A new list of the best 50 restaurants in the world was announced on Wednesday night at the Municipal Theater in Lima, Peru. The 50, the media company behind the rankings (formerly known as the World\u2019s 50 Best), has become a powerful force in global hospitality since its first list was published in 2002.<\/p>\n
Asador Etxebarri in the Basque region of Spain, where all the cooking has been done by the chef Victor Arguinzoniz since it opened in 1990, won the top spot. The tiny restaurant has been No. 2 for the last two years, and as the ceremony began, users on the prediction-market site Kalshi were giving it a 62 percent chance of claiming the title.<\/p>\n
Other results were more surprising. For the first time, only one American restaurant was in the top 50: Atomix in New York City rose from No. 12 to No. 11. Le Louis XV, the French chef Alain Ducasse\u2019s temple to luxury eating in Monaco, reappeared on the list for the first time since 2009, at No. 47.<\/p>\n
In this year\u2019s extended list, Single Thread in Healdsburg, Calif., the only other U.S. restaurant, held on at No. 93. Celebrated stalwarts like Le Bernardin, Atelier Crenn and C\u00e9sar all fell off. New additions included Khufu\u2019s in Giza, the first ranked restaurant from Egypt, and Arca, the first from Tulum, Mexico.<\/p>\n
In February, the 50 announced that Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, would be the host city for the 2026 ceremony. Although the Emirates has poured money into tourism and hospitality in recent years, its human rights record generated pushback from chefs like Dominique Crenn, who said she would not attend.<\/p>\n
Soon after, as the United States went to war with Iran and the conflict\u2019s effects spread through the Middle East, the event was moved to Lima, where it was underwritten by PromPer\u00fa, the well-funded trade organization that has helped bring Peruvian food into the global spotlight.<\/p>\n
Two of the last three world No. 1 restaurants \u2014 Central in 2023 and Maido in 2025 \u2014 are in Peru, an achievement no other country has matched. Both, like all the restaurants previously ranked first, are now retired from the competition.<\/p>\n
The chef Ana Ros, who received the group\u2019s award for world\u2019s best female chef in 2017, long participated in the year-round events that promote the list. She has credited the 50 for bringing diners to her restaurant in Slovenia, Hisa Franko, which had been ranked every year since 2017 and was No. 69 in 2025 list before dropping off the list this year.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 21, Ros announced that she wouldn\u2019t be in Lima. \u201cFor many years, I was proud to be part of 50 Best,\u201d she wrote on Instagram. \u201cOver time, however, success within the ranking has come to depend increasingly on visibility within the system itself.\u201d Other prominent chefs both on and off the list, like Bruno Verjus and Leonor Espinosa, chimed in on her post to agree. Tom Colicchio wrote: \u201cSomeone said the quiet part out loud. Good for you and much respect for speaking out.\u201d<\/p>\n
In contrast with Michelin\u2019s system for bestowing stars, the 50 does not pay for meals, flights and lodging; voters are allowed to accept free food and trips from tourism boards and other promotional groups. The 1,100 people who vote \u2014 a mix of food media representatives, chefs, influencers and wealthy globe trotters \u2014 are often well-known in the culinary world, but are not allowed by the organization to tell restaurants they are voters.<\/p>\n
The List:<\/p>\n
50. Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia (new)<\/p>\n
49. Naar, Kasauli, India (new)<\/p>\n
48. Ikoyi, London<\/p>\n
47. Le Louis XV, Monaco<\/p>\n
46. El Chato, Bogot\u00e1, Colombia<\/p>\n
45. Mayta, Lima, Peru<\/p>\n
44. Don Julio, Buenos Aires<\/p>\n
43. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy<\/p>\n
42. Bozar, Brussels (new)<\/p>\n
41. Onjium, Seoul (new)<\/p>\n
40. Jordnaer, Copenhagen<\/p>\n
39. Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland<\/p>\n
38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy<\/p>\n
37. Nuema, Quito, Ecuador (new)<\/p>\n
36. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou, China (new)<\/p>\n
35. La Colombe, Cape Town<\/p>\n
34. Le Coquillage, Brittany, France (new)<\/p>\n
33. Elkano, Getaria, Spain<\/p>\n
32. Potong, Bangkok<\/p>\n
31. Celele, Cartagena, Colombia<\/p>\n
30. Steirereck, Vienna<\/p>\n
29, Enigma, Barcelona, Spain<\/p>\n
28. Tr\u00e8sind Studio, Dubai, United Arab Emirates<\/p>\n
27. Reale, Castel de Sangro, Italy<\/p>\n
26. Masque, Mumbai, India (new)<\/p>\n
25. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
24. Al Gatto Verde, Modena, Italy (new)<\/p>\n
23. Vyn, Skillinge, Sweden<\/p>\n
22. Borag\u00f3, Santiago, Chile<\/p>\n
21. Meet the Bund, Shanghai (new)<\/p>\n
20. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy<\/p>\n
19. Jan, Munich<\/p>\n
18. Nusara, Bangkok<\/p>\n
17. Mingles, Seoul<\/p>\n
16. Tuju, S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil (new)<\/p>\n
15. Odette, Singapore<\/p>\n
14. S\u00fchring, Bangkok<\/p>\n
13. M\u00e9rito, Lima, Peru<\/p>\n
12. Sorn, Bangkok<\/p>\n
11. Atomix, New York<\/p>\n
10. Pl\u00e9nitude, Paris<\/p>\n
9. DiverXO, Madrid<\/p>\n
8. Kadeau, Copenhagen<\/p>\n
7. Kjolle, Lima, Peru<\/p>\n
6. The Chairman, Hong Kong<\/p>\n
5. Wing, Hong Kong<\/p>\n
4. Quintonil, Mexico City<\/p>\n
3. Alchemist, Copenhagen<\/p>\n
2. Gaggan, Bangkok<\/p>\n
1. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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