It’s easy to identify the world’s hottest restaurants: They come to your attention just as the possibility of ever snagging a seat in them begins to approach the likelihood of winning Mega Millions.
What’s harder is picking out the restaurants that are careening into that stratospheric position held by the globe’s top dining destinations. They’re tricky, but not impossible, to spot—if you know what to look for.
Seminal restaurants—such as Spain’s El Bulli (closed as of this July), Denmark’s Noma and Next, Chicago chef Grant Achatz’s new restaurant—share some key characteristics beyond their unbearably booked tables. Foremost, these are places that go beyond offering mere dining and make a mark on contemporary culture, redefining haute cuisine and demonstrating how artful and thought-provoking food can be. To find the next restaurant phenomenon, look for the concept that is a true departure from the past, not a mere personalization of an already existing idea.