India claims two spots on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026. Check out the full list

The world’s best restaurant this year is not in New York or Paris.It is set in a peaceful valley in the Basque Country surrounded by mountains. Called Asador Etxebarri, chef Victor Arguinzoniz’s restaurant prioritises ingredients with a wood-fire cooking menu. Two Indian restaurants make it to the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list for the first time, Masque in Mumbai and Naar in Kasauli. Cities like Santiago, Skillinge, Cartagena, Quito and Hangzhou find representation on the list, indicating a shift in the sphere of culinary influence, where the next big thing is not haute cuisine, but real food.Fire cooking in the valleyVictor Arguinzoniz grew up in the valley of Atxondo, just down the road from where his restaurant is today. Watching his mother and grandmother cook on the hearth inspired his rustic cooking style. The grilled dishes include charred beef chop, anchovies on toast, red Palamós prawn, house-made chorizo and seasonal delicacies like baby eels and sea cucumber with green beans. The chef has been a regular on the list for more than a decade now, and finally grabbed the number one spot this year. Victor Arguinzoniz, the chef behind the world’s best restaurant Asador Etxebarri India on the listComing in at number 26, is a new entry on the list Mumbai-based Masque. Founded in 2016 by Aditi Dugar and headed by chef Varun Totlani, the menu here spans 10 courses of seasonal dishes such as duck kebab sausage with roomali and fresh herbs, or lobster with Goan chorizo. It draws from the wealth of India’s ingredients— chillies from Kashmir, sausages from Goa and sea buckthorn from Ladakh.Naar in the hills of Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh by chef Prateek Sadhu makes a debut at number 49. A 90-minute drive from Chandigarh, the restaurant is a journey worth taking. Taking its name from the Kashmiri word for fire, the menu has many dishes cooked on open flames. Himalayan cooking traditions shine in dishes such as askalu (a doughnut-like pancake filled with smoked yak’s cheese, pickled chilli and orange marmalade), gahat (horse gram) ka paratha served with a duck pickle, and a pine nut ice cream, with pine oil and fermented pine syrup. “I keep finding new things — ingredients, stories, cooking techniques. And have come to strongly believe there’s no singular category such as ‘Indian’ food at all,” he told The Hindu in an earlier interview.Another Indian chef taking the top spot at number 2 on the list is the formidable Gaggan Anand for his restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok. The menu has Indian, French and Thai influences. “I’ve done some outrageous things, and I always get them right,” the chef once told us, and he continues to prove it right. Trèsind Studio, an Indian restaurant in Dubai is on 28th spot. The Michelin-starred restaurant is helmed by Chef Himanshu Saini. The Masque team The 2026 list makes one thing clear. It is time for humble, rustic, ingredient-driven food, with stories to tell. More than showmanship and flashy theatrics, chefs are taking a step back and looking into what makes diners connect with the food. The arrival of Indian chefs on the global stage points to a new curiosity into the hyper local and hyper regional produce of India. It is an exciting time for the industry, and we are waiting to see what comes next.Here is the full list of 50 Best Restaurants 2026:1. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo2. Gaggan, Bangkok (Read more here)3. Alchemist, Copenhagen (Read more here)4. Quintonil, Mexico City5. Wing, Hong Kong6. The Chairman, Hong Kong7. Kjolle, Lima8. Kadeau, Copenhagen9. Diverxo, Madrid10. Plénitude, Paris11. Atomix, New York12. Sorn, Bangkok13. Mérito, Lima14. Sühring, Bangkok15. Odette, Singapore (Read more here)16. Tuju, São Paulo17. Mingles. Seoul18. Nusara, Bangkok19. Jan, Munich20. Piazza Duomo, Alba21. Meet the Bund, Shanghai22. Boragó, Santiago23. Vyn, Skillinge24. Al Gatto Verde, Modena25. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro26. Masque, Mumbai (Read more here)27. Reale, Castel di Sangro28. Trèsind Studio, Dubai (Read more here)29. Enigma, Barcelona30. Steirereck, Vienna31. Celele, Cartagena32. Potong, Bangkok33. Elkano, Getaria34. Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes35. La Colombe, Cape Town36. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou37. Nuema, Quito38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico39. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau40. Jordnær, Copenhagen41. Onjium, Seoul42. Bozar, Brussels43. Le Calandre, Rubano44. Don Julio, Buenos Aires45. Mayta, Lima46. El Chato, Bogotá47. Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo48. Ikoyi, London49. Naar, Kasauli50. Saint Peter, Sydney