La Liste

La Liste is a global restaurant ranking system established in 2015 under the initiative of French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius. It analyzes hundreds of guidebooks and millions of online reviews from around the world to select the 1,000 best restaurants each year.

It was established under the leadership of the French government, specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to the perception that the UK-founded The World's 50 Best Restaurants (월드 베스트 50 레스토랑) [article] undervalued the authority of French cuisine. This initially led to criticism that it was designed to favor French restaurants, but it has since established an independent position by incorporating a broad range of data from around the world.

1. Selection Algorithm

• Data collection: It compiles information from more than 1,000 sources, ranging from professional guides such as the Michelin Guide (미쉐린 가이드) [article], Gault & Millau, and Zagat to reviews on social media.

• Reliability ratings: Chefs are surveyed about the reliability of each source, and weights are assigned accordingly. (Example: Michelin stars are given a high weight.)

• Standardization: All collected scores are converted to a 100-point scale.

• Final calculation: The algorithm ranks restaurants in increments of 0.25 points to finalize the "La Liste 1,000."

2. Key Features

• OP 1,000: The top 1,000 restaurants are announced each year, and those at the very top, usually with scores of 99.50 or higher, may share first place.

• Special Awards: Special awards are presented in various categories, including best chef, sustainability, and innovation.

• Digital accessibility: Its own app provides information on more than 20,000 carefully selected restaurants worldwide.