Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 Revealed

It’s an illustrious place right now for hospitality: a city that gave the world Bar Leone as its best bar and Rosewood Hong Kong as its best hotel in the same year. Now Hong Kong has hosted Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony for the first time at the Kerry Hotel on the evening of March 25th, pulling the region’s top chefs, critics and obsessives into a city that has spent the last year making a very loud case for itself as Asia’s culinary capital. The event had called Seoul home for the previous two years. The move felt earned. This is Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026. 

Hong Kong has wrapped up its inaugural hosting of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, with the awards ceremony at the Kerry Hotel on March 25th bringing the region’s culinary world together for the first time in one of Asia’s most storied dining cities. It’s a milestone moment: the event had called Seoul home for the previous two years, and before that, a rotating cast of Asian capitals. Choosing Hong Kong — fresh off a remarkable 2025 that saw Bar Leone crowned The World’s Best Bar and Rosewood Hong Kong named The World’s Best Hotel — sent a clear signal about where the global conversation around food, drink and hospitality is currently centred.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 Revealed: The 51-100 List

The extended 51-100 list was announced on March 12th ahead of the main ceremony, and it painted a picture of a regional dining scene pushing further into new territory than at any point in recent memory. This year’s list spans 27 cities — four more than last year — with 10 new cities represented and 12 restaurants making their debut on the ranking. Seoul leads all cities with seven restaurants, including new entry San at No.54, while Busan makes its debut with Fiotto at No.99. Five restaurants in Bangkok appear on the list, while Singapore and Hong Kong each claim four. Den in Tokyo tops the extended ranking at No.51, while Baan Tepa in Bangkok holds at No.53.

The Newcomers In Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 51-100 List

Among the new city appearances, Busan, Chengdu, Kanazawa and Nishikawa are making their first-ever appearances on the list, signalling a shift towards quieter yet increasingly influential culinary destinations. In China, Beijing’s Chef 1996 stands as the highest new entry at No.52, while Chengdu joins the list for the first time with Co- at No.69. Kuala Lumpur’s Dewakan achieves the highest rise on the 51-100 list, climbing 22 places to No.62. The Philippines makes a strong showing, with Celera in Makati debuting at No.100 alongside Toyo Eatery, which appears at No.71.

In Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026’s Pre-Awards

Three awards were announced in the weeks before the Hong Kong ceremony, and taken together they sketch out a clear set of priorities: sustainability with real-world reach, hospitality that earns its reputation through ten years of consistent effort, and a young restaurant making a compelling case for where Korean fine dining is heading next.

Hong Kong’s Peggy Chan is the inaugural winner of the Champions of Change Award — a category appearing in the Asia edition for the first time — in recognition of her work as executive director of Zero Foodprint Asia. Since launching the Asia chapter in 2021, Chan has channelled over HKD 5.7 million into 26 regenerative farming projects across Hong Kong, Bali, Thailand, Nepal and the Philippines. Her trail runs from Grassroots Pantry — Hong Kong’s first carbon-neutral restaurant — through vegetarian fine dining venture Nectar and consultancy Grassroots Initiatives. On receiving the award, Chan said the recognition felt like it had “come full circle,” given the ceremony is being held in the city where her career began, adding that the award belongs more to the farmers and communities she has worked with than to herself.

Mumbai’s Masque takes the Art of Hospitality Award, recognised for what the 50 Best Academy describes as a “guest is God” approach to dining. Founded by Aditi and Aditya Dugar and led in the kitchen by head chef Varun Totlani, the restaurant occupies a converted factory space down a lane in the heart of Mumbai — a location the landlord initially had to be convinced could work. After a decade in operation, Masque is preparing a brief closure for a full refresh before reopening later this year.

Seoul’s San claimed the One To Watch Award — the final of the three pre-announced accolades — just over a year after opening in 2024 to widespread admiration in the South Korean capital. Located in the Gangnam district, San is the project of chef Jo Seung-Hyun, who spent eight years as chef de cuisine at Benu in San Francisco — having previously trained under Thomas Keller at The French Laundry and at La Maison Troisgros in France — before returning to Seoul to open his first solo restaurant. The menu is a 13-course tasting that runs classical French technique through a Korean lens, with dishes like a prawn course built around a shrimp-gochujang from concentrated shrimp-head broth, and a refined take on dwaeji-gukbap finished with caviar. The award marks the first time since 2017 that a Seoul restaurant has taken the One To Watch title. San also appears on the 51-100 list at No.54.

How Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 List Was Made

The voting methodology remains consistent with previous years: the list is compiled by an Academy of more than 350 restaurant industry leaders across Asia, with the process independently adjudicated by Deloitte. Each voter nominates 10 restaurants they have personally visited within the past 18 months, with no more than six from their home country and at least four from elsewhere. The panel spans chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and critics in roughly equal measure.

All Eyes On The Results Of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026

The main question heading into tonight’s ceremony was whether Gaggan Anand could make it two in a row. His Bangkok restaurant claimed the No.1 spot in 2025 — a record fifth time at the summit — after climbing from No.3 the year before. Whether the Bangkok stalwart held on, or whether last year’s No.2 and No.3, Hong Kong’s The Chairman and Wing, capitalised on home-ground advantage in the host city, made for one of the more compelling storylines the awards have served up in years.

The answer: home advantage counted. The Chairman took No.1, with Wing right behind it at No.2 — Hong Kong’s most emphatic statement yet in its ongoing bid for the title of Asia’s culinary capital. Gaggan landed at No.3, while a separate Bangkok entry, Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, came in at No.8. Nusara rounded out the Bangkok presence in the top five at No.5.

The special awards filled in the rest of the picture. Baan Tepa — which had held at No.53 on the extended list — took the Sustainable Restaurant Award. Lesley Liu of Odette, sitting at No.19 on the night, was named Asia’s Best Sommelier. Ardika Dwitama of August, Jakarta — No.42 — took Asia’s Best Pastry Chef. Cho Eun-Hee of Onjium, Seoul — No.14 — received the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award. Chef Ton picked up the Inedit Damm Chef’s Choice Award. Zhang Yong received the Sevenrooms Icon Award for sustained success. The three pre-announced accolades — Champions of Change to Peggy Chan, Art of Hospitality to Masque and One To Watch to San — were confirmed on the night as previously announced.

Lamdre in Beijing was the evening’s Highest Climber, rising to No.17, while Ru Yuan in Hangzhou claimed the Highest New Entry at No.10 — part of a strong showing from mainland China that also included Fu He Hui at No.11, Ling Long at No.9, and Meet The Bund at No.6 taking Best Restaurant in China.

50. JL Studio, Taichung, Taiwan

49. 7th Door, Seoul, South Korea

48. La Bourriche 143, Shanghai, China

47. Wana Yook, Bangkok, Thailand

46. Mono, Hong Kong

45. Nae:Um, Singapore

44. Locavore NXT, Ubud, Bali

43. Bium, Seoul, South Korea

42. August, Jakarta, Indonesia (Best Restaurant In Indonesia)

41. Mosu, Seoul, South Korea

40. Labyrinth, Singapore

39. Au Jardin, Penang, Malaysia (Best Restaurant In Malaysia)

38. Les Amis, Singapore

37. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan

36. Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand

35. Caprice, Hong Kong

34. Crony, Tokyo, Japan

33. Myoujyaku, Tokyo, Japan

32. Estro, Hong Kong

31. Floriege, Tokyo, Japan

30. Nara, Kasauli, India

29. 102 House, Shanghai, China

28. Maz, Tokyo, Japan

27. Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, Bangkok, Thailand

26. Eatanic Garden, Seoul, South Korea

25. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand

24. Neighborhood, Hong Kong

23. Born, Singapore

22. Logy, Taipei, Taiwan (Best Restaurant In Taiwan)

21. Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan

20. Seroja, Singapore

19. Odette, Singapore (Best Restaurant In Singapore)

18. Sühring, Bangkok, Thailand

17. Lamdre, Beijing, China (Highest Climber Award)

16. SÉZANNE, Tokyo, Japan

15. Masque, Mumbai, India (Best Restaurant In India)

14. Onjium, Seoul, South Korea

13. La Cime, Osaka, Japan (Best Restaurant In Japan)

12. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand

11. Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China

10. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou, China (Highest New Entry)

9. Ling Long, Shanghai, China

8. Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, Bangkok, Thailand

7. Chef Tam’s Seasons, Macau (Best Restaurant In Macau)

6. Meet The Bund, Shanghai, Mainland China (Best Restaurant In China)

5. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand

4. Mingles, Seoul, South Korea (Best Restaurant In South Koreq)

3. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand (Best Restaurant In Thailand)

2. Wing, Hong Kong

1. The Chairman, Hong Kong (Best Restaurant In Hong Kong)