10 Best Restaurants in the World in 2026 and What Makes Them Special

Asador Etxebarri in Spain's Basque Country has topped The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, announced at a ceremony in Lima. Learn more about the full top 10, what each leading restaurant is known for and how the ranking is voted

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The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 has a new number one. Asador Etxebarri, a grill restaurant in Atxondo in the Basque Country, was named the best restaurant in the world. The results were announced at the Teatro Municipal de Lima in Peru.

For food-focused travellers, the top 10 of the world's best restaurants works as a ready-made shortlist for a trip. It spans Atxondo, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Lima, Madrid and Paris.

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When and where was The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 announced?

According to Fine Dining Lovers, the ceremony took place on 4 November 2026 at the Teatro Municipal de Lima. CNN also describes it as a Wednesday evening event in Lima. Forbes gives the date as 6 November, but the other sources agree on 4 November.

The previous ceremony was held in Turin, where Maido from Lima took first place, CNN Style reports. Asador Etxebarri came second that year, as Forbes recalls.

How is the world's best restaurants ranking compiled?

The list was previously called The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Its sponsor is S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, according to Forbes. The main voting rules reported by Fine Dining Lovers, CNN and CNN Style:

• more than 1,100 international experts vote;
• the academy covers 28 regions and includes food writers and chefs;
• each expert must have dined at a nominated restaurant within the last 18 months;
• experts cannot vote for restaurants they own or have a financial stake in;
• a restaurant can take first place only once, after which it moves to a separate "Best of the Best" programme.

The one-win rule is why last year's winner, Maido, could not defend its title. The top 10 below follows the order published by Fine Dining Lovers.

About the world's best restaurants in 2026 according to TripAdvisor — read more at the link.

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1. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

Asador Etxebarri stands in Atxondo, in the Basque Country of Spain. The restaurant is built around the grill and is known for its innovative grilling technique, KSL reports.

The chef of Asador Etxebarri is Bittor Arguinzoniz, according to Fine Dining Lovers. Besides the overall win, the restaurant was named Best Restaurant in Europe.

The victory completes a climb: in 2025 Asador Etxebarri was second behind Maido, Forbes notes. Under the one-win rule, this is the only time it can top the list.

2. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand

Gaggan in Bangkok, Thailand, took second place. According to CNN, the restaurant is famous for playful, progressive Indian cooking.

The world ranking also named Gaggan Best Restaurant in Asia. In the separate Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, reported by Time Out, the restaurant appears as Gaggan at Louis Vuitton in eighth place, so the two lists differ in both name and position.

3. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark

Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark, is led by chef Rasmus Munk. CNN highlights its "extraordinary craftsmanship".

Guests of Alchemist are advised to be ready for a meal unlike anything else, CNN writes. CNN and Fine Dining Lovers place the restaurant third, while Forbes lists Quintonil in that position.

4. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico

Quintonil in Mexico City, Mexico, was named Best Restaurant in Latin America, according to KSL.

Quintonil is the North American entry in a top five that, as KSL notes, covers Asia, North America and Europe. Fine Dining Lovers and CNN rank it fourth, Forbes third.

5. Wing, Hong Kong

Wing in Hong Kong took fifth place. Together with The Chairman, it makes Hong Kong the only city with two restaurants in the top six.

6. The Chairman, Hong Kong

The Chairman, also in Hong Kong, came sixth in the world ranking. In the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, The Chairman took first place, Time Out reports, ahead of Gaggan at Louis Vuitton.

The two lists therefore order the leading Asian restaurants differently: worldwide, Gaggan ranks higher and holds the Best Restaurant in Asia title.

7. Kjolle, Lima, Peru

Kjolle in Lima is seventh, in the city that hosted the 2026 ceremony. Lima is also home to Maido, last year's winner, which has now moved to the Best of the Best programme.

8. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark

Kadeau is the second Copenhagen restaurant in the top 10, in eighth place. With Alchemist in third, Copenhagen matches Hong Kong with two restaurants among the world's ten best.

9. DiverXO, Madrid, Spain

DiverXO in Madrid ranks ninth. It gives Spain a second restaurant in the top 10 after Asador Etxebarri, one in the capital and one in the Basque Country.

10. Plénitude, Paris, France

Plénitude in Paris closes the top 10 and is the only restaurant from France among the ten leaders.

About the top 10 culinary cities in the world in 2026 — read more at the link.

How did restaurants in the United States perform?

No American restaurant made the top 10. The highest-placed restaurant in the USA is Atomix in New York, which ranked 11th, according to CNN.

What does the 2026 ranking mean for travellers?

• Copenhagen and Hong Kong each have two restaurants in the top 10, and Spain has two, in Atxondo and Madrid — convenient for planning several visits on one trip.
• Lima, the host city, offers Kjolle from this year's top 10 and Maido, the 2025 winner.
• The published sources give no prices, menus, booking terms or waiting times; check them on each restaurant's own website.

For a broader food trip, see also the cities with the best street food in 2026.

A dinner at Asador Etxebarri or Gaggan deserves a well-prepared trip. Get your Travel guide on Visit World and plan your gastronomic journey with confidence.

We remind you! In our previous article, we wrote about the world's best bars in 2026 according to The 50 Best Bars ranking.

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