50 Best Restaurants 2026: Asador Extebarri Takes First Place; Jessica Rosval Named World's Best Female Chef

The annual landscape of the world’s finest cuisine is once again taking shape in Lima, where the Teatro Municipal served as the backdrop for the ceremony honoring The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 (which, starting this year, operates under the new global brand The 50). Here are all the names on the list and the awards.

This edition saw the outright triumph of Etxebarri in Atxondo, led by grill master Victor Arguinzoniz, followed by Gaggan (Bangkok) and Alchemist (Copenhagen).

For Italy, it has been a special year: while the Italian contingent has generally maintained its rankings, two high-profile achievements stand out above all others.

An Italian Milestone: Crippa’s Surge and the Rise of Jessica Rosval

A closer look at the rankings reveals a brilliant performance by Piazza Duomo in Alba: Chef Enrico Crippa makes an extraordinary leap of twelve spots, climbing from No. 32 to No. 20 and reaffirming his status as the top Italian restaurant in the rankings.

But the true center of gravity for Italian excellence now lies in Modena. By debuting directly at No. 24, Al Gatto Verde marks the only Italian new entry among the world’s top fifty (up from No. 92 in 2025). At the same time, its head chef, Jessica Rosval, received the Best Female Chef Award 2026. This honor follows in the footsteps of historic figures in Italian cuisine, a legacy poignantly recalled during the evening in memory of Nadia Santini.

Italy retains a total of five spots in the top 50, with Niko Romito’s Reale at No. 27, Norbert Niederkofler’s Atelier Moessmer at No. 38, and the Alajmo brothers’ Le Calandre at No. 43.

Jessica Rosval and Al Gatto Verde: The Interplay of Fire, Ethics, and Aesthetics

The success of Jessica Rosval—a Canadian from Montréal but a Modenese by adoption, who arrived in Italy in 2013 to join the kitchen staff at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana—is a celebration of a profound, sensitive, and inclusive culinary vision.

Born in the centuries-old park of Casa Maria Luigia from the Sunday tradition of Tòla Dòlza (“take it easy”), Al Gatto Verde has, over time, transformed the convivial ritual of charcoal and wood-fired cooking into a contemporary gastronomic language. Already honored with a MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Green Star, the restaurant creates a dialogue between Emilian ingredients, international influences, and a rigorous ethical sensibility.

Smoking is not merely a technique, but a narrative thread. In the “Le Fiabe” tasting menu, inspiration draws on the Italian fairy-tale imagination to create a cuisine of memory and wonder; while in key dishes such as Miseria e Nobiltà (a hollow tortellino served with wild game ragù and Emilian truffle), the perfect synthesis between local roots and an avant-garde vision is achieved.

The chef’s commitment extends beyond the kitchen: already named a Champion of Change in 2024 and listed among the Mindful Voices in the MICHELIN Guide, Rosval is co-founder of the Association for the Integration of Women and of the social restaurant Roots in Modena, a training and professional development project for migrant women. A cuisine in which hospitality becomes a concrete tool for inclusion.

“At Al Gatto Verde, we want to recapture that feeling that first brought us together around the fire: the warmth, the curiosity, and the joy of sharing a meal. Here, my Canadian roots meet the traditions of Emilia, giving us the freedom to create something deeply connected to this place and, at the same time, completely our own.” These are Jessica’s words in response to the prestigious award.

The complete ranking: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026

1. Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo) – The Best Restaurant in Europe
2. Gaggan (Bangkok) – The Best Restaurant in Asia
3. Alchemist (Copenaghen)
4. Quintonil (Città del Messico) – The Best Restaurant in Latin America
5. Wing (Hong Kong)
6. The Chairman (Hong Kong)
7. Kjolle (Lima)
8. Kadeau (Copenaghen)
9. Diverxo (Madrid)
10. Plénitude (Parigi)
11. Atomix (New York) – The Best Restaurant in North America
12. Sorn (Bangkok)
13. Mérito (Lima)
14. Sühring (Bangkok)
15. Odette (Singapore)
16. Tuju (San Paolo) – Highest New Entry Award
17. Mingles (Seul)
18. Nusara (Bangkok)
19. Jan (Monaco di Baviera)
20. Piazza Duomo (Alba)
21. Meet the Bund (Shanghai)
22. Boragò (Santiago)
23. Vyn (Skillinge)
24. Al Gatto Verde (Modena)
25. Lasai (Rio de Janeiro)
26. Masque (Mumbai)
27. Reale (Castel di Sangro)
28. Trèsind Studio (Dubai) – The Best Restaurant in the Middle East
29. Enigma (Barcellona)
30. Steirereck (Vienna)
31. Celele (Cartagena)
32. Potong (Bangkok)
33. Elkano (Getaria)
34. Le Coquillage (Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes)
35. La Colombe (Città del Capo) – The Best Restaurant in Africa
36. Ru Yuan (Hangzhou)
37. Nuema (Quito)
38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler (Brunico)
39. Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau)
40. Jordnær (Copenaghen)
41. Onjium (Seul)
42. Bozar (Bruxelles)
43. Le Calandre (Rubano)
44. Don Julio (Buenos Aires)
45. Mayta (Lima)
46. El Chato (Bogotà)
47. Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse (Monte Carlo)
48. Ikoyi (Londra)
49. Naar (Kasauli) – Sustainable Restaurant Award
50. Saint Peter (Sydney) – The Best Restaurant in Oceania