Asador Etxebarri Takes No. 1 as The 50 Reveals 2026 Ranking in Lima

Asador Etxebarri, the wood-fire restaurant in Axpe, Spain, claimed the No. 1 position Wednesday night when The 50, the organization formerly known as 50 Best, announced its annual ranking at a ceremony in Lima, Peru. Tasting menus at the Basque Country venue run around $337 per guest.

The event marked the first time The 50 staged its ceremony in South America. That was not the original plan. The organization initially named Abu Dhabi as host, drawing criticism over human rights violations, and in June moved the event to Peru, home of Maido, the Lima restaurant that won last year.

What changed at the top?

Etxebarri sits between Bilbao and San Sebastián and holds one Michelin star. It ranked No. 2 on the 2025 list. Chef Bittor Arginzoniz pairs the characteristics of his grill wood with the plants and proteins cooked over it, an approach that has won admirers among some of the world's best-known chefs. Maido, last year's winner, is ineligible this year. Past champions move to the organization's Best of the Best list, alongside Barcelona's Disfrutar and New York's Eleven Madison Park.

Gaggan in Bangkok took No. 2 and the title of Asia's Best Restaurant, credited to Gaggan Anand's genre-bending Indian cooking. Alchemist in Copenhagen landed at No. 3, up from fifth last year, where chef Rasmus Munk holds two Michelin stars and serves a sci-fi-leaning meal advertised as "up to 50 impressions," both edible and "purely experiential." Quintonil in Mexico City finished fourth; a November menu listed on its website was priced around $327 per person and included lobster in a pipián verde with makrut lime.

Atomix in New York placed No. 11 and was named Best Restaurant in North America. Its chef, Junghyun Park, also won the Chef's Choice Award.

Who is questioning the voting?

Ana Ros, chef of three-Michelin-starred Hisa Franko in Slovenia, skipped the ceremony and explained why in an Instagram statement last month. "Success within the ranking has come to depend increasingly on visibility within the system," she wrote. "When visibility becomes the currency, the ability to promote a restaurant in this system risks becoming as important as the work happening inside it."

Ros, who won The 50's best female chef award in 2017, said restaurants and tourism boards "more or less" know who the anonymous voters are and must decide whether to pay for travel, meals and other entertainment to improve their standing. The voting system does not require voters to pay for their own meals. "With more rules and a little bit more control, this list can really shine again," she said.

Hisa Franko ranked No. 60 this year, up from 69th last year and No. 48 in 2024. Ros called any placement "a fantastic result."

How does the list work?

The 50 states that more than 1,100 voters across 28 regions cast ballots, with a quarter of the voting body replaced each year. Voters divide evenly among chefs and restaurateurs, food writers, and "well-travelled gourmets." Apart from the Academy Chairs, voters remain anonymous. There is no fixed criteria for selection; "every style of restaurant in the world is eligible," though the list skews toward high-end tasting menus, from molecular gastronomy to a Spanish grill, an Argentine steakhouse and Parisian neo-bistros, while rival lists have begun including street food.

Other award winners

• One to Watch Award: Yiaga, Melbourne, Australia
• Sustainable Restaurant Award: Naar, Kasauli, India
• Best Sommelier: Lesley Liu
• The 50 Restaurant Scholarship: Doris Lam
• Champions of Change Award: Ghana Food Movement
• Best Pastry Chef Award: Dej Kewkacha
• Best Female Chef Award: Jessica Rosval
• The Icon Award: Ferran Adrià

The rest of the top ten: Kjolle, Lima, No. 7; Kadeau, Copenhagen, No. 8; Diverxo, Madrid, No. 9; Plénitude, Paris, No. 10. Whether Ros's criticism forces voting reforms before next year's ceremony remains the open question for an organization that has now changed both its name and its host city within a single year.