How to Get a Table at the World’s Top 10 Restaurants

Following the unveiling of the top 10 restaurants across the globe, as dictated by the judging panel behind the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List — rankings that skew heavily towards expensive, elaborate tasting menus prepared almost solely by dudes, many look to the list to plan their upcoming travels. In order to snag some of these highly coveted tables, said planning must be done well in advance. Here’s how to book a reservation at each of the top 10, along with an estimation of how long diners will have to wait for the pricey privilege.

1) Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy): at least 3 and a half months

Reservations are currently completely booked up through the end of September. The restaurant began taking bookings via its website for November on August 1st, and December bookings began on September 1.

2) El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain): 11 months

Online reservations open up at midnight on the first day of each month for tables 11 months in the future. They’re typically booked solid, meaning on July 1 you might be able to snag a reservation for June 2017 — if you’re quick. All reservations must be guaranteed with a credit or debit card.

3) Eleven Madison Park (New York City): 2 to 3 weeks

EMP is one of the easier restaurants to book, as it uses OpenTable. The first available booking as of right now is on June 29, provided you’re willing to eat at 5:30 p.m.; otherwise, there are several available slots on July 5 (probably due to folks leaving town for the holiday).

4) Central (Lima, Peru): at least 2 months

Central advises booking at least 60 days in advance, and this is best done via its online booking system. The calendar appears to be fully booked through the end of August; reservations for September through December opened up on August 1. Lunch is considerably easier, with tables currently open as soon as mid-July.

5) Noma (Copenhagen): at least 3 months

Rene Redzépi’s hallowed New Nordic restaurant takes reservations three months ahead of time via its online booking system or phone, and it’s always booked solid. Hopeful diners wishing to snag a reservation for October began taking reservations on Monday, July 4 at 10 a.m. local time. Similarly, Noma began taking bookings for November on August 1. Hoping to get in sooner, and don’t mind paying a hefty pricetag for the privilege? Consider booking the upstairs private dining room; it can accommodate up to 16 people and offers the same menu as the main dining room. The minimum spend is DKK 25,000, or almost $4,000.

6) Mirazur (Menton, France): up to 1 year

Mirazur’s simple online booking system allows diners to book a table up to a year in advance. We were able to find exactly one reservation available on September 8, but literally every other day for the 12 months appears to be booked solid. Consider giving them a call to or sending an email to inquire about any openings.

7) Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain): 3 to 6 months

Mugaritz stands out for having one of the least transparent calendars on the list. The restaurant opened in April for its current season which runs through December 11, but there’s no way to see which dates might be available: Hopeful diners simply have to fill out a form with their desired date and time, cross their fingers, and hit send. According to experienced diners, expect to wait about three to six months for a table, depending on the time of year; it’s also possible to get lucky with a random opening provided you suddenly find yourself in northern Spain. (The restaurant is closed four months out of the year, which certainly narrows the field.)

8) Narisawa (Tokyo): 2 months minimum

Don’t speak or read Japanese? No worries, Narisawa has an online booking system in English that’s specifically intended for diners traveling from overseas. The system begins taking bookings at 11 a.m. local time on the first business day of the month for the following two months (that’s 10 p.m. EST).

9) Steirereck (Vienna, Austria): 1 month

Tables can be booked three months in advance using Steirereck’s streamlined, easy-to-use online booking system. For lunch, tables are available as soon as tomorrow; dinner requires a bit more advance planning, but there appeared to be plenty of open tables beginning in mid-July.

10) Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain): 1 to 3 months

This restaurant only accepts reservations via email, and it’s only open for dinner on Saturday nights. As the restaurant has risen in popularity over the past five years, reservations can take three months to secure depending on the size of the party. Lunch is considerably easier to snag than dinner as it’s served six days a week.

VIA: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016: The Full List of Winners [E]