Asador Etxebarri named world’s best restaurant 2026

The Basque grill, ranked second in 2024 and 2025, takes first place in the ranking now called The 50 Best Restaurants.

Asador Etxebarri, the wood-fire restaurant of chef Bittor Arguinzoniz in Axpe (Atxondo, Biscay, Spain), is No. 1 on The 50 Best Restaurants 2026. The ranking, known until this year as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, was announced on 4 November 2026 at the Teatro Municipal de Lima, Peru. Gaggan, in Bangkok, is No. 2 and Alchemist, in Copenhagen, No. 3. Etxebarri also received the Best Restaurant in Europe award.

Key facts

• Winner: Asador Etxebarri, Axpe (Atxondo), Basque Country, Spain
• Chef and owner: Bittor Arguinzoniz (also spelt Arginzoniz)
• Ranking: The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, formerly The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
• Announced: 4 November 2026, Teatro Municipal de Lima, Peru
• Top three: Asador Etxebarri, Gaggan (Bangkok), Alchemist (Copenhagen)
• Previous positions: No. 2 in 2024 and in 2025
• Previous winner: Maido, Lima (2025)

What was announced in Lima?

The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 brings together restaurants from 28 countries and territories on six continents, with 11 new entries and five re-entries. Rikki Tidball, Managing Director of Events at The 50 Best, said the list “celebrates the highest calibre of hospitality on a global scale”.

Etxebarri succeeds Maido, the Lima restaurant that topped the list in 2025. Under the organisation’s rules, a restaurant that reaches No. 1 leaves the ranking and joins the Best of the Best category. Maido now sits there alongside Central, also in Lima, the 2023 winner.

Who runs Asador Etxebarri?

Asador Etxebarri is owned and run by Bittor Arguinzoniz, a self-taught cook. The restaurant occupies a stone house in Axpe, a village in the Atxondo valley, surrounded by the mountains of Biscay. Its cooking draws on the wood-fire tradition of the Basque farmhouse, the caserío, which Arguinzoniz has refined over decades into a method of his own. Etxebarri holds one Michelin star.

What makes Etxebarri’s cooking distinctive?

Every dish at Etxebarri is cooked over wood embers. Arguinzoniz prefers wood to charcoal, which he believes adds aromas that mask the produce. He has designed adjustable grills, separate ovens and bespoke tools to control the heat, and each product is assigned its own wood, distance from the embers and cooking time.

The aim is for smoke to frame the ingredient rather than cover it. Alongside Cantabrian fish, aged beef chop, house-made chorizo and Palamós prawns, the grill handles produce rarely cooked this way, including caviar, elvers, oysters and egg yolk. The menu changes with the seasons.

How did Etxebarri reach No. 1?

Etxebarri has appeared on the global list for more than 15 years. It finished second in 2024, behind Disfrutar in Barcelona, and second again in 2025, behind Maido. With both former winners no longer eligible, Etxebarri moves into first place in 2026.

Which Spanish restaurants are on the 2026 list?

Spain places four restaurants in the top 50:

• Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo — No. 1
• DiverXO, Madrid — No. 9, down from No. 4 in 2025
• Enigma, Barcelona — No. 29
• Elkano, Getaria — No. 33

Two of the four, Etxebarri and Elkano, are in the Basque Country.

Which countries and cities lead the ranking?

Thailand and Italy lead with five restaurants each, followed by Spain with four, and Denmark and Peru with three. Bangkok is the city with the most entries: Gaggan (2), Sorn (12), Sühring (14), Nusara (18) and Potong (32). Copenhagen and Lima have three each, and Hong Kong places two restaurants in the top 10, Wing (5) and The Chairman (6).

Special awards 2026

• Best Restaurant in Europe: Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo
• Best Restaurant in Asia: Gaggan, Bangkok
• Highest New Entry: Tuju, São Paulo (No. 16)
• Highest Climber: Kadeau, Copenhagen, up 33 places to No. 8
• Art of Hospitality Award: Tuju, São Paulo
• Sustainable Restaurant Award: Naar, Kasauli
• Best Sommelier: Lesley Liu, Odette, Singapore
• Best Female Chef: Jessica Rosval, Al Gatto Verde, Modena
• Best Pastry Chef: Dej Kewkacha, Bangkok
• Chefs’ Choice Award: Junghyun “JP” Park, Atomix, New York
• One To Watch: Yiaga, Melbourne
• Champions of Change: Ghana Food Movement
• Icon Award: Ferran Adrià
• The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship: Doris Lam

The 50 Best Restaurants 2026: full list

Rank	Restaurant	City	Country or territory
1	Asador Etxebarri	Atxondo	Spain
2	Gaggan	Bangkok	Thailand
3	Alchemist	Copenhagen	Denmark
4	Quintonil	Mexico City	Mexico
5	Wing	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
6	The Chairman	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
7	Kjolle	Lima	Peru
8	Kadeau	Copenhagen	Denmark
9	DiverXO	Madrid	Spain
10	Plénitude	Paris	France
11	Atomix	New York	United States
12	Sorn	Bangkok	Thailand
13	Mérito	Lima	Peru
14	Sühring	Bangkok	Thailand
15	Odette	Singapore	Singapore
16	Tuju	São Paulo	Brazil
17	Mingles	Seoul	South Korea
18	Nusara	Bangkok	Thailand
19	Jan	Munich	Germany
20	Piazza Duomo	Alba	Italy
21	Meet the Bund	Shanghai	China
22	Boragó	Santiago	Chile
23	Vyn	Skillinge	Sweden
24	Al Gatto Verde	Modena	Italy
25	Lasai	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil
26	Masque	Mumbai	India
27	Reale	Castel di Sangro	Italy
28	Trèsind Studio	Dubai	United Arab Emirates
29	Enigma	Barcelona	Spain
30	Steirereck	Vienna	Austria
31	Celele	Cartagena	Colombia
32	Potong	Bangkok	Thailand
33	Elkano	Getaria	Spain
34	Le Coquillage	Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes	France
35	La Colombe	Cape Town	South Africa
36	Ru Yuan	Hangzhou	China
37	Nuema	Quito	Ecuador
38	Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler	Brunico	Italy
39	Schloss Schauenstein	Fürstenau	Switzerland
40	Jordnær	Copenhagen	Denmark
41	Onjium	Seoul	South Korea
42	Bozar	Brussels	Belgium
43	Le Calandre	Rubano	Italy
44	Don Julio	Buenos Aires	Argentina
45	Mayta	Lima	Peru
46	El Chato	Bogotá	Colombia
47	Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse à l’Hôtel de Paris	Monte Carlo	Monaco
48	Ikoyi	London	United Kingdom
49	Naar	Kasauli	India
50	Saint Peter	Sydney	Australia

How is The 50 Best Restaurants decided?

The ranking is based on the votes of The 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which brings together more than 1,100 international restaurant experts with gender parity: chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and well-travelled diners. The list has been published every year since 2002. Restaurants that have already been ranked No. 1 are not eligible.

Key questions

What is the world’s best restaurant in 2026?

Asador Etxebarri, in Axpe (Atxondo, Biscay, Spain), is the world’s best restaurant for 2026 according to The 50 Best Restaurants, whose list was announced in Lima on 4 November 2026.

Who is the chef at Asador Etxebarri?

Bittor Arguinzoniz, also spelt Arginzoniz, is the self-taught chef and owner of Asador Etxebarri. He cooks the entire menu over wood embers using grills and tools of his own design.

What is Asador Etxebarri known for?

Asador Etxebarri is known for cooking every dish over wood fire, including produce rarely grilled, such as caviar, elvers and egg yolk, as well as Palamós prawns and aged beef chop.

Where is Asador Etxebarri?

Asador Etxebarri is in Axpe, a village in the municipality of Atxondo, in the province of Biscay, in Spain’s Basque Country.

Where did Asador Etxebarri rank before 2026?

Asador Etxebarri was No. 2 on the list in 2024, behind Disfrutar, and No. 2 again in 2025, behind Maido.

Which restaurants are second and third in 2026?

Gaggan, in Bangkok, is No. 2 and Alchemist, in Copenhagen, is No. 3 on The 50 Best Restaurants 2026.

How many Spanish restaurants are on The 50 Best Restaurants 2026?

Four: Asador Etxebarri (1), DiverXO (9), Enigma (29) and Elkano (33).

Is The 50 Best Restaurants the same as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants?

Yes. The ranking, published since 2002, took the name The 50 Best Restaurants in 2026.

Is The 50 Best Restaurants the same as the Michelin Guide?

No. The 50 Best Restaurants is an annual ranking based on the votes of more than 1,100 experts. The Michelin Guide awards stars through its own inspectors. Asador Etxebarri holds one Michelin star.

What it means for luxury brands

Etxebarri reached No. 1 from a village in the Atxondo valley, with one technique refined over decades rather than a changing concept. Its recognition was built by those who travel to eat there. For luxury brands, it confirms that a clearly identifiable proposition, sustained over time, travels further than novelty.