A wood-fired grill in a tiny mountain village has taken the top prize. Asador Etxebarri, hidden in the hamlet of Axpe in Spain's Basque Country, climbed from second place to claim number one on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, announced at a ceremony in Lima on Wednesday, 5 November.
Chef-owner Víctor (Bittor) Arguinzoniz has been quietly running the place since 1990, and he's widely credited as a pioneer of live-fire cooking. Everything on the €300 (about $337) tasting menu passes over wood and charcoal — including Palamós red prawns and, less obviously, smoked milk ice cream. Getting there is part of the appeal: Axpe sits roughly 45 minutes' drive from Bilbao, and food pilgrims have been making the trip for decades. The win caps an 18-year run on the list, which started at number 44 back in 2008.
Once a restaurant takes the top trophy it's retired from future rankings and moves to the 'Best of the Best' list alongside The French Laundry and past winner Disfrutar. Last year's champion, Maido in Lima, is the newest inductee. Winners are chosen by more than 1,100 chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and well-travelled gourmets voting anonymously on meals from the previous 18 months, with Deloitte auditing the process — no self-nominations allowed.
Bangkok's Gaggan took second place overall and the Asia title again, while Mexico City's Quintonil (fourth) repeated as best in Latin America. New York's Atomix, at number 11, was the only US restaurant in the top 50 and again the best in North America. Trèsind Studio in Dubai (28), La Colombe in Cape Town (35), and Saint Peter in Sydney (50) rounded out the continental winners, alongside Copenhagen's Alchemist in third. Individual honours went to Jessica Rosval of Al Gatto Verde (Best Female Chef), Junghyun 'JP' Park of Atomix (Chefs' Choice), and Ferran Adrià, who picked up the Icon Award. Copenhagen's Kadeau soared 33 places to number 8 for Highest Climber, and Naar in Kasauli, India, won the Sustainable Restaurant Award.
The extended 51-100 list is arguably more useful for trip planning: newcomers include Khufu's in Giza, where you can eat modern Egyptian food with a view of the Great Pyramid, and Beijing's plant-forward Lamdre. London's The Ledbury returned at 83, and Seoul's Mosu re-entered at 78.
For travellers, the list doubles as an itinerary: a Basque grill village, a Hong Kong double-act (The Chairman at 6, Wing at 5), a strong Bangkok showing with four restaurants in the top 15, and Cape Town claiming two spots. Book well ahead for the top 10 — most release tables months in advance.
