By Ann Abel

The restaurant world is stuffed with best-of lists. We don’t need another. What constitutes an amazing meal is different from person to person, night to night, so it’s a bit silly to pronounce one dining room (or 50) the best in the world.

I’ve had very few disappointments among restaurants on those lists, and more than a few meals that were worth a transatlantic flight. I think most of us who are willing to travel for food feel the same way. But the professional class of eaters is likely already onto the next thing. They’re unfurling their napkins in the Middle East, Latin America and even Scotland in search of culinary pleasures.

I asked several highly accomplished eaters about which restaurants they find most interesting—and undersung—right now. Maybe one will become the next Noma; maybe not. But for now, they provide a modicum of bragging rights and, most likely, a great amount of joy. These ten places are where these experts would send their friends in 2017.

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