World’s best restaurant for 2025 revealed

And the world's best restaurant for 2025 is ... Maido! This Lima restaurant combines Japanese techniques and Peruvian ingredients into rarefied cuisine that follows a seasonal menu. (Maido via CNN Newsource)

It looks like Lima is going to be welcoming a lot of fine-dining fans in the coming months.

Two restaurants in the Peruvian capital landed in the top 10 on the 2025 list of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants,” including the coveted number one spot.

The awards — considered the Oscars of innovative fine dining — were handed out at a ceremony in Turin, Italy on Thursday night, with Lima’s Maido walking away with the top prize.

Ranked number five on last year’s list, it’s owned and run by chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura.

Maido serves what’s known as Nikkei cuisine, “blending meticulous Japanese techniques with vibrant Peruvian ingredients to create a dining experience that is both culturally rich and innovatively modern” according to the 50 Best organization.

“This is going to be 16 years of Maido,” said Tsumura while accepting the award.

“I think gastronomy — food and hospitality — can do amazing things. They can make dreams come true.”

Coming in second was Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain, while Mexico City’s Quintonil snagged third place, followed by Diverxo in Madrid (No.4) and Copenhagen’s Alchemist rounding out the top five.

Moving to Asia, Bangkok emerged as the big winner of the night, with six restaurants making the top 50 list, including Gaggan at number six.

At number seven was Tokyo’s Sézanne, followed by Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris at number eight. Ninth place went to Kjolle in Lima, with fellow South American restaurant Don Julio in Buenos Aires holding onto the tenth spot — exactly where it landed last year.

The only U.S. restaurant to make the top 50 list was New York’s Atomix, at number 12, which also walked away with the award for “Outstanding Hospitality” at the recent James Beard Awards.

Meanwhile, the Thai capital also saw the highest new entry in the top 50 — Bangkok restaurant Potong snagged the 13th spot this year in its inaugural appearance on the list.

Opened in 2021 in the city’s Chinatown area by chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij, it’s set in a five-story historic building that, from 1910, housed the family’s Chinese herbal medicine business. Potong’s innovative tasting menu, featuring Thai-Chinese cuisine, has earned it fast fans and a Michelin star.

London restaurant Ikoyi secured the highest climber award by moving up 27 spots from the 2024 list to land at number 15 this year. Serving what 50 Best refers to as “category free cuisine” it scooped the the One To Watch prize in 2021.

Ikoyi has since moved to London’s The Strand, where diners can enjoy its signature dish —smoked jollof rice — from a menu inspired by sub-Saharan West Africa.

The top 50

The annual list is compiled based on the votes of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of 1,080 international restaurant industry experts including food writers and chefs, in 27 regions around the world.

Restaurants can only win the top prize once, after which they’re entered into a separate “Best of the Best” program.

Members of that elite group include Geranium and Noma in Copenhagen, as well as New York’s Eleven Madison Park, The Fat Duck near London, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, Mirazur in Menton, France and Central of Lima. Last year’s “50 Best Restaurants” winner, Barcelona’s Disfrutar, is also now on that list.

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. Sézanne (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 City)

13. Potong (Bangkok)

14. Plénitude (Paris, France)

15. Ikoyi (London, England)

16. Lido 84 (Gardone Riviera, 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. Suhring (Bangkok, Thailand)

23. Boragó (Santiago, Chile)

24. Elkano (Getaria, Spain)

25. Odette (Singapore)

26. Mérito (Lima, Peru)

27. Trèsind 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. Frantzén (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, England)

50. Restaurant Jan (Munich, Germany)

By Karla Cripps, CNN