Frequently Asked Questions

Why has Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants changed name to The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America? 

Launched on 9 September 2026, The 50 is the new unified master brand for 50 Best, bringing together its globally recognised rankings, awards, content and Discovery platform under one clear and distinctive identity. The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America's name change reflects this evolution.

Formerly known as Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America remains focused on recognising excellence and celebrating the very best restaurants across the region. The new naming convention creates greater consistency across The 50's global portfolio and better reflects the scale and breadth of what we do today. This is an evolution of the brand rather than a change to the ranking itself, and the ranking's credibility, independence and methodology remain unchanged. 

Why have you chosen to host the 2026 awards in Guadalajara, Mexico?

For the 2026 awards, we will bring The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America to Guadalajara for the very first time and will be the fourth time that the awards have taken place in Mexico, underlining the country's enduring importance within the region's dynamic culinary landscape. Known as one of Mexico's most celebrated cultural capitals, Guadalajara offers a rich setting for the 14th edition of the awards. The capital of Jalisco is closely associated with some of the country's most recognisable traditions, including mariachi, charrería and tequila. The city's culinary identity is equally distinctive, rooted in treasured local specialities such as birria, tortas ahogadas, tejuino and jericalla, and complemented by a flourishing contemporary restaurant scene. Its proximity to the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, further reflects the region's rich gastronomic heritage.

What will the The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America 2026 event programme look like?

The Guadalajara event programme will also feature the acclaimed The 50 Best Talks, serving as a stage for the world's most prominent culinary minds to deliberate on key issues faced by the gastronomic community. Adding to the celebration, a series of The 50 Signature Sessions will pop up throughout the week in Guadalajara, featuring collaborative dining events where renowned chefs from previous The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America lists partner with leading local restaurants to create unique and exclusive dining experiences for the public. The programme will culminate in the awards ceremony and the live countdown of The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America 2026.

Can consumers attend the event programme?

Consumers are able to purchase tickets to attend The 50 Signature Sessions – further details to be shared in due course. The other events are invitation-only, but food lovers across Latin America and the world can follow the awards ceremony live on The 50 YouTube channel. The awards ceremony will be livestreamed on The 50 YouTube channel, with live updates across our social media channels.

How is The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America 2026 list created?

The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America Academy is the mechanism used to create The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America list. The Academy is comprised of 300 members, each selected for their expert opinion of the Latin American restaurant scene. To create the Academy, and give it a fair representation of the Latin American restaurant scene, we divide the region into five geographical regions. Each region has a chairperson appointed for their knowledge of their part of the restaurant world. Each Chair selected a voting panel (including themselves) – ensuring a gender-balanced selection of chefs, restaurateurs, food/restaurant journalists and gourmands. 

The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America's voting process and results are subject to independent adjudication by world-renowned professional services consultancy Deloitte. Deloitte has been granted full and independent access to The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America voting process and data and has performed procedures to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list. 

Which countries in Latin America are included in the voting?

In alphabetical order – Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guyana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. 

Can a restaurant nominate itself to be on the list?

The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America 2026 list will reflect the best restaurant experiences, and provide an annual snapshot of, the opinions and experiences of 300 restaurant industry experts in Latin America. The list is the result of a poll of independent experts, who each cast 10 votes for establishments where they have enjoyed their best restaurant experiences during the previous 18 months. Members of The 50 organisation do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that restaurants cannot apply to be on the list. Equally, no sponsor has any influence on the voting process.

Does a restaurant have to fit certain criteria?

No. We don't believe there is, or should be, a type of restaurant that features on The 50 lists. We simply ask voters to select their best restaurant experiences and we collate their votes. Restaurants do not have to sell a certain product, they do not have to have been open a certain number of years and they do not have to have won any other culinary accolades. Any style of restaurant in the region is eligible to be voted for by our Academy so long as it has been open during the voting period.

What does 'best' actually mean?

What constitutes 'best' is up to each voter to decide – as everyone's tastes are different, so is everyone's idea of what constitutes a great restaurant experience. Of course, the quality of food is going to be central, as is the service – but the style of both, the surroundings, atmosphere and indeed the price level are each more or less important for each different individual. Restaurants do not have to fit certain criteria. We therefore urge restaurants simply to be the best they can be for their customers first and foremost and not to focus on such rankings or awards, but to see them as a welcome by-product of their hard work and talent.

Why are Central and Maido not eligible for the ranking?

Central was named The World's Best Restaurant 2023, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, in June 2023 and Maido was named The World's Best Restaurant 2025, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, in June 2025. Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants at the global level, which now includes both Central and Maido, are honoured as iconic dining destinations and inducted into the Best of the Best hall of fame. They therefore become ineligible for voting in any future lists of The 50 Best Restaurants. Likewise, they are not eligible for voting in any future lists of The 50 Best Restaurants Latin America.

What is Best of the Best?

The Best of the Best group is formed of all the restaurants that have topped the annual ranking of The 50 Best Restaurants over its history, which are no longer eligible to be voted on new editions of the list. Those in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants have more than proved their worth and are now forever honoured as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame. The chefs and restaurateurs who have led their restaurants to the pinnacle of the list have expressed their desire to invest in the future of the sector and 'give back' to the food world through new projects and initiatives, as well as making space for other talented teams and their restaurants to earn a coveted spot on The 50 lists.