re voted in by those in the know: food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs, and highly regarded “foodies,” according to the official website. These 250 leaders in the Latin America culinary scene are equally divided by region: Mexico & Central America, including the Caribbean; South America (North); South America (South); and Brazil.

Each member votes for seven restaurants; three of these votes must be for restaurants outside the member’s home country. Any operating restaurant is eligible. Other main rules include: voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate within the previous 18 months; voters are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have a financial interest in; and nominations must be made for the restaurant, not for the restaurateur or the chef.

While Peru dominated the top 15, other countries had more ranking restaurants overall. Brazil is represented by 15 eateries, all but 1 located in Buenos Aires. Mexico has 10 restaurants that rank, divided among Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalupe, Ensenada, and Oaxaca. This is closely followed by Brazil which earned 9 spots on the 50 Best List with all but 3 in São Paulo. In Peru, all 7 restaurants are located in Lima. Other countries recognized include Colombia (4), Uruguay (2), Chile (2), and Venezuela (1).

2013 Top 10 Restaurants in Latin America:

1. Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Perú 2. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brasil 3. Pujol, México City, México 4. Central, Lima, Perú 5. Mani, São Paulo, Brasil 6. Biko, México City, México 7. Malabar, Lima, Perú 8. Boragó, Santiago, Chile 9. Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina 10. Roberta Sudbrack, Rio De Janeiro, Brasil

• Tegui,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #9

• La Cabrera,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #17

• Tomo 1,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #18

• Oviedo,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #27

• Chila,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #28

• Sucre,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #29

• Aramburu,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #31

• Pura Tierra,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #33

• Francis Mallmann 1884,

  Mendoza, Argentina

  - #37

• El Baqueano,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #39

• Unik,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #40

• Paraje Arévalo,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #44

• Casa Umare,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #45

• Hernán Gipponi Restaurante,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #49

• Elena,

  Buenos Aires, Argentina

  - #50

• Pujol,

  México City, México

  - #3

• Biko,

  México City, México

  - #6

• Pangea,

  Monterrey, México

  - #12

• Quintonil,

  México City, México

  - #21

• Merotoro,

  México City, México

  - #26

• Corazón de Tierra,

  Valle de Guadalupe, México

  - #30

• Casa Oaxaca Hotel,

  Oaxaca, México

  - #34

• Sud 777,

  México City, México

  - #36

• Pitiona,

  Oaxaca, México

  - #43

• Laja,

  Ensenada, México

  - #46

• D.O.M.,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #2

• Mani,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #5

• Roberta Sudbrack,

  Rio De Janeiro, Brasil

  - #10

• Mocotó,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #16

• Fasano,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #23

• Attimo,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #32

• Olympe,

  Rio De Janeiro, Brasil

  - #35

• Remanso do Bosque,

  Belém, Brasil

  - #38

• Epice,

  São Paulo, Brasil

  - #41

• Astrid y Gastón,

  Lima, Perú

    - #1

• Central,

  Lima, Perú

  - #4

• Malabar,

  Lima, Perú

  - #7

• Maido,

  Lima, Perú

  - #11

• Rafael,

  Lima, Perú

  - #13

• Fiesta,

  Lima, Perú

   - #14

• La Mar,

  Lima, Perú

  - #15

Colombia

• Criterión,

  Bogotá, Colombia

  - #19

• Harry Sasson,

  Bogotá, Colombia

  - #22

• Andrés Carne de Res,

  Chia, Colombi

  a - #24

• El Cielo

  Bogotá, Colombia

  - #47

Uruguay

• Parador La Huella,

  José Ignacio, Uruguay

  - #20

• La Bourgogne,

  Punta del Este, Uruguay

  - #42

Chile

• Boragó,

  Santiago, Chile

  - #8

• Osaka,

  Santiago, Chile

  - #48

Venezuela

• Alto,

  Caracas, Venezuela

  - #24

1. Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Perú 2. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brasil 3. Pujol, México City, México 4. Central, Lima, Perú 5. Mani, São Paulo, Brasil 6. Biko, México City, México 7. Malabar, Lima, Perú 8. Boragó, Santiago, Chile 9. Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina 10. Roberta Sudbrack, Rio De Janeiro, Brasil 11. Maido, Lima, Perú 12. Pangea, Monterrey, México 13.Rafael, Lima, Perú 14. Fiesta, Lima, Perú 15. La Mar, Lima, Perú 16. Mocotó, São Paulo, Brasil 17. La Cabrera, Buenos Aires, Argentina 18. Tomo 1, Buenos Aires, Argentina 19. Criterión, Bogotá, Colombia 20. Parador La Huella, José Ignacio, Uruguay 21. Quintonil, México City, México 22. Harry Sasson, Bogotá, Colombia 23. Fasano, São Paulo, Brasil 24. Andrés Carne de Res, Chia, Colombia 25. Alto, Caracas, Venezuela 26. Merotoro, México City, México 27. Oviedo, Buenos Aires, Argentina 28. Chila, Buenos Aires, Argentina 29. Sucre, Buenos Aires, Argentina 30. Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe, México 31. Aramburu, Buenos Aires, Argentina 32. Attimo, São Paulo, Brasil 33. Pura Tierra, Buenos Aires, Argentina 34. Casa Oaxaca Hotel, Oaxaca, México 35. Olympe, Rio De Janeiro, Brasil 36. Sud 777, México City, México 37. Francis Mallmann 1884, Mendoza, Argentina 38. Remanso do Bosque, Belém, Brasil 39. El Baqueano, Buenos Aires, Argentina 40. Unik, Buenos Aires, Argentina 41. Epice, São Paulo, Brasil 42. La Bourgogne, Punta del Este, Uruguay 43. Pitiona, Oaxaca, México 44. Paraje Arévalo, Buenos Aires, Argentina 45. Casa Umare, Buenos Aires, Argentina 46. Laja, Ensenada, México 47. El Cielo, Bogotá, Colombia 48. Osaka, Santiago, Chile 49. Hernán Gipponi Restaurante, Buenos Aires, Argentina 50. Elena, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Photo credits: Photos from The World's 50 Best.