The World's 50 Best Restaurants For 2026 have just been announced—With a Remote European Spot in First Place

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants have just been announced for 2026 as part of a prestigious awards ceremony in Lima on Wednesday, 5 November 2026.What is the World’s Best Restaurant in 2026?How are The World's 50 Best Restaurants chosen?What are the best restaurants on each continent according to The 50 Best Restaurants 2026?Which chefs and restaurants won individual awards during The 50 Best Restaurants 2026?Which restaurants placed 1-50 in 2026?Which restaurants placed 51-100 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026?The Best Restaurant in the World for 2026 is hidden away in sleepy Basque village, Axpe What is the World’s Best Restaurant in 2026?Climbing up from its number two spot in last year's list, this year’s winner is Asador Etxebarri in Spain's Atxondo.Basque wood-fired cooking is at the heart of this rustic fine-dining restaurant. Chef-owner Víctor Arguinzoniz (also known as Bittor Arginzoniz) is considered a pioneer of grilling and live-fire cooking. At Asador Etxebarri, every course of Bittor Arginzoniz's €300 (about $337) tasting menu touches the wood and charcoal grills—from Palamós red prawns to smoked milk ice cream.Hidden away in the sleepy mountain village of Axpe, about 45 minutes by car from Bilbao, foodies have been making the pilgrimage to try Arguinzoniz's signature grilled dishes since the restaurant opened in 1990. It's been an 18-year journey to the top, as Asador Etxebarri has been a mainstay on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list since 2008, starting at number 44.Once a restaurant gets the coveted number one trophy, it is ineligible for nomination in forthcoming years—with the intention of allowing other restaurants a chance to earn top billing. Top-placing restaurants are then inducted into a new list, called the Best of the Best. This list includes such legendary eateries as Chef Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain. Last year’s winner, Maido in Lima, Peru, is the most recent inductee to this prestigious list.How are The World's 50 Best Restaurants chosen?It’s tempting to imagine the enviable job held by a panel of judges that sample every restaurant in the world. But that’s not quite how the 50 Best works. Rather, the 50 is an international media company that taps the expertise of over a thousand hospitality experts from around the world to weigh in on the industry that they know best. Chefs, restaurateurs, food journalists and well-traveled gourmets all anonymously nominate restaurants that they have dined at within the last 18 months. Members can’t vote for a restaurant they have a financial interest in. Professional services consultancy Deloitte has access to the voting data to ensure the validity and fairness of the process.Because of the voting-style nature of the awards, a restaurant might fall off the list one year only to return later. This year, previous entries to the list such as The Ledbury—a fine-dining beauty in London, United Kingdom where chef Brett Graham marries British produce, Japanese flavours, and French culinary techniques—returns to the list in the number 83 spot. Similarly, Luxe Mosu in Seoul, South Korea—home to chef Sung Anh's elevated interpretations of traditional Korean fare—returns to the list at number 78.“Every year The 50 Best Restaurants list gives us a snapshot of where more than 1,100 individuals who live and breathe this industry have had their most memorable restaurant experiences over the previous 18 months," explains Rikki Tidball, managing director of awards and rankings for The 50. “And I think that’s what makes it so special. Each Academy member votes independently, so nobody at The 50 or any of our partners has a say in who makes the list and restaurants can’t nominate themselves. This means every restaurant on the list has genuinely earned it.”Gaggan in Bangkok climbed up to no. 2 after last year's no. 6 spot GagganWhat are the best restaurants on each continent according to The 50 Best Restaurants 2026?As always, the highest-ranking restaurants on each continent have been given a special mention during tonight's awards—and there are a few repeats from last year. Gaggan in Bangkok (this year's number 2) won the best restaurant in Asia again. Mexico City's Quintonil (no. 4) was the best restaurant in Latin America again, while New York City's Atomix (no. 11) was the best restaurant in North America. Dubai's Trèsind Studio (no. 28) was named the best restaurant in the Middle East for another year. The best restaurant in Africa was Cape Town's La Colombe (no. 35). Sydney's Saint Peter (no. 50) was the best restaurant in Oceania, while top spot Asador Etxebarri took the best restaurant in Europe award.Which chefs and restaurants won individual awards during The 50 Best Restaurants 2026?Every year, the panel awards special prizes to chefs, front-of-house staff, and activists who are leading the charge in hospitality. In 2026, the Best Female Chef Award went to Jessica Rosval, head chef of Al Gatto Verde. Bangkok’s Dej Kewkacha won Best Pastry Chef Award, Lesley Liu of Odette in Singapore won the Best Sommelier Award while the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award went to Junghyun ‘JP’ Park from Atomix in New York City. Doris Lam won The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship. Spanish chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli won the SevenRooms Icon Award.Restaurants given a special mention during the 2026 ceremony included Tuju in São Paulo, which earned the Highest New Entry Award. Copenhagen's Kadeau won the Highest Climber Award after soaring 33 places this year and Naar in Kasauli, India, won the Sustainable Restaurant Award.Which US restaurants made The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list?This year, only one US restaurant made the top 50: Atomix, in New York. It came in 11th place, rising one place from 2025, where it came in 12th.Which restaurants placed 1-50 in 2026?50. Saint Peter, Sydney49. Naar, Kasauli48. Ikoyi, London47. Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo46. El Chato, Bogotá45. Mayta, Lima44. Don Julio, Buenos Aires43. Le Calandre, Rubano42. Bozar, Brussels41. Onjium, Seoul40. Jordnær, Copenhagen39. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico37. Nuema, Quito36. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou35. La Colombe, Cape Town34. Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes33. Elkano, Getaria32. Potong, Bangkok31. Celele, Cartagena30. Steirereck, Vienna29. Enigma, Barcelona28. Trèsind Studio, Dubai27. Reale, Castel di Sangro26. Masque, Mumbai25. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro24. Al Gatto Verde, Modena23. Vyn, Skillinge22. Boragó, Santiago21. Meet the Bund, Shanghai20. Piazza Duomo, Alba19. Jan, Munich18. Nusara, Bangkok17. Mingles, Seoul16. Tuju, São Paulo15. Odette, Singapore14. Sühring, Bangkok13. Mérito, Lima12. Sorn, Bangkok11. Atomix, New York10. Plénitude, Paris9. Diverxo, Madrid8. Kadeau, Copenhagen7. Kjolle, Lima6. The Chairman, Hong Kong5. Wing, Hong Kong4. Quintonil, Mexico City3. Alchemist, Copenhagen2. Gaggan, Bangkok1. Asador Etxebarri, AtxondoInteriors at Ikoyi in London, the only British restaurant in this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants list Irina BoersmaWhich restaurants placed 51-100 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026?Prior to the awards ceremony when the top 50 restaurants were announced, The 50 released its extended list of restaurants ranked 51 to 100. A number of new restaurants made the list, including Khufu’s, where diners savour modern and classic Egyptian dishes crafted by executive chef Mostafa Seif, paired with staggering views of the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. Newcomer Lamdre in Beijing sees chef Dai Jun dreaming up plant-based dishes that dance between art and gastronomy, with a focus on native Chinese ingredients.100. Aponiente, El Puerto de Santa María, Spain99. Fauna, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico98. Labyrinth, Singapore, Singapore97. Khufu’s, Giza, Egypt96. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico95. Mil, Cusco, Peru94. Neolokal, Istanbul, Turkey93. SingleThread, Healdsburg, United States of America92. Lamdre, Beijing, China91. Den, Tokyo, Japan90. Baan Tepa, Bangkok, Thailand89. Burnt Ends, Singapore, Singapore88. FZN, Dubai, United Arab Emirates87. Arca, Tulum, Mexico86. Eliane, Brussels, Belgium85. Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany84. Le Doyenné, Saint-Vrain, France83. The Ledbury, London, United Kingdom82. Coda, Berlin, Germany81. Septime, Paris, France80. Txispa, Atxondo, Spain79. Huniik, Mérida, Mexico78. Mosu, Seoul, South Korea77. Caprice, Hong Kong, China76. Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany75. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal74. Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand73. Chef Tam’s Seasons, Macau, China72. Eatanic Garden, Seoul, South Korea71. Salsify at the Roundhouse, Cape Town, South Africa70. Kol, London, United Kingdom69. Cocina Hermanos Torres, Barcelona, Spain68. Evvai, São Paulo, Brazil67. Arpège, Paris, France66. Willem Hiele, Oudenburg, Belgium65. Fyn, Cape Town, South Africa64. Seroja, Singapore, Singapore63. The Jane, Antwerp, Belgium62. Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China61. Florilège, Tokyo, Japan60. Hiša Franko, Kobarid, Slovenia59. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan58. Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden57. Koan, Copenhagen, Denmark56. Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan55. Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico54. Nelita, São Paulo, Brazil53. Ling Long, Shanghai, China52. La Cime, Osaka, Japan51. Uliassi, Senigallia, ItalyWhich restaurants placed highest in 2025?Last year, Maido in Lima, Peru, took first place, followed by this year's winner, Asador Etxebarri in second place. Quintonil in Mexico City came third, DiverXO in Madrid fourth, and Alchemist, Copenhagen, came fifth.