Asador Etxebarri Takes No.1 as Asia Claims 15 Places at The 50 Best Restaurants 2026

Asador Etxebarri has reached the summit of The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, bringing the top honour to Victor Arguinzoniz's wood-fired kitchen in Spain's Basque Country. Announced at Teatro Municipal de Lima on 4 November, the ranking places Bangkok's Gaggan at No.2 and Copenhagen's Alchemist at No.3. Across Asia, including the Middle East, 15 restaurants earn a place in the top 50, with established names joined by newcomers from mainland China, India and South Korea.

The new No.1, Asador Etxebarri, succeeds Lima's Maido, which moves into the Best of the Best group reserved for former winners and becomes ineligible for subsequent annual rankings. This year's selection covers 28 territories across six continents, welcoming 11 new entries and five returning restaurants.

Bangkok accounts for five restaurants, led by Gaggan, which also receives The Best Restaurant in Asia title. Sorn follows at No.12, with Sühring at No.14, Nusara at No.18 and Potong at No.32. The city's representation accommodates markedly different expressions of hospitality, from southern Thai cooking and family histories to contemporary German cuisine and Gaggan's theatrical interpretation of Indian food. Bangkok's appeal has never depended on everyone cooking from the same script.

Hong Kong secures two positions in the top six, with Wing at No.5 and The Chairman at No.6. Both place Chinese cuisine prominently within the upper reaches of the ranking, while mainland China welcomes two newcomers. Shanghai's Meet the Bund enters at No.21, followed by Ru Yuan in Hangzhou at No.36, extending the geographical reach of Chinese restaurants within the global selection.

Odette represents Singapore at No.15, while Seoul claims two places through Mingles at No.17 and first-time entrant Onjium at No.41. India also welcomes two debuts, with Mumbai's Masque at No.26 and Naar in Kasauli at No.49. Together with Meet the Bund and Ru Yuan, these restaurants account for five of the year's 11 new entries.

In Dubai, Trèsind Studio places No.28 and receives The Best Restaurant in the Middle East title. Its recognition adds another chapter to Indian cuisine's presence in the ranking, alongside Gaggan, Masque and Naar. Although the awards distinguish the Middle East as a separate region, Dubai forms part of Asia's geographical representation, bringing the continent's total to 15 restaurants.

Naar also receives the Sustainable Restaurant Award, recognising a practice rooted in the Himalayan landscape. Its menu follows the mountain region's six seasons, with ingredients sourced regionally and preservation methods informed by local knowledge. The kitchen's use of scraps and traditional techniques, including hardwood ash to protect perishable foods, gives substance to an award that demands more than a well-worded sourcing statement.

Asia’s culinary influence also extends beyond the continent. Maido in Lima, Peru, led by chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, celebrates Nikkei cuisine through the relationship between Japanese heritage and Peruvian ingredients. Its entry into the Best of the Best group following its No.1 ranking in 2025 gives that cultural exchange a lasting place in the awards’ history. In New York, South Korean chef Junghyun Park’s Atomix ranks No.11 and receives The Best Restaurant in North America title, while Park wins the Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice Award, voted for by fellow chefs.

Thailand's Dej Kewkacha receives the Best Pastry Chef Award. A self-taught pâtissier, he has developed an approach to desserts that brings local flavours into fine-dining omakase courses. His recognition adds a specialist achievement to Thailand's substantial presence, directing attention towards the creativity and discipline of its pastry scene.

At Odette in Singapore, head sommelier Lesley Liu wins the Best Sommelier Award. Her recognition encompasses pairing expertise alongside a commitment to mentoring colleagues and supporting women in the wine industry. Following her Asia's Best Sommelier title earlier in 2026, the award brings further international attention to the talent shaping the restaurant's wine service.

Hong Kong's Doris Lam receives The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship, following her move from food journalism into professional cooking. The programme will take her to paid stages at The Fat Duck in Bray and Salsify at the Roundhouse in Cape Town, offering experience in two different kitchens. Among awards largely celebrating established careers, hers looks towards one still taking shape.

For all this recognition, Japan's absence from the top 50 is difficult to overlook. One of the world's great food destinations, with a culinary culture that has influenced kitchens far beyond its shores, has no restaurant in this year's selection. The omission is particularly conspicuous in a country where meticulous craftsmanship extends from the cultivation of ingredients to their preparation and service.

Japan's gastronomic depth begins long before the dining room. Farmers tending regional varieties, producers refining fermentation techniques and cooks working with a precise understanding of seasonality contribute to a food culture sustained through generations of knowledge. Agriculture and farming underpin this relationship, shaping the quality, character and availability of the ingredients on which its kitchens depend. The care devoted to growing rice, cultivating vegetables and maintaining regional food traditions is inseparable from the discipline celebrated at the restaurant counter.

UNESCO's recognition of washoku encompasses this wider culture of producing, processing, preparing and sharing food. It acknowledges a relationship between nature, knowledge and everyday practice that reaches beyond individual dishes. In that context, Japan's absence leaves a considerable part of the global culinary landscape outside the frame.

A selection of 50 restaurants will inevitably involve omissions. Even so, the lack of a single Japanese establishment raises a reasonable question about how fully this year's ranking reflects the breadth of international dining. The result offers no explanation for that absence, and the observation concerns the top 50 specifically. Japan's culinary standing remains considerable; its representation in this particular selection is another matter.

The ranking is compiled from the votes of more than 1,100 restaurant industry experts across 28 regions, with an equal gender balance and at least a quarter of the Academy refreshed annually. Deloitte independently adjudicates the voting process. Those votes deliver a substantial Asian presence this year, from Bangkok and Hong Kong to the Himalayan foothills and Dubai, while leaving Japan as one of the selection's most conspicuous unanswered questions.

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Article: Wariya Intreyonk

Photos: courtesy