El Celler de Can Roca has been named the finest place to dine on the planet at the restaurant industry's most prestigious awards, displacing famous Danish restaurant Noma, which won has won the accolade for the last three years. The winner, a family-run restaurant located in the Catalonian region of north-eastern Spain, describes itself as a "a freestyle restaurant committed to the avant garde". El Celler de Can Roca was opened in 1986 by brothers Joan and Josep Roca on a site adjoining their parents' bar. In 1997, two years after winning their first Michelin star, a third brother, Jordi, joined the restaurant as head pastry chef.
The awards are based on the votes off 900 chefs, food critics, restaurateurs and gastronomes from 26 regions around the world. Spain now has five restaurants in the top 50, beaten only by the US and France which both have six each. Three UK restaurants made the list, with Heston Blumenthal's 'Dinner' the highest placed of these. The molecular gastronomer's Fat Duck in Bray, however, fell somewhat in the rankings, falling 20 places to score just 33rd place.
