For the first time in history, an Italian restaurant has made it to the number one spot of The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, eclipsing even the shocking news of Rene Redzepi's Noma dropping out of the top 3 spots for the first time since 2009. 

Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, has been crowned the best restaurant in the world by the ranking system many in the food world see as one of the most important, even more so than the Michelin guide. The 20-year-old, 12-table restaurant of Chef Massimo Bottura pushed last year's champion El Celler de Can Roca of Spain to number 2 while New York's Eleven Madison Park clinched the number 3 spot. 

In fourth place is Peru's Central before we finally arrive at Noma at number 5. 

Before we give too much away, swipe through below as we discover the top 10 best restaurants this year -- we even went the distance and scored you some photos for each so you can have a peek into each establishment. 

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#10. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain

Meats and seafood grilled completely manual by the fire of multiple types of wood is the specialty here, seen to by Chef Victor Arguinzoniz who was born in this very village the restaurant now stands. They are served in an equally rustic but steep in charm stone house, nestled in a sleepy village serenaded by the chimes of churchbells and the odd bleat of farm animals. 

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#9. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria 

Quite the opposite of Asador Atxebarri, Steirereck presents itself in a super modern monolithic glass cube. On the inside, however, tradition flows aplenty from the history of the restaurant that has been handed down for generations to the cooking techniques that are deeply rooted in the Austrian landscape and its local produce.

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#8. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan

At number 8 is the Best Restaurant in Asia, Narisawa, by chef-owner Yoshihiro Narisawa who left home at age 19 and trained under some of Europe's best, including Joel Robuchon, before coming up with his own style of cuisine -- Innovative Satoyama. The result is a specialty of sustainable foods faithful to the environment and seasons.

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#7: Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain

A sense of play is the heartbeat here, from the mystery wine bottles to the very unconventional presentation of its food. A typical meal is made to be enjoyed long and slow as well, often stretching across 20 courses, each based on the elements of the mountain and the sea true to the green back country of Basque. 

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#6: Mirazur, Menton, France

The secret to the popularity to this French restaurant is the Italian-Argentinian influences of the chef-owner Mauro Colagreco, who cooks with produce from his own backyard supported by his own network of suppliers from the market of Ventimiglia. Plus, it is hard for the view to get any better, being situated on the French side of the Riviera, mere steps from the Italian border.

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#5. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark

This birthplace of modern Scandinavian cuisine that is sweeping the globe needs no introduction. It's easy to see why it got so popular so fast -- simple and unfussy Nordic food, obtained through naturalistic foraging and updated with contemporary cooking methods showcases flavours, ingredients and the art of cooking in a whole new light. 

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#4. Central, Lima, Peru

A meal here is like taking an adventure through Peru's ecosystem from the Amazon to the Pacific Coast since Chefs Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon like to start a menu with seafood and progressively proceed through ingredients found on higher elevations. Even water is not overlooked here, with Central using only its own filtered, ozonated, purified and bottled water.

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#3. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA

This Best Restaurant in North America 2016 seeks to break down the walls between kitchen and dining area, with chefs often customising bespoke meals for individual diners right in front of them. At first glance, the restaurant may appear grand and elaborate but on the inside, it is all about fun and food with the diners' comfort put first and foremost. 

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#2. El Celler de Can Roca, Ginora, Spain

 Three heads are better than one, as exemplified by brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca, who are also chef, sommelier and patissier respectively of the restaurant. As such, the restaurant is a winner on all three fronts, continuing its stellar reputation of serving up uncompromised modern freestyle cuisine despite losing its number one spot after owning it for two years. 

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#1. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy

Chef Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana was voted as 2016's Best Restaurant in the world by a panel of over 1,000 gastronomic experts for his daringness in experimenting with new ways to improve Italian culinary standards. That in itself is no easy feat given how protective the nation is of its food, but Chef Bottura does so with careful observation of the seasons.

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See the full list and discover more of the restaurants at the official World's 50 Best Restaurants website here.

(Photos: Respective restaurants) 

Closer to home, Gaggan is best restaurant in Asia for second consecutive year.