The frustration of hearing ‘no reservations, just walk ins’ barrelling through the phone is one of the greatest pet peeves among modern diners. However, nothing throws an hour long wait at a nearby bar into perspective like being privy to the longest restaurant wait lists around the globe.

So here are the toughest restaurants to get into, which should ease your temper next time a waiter won’t take your booking, simply because they won’t take anyone else’s either.

Rao’s, NYC: Forever
www.raosrestaurants.com
Want to visit an Italian institution frequented by ‘The Godfather’? Great. Get in line. It’s long, and painfully slow and there is no guarantee the doors of Rao’s will open for you at the end. Unless you’re a Grammy winner or former President, then you’ve probably skipped the line and perched amongst friends at one of the 10 tables inside. Most are in fact ‘owned’ by the NYC elite who can use their table any night, or lend it to a friend/acquaintance/A-list celebrity.

Club 33, California: Probably Forever
www.disneylandclub33.com
Disneyland’s worst kept secret, Club 33, is a members-only restaurant where Walt Disney once entertained investors. Situated in New Orleans Square of Cali’s Disneyland, the venue has maintained its exclusivity ever since and a membership here will set you back more than US$25,000 (not to mention annual fees). However, money can’t buy you a seat at Club 33’s table – you need luck too. The restaurant currently isn’t bringing on members and only occasionally opens up its bank account for more. The last time was 2012. 800 people are now on the waitlist.

Damon Baehrel: Eight years +
www.damonbaehrel.com
If you’ve made a reservation before April 2014, you may manage to snag a seat at Damon Baehrel’s exclusive table before 2025. If you’ve attempted to book since then, forget it. Damon Baerel’s restaurant, housed in the basement of his New York home, is one of the most exclusive eateries in the concrete jungle with only 20 seats available. The organic 15 to 20 course meal prepared solely by the chef each night has brought Baerel fame so big, it’s shut down his inbox. Yes, reservations were only available by email and the chef once personally responded to every booking request. Sometimes years later, but better late than never.

Talula’s Table, Pennsylvania: One year
www.talulastable.com
The most unassuming of all restaurants on the list, Talula’s Table is a gourmet market and cafe based in Pennsylvania’s tiny Kennett Square. The cafe turns into a ‘farm to plate’ style restaurant by night and for $100 diners enjoy a ten course tasting menu. Don’t let the price fool you; you’ll need to wait 365 days to sit at Talula’s.

El Celler de Can Roca, Spain: 11 months
www.cellercanroca.com
Dinner is as easy as a few hundred dollars and 11 month wait at El Celler de Can Roca. A former World’s Best Restaurant (http://www.theworlds50best.com/) winner, the venue serves modern Catalan dishes and boasts a 60,000 bottle wine cellar. Run by three brothers, El Celler de Can Roca may be nestled in the small town of Girona (about an hour outside Barcelona) but its menu is globally sought. You’ll need to book online almost a year ahead and keep an eye out at the start of every month when reservation dates are released.

Noma, Copenhagen: Three months +
www.noma.dk
You know a restaurant is exclusive when the chef’s Twitter feed is stalked for dinner cancellations. And that’s exactly the case with Noma. Future diners have long kept a watchful eye over Rene Redzepi’s tweets, after the wait list became more than three months long. The Nordic restaurant topped the World’s Best Restaurant list three years in a row so it’s no surprise thousands are flocking to experience the tasting menu of more than two dozen dishes. Right now, the two-Michelin star restaurant is moving venues in Copenhagen but Redzepi has opened pop-ups in Australia and Mexico in the meantime. For updates on Nomo 2.0, you know where to go.

N/Naka, Los Angeles: Three months
www.n-naka.com
Another chef has fallen victim to the success of Chef’s Table. Since appearing on the Netflix hit, Niki Nakayama’s Japanese restaurant has a bulging waitlist. N/Naka serves 13 courses of modern kaiseki cuisine which will set you back a few hundred dollars with drinks. The popular LA restaurant takes reservations every Sunday; just make sure you’re booking for next quarter.

Suki Yabashi, Tokyo: One to two months
www.sushi-jiro.jp
Age brings wisdom and in Jiro Ono’s case, excellent sushi. The 91-year-old sushi chef’s Tokyo restaurant has two Michelin stars and only 10 seats (one which Obama sat on) so it’s no wonder the venue is booked out at least one month in advance. Ono takes bookings on the first of every month, so if you’re eager to try the 20-course omakase menu get on the phone and prepare to be put on hold.