The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2025 and Where to Find Them

What’s the best restaurant in the world? A question that will evoke countless opinions and debates, but one that also has a definitive answer thanks to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The 2025 results have been revealed – here’s where the critics think is the crème de la crème of the culinary world.

Introducing the World’s 50 Best Restaurants  

Founded in 2002, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants aims to celebrate the richness and diversity of the world’s culinary landscape. Each year, over 1,000 culinary experts curate a snapshot of global gastronomy: the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The panel can’t vote for any restaurant they have an economic interest in, and they must have eaten at the restaurants in the previous 19 months.  

Below, we’ve chosen five restaurants in countries you can travel to with Insight Vacations, in case you fancy extending your stay during your trip with us and treating yourself. It goes without saying, but make sure you reserve a table well in advance!   

Maido, Lima, Peru 

Officially the best restaurant in the world, Lima’s Maido took the top spot in 2025 led by chef Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura. Maido takes its name from a Japanese phrase used to greet people, and it’s the first thing diners will hear when stepping into the restaurant. 

The elegant restaurant is found in Lima’s trendy Miraflores neighborhood, and has been making waves since 2009. Combining Japanese techniques with Peruvian ingredients into Nikkei cuisine, with a philosophy to serve the best local ingredients changing every season. Make sure to look out for delicacies like the miniature jaune parcel of pork jowl and palm heart that nods to a rainforest staple, snacks of ‘ham’ made from sustainable paiche fish, and yucca served with Amazonian beans. 

After claiming the top spot in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura said: “I think the most beautiful act of love is to cook for somebody. It’s the most beautiful thing that has happened in my life. It’s been 11 years [being ranked on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants] and it’s a dream come true.” 

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Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain

Ranked in second place is Asador Etxebarri, set in a peaceful Basque village surrounded by mountains and lush greenery between Bilbao and San Sebastian. Chef Bittor Arguinzoniz puts ingredients front and center in his small kitchen filled with custom-made grills (designed by the chef himself). Arguinzoniz prefers to let the natural flavours of high-quality produce take center stage; everything on the menu is touched by the grill from anchovy on toast to the succulent red Palamós prawn, and even the milk ice cream with beetroot.  

Diverxo, Madrid, Spain

With Chef Dabiz Muñoz keen to push gastronomic boundaries and a tasting menu that verges on theater, Madrid’s Diverxo landed 4th place in this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The tasting menu stretches out over many courses, combining Spanish and Asian influences into dishes like Pyrenean-matured nigiri, Japanese paella or roasted caviar with vindaloo curry and Greek yoghurt. 

You won’t be able to miss the flying pig theme throughout the restaurant, seen in quriky art, wall hangings and even the crockery. The theme represents Muñoz’s ambitious beginnings; when he mentioned as a child he would one day own a restaurant where people queued around the corner, his father replied: ‘Sure, and pigs might fly.’ Muñoz made sure they did.  

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Alchemist, Copenhagen

Taking 5th place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants is Alchemist, an immersive restaurant in Refshaleøen, a relatively remote part of Copenhagen.  

Guests enter through two-tonne-heavy bronze doors, which mark the beginning of this theatrical and immersive dining experience led by Rasmus Munk. There are no courses, only ‘impressions’ (and a staggering 50 of them) that are divided into ‘acts’ over a seven-hour, multi-sensory journey. Dining takes place under a domed roof with various graphics which change according to the dishes. The food itself combines classic techniques, modern research and Munk’s obsessive search for the best ingredients – delicacies include ‘Space Bread’ canapés topped with caviar and pigeon aged in beeswax. 

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Sézanne, Tokyo 

A relatively new addition to the restaurant scene, Sézanne opened in July 2021 on the seventh floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, led by British chef Daniel Calvert. Large windows offer unbeatable views of Tokyo’s skyline, while the glass-walled kitchen offers a glimpse into the making of this incredible menu. 

It combines neo-French style with tributes to Asia’s rich culinary cultures; think bouillabaisse with saffron from the Saga Prefecture, and fugu (pufferfish) from the Yamaguchi Prefecture cooked on the bone with fugu shirako (pufferfish milt) and roasted kegani sauce (horsehair crab). 

What are the World’s 50 Best Restaurants?  

Find the full list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants below. 

1. Maido, Lima, Peru 
2. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain 
3. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico 
4. DiverXO, Madrid, Spain 
5. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark 
6. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand 
7. Sezanne, Tokyo, Japan 
8. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris, France 
9. Kjolle, Lima, Peru 
10. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina 
11. Wing, Hong Kong 
12. Atomix, New York, USA 
13. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand 
14. Plénitude, Paris, France 
15. Ikoyi, London, UK 
16. Lido 84, Lake Garda Italy 
17. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand 
18. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy 
19. The Chairman, Hong Kong 
20. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy 
21. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan 
22. Serene, Bangkok, Thailand 
23. Boragó, Santiago, Chile 
24. Elkano, Getaria, Spain 
25. Odette, Singapore 
26. Mérito, Lima, Peru* 
27. Tresind Studio, Dubai, UAE 
28. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
29. Mingles, Seoul, South Korea 
30. Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand 
31. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy 
32. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy 
33. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria 
34. Enigma, Barcelona, Spain* 
35. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand* 
36. Florilège, Tokyo, Japan 
37. Orfali Bros, Dubai, UAE 
38. Frantzen, Stockholm, Sweden 
39. Mayta, Lima, Peru 
40. Septime, Paris, France 
41. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark* 
42. Belcanto, Lisbon, Portugal 
43. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy 
44. La Cime, Osaka, Japan 
45. Arpege, Paris, France 
46. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico 
47. Vyn, Skillinge, Sweden* 
48. Celele, Cartagena, Colombia* 
49. Kol, London, UK 
50. Restaurant Jan, Munich, Germany