If you want to eat in the world's most popular restaurants, you'll have to leave Australia.
Proving once again that the best food in the world can be found in Spain, a Spanish restaurant has topped the list of the world's best restaurants, according to TripAdvisor's annual Traveller's Choice awards.
In a tiny little town just outside of San Sebastian in Spain called Lasarte, a three-star Michelin restaurant that is named after the chef, Martin Berasategui, has taken out the top position.
![A Martin Berasategui creation: Pan-fried and caramelised fresh cream egg yok-soaked French toast served with frozen cream.](/web/20161021134653im_/http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/6/i/i/f/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gs5wue.png/1476929574284.jpg)
It's the second year in a row the restaurant has won the title, which serves modern Spanish cuisine.
Here you can dine on "red mullet with edible scale crystals, fennel with saffron and liquid baby squid bonbon" or "young pigeon, charcoal roasted at a low temperature with potato and truffle bites and forgotten vegetables".
The second Spanish restaurant to make the top 10 list has been awarded three Michelin stars and is just a stone's throw a way in the nearby Spanish town of Larrabetzu.
At Azurmendi Gastonomico, dishes such as "egg from their hens, cooked inside out and truffled"; "sea urchin, emulsion, crispy bread and poultry juice" or "oxtail hamburger and milk bread".
Spots two and three on the list were reserved for the French; Maison Lameloise, in Chagny, France is fine-dining in the setting of a15th Century inn where you can eat nothing but the best fois gras, escargot and fromage frais. And at L'Auberge de I'lll, Illhaeusern, you can grab some take-away fois gras after nibbling on frogs legs for a mere 130 euro.
But the biggest surprise is the three English restaurants that feature in the mix. Adam's - ranked number nine on TripAdvisor's list - is a Michelin-star restaurant in Birmingham - one of five Michelin-starred restaurants in the English city, serving contemporary British cuisine in a fine-dining atmosphere.
It joins Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, with two Michelin stars, and at number six Waterside Inn, at Bray on Thames.
One restaurant from the US, one from Brazil and one from Italy completed the top 10. Chicago's Alinea, sixth on the list, promotes itself as combining 'food with science and art'. Here you can choose from a first floor gallery seating and be served a 'multi-sensory 16-to-18 course menu' combining 'fine dining with experimental moments' or you can head to the kitchen table for their 'highest dining impression' for $US385.
TripAdvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards are determined using an algorithm that takes into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.
Top 10 Travellers' Choice Restaurants in the World:
1. Martin Berasategui – Lasarte, Spain
2. Maison Lameloise – Chagny, France
3. L'Auberge de l'Ill – Illhaeusern, France
4. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons – Great Milton, England
5. Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890 – Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
6. Alinea – Chicago, Illinois
7. Waterside Inn -- Bray on Thames, England
8. Voila Bistrot – Paraty, Brazil
9. Adam's – Birmingham, England
10. Azurmendi Gastronomico – Larrabetzu, Spain
The top ten restaurants in Australia, according to TripAdvisor, have also been released. Controversially, the list does not include any restaurants from foodie haven Victoria.
Restaurant & Catering Industry Association (RCA) CEO John Hart commented: "It's great to see a platform like TripAdvisor recognising the value of the consumer in determining the best places to eat and dine. The awards reinforce positive consumer feedback which is great for lifting a business's profile and the morale of their staff – congratulations to all who made the list!"
Here's the list:
1. Muse Restaurant – Pokolbin, New South Wales
2. est. – Sydney, New South Wales
3. Restaurant Botanica – Pokolbin, New South Wales
4. Nobu Japanese Restaurant – Burswood, Perth
5. fermentAsian – Tanunda, South Australia
6. Spirit House – Yandina, Queensland
7. Spice Bar – Mooloolaba, Queensland
8. The Stunned Mullet – Port Macquarie, New South Wales
9. Courgette Restaurant – Canberra, ACT
10. Omeros Bros Seafood Restaurant – Main Beach, Gold Coast
See also: The 17 best places to eat in Asia named
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