Spanish grill house Asador Etxebarri has been named the best restaurant in the world for 2026 by the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking.
The annual results, reported by the Daily Mail, celebrate the finest dining rooms in global gastronomy, placing the rustic establishment at the peak of an eclectic international roster. The 2026 rankings showcase venues ranging from Spanish open-fire cooking to theatrical spectacles in Bangkok and Copenhagen, as well as an exclusive Parisian venue with a secret cheese cave.
Major culinary centres featured prominently across the list, with dining rooms in Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Bangkok securing places among the elite top ten.
Organised annually, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has grown into one of the culinary world's most influential arbiters since launching in 2002. The list is determined by an international panel of chefs, restaurateurs and food writers, offering a global benchmark alongside the Michelin Guide.
Asador Etxebarri and Basque open fire cooking
Asador Etxebarri claimed the top position in 2026 from its home in Axpe, a quiet Basque village in the municipality of Atxondo in northern Spain. Chef and owner Victor Arguinzoniz welcomes guests to the unassuming establishment alongside his kitchen team, sharing his longstanding devotion to cooking over open flame.
The restaurant presents a 14-course tasting menu that places high-quality seasonal produce at the centre of every plate. Through skilled use of the grill, Arguinzoniz and his cooks transform simple raw ingredients into culinary masterpieces without heavy masking or complex sauces.
The Basque Country of northern Spain is celebrated globally for its culinary heritage, particularly traditional asador grill houses where seafood and meat are cooked over native coals. Arguinzoniz elevated the regional tradition by designing custom-built grills with adjustable pulley systems, allowing precise control of heat for delicate ingredients.
Gaggan and progressive dining in Bangkok
Second place went to Gaggan in Bangkok, an acclaimed destination that reinterprets Indian cuisine using modern culinary techniques. The establishment has earned international renown for challenging conventional expectations of South Asian cooking.
Compilers of The 50 Best ranking stated that the menu united music, colour and creativity, rooted in progressive Indian cuisine with French, Thai and Japanese influences. The dining experience is famously theatrical, with each course represented by an emoji on the menu and staff encouraging diners to eat with their hands or lick the plate clean.
Bangkok has established itself as one of Southeast Asia's most dynamic gastronomic hubs, attracting food travellers with a mix of street food culture and experimental fine dining. Progressive Indian cooking has gained a strong foothold in the city, using scientific culinary techniques to reimagine traditional dishes.
Alchemist and Danish multisensory dining
Taking third place was Alchemist, an experimental Danish restaurant in Copenhagen that merges culinary arts with dramatic theatre. The venue is situated in an unassuming industrial area of Refshaleoen on the city's outskirts, where an unadorned facade gives little indication of the spectacle inside.
According to The 50 Best compilers, the restaurant dispenses with standard meal courses in favour of 50 impressions divided across several acts. Guests embark on a multisensory journey lasting several hours, travelling through different rooms, art forms and unusual crafts. Every dish is designed to provoke thought, even if the experience can at times feel uncomfortable.
Refshaleoen, formerly a major shipyard in Copenhagen harbour, has transformed into a centre for creative arts, cultural venues and cutting-edge restaurants. The Danish capital has spent two decades at the forefront of the culinary world, propelled by the New Nordic food movement and its focus on inventive techniques.
Latin American flavours at Quintonil and Kjolle
Fourth place went to Quintonil in Mexico City, which was also named the best restaurant in Latin America for 2026. The venue features a bright, spacious dining room decorated with local artwork, blending traditional Mexican culinary roots with a creative contemporary approach.
Quintonil's menu features roasted duck served with a coconut manchamanteles sauce made from stewed fruit and chili peppers. For dessert, guests are served ice cream sweetened with honey from stingless melipona bees, a native Mexican species cultivated since the Mayan era.
Seventh place was awarded to Kjolle in Lima, Peru, where dishes feature vivid colours and striking plating designed to capture attention on Instagram. The tasting menu includes sea scallops and sea urchin paired with Brazil nuts, as well as beef ribs served with corn, inside a space celebrating Peruvian craft traditions.
Lima is widely regarded as the gastronomic capital of South America, celebrated for its access to fresh Pacific seafood and diverse Andean crops. The city's top dining rooms have gained global acclaim by celebrating native biodiversity and centuries-old culinary traditions.
Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine at Wing and The Chairman
Fifth place went to Wing in Hong Kong, which specialises in Chinese cuisine without rigid culinary restrictions. Its menu includes dry-aged crispy Cantonese chicken, a recipe the kitchen refined more than 80 times, alongside smoked pigeon with sugar cane and braised sea cucumber rolled in crispy pastry to resemble pork belly. The meal concludes with a fruit trolley serving premium mango varieties and guava.
Hong Kong also secured sixth place with The Chairman, widely regarded as one of Asia's premier dining venues and a previous winner of the best restaurant in Asia award. The restaurant focuses on innovative Cantonese cuisine without theatrical excess, centring attention on food with signature items such as golden crystal eggs with oysters and chili.
Cantonese cuisine is renowned for its delicate balance and respect for core ingredients, relying on fresh produce, clear broths and wok control. Hong Kong's dining scene has long served as a bridge between classical Chinese culinary disciplines and international gastronomy.
European gastronomy at Kadeau, DiverXO and Plenitude
Eighth place went to Kadeau in Copenhagen, which builds a close bond with nature through wild foraged ingredients and fermentation. Bas van Kranen, head chef at Amsterdam's Flore restaurant, previously noted that the team possessed a deep respect for nature and culinary craft in every detail, allowing guests to feel the rhythm of the seasons rather than simply taste it. The small, cosy room pairs Scandinavian styling with calm Japanese design accents.
Ninth place was awarded to DiverXO in Madrid, singled out as one of the most innovative establishments in the top 50. Its menu is described as a journey through the hedonistic, greedy and creative world of chef Dabiz Munoz, who holds three stars in the Michelin Guide for his avant-garde cuisine. In 2023, Munoz made headlines after announcing he was considering adding a dish featuring fish sperm to his menu.
Tenth place went to Plenitude in Paris, set inside the luxury Cheval Blanc Paris boutique hotel owned by the LVMH group. Compilers of the list noted that the dining experience, directed by Alexandre Larvoir and his young team, was remarkably dynamic. Diners are invited into the wine cellar before tasting one dish in the kitchen and another in a secret cheese cave, marrying haute cuisine with theatrical flair.
