On the Road to Abu Dhabi: Where the World’s Top Kitchens Are Heading
The global ranking The World’s 50 Best Restaurants won’t be revealed until November in Abu Dhabi. But the regional previews from Asia and North America already hint at where fine dining is headed next.
Anyone waiting for the new world ranking of the best restaurants this summer is waiting too soon. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 will be announced in November in Abu Dhabi, a change of venue that speaks volumes. Until then, the regional rankings offer the most reliable clues about where fine dining is headed.
- The 2026 global ceremony takes place in November in Abu Dhabi, not, as in previous years, in Turin
- Maido in Lima, the current titleholder, automatically moves to the Best of the Best Hall of Fame and is excluded from the 2026 ranking
- The Chairman in Hong Kong tops Asia’s list, while Smyth in Chicago leads North America’s
A New Stage for the Crown
The 2026 edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants will be held in November in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi. The programme includes talks, Signature Sessions with guest chefs from past rankings, and a Chefs’ Feast. For context: the previous edition was announced live in mid-June in Turin, where Maido from Lima was once again crowned the world’s best restaurant, ahead of Asador Etxebarri from Atxondo and Quintonil from Mexico City.
That defending champion will not be part of the next ranking. Since 2019, the 50 Best has operated a Hall of Fame rule: any restaurant that has claimed the top spot is no longer eligible for regular ranking but moves to the Best of the Best group. Maido now joins former titleholders such as Disfrutar, Central and Geranium. For the 2026 list, that means the top spot is wide open, without an incumbent champion.
What the Voters Are Really Judging
The world ranking is based on 1,120 anonymous voters across 28 regions, with each panel casting forty votes and strict gender parity. Deloitte independently audits the process. For 2026, each eligible voter selects six to ten restaurants based on their own travel patterns, with no more than six from their home region. This is designed to prevent the list from becoming a collection of local favourites instead of reflecting truly global fine dining.
Critics have long argued that fixed evaluation criteria are missing and that Academy votes remain subjective, further complicated by debates over regional weighting and proximity to sponsors. That context matters, yet it doesn’t diminish the list’s influence; it remains the most influential of its kind precisely because it commands so much attention that restaurants plan entire booking years around its outcome.
A list that isn’t revealed until November forces patience through the summer. That very delay turns the spotlight onto the restaurants already delivering, without waiting for a coronation.
Hong Kong’s Double Triumph
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 ranks The Chairman in Hong Kong at number one, with Wing, also from Hong Kong, taking second place. It’s a rare double victory for a single city in the regional fine-dining scene. The Chairman describes itself explicitly without staged theatrics, PR gimmicks, or Instagram-driven plating. According to 50 Best, the food itself is the star, not the surrounding spectacle, a deliberate counterpoint to the more flamboyant formats dominating elsewhere.
Wing, located on the 29th floor of the same building, reimagines Chinese tradition through dishes like smoked pigeon with sugarcane or a homemade golden crystal egg with chili oysters. Two opposing registers under one roof, loud versus quiet, tradition versus reinvention, illustrate how far the city’s culinary ambitions have come.
North America’s Shifting Center of Gravity
North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, in its second edition, crowned Smyth in Chicago as the continent’s top spot, with the awards ceremony held in New Orleans. Runner-up was newcomer Eight from Calgary, followed by Restaurant Pearl Morissette from Lincoln, Ontario, in third place. Smyth roots its menus in Midwest terroir and farm partnerships, boasting three Michelin stars and seasonal pairings such as a trout-belly doughnut with kumquat.
What this regional list reveals: the race for global supremacy is quietly shifting away from Europe and South America’s usual suspects toward cities long dismissed as secondary dining destinations. Calgary and Lincoln, Ontario, aren’t traditional fine-dining capitals, making the ranking all the more intriguing.
What to Watch Until November
Until the global list drops in Abu Dhabi, Peru remains the strongest national bloc on the current 2025 World’s 50 Best standings, with four restaurants in the top 50 led by outgoing champion Maido. Whether this dominance endures in 2026, or whether Asian and North American venues surge ahead, will only be clear when the new rankings are unveiled. The regional lists aren’t mere warm-ups; they’re the real-time seismograph of what November may confirm or surprise.
Patience Pays Off
A list that arrives late in the year demands forbearance from anyone eager to know who wears the crown. Yet that delay sharpens the focus on what kitchens like The Chairman or Smyth have long proven: substance doesn’t need a ceremony to prove its worth.
Good to Know
▸When and where will the 2026 World’s 50 Best list be announced?
In November in Abu Dhabi. An exact date and venue have yet to be officially confirmed; only the month has been announced.
▸Why isn’t Maido still eligible?
Since 2019, former “World’s Best Restaurant” winners automatically enter the Best of the Best Hall of Fame and are no longer eligible for regular ranking. Maido last claimed the title at the 2025 edition in Turin.
▸What do the regional lists tell us about the global ranking?
They highlight which cuisines and cities are gaining momentum. Hong Kong’s double win at Asia’s 50 Best and Chicago’s top spot at North America’s 50 Best are seen as strong signals ahead of the global announcement.
Image credits: Hero image Pexels / Tima Miroshnichenko; inline images Pexels / Matheus Bertelli, Pexels / Anna Tarazevich and Pexels / Ayberk Mirza.
