About the List

About The 50 Best Restaurants

The 50 Best Restaurants (formerly The World's 50 Best Restaurants) has reflected and celebrated the richness and diversity of the world's culinary landscape since 2002, growing from a single restaurant ranking to a global authority on hospitality.

Thanks to its panel of more than 1,100 culinary experts, as well as its structured and audited voting system, the annual list of the world's finest restaurants provides a snapshot of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, inspiring diners to travel, unveiling up-and-coming chefs and culinary trends, and showcasing the subtlety and complexity of various cuisines and cultures from around the world – with many more still to discover and celebrate.

The history of The 50 Best Restaurants

In 2002, British magazine Restaurant – the leading publication dedicated to the UK's restaurant trade – decided to create a list of the best restaurants in the world, based on the advice of 150 experts.

The following year, that same team decided to host a celebration commemorating the announcement of The World's 50 Best Restaurants. The spirit of the awards ceremony and celebration was born. Soon after, The World's 50 Best Restaurants became independently run from Restaurant magazine.

This trusted and transparent system has been honed over time, and continues to evolve, growing from 150 to more than 1,100 voters, with structural improvements being made every year.

In 2026, The World's 50 Best Restaurants evolved into The 50 Best Restaurants.

The annual awards ceremony for The World's 50 Best Restaurants was held in London from 2003 to 2015 before starting a global tour, with stops in New York (2016), Melbourne (2017), the Basque Country (2018), Singapore (2019), Flanders (2021), London (2022), Valencia (2023), Las Vegas (2024), Turin (2025) and Lima (2026).

Global expansion of The 50 Best Restaurants:

2013 – Asia's 50 Best Restaurants and Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants launched

2022 – Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants launched

2025 – North America's 50 Best Restaurants launched

2026 – The World's 50 Best Restaurants evolved into The 50 Best Restaurants

The strength of the ranking lies in the relevance of its geographical network and the level of expertise of its voters, who together comprise The 50 Best Restaurants Academy. We are dedicated to transparently sharing our voting mechanics and methodology, and you can read more about the voting process and the Academy and consult our FAQs.

Each year, the live events programme creates a unique opportunity to connect an incredible community, recognising the very best and inspiring more people to come together through the shared experience of extraordinary hospitality.

But The 50 Best Restaurants is more than just the rankings and awards, with our extensive editorial, social content and consumer experiences uncovering the stories behind the places and people shaping global hospitality.

The 50 Best Restaurants is part of The 50 family.