Another awards list drops, and this time it's from Tatler magazine. For long-time expats, Shanghai's climb to global dining fame might feel slow; for others, meteoric. Either way, here's some context for anyone still catching up.

For years, Shanghai was off the radar for both Michelin and Tatler. The Michelin Guide Shanghai didn't appear until 2016, when the city finally got its first set of stars – 31 of them, to be exact. Then came a long wait for Tatler Asia to turn its gaze north of Hong Kong. It wasn't until 2024 that Tatler officially relaunched its "Tatler Best" coverage for the Chinese mainland, with Shanghai restaurants appearing in its Top 100 list for the first time.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Tatler Best Awards – a glossy celebration of hotels, restaurants, and bars across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East – took over Bangkok's Paragon Hall last night. Amid the glitz and good lighting, Greater China (China mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau) made a statement: 78 local venues walked away as winners, signaling that the country's dining scene is no longer waiting for a seat at the table. It's running the kitchen.

In case you missed some of my other awards announcements, here are a few to catch you up on all the stellar places in Shanghai receiving recognition:

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So... 300 Winners, with China Taking 26% of Total Awards...

The Tatler Best Awards list is all about honoring excellence in hospitality and recognizing the best destinations to dine, drink and stay while traveling. “From landmark hotels to trailblazing restaurants and world-class bars, these awards celebrate the very best in luxury, innovation and guest experience in Asia-Pacific, says Sean Fitzpatrick, APAC & ME Jury Co-Chair and Chief Experience Officer at Tatler Asia.

The list covers the top 100 Best Hotels, 100 Best Restaurants, and 100 Best Bars across Asia-Pacific. The 100 Best Award winners are spread across 26 categories, voted on by a jury panel of over 700 leading experts (seasoned critics, international journalists, industry professionals, and Tatler community members) representing the most discerning, well-traveled, and influential culinary connoisseurs around the world. 

Taking it a step further, the coveted Best-in-Class awards are the program’s highest distinction, honoring the cream of the crop shaping the future of hospitality. These top awards include Hotel of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, and several other accolades.

Tatler Best Takeover Series

The Tatler Best ceremony was part of a greater two-day event, known as Tatler Best Takeover Series, including immersive takeovers, guests shifts, four-hands collaborations, pop-ups, educations classes, and industry networking. This curated set of exclusive dining and drinking events highlights exceptional talent from previous Tatler restaurants and bar lists. The various events champion local ingredients and regional flavors, resulting in bespoke experiences that serve to uplift the city’s gastronomic experiences.

The List

The second edition ever of the Tatler Best Awards saw hundreds of famed chefs, accomplished restaurateurs, visionary hoteliers, accomplished mixologists and global media come together under one roof to recognize the leaders in the hospitality industry across 24 destinations. 

Without further ado, here’s a recap of the number of winners by country in each of the three categories:

Shanghai took home:

• 4 Bar Awards
• 4 Restaurant Awards
• 3 Hotel Awards

Greater China made a stellar showing with:

•  29 establishments from Mainland China
• 27 venues from Hong Kong
• 15 winners from Taiwan, and
• 7 spots from Macau

From Mainland China, the bar winners included:

• CMYK
• Coa
• Epic (Shanghai)
• Hide & Seek
• Hope & Sesame
• Obsidian Bar
• Pony Up (Shanghai)
• Speak Low (Shanghai)
• The Union Trading Company (Shanghai)

The restaurant winners included:

• Jiang by Chef Fei
• Jin Sha
• La Bourriche 133 (Shanghai)
• Lamdre
• Ling Long (Shanghai)
• Meet the Bund Skyline (Shanghai)
• Qu Lang Yuan
• Ru Yuan
• Scilla (Shanghai)
• Yong Fu (Shanghai)

The hotel winners included:

• Alila Shanghai
• Amanyangyun (Shanghai)
• Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou
• Mandarin Oriental Qianmen
• The Peninsula Shanghai
• Regent Chongqing
• Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
• Rosewood Beijing
• Songtsam Basongcuo Linka
• Upper House Chengdu

To see the full list of winning 100 bars, 100 restaurants, and 100 hotels, visit tatlerasia.com.

What this Means for Shanghai...

The recognition feels earned, not sudden. Over the last decade, Shanghai's restaurants have shifted from imitation to interpretation – chefs stopped chasing Western benchmarks and started building something that reflects the city itself: layered, fast-moving, confident in contradiction. Fine dining has become less about imported truffles and more about technique, restraint, and storytelling. Bars, too, have matured – less spectacle, more substance.

For Tatler, this inclusion is a late but necessary update. For Shanghai, it's simply an acknowledgment of what's already true: that this city is no longer looking outward for validation. It's setting its own standard, one reservation at a time.