The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2026 have just been announced – and a remote European spot took first place

Asador Etxebarri, a wood-fired restaurant in the small Basque village of Axpe, has been named the best restaurant in the world in The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, announced at a ceremony in Lima.

The restaurant, run by chef-owner Víctor Arguinzoniz (also known as Bittor Arginzoniz), climbed from second place in 2025. Its €300 tasting menu cooks every course over wood and charcoal, from Palamós red prawns to smoked milk ice cream. The restaurant opened in 1990 and sits about 45 minutes by car from Bilbao. It has been on the list since 2008, when it debuted at number 44.

The awards are based on anonymous nominations from more than 1,100 industry experts, who can nominate restaurants they visited in the previous 18 months and cannot vote for places in which they have a financial interest. Deloitte checks the voting data. Former winners are retired into the Best of the Best list, which now includes Maido in Lima, the 2025 winner. Gaggan in Bangkok rose to second place and won the Asia award again, while Quintonil in Mexico City took the Latin America title.

Key points

• Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain, ranks first, up from second in 2025.
• The restaurant has been on the list since 2008, rising from number 44 to the top.
• Gaggan in Bangkok is second, and Quintonil in Mexico City is third.
• Only one London restaurant, Ikoyi, made the top 50, at number 48.
• Restaurants are voted on by anonymous industry experts and checked by Deloitte.