Seven Spanish restaurants in World's 50 Best

This year's World's 50 Best Restaurants – featured annually in the British magazine Restaurant – includes seven in Spain, with four of them having dropped several places in the ranking.

Commonly known as the Oscars of the culinary world and the biggest foodies' prizegiving on earth, the awards were presented this week at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao.

El Celler de Can Roca (first picture) has crept up to number two from its third place in 2017, ahead of France's Mirazur but still not yet a match for Massimo Bottura's world-beating premises in Modena.

Fourth this year is previous winner Eleven Madison Park in New York, run by chef Daniel Humm, who also took the Best Restaurant in North America prize.

Thailand's Gaggan Restaurant came fifth and two in Perú – Central and Maido – came sixth and seventh respectively, followed by Restaurant Arpège in France at number eight.

In total, Spain has three restaurants in the top 10 – the Asador Etxebarri rotisserie in Axpe in the Basque province of Vizcaya, the capital of which is Bilbao, only just making it after dropping from number four in 2017, whilst San Sebastián's Mugaritz sits at number nine, the same as last year.

Barcelona's Restaurante Disfrutar shot up to number 18 this year, having failed to make the 50 best in 2017, albeit still within the top 100, whilst Arzak in San Sebastián fell one slot from number 31 a year ago to 32, which is now occupied by Tickets, in Barcelona, having fallen from 25^th a year ago.

Eneko Atxa's eatery Azurmendi in the Vizcaya-province town of Larrabetzu plummeted from 38 to 43 this year, the fourth Basque Country restaurant in the World's Best 50.

Another six have made it into the top 100 this year – Madrid-based DiverXo, having fallen out of the ranking altogether in 2017, is back again for 2018 at world number 96, just behind Enigma at number 95.

Number 76 and 77 respectively are occupied by Martín Berasategi's bespoke eatery (second picture) and Restaurante Elkano.

Celebrity chef Quique Dacosta – whose plush eponymous premises in Dénia, Alicante province featured briefly on Gordon Ramsay's Costa del Nightmares as a 'training ground' for two British chefs in neighbouring Els Poblets – has fallen from number 61 to 68.

Previously called Restaurante El Poblet, Dacosta's élite eatery was once number one in Spain, and its owner's latest plan is to open an 'authentic' paella restaurant in London using traditional Valencian recipes, in answer to his and other Spaniards' lifelong lamentations about 'not being able to get a decent paella' outside their home country.

Just missing an award in the World's Best 50 this year, Bilbao's Nerua restaurant comes in at number 57, giving Spain a total of 13 in the top 100.