The Restaurant That Was Hot in Gangnam Becomes the First Korean Restaurant in the World's Top 50

Seoul Gangnam's 'Mingles' Ranks 44th, First Ever Listing
Korean Chef Restaurant 'Atomix' in New York, USA Also Included

As the 'World's 50 Best Restaurants' (W50B) ranking of global restaurants was announced, a Korean restaurant made the list for the first time.

Mingles by Chef Kang Min-gu, the first in Korea to be selected for 'W50B'.
[Image source: Screenshot from the W50B website]

On the 16th (local time), CNN reported that at the '2024 World's 50 Best Restaurants' event held on the 6th in Las Vegas, USA, the Korean fine dining restaurant 'Mingles' located in Gangnam, Seoul, was ranked 44th among the world's best restaurants. Mingles is a Korean fine dining restaurant that has also been awarded two Michelin stars. The name Mingles means 'harmoniously blending different things,' and it presents creative dishes using traditional Korean cooking techniques. After the W50B announcement, Kang Min-gu, owner chef of Mingles, expressed on Instagram, "I am happy that a Korean restaurant has been named in the world's top 50 for the first time," adding, "I am especially pleased that Mingles received this meaningful award in its 10th anniversary year." He also stated, "We will continue to move forward without change, embracing steady challenges and not fearing transformation."

Chef Kang Min-gu (right) is delighted as 'Mingles' is selected for 'W50B'. [Image source=Social Networking Service (SNS) capture]

This year's W50B number one went to 'Disfrutar' located in Barcelona, Spain. This restaurant, which ranked second last year, is famous for its creative and unique dishes such as caviar-filled panettone donuts and kelp spaghetti. The second place was awarded to 'Asador Etxebarri' in Dantxarinea, Spain, and the third place went to 'Table by Bruno Verjus' in Paris, France. Additionally, Korean chef Park Jung-hyun's restaurant 'Atomix' in New York, USA, which ranked 8th last year, rose to 6th place this year. Three Japanese restaurants were selected: Seizan (15th), Floril?ge (21st), and Den (32nd), all located in Tokyo. Chef An Seong-jae's Mosu was ranked 86th on the 51?100 list released prior to the event.

W50B is regarded as one of the most prestigious culinary events in the world, alongside the Michelin Guide, which boasts over 120 years of history. W50B is hosted by the UK dining magazine 'Restaurant' and sponsored by the Italian sparkling water brands San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. It began in London, UK, in 2002, and each year, over 1,000 experts worldwide?including chefs, food journalists, and restaurateurs?vote to determine the rankings. The focus is particularly on identifying 'which cutting-edge restaurants are leading dining trends.' Notably, the W50B number one title can only be won once, after which the winner participates in W50B's separate program, 'Best of the Best.'