Melbourne’s Gimlet is one of the top 100 restaurants in the world

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has announced the 51-100 list in the lead up to the main event on 18 July, with just one Australian dining destination making the cut.

Andrew McConnell’s Melbourne restaurant Gimlet at Cavendish House has secured the no.84 position, well and truly making its debut on the global stage.

“It’s an amazing honour to be included on the list and great validation of the incredible work the entire team at Gimlet has put in,” says McConnell.

“Cavendish House is a big part of the equation – the room is unique to Melbourne, and it has a sense of theatre and drama to it that’s fun and not too serious. To me it feels like an old-world moment with a contemporary edge.”

Gimlet opened its doors in Melbourne in 2020 and is part of the Trader House Group run by McConnell and his partner Jo McGann.

The restaurant was the first venue from Trader House to open in five years at the time, joining Cumulus Inc., Supernormal, Cutler & Co., the Builders Arms Hotel, Marion, Meatsmith and now Morning Market.

Gimlet revolves around an ethos anchored by nostalgia teamed with a modern approach to European cookery.

An example is the steak tartare, a team effort between Restaurant Manager Samy Mir-Beghin and Head Chef Colin Mainds.

Mir-Beghin and Mainds have long had an affinity for tableside tartare, with Mir-Beghin watching the dish being assembled during an after-work meal at Le Relais Plaza in Paris and Mainds sampling the dish at Brasserie Georges in Lyon as a young chef.

“Everyone is so surprised,” says Mir-Beghin. “The waiter briefs them, but when people see me bring the tray over, they are amazed. Having something like this happening in a busy restaurant is like a performance in a way.

“What we do is very close to what you’d get if you went to a bistro in Paris; the idea was to stay as close to the experience as possible and the tartare comes exactly how it should be – nothing is missing.”

The Ramos gin fizz is another example of the Gimlet experience; a notoriously difficult but rewarding cocktail masterfully created by Bar Manager Cameron Parish.

“The Ramos is such a great cocktail,” he says. “When it’s made right and you drop it down to a guest, you know you’ve won them over before they’ve even tried it. It’s a drink that should be made more often and enjoyed.”

The 51-100 list includes 20 new entries from 15 different cities, with 14 entries from Asia, 13 from Europe, 11 from North America, two from the Middle East, one from Oceania and seven from South America.

The top 50 restaurants will be announced during a live ceremony in London next month.

Full list below:

51	Alcalde	Guadalajara
52	Sud 777	Mexico City
53	D.O.M.	São Paulo
54	Lyle’s	London
55	Azurmendi	Larrabetzu
56	La Colombe	Cape Town
57	Trèsind Studio	Dubai
58	Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen	Paris
59	Sazenka	Tokyo
60	Rosetta	Mexico City
61	La Grenouillère	La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil
62	Ernst	Berlin
63	Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare	New York
64	Fu He Hui	Shanghai
65	Le Du	Bangkok
66	Sühring	Bangkok
67	Evvai	São Paulo
68	Kjolle	Lima
69	Cosme	New York
70	Zén	Singapore
71	Mingles	Seoul
72	Atelier Crenn	San Francisco
73	Kol	London
74	Blue Hill at Stone Barns	Pocantico Hills
75	Samrub Samrub Thai	Bangkok
76	Neighborhood	Hong Kong
77	Table by Bruno Verjus	Paris
78	Lasai	Rio de Janeiro
79	Estela	New York
80	AM par Alexandre Mazzia	Marseille
81	Brat	London
82	Sézanne	Tokyo
83	El Chato	Bogotá
84	Gimlet at Cavendish House	Melbourne
85	Raan Jay Fai	Bangkok
86	Mikla	Istanbul
87	Orfali Bros Bistro	Dubai
88	Mishiguene	Buenos Aires
89	Máximo Bistrot	Mexico City
90	Wolfgat	Paternoster
91	Oriole	Chicago
92	Indian Accent	New Delhi
93	Hertog Jan at Botanic Sanctuary	Antwerp
94	Burnt Ends	Singapore
95	Meta	Singapore
96	Maní	São Paulo
97	Benu	San Francisco
98	Tantris	Munich
99	Flocons de Sel	Megève
100	Wing	Hong Kong