Asador Etxebarri named world’s top restaurant for 2026

Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain, was named the world’s No. 1 restaurant for 2026 at an awards ceremony in Lima on November 4. The Basque restaurant, led by chef Bittor Arguinzoniz, rose from second place in 2025 to take the top position in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking. Bangkok’s Gaggan placed second, followed by Alchemist in Copenhagen, Quintonil in Mexico City and Wing in Hong Kong. The top five span Europe, Asia and North America. Quintonil was also named the Best Restaurant in Latin America, while New York’s Atomix was the highest-ranked U.S. restaurant, at No. 11. Asador Etxebarri’s cooking is centered on grilling over wood fire. Its 2026 result marks a return to the top for Spain: Barcelona’s Disfrutar won in 2024, and the 2026 ranking included four Spanish restaurants among the top 50. Besides Etxebarri, DiverXO in Madrid placed ninth, Enigma in Barcelona was 29th and Elkano in Getaria ranked 33rd. The ranking’s rules allow a restaurant to win the top prize only once. Former No. 1 restaurants move into a separate Best of the Best program and are no longer eligible for the annual competition. Disfrutar is among those retired from the contest. The 50 says the...