The World Restaurant Awards were created by IMG in partnership with Joe Warwick and Andrea Petrini to celebrate restaurants as culture, considered in the same way as film, art and music. That means relevant/progressive categories judged with robust integrity by an expert panel in an attempt to better reflect the true range and diversity of the international restaurant scene: from fine dining innovators to humble, accessible establishments; major culinary capitals to more remote destinations.
The launch edition will take place in Paris, the birthplace of the restaurant in the western world, on February 18, 2019 and will be packaged for general consumption to a restaurant-hungry public that’s increasingly obsessed with eating, drinking and travel.
‘Expect The World Restaurant Awards to be conducted with complete integrity and make everyone think about the full gamut of the world’s great restaurants – old and new, from luxury destinations to humble institutions – and what makes them so special’ – Joe Warwick.
The judging panel is made up of a cosmopolitan, multicultural, globetrotting, gender-balanced panel of restaurant experts includes 37 different nationalities. Bringing together star chefs and restaurateurs; influential figures in old and new media; book publishers, filmmakers, food system scientists, activists and campaigners.
The judging panel has spent the last month whittling the 300-strong longlist of outstanding restaurants down to a final shortlist: a group of category-defining venues representing the 73 most exceptional eateries in the world. Making the shortlist, and representing the North East, is Riley’s Fish Shack with its simple seafood grill on the beach by King Edward’s Bay, Tynemouth, in the ‘Off Map Destination’ category which highlights off-the-beaten track gems that are worth the journey.
The awards are grouped into 18 categories – 12 ‘Big Plate’ and 6 ‘Small Plate’ awards.
The 12 ‘Big Plates’ categories for the inaugural edition of the awards were conceived to champion excellence and integrity while trying to better promote the diversity of the world’s restaurant community.
For new restaurants opened Sept 1, 2017 – Sept 30, 2018.
Considering restaurant service, acoustics and overall ambience.
Collaboration of the Year
Enduring Classic
Ethical Thinking
Event of the Year
Forward Drinking
House Special
No Reservations Required
Off-Map Destination
Original Thinking
Restaurant of the Year
The ‘Small Plates’ recognise contemporary cultural nuances by acknowledging the pivotal role social media now plays in the restaurant world while, with tongue firmly in cheek, attempting to subvert current gastronomic fashion and also make a point of championing tradition, both culinary and literary.
Instagram Account of the Year
Picked from the restaurant world’s social media platform of choice.
Long-Form Journalism
Because the world still needs in-depth restaurant writing.
Red-Wine Serving Restaurant
For those who shun current fashion by still championing the red grape.
Tattoo-Free Chef
For toque stars whose bodies aren’t canvases.
Trolley of the Year
For those that believe tableside service should always be in fashion.
Tweezer-Free Kitchen
Searching for a more hands-on style of plating.
Let’s see who the winners are at the award show in Paris at the Palais Brongniart on 18th February.
