“The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” 2026: Asador Etxebarri in Spain is No. 1

Spain takes the lead, but Italy is also, as is traditional, among the elite of the world’s finest cuisine, with 5 restaurants in the Top 50 and 6 in the overall Top 100, though none made it into the top 10. The awards ceremony for “The World’s Best Restaurant” 2026, by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, the prestigious ranking of the world’s best restaurants, where, at No. 1, AsadorEtxebarri, located in Atxondo in the Basque Country, stands out. It was named “The World’s Best Restaurant” 2026 and is led by Chef Bittor Arginzoniz, the “king” of charcoal-grilled cuisine. Second place goes to Gaggan in Bangkok, Thailand, led by Chef Gaggan Anande, while rounding out the top three in third place is Alchemist in Copenhagen, led by Chef Rasmus Munk.
The Top 50 includes 5 Italian restaurants: at No. 20 is the three-Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo in Alba, led by Chef Enrico Crippa, a temple of Italian haute cuisine owned by the Ceretto family, one of the leading names in the Langhe and Barolo regions (it was ranked No. 32 in 2025); at No. 24 is Al Gatto Verde in Modena, a one-Michelin-star restaurant led by Chef Jessica Rosval and part of Massimo Bottura’s Francescana Family (which, with Osteria Francescana, was No. 1 on “The 50 Best Restaurants” in 2016 and 2018, earning a spot among the “Best of the Best” that do not participate in the competition, ed.) and Lara Gilmore, who makes her debut in the 1-50 ranking. Jessica Rosval also enjoys the satisfaction and prestige of being honored with the 2026 “Best Female Chef Award”. Ranked No. 27 is Reale di Castel di Sangro, led by Chef Niko Romito, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant and an institution of Italian haute cuisine; and No. 38 is another three-starred restaurant, Atelier Moessmer, led by Chef Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico. Also in the Top 50, at No. 43, is Le Calandre, run by the Alajmo brothers in Rubano, with three Michelin stars. Positions 51 through 100 had already been revealed, featuring, for Italy, the three-star Uliassi by Mauro Ulisassi in Senigallia.
The 2026 “The 50 Best Restaurants” ranking is compiled based on the votes of “The 50 Best Restaurants Academy”, which is composed of over 1,100 international experts in the restaurant industry, with equal gender representation (50/50) and an annual turnover of at least 25% of its members. This year’s ranking includes restaurants from 28 countries across 6 continents, with 11 new entries and 5 restaurants returning to the list.
Among the special awards, executive chef Ivan Ralston of Tuju in São Paulo (No. 16) won the “Highest New Entry Awar”, while Kadeau (No. 8) in Copenhagen took home the “Highest Climber Award”, climbing 33 spots from the 2025 rankings. Jessica Rosval, head chef at Al Gatto Verde (No. 24), wins the “Best Female Chef Award”. “At the helm of Massimo Bottura’s restaurant, Casa Maria Luigia in Modena”, according to a note, “Rosval is recognized for her unmistakable charcoal-grilling technique and her commitment to sustainability and social inclusion through Roots, a socially conscious restaurant she co-founded, created to offer migrant women new opportunities for empowerment through professional culinary training”. Ferran Adrià, the visionary chef and restaurateur at the helm of the legendary El Bulli, receives the “SevenRooms Icon Award”: recognized for his commitment to culinary research and education through the El Bulli Foundation, a pioneering nonprofit organization, he continues to contribute to the future of the restaurant industry by inspiring new generations of chefs. Junghyun Park of Atomix (No. 11) in New York receives the “Estrella Damm Chefs’ Choice Award”, the only award determined by a vote among fellow chefs: the prize celebrates his commitment to innovation in Korean haute cuisine and his ongoing influence on the global contemporary gastronomic scene. Dej Kewkacha, meanwhile, receives the “Best Pastry Chef Award”: a self-taught chef and leading figure in the Asian culinary scene, Kewkacha has redefined the dessert experience by highlighting local flavors through haute cuisine omakase menus dedicated to pastry. This approach has earned her the title of “Asia’s Best Pastry Chef” for 2025.
Doris Lam was also awarded “The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarshi”, in collaboration with Parmigiano Reggiano. A former food and wine journalist, she chose to leave a well-established career to pursue training and establish herself as a chef. Thanks to the scholarship, she will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience through paid internships at The Fat Duck in Bray, United Kingdom, led by Chef Heston Blumenthal, who was nominated No. 1 on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list in 2005 and now an honorary member of the “Best of the Best” Hall of Fame, and at Salsify at the Roundhouse in Cape Town, South Africa, led by chefs Ryan Cole and Nina du Toit, currently ranked No. 71. The “Best Sommelier Award” goes to Lesley Liu, head sommelier at Odette in Singapore. Naar (No. 49) in Kasauli is named the winner of the “Sustainable Restaurant Award” thanks to its strong commitment to sustainability. The kitchen uses ingredients sourced from the Himalayan region, adapting the menu to the six seasons that characterize the mountain range. The team also develops innovative solutions to make the most of kitchen scraps and has adopted ancient Himalayan techniques, such as the use of hardwood ash, to preserve and protect perishable foods.
The event also honored the winners of the special awards that had already been announced. Among them was the “Champions of Change Award” with illycaffè, presented to the Ghana Food Movement, an organization led by a team of young people that is transforming Ghana’s food system through education, the promotion of local ingredients, and the involvement of local communities; the “Art of Hospitality Award”, awarded to Tuju in São Paulo, while Yiaga in Melbourne received the “Visa One to Watch Award”.

Focus - “The World’s Best Restaurant” 2026

1 - Asador Etxebarri - Atxondo
2 - Gaggan - Bangkok
3 - Alchemist - Copenaghen
4 - Quintonil - Città del Messico
5 - Wing - Hong Kong
6 - The Chairman - Hong Kong
7 - Kjolle - Lima
8 - Kadeau - Copenaghen
9 - Diverxo - Madrid
10 - Plénitude - Parigi
11 - Atomix - New York
12 - Sorn - Bangkok
13 – Mérito - Lima
14 - Sühring - Bangkok
15 - Odette - Singapore
16 - Tuju - San Paolo
17 - Mingles - Seul
18 - Nusara - Bangkok
19 - Jan - Monaco di Baviera
20 - Piazza Duomo - Alba
21 - Meet the Bund - Shanghai
22 - Boragó - Santiago
23 - Vyn - Skillinge
24 - Al Gatto Verde - Modena
25 - Lasai - Rio de Janeiro
26 - Masque - Mumbai
27 - Reale - Castel di Sangro
28 - Trèsind Studio - Dubai
29 - Enigma - Barcellona
30 - Steirereck - Vienna
31 - Celele - Cartagena
32 - Potong - Bangkok
33 - Elkano - Getaria
34 - Le Coquillage - Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes
35 - La Colombe - Città del Capo
36 - Ru Yuan - Hangzhou
37 - Nuema - Quito
38 - Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler - Brunico
39 - Schloss Schauenstein - Fürstenau
40 - Jordnær - Copenaghen
41 - Onjium - Seul
42 - Bozar - Bruxelles
43 - Le Calandre - Rubano
44 - Don Julio - Buenos Aires
45 - Mayta - Lima
46 - El Chato - Bogotá
47 - Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse - Montecarlo
48 - Ikoyi - Londra
49 - Naar - Kasauli
50 - Saint Peter - Sydney
51 - Uliassi - Senigallia
52 - La Cime - Osaka
53 - Ling Long - Shanghai
54 - Nelita - San Paolo
55 - Alcalde - Guadalajara
56 - Sazenka - Tokyo
57 - Koan - Copenaghen
58 - Frantzén - Stoccolma
59 - Narisawa - Tokyo
60 - Hiša Franko - Kobarid
61 - Florilège - Tokyo
62 - Fu He Hui - Shanghai
63 - The Jane - Anversa
64 - Seroja - Singapore
65 - Fyn - Città del Capo
66 - Willem Hiele - Oudenburg
67 - Arpège - Parigi
68 - Evvai - San Paolo
69 - Cocina Hermanos Torres - Barcellona
70 - Kol - Londra
71 - Salsify at the Roundhouse - Città del Capo
72 - Eatanic Garden - Seul
73 - Chef Tam’s Seasons - Macao
74 - Le Du - Bangkok
75 - Belcanto - Lisbona
76 - Nobelhart & Schmutzig - Berlino
77 - Caprice - Hong Kong
78 - Mosu - Seul
79 - Huniik - Mérida
80 - Txispa - Atxondo
81 - Septime - Parigi
82 - Coda - Berlino
83 - The Ledbury - Londra
84 - Le Doyenné - Saint-Vrain
85 - Tim Raue - Berlino
86 - Eliane - Bruxelles
87 - Arca - Tulum
88 - FZN - Dubai
89 - Burnt Ends - Singapore
90 - Baan Tepa - Bangkok
91 - Den - Tokyo
92 - Lamdre - Pechino
93 - SingleThread - Healdsburg
94 - Neolokal - Istanbul
95 - Mil - Cusco
96 - Rosetta - Città del Messico
97 - Khufu’s - Giza
98 - Labyrinth - Singapore
99 - Fauna - Valle de Guadalupe
100 - Aponiente - El Puerto de Santa María