The moment Asia’s food and beverage community eagerly awaits all year is finally upon us. After much nail biting, hair pulling and floor pacing, the results are out, revealing the continent’s most pioneering, sought after, and trailblazing restaurants. Last night saw the much-anticipated release of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 List during a live ceremony at Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, following the announcement of restaurants ranked 51-100 on March 12.

During the week preceding the awards ceremony, Hong Kong handed the culinary reigns of the city over to Asia’s F&B elite through a series of popups, four-hands, meet-the-chefs gatherings, World’s 50 Best sponsored Signature Sessions, and collaborative dining and drinking events, all involving renowned chefs cooking alongside local talent for once-in-a-lifetime dining opportunities.

READ MORE: 15 Greater China Restaurants Make Asia's 50 Best 2025

50 Best Talks: Rooted

As a lead up to the event, on March 24, Tiffin at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong played host to the 50 Best Talks, this year with the theme Rooted. During this workshop, respected industry icons – like Lesley Liu (sommelier of Odette), Prateek Sadhu (founder and head chef of Naar), Peggy Chan (Champions of Change Award winner 2026 and head of Zero Footprint Asia), Jason Liu (executive chef of Ling Long), and Thitid ‘Ton’ & Chaisiri ‘Tam’ Tassanakajohn (co-owners, executive chef and head sommelier of Nusara) – explored the profound influence of place: the landscapes, memories, flavors, and communities that define who they are and how they cook. During the workshop, these industry thought leaders discussed the inspiration they draw from the places around them and how they bring that back into their line of culinary work.

How Did Greater China Fare in the Awards?

In a word. INCREDIBLE.

The culmination of all this excitement, the 14th edition of the list saw the continuing emergence of venues within Greater China, with 16 entries in the 1-50 list (in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Taipei), and 13 entries in the 51-100 list (split between Beijing, Taipei, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Macau, and Hangzhou).

Ling Long

Ling Long

Fu He Hui

Fu He Hui

Fu He Hui

102 House

Shanghai lays claim to five of these up-and-coming restaurants in the top 50 list, including Meet the Bund, (No. 6), Ling Long (No. 9), Fu He Hui (No. 11), 102 House (No. 29), and La Bourriche 133 (No. 48).

Beyond Shanghai, Greater China truly swept the awards this year, taking home big wins in numerous categories, like:

• Ruyuan of Hangzhou comes in as the Highest New Entry
• Lamdre of Beijing wins the coveted Highest Climber award
• Zhang Yong of Xin Rong Ji is awarded the prestigious Icon Award
• Wing of Hong Kong clocks in as the No. 2 restaurant in all of Asia
• And one more HUGE win, the No. 1 restaurant in all of Asia…read on for the big reveal!

Ru Yuan

Ru Yuan

A momentous victory for Hangzhou, Ru Yuan is the first ever restaurant to find its place among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Not only did it make its debut on this year’s list, but it also did so with panache, claiming the title of Highest New Entry at No. 10. Ru Yuan is an amalgamation of ingredients, recipes, and memories gathered by founder and Executive Chef Fu Yueliang throughout his extensive China and global travels, celebrating the tastes of his childhood while also reworking lesser-known flavors into a fine dining setting. His Pagoda Braised Pork Belly is a prime example, one that’s hardly changed since its debut in 2004.

READ MORE: Beyond Fusion: Hangzhou’s Contemporary Chinese Movement

Lamdre

Lamdre

Beijing’s Lamdre was also afforded an impressive feat at No. 17, accompanied by the Highest Climber Award. Nestled in Beijing’s vibrant Sanlitun district, Lamdre is a fully plant-based restaurant owned by Zhao Jia and Chef Dai Jun. The duo shares a vision that transcends mere vegetarianism, promoting a way of life that prioritizes health, sustainability, and a deep respect for nature. The menu at Lamdre changes with the seasons, showcasing the diversity of ingredients sourced from the rich soils and culinary traditions of the East.

READ MORE: Lamdre: Plant-based Towards Enlightenment

Wing

Wing

Another feather in acclaimed Chef Vicky Cheng’s cap (last year’s winner of the Chef’s Choice Award), the beloved Wing (of Hong Kong) came as the No. 2 restaurant in all of Asia. Paying homage to the Eight Great Chinese cuisines, Wing’s culinary ethos is all about subverting norms through its “boundary-less” menu. Wing made an impressive debut on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, ranking at No. 34 in 2022, and ascending to No. 3 by 2025.

READ MORE: Boundary-less Chinese Heritage Cuisine Reimagined at Wing in Hong Kong

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For: The 2026 List Reveal

Before I reveal the full list, a little background (assuming you haven’t skipped ahead already). It’s compiled based on anonymous voting by the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential gender-balanced group of over 350 food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-traveled gourmets.

This year’s 1-50 list spans 17 different cities across Asia, with eight new entries and four re-entries.

Now — the moment you’ve been waiting for — here’s the full Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list:

And the No.1 restaurant in Asia in 2026 is...The Chairman in Hong Kong!

Under esteemed Chef Danny Yip’s leadership, The Chairman made history in 2021 by becoming the first Chinese restaurant to reign supreme as No. 1 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, while also being the first Chinese establishment to crack the top 10 in The World’s 50 Best ranking. Yip later went on to achieve the Icon Award in 2024, an honor that celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to gastronomy worthy of global recognition, and who use their platform to drive positive change. Now, The Chairman reclaims its title of The Best Restaurant in Asia.

The Chairman

Since its inception, The Chairman has continued to heighten the perception of Cantonese cuisine on a global scale — a noteworthy triumph for a family-style Cantonese establishment offering an alternative to elaborate tasting menus. So what’s on said menu? Ingredient-led food rather than extravagant or theatrical presentation. Each dish is truly the best possible rendition of classic Cantonese fare that honors forgotten heritage recipes coupled with the highest quality ingredients, one of the many reasons why the majority of diners are loyal regulars.

The 51-100 list of restaurants helps to shine broader light on even more deserving establishments across Asia, inspiring budding gourmets to widen their scope of restaurants to consider for future dining plans. This year’s 51-100 list spans 27 different cities across Asia, with 12 new entries.  

Here’s the full list of 51-100 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant winners:

This year saw Chengdu’s first ever entry onto the Asia’s 50 Best List, with the inclusion of Co- (No. 69), a multi-course tasting menu restaurant inspired by the chef’s widespread travels. Shenzhen's Fumée (No. 65) also debuted on the list, featuring a hybrid cuisine that is no longer confined to a geographical region, but instead acknowledges the widespread exchange via population movement of indigenous ingredients and local recipes that form the backbone of culinary cultures. 

READ MORE: Fumée's Chef Reina Chen Leads the Culinary Charge in Shenzhen with Globally-Inspired Gastronomy

Fumée (No. 65)

Fumée (No. 65)

Co- (No. 69)

Jin Sha (No. 85)

Other Award Winners include:

• Asia’s Best Female Chef: Cho Eun-hee of Onjium, Seoul
• Chef’s Choice Award: Thitid 'Ton' Tassanakajohn of Nusara and Le Du, Bangkok
• Best Sommelier: Lesley Liu of Odette, Singapore
• Asia’s Best Pastry Chef: Ardika Dwitama of August, Jakarta
• Sustainable Restaurant Award: Baan Tepa, Bangkok
• Art of Hospitality Award: Masque, Mumbai
• Highest Climber: Lamdre, Beijing
• Highest New Entry Award: Ru Yuan, Hangzhou
• One to Watch Award: San, Seoul
• Icon Award: Zhang Yong

So there you have it — time to start planning your future travel accordingly, zig-zagging across the continent to visit as many of the establishments as your stomach will allow.

Interested in comparing this year’s results to last year? Check out the 2025 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards winners and details here.