Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain, has been named The World’s Best Restaurant 2026. Led by chef Bittor Arguinzoniz, the restaurant claimed the top spot at The 50 Best Restaurants awards on November 4 at Teatro Municipal de Lima.
The win follows its No. 2 finish in 2025. At Etxebarri, Arguinzoniz cooks over custom-built grills, applying his mastery of fire to ingredients ranging from red prawns and beef chops to the milk ice cream that closes the meal. The restaurant sits in a Basque village near where the chef grew up, surrounded by mountains between Bilbao and San Sebastián.
Copenhagen’s Alchemist, led by Rasmus Munk, placed No. 3. Gaggan in Bangkok, from chef Gaggan Anand, was named The Best Restaurant in Asia, while Etxebarri also received The Best Restaurant in Europe title.
In the United States, Atomix in New York landed at No. 11. Its chef, Junghyun “JP” Park, also received the Chefs’ Choice Award.
The ceremony, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, marked the first time the global awards were held in Peru. Last year’s winner, Lima’s Maido, joined the Best of the Best group alongside fellow Lima restaurant Central, which topped the ranking in 2023. Previous global No. 1 restaurants are no longer eligible for subsequent rankings.
Among the special awards, Yiaga in Melbourne, led by chef Hugh Allen, received the Visa One To Watch Award. Naar in Kasauli, India, won the Sustainable Restaurant Award, while the Ghana Food Movement received the Champions of Change Award. Tuju in São Paulo took home the Art of Hospitality Award. Jessica Rosval of Al Gatto Verde in Modena, Italy, was named The World’s Best Female Chef, and Ferran Adrià received the SevenRooms Icon Award.
Formerly known as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the ranking draws on votes from more than 1,100 international restaurant experts. Voters must have eaten at their nominated restaurants within the previous 18 months and cannot vote for establishments they own or have a financial interest in.
The announcement follows the 51–100 list, released October 21.
The 50 Best Restaurants 2026: The Full List
- Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
- Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
- Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
- Wing, Hong Kong, China
- The Chairman, Hong Kong, China
- Kjolle, Lima, Peru
- Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark
- DiverXO, Madrid, Spain
- Plénitude, Paris, France
- Atomix, New York, United States
- Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand
- Mérito, Lima, Peru
- Sühring, Bangkok, Thailand
- Odette, Singapore, Singapore
- Tuju, São Paulo, Brazil
- Mingles, Seoul, South Korea
- Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand
- Jan, Munich, Germany
- Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
- Meet the Bund, Shanghai, China
- Boragó, Santiago, Chile
- Vyn, Skillinge, Sweden
- Al Gatto Verde, Modena, Italy
- Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Masque, Mumbai, India
- Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
- Trèsind Studio, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Enigma, Barcelona, Spain
- Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
- Celele, Cartagena, Colombia
- Potong, Bangkok, Thailand
- Elkano, Getaria, Spain
- Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France
- La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa
- Ru Yuan, Hangzhou, China
- Nuema, Quito, Ecuador
- Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy
- Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland
- Jordnær, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Onjium, Seoul, South Korea
- Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
- Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
- Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Mayta, Lima, Peru
- El Chato, Bogotá, Colombia
- Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse à l’Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Ikoyi, London, United Kingdom
- Naar, Kasauli, India
- Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia
