Asador Etxebarri Named World's Best Restaurant
The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list places the fire-and-smoke Basque restaurant at the top, with two Indian restaurants also ranked.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Food and Drink
Live Poll
Would you plan a trip specifically to eat at a top-ranked restaurant?
Asador Etxebarri, a Basque restaurant in the village of Axpe, Spain, has been named the world's best restaurant on The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list. Mumbai's Masque ranked 26th and Kasauli's NAAR ranked 49th.
Why it matters
The rankings are widely followed in the global dining industry and shape restaurant reputations and travel decisions. The placement of two Indian restaurants on the list highlights the growing international profile of cooking from India.
The list is compiled from votes by more than 1,000 members of the academy, each of whom must have dined at a restaurant within the previous 18 months to vote for it. Masque climbed from 68th last year to 26th this year, while NAAR ranked 49th.
The players
Asador Etxebarri
A Basque restaurant in the village of Axpe, Spain, known for cooking exclusively over fire and wood smoke using handmade grills.
Masque
A Mumbai restaurant housed in an old textile mill, known for contemporary Indian tasting menus led by chef Varun Totlani.
NAAR
A restaurant in the hills of Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, led by chef Prateek Sadhu, whose menu follows the region's six seasons.
The details
Asador Etxebarri, located in Axpe in Spain's Basque region, cooks using only fire and smoke, with handmade grills and wood smoke rather than modern gadgets. Masque, a Mumbai restaurant led by chef Varun Totlani, is housed in one of the city's old textile mills and is known for produce-led tasting menus of contemporary Indian cooking. NAAR, in the hills of Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh and led by chef Prateek Sadhu, changes its menu across six distinct seasons and received the 50 Best Restaurants Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2026.
Timeline
2002: The 50 Best Restaurants list is established.
2016: Masque opens in Mumbai.
2022: Masque enters Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.
2025: NAAR is featured on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants extended list.
2026: The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list names Asador Etxebarri the world's best restaurant.
Big Picture
Since the list was established in 2002, its annual rankings have served as a benchmark for fine dining worldwide. This year's placement of two Indian restaurants among the top 50 extends that broadening of the list's geographic reach.
Diners planning travel to the top-ranked and newly listed restaurants can use the list to identify destinations, though the extraction does not provide reservation details or pricing. Readers interested in the venues should check each restaurant's booking process directly.
The takeaway
The 2026 list shows that restaurants built around a single technique or a strong sense of place, from wood-fire cooking in a Basque village to seasonal menus in the Himalayan foothills, can earn global recognition. For readers, the rankings offer a starting point for discovering restaurants beyond the usual capital-city circuit.
Further reading
For more on global dining trends, explore Food and Drink coverage.
Live Poll
Would you plan a trip specifically to eat at a top-ranked restaurant?
