How Singapore can claim its fine-dining crown by hosting World’s 50 Best Restaurants

Many Asian cities could lay claim to the region’s culinary crown, be it Hong Kong, Bangkok or Tokyo. So the announcement, last month, that Singapore has been chosen to host the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019 went down well in the city state. It will be the first time the prestigious event has been hosted in Asia.

The line-up of the World’s 50 Best is decided by a panel of 1,000 food and beverage industry experts from around the globe, which in 2019 will, for the first time, have an equal split of women and men.

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William Drew, group editor of World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says the decision to host the event in Singapore was based on several factors, including location, history, and events infrastructure – and, just as importantly, its thriving and diverse dining scene.

“Food lovers from across the world will be very happy to come to Singapore, whether for the first time or returning,” he says.

Drew says Singapore was the undisputed choice to host the gastronomic event, despite other cities in the region, such as Tokyo and Bangkok, also having popular restaurants among the World’s 50 Best.

The cuisine served up at Singapore’s most celebrated restaurants range from artisanal contemporary French fare at Odette (No 28 on the list) and Western Australia-sourced meats at Burnt Ends (No 61 on the extended 100 Best list) to a twist on savoury and spicy Peranakan – Straits Chinese – classics at Candlenut (yet to make the list).