These Are the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America for 2024

Latin America has a new No. 1 restaurant—although it’ll be familiar to those who have followed the region’s rankings for the past few years.

Don Julio was just named the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’s top restaurant for 2024 in Latin America, the organization revealed on Tuesday. Led by restaurateur Pablo Rivero, the eatery previously claimed the top spot in 2020, although it had dropped down to No. 3 in the 2023 ranking. The restaurant is well known for its classic steaks and lengthy wine list, with Rivero also serving as the sommelier.

“We are delighted to recognise Don Julio as The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2024,” William Drew, the director of content for Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, said in a statement. “Our sincerest congratulations to Pablo Rivero and the team at Don Julio, a truly special place that brings Argentine cuisine to the forefront internationally. We congratulate all the establishments recognised in this year’s Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list and reaffirm our commitment to positioning Latin American cuisine among the most esteemed in the world. We look forward to witnessing the ongoing growth and success of these remarkable restaurants in the years to come.”

Coming in at No. 2 was Maido in Lima, a restaurant that has previously won the top spot several years in a row. The top five was rounded out by El Chato in Bogotá at No. 3, Kjolle in Lima at No. 4, and Boragó in Santiago at No. 5. In total, 22 different Latin American cities are represented on the list, including six new entries. The highest ranking of that group is Buenos Aires’s Trescha, which debuted at No. 33. With eight restaurants throughout the list, Buenos Aires is the most decorated city.

Elsewhere, the highest climber was Lima’s Rafael. With chef Rafael Osterling at the helm, the restaurant leaped 27 spots from last year, moving from No. 46 to No. 19. Rafael, which sits in an Art Deco mansion, has become lauded for its mix of Peruvian, Italian, and Japanese flavors.

This year’s ranking was voted on by 300 regional members, including chefs, restaurateurs, food critics, journalists, and more. In June, it’ll be revealed which spots show up on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, with the ceremony heading to Italy for the first time ever. It seems likely that we’ll see at least Don Julio pop up in that ranking, too.

Below is the list of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America for 2024.