Asador Etxebarri Named World's Best Restaurant on The 50 Best 2026 List

Asador Etxebarri, the wood-fired Basque grill in Atxondo, Spain, was named The World's Best Restaurant 2026 at The 50 Best Restaurants awards in Lima on Nov. 4. Chef Bittor Arguinzoniz's 14-course grill tasting menu topped Gaggan in Bangkok and Alchemist in Copenhagen on the global ranking.

Nov 06, 2026 - 12:51

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Asador Etxebarri, the wood-fired Basque grill in Atxondo, Spain, was named The World's Best Restaurant 2026 at The 50 Best Restaurants awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, according to PR Newswire, The 50, CNN and Eater. The ceremony was held Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, at Teatro Municipal de Lima in Lima, Peru, PR Newswire and Eater reported. The restaurant succeeds 2025 winner Maido in Lima, which moves into The 50's Best of the Best hall of fame and is no longer eligible for the annual 1–50 ranking, according to PR Newswire and Restaurant.

Basque wood-fire cooking reaches No. 1

The 50, in a Nov. 4 feature by Olivia Simpson, said chef-owner Bittor Arguinzoniz's Asador Etxebarri sits between San Sebastián and Bilbao and has been a mainstay on the ranking since its 2008 debut. The outlet reported that the restaurant has appeared in every top 10 since 2016 and reached No. 2 in 2025 before taking No. 1 in 2026. PR Newswire and Restaurant identified the chef-owner as Victor Arguinzoniz; The 50, CNN and The Independent use the Basque given name Bittor for the same chef.

According to The 50, the kitchen builds a 14-course tasting menu around custom-made grills designed by Arguinzoniz, with signature dishes including Palamós prawns flash-cooked over oak-wood coals and a charred beef chop typically sourced from seven-to-11-year-old Rubia Gallega or Galician cattle. The Independent described the setting as an 18th-century stone farmhouse in a quiet Basque village and said every dish is touched by the grill, including milk ice cream. The 50 reported that the converted farmhouse dining room has eight tables and a small kitchen and front-of-house team. Bon Appétit reported that the restaurant holds one Michelin star and that tasting menus are around $337.

Chef remarks and restaurant history

CNN reported that Arguinzoniz, speaking in Spanish after the win, called the prize "a real honor" and cited "our mothers and grandmothers" as inspiration. The 50 quoted him saying cooking over flames "allows you to showcase the quality of the produce," that he wanted to share the recognition with people who helped him over many years in the profession, and that the team aims "to improve day after day so that we can continue to make our diners happier and happier." The 50 said Arguinzoniz opened the restaurant in 1990 and is a self-taught Basque chef.

Restaurant reported that Asador Etxebarri debuted at No. 44 in 2008, did not appear in the 2010 ranking, returned the following year and has featured every year thereafter. The outlet said the restaurant now leaves the top 50 for Best of the Best, joining past No. 1 restaurants including El Bulli, The French Laundry, The Fat Duck, Noma, El Celler de Can Roca, Eleven Madison Park and Maido. PR Newswire listed the same Best of the Best members among restaurants that topped the ranking historically and were therefore ineligible for 2026 voting.

Top five and regional leaders

PR Newswire, Eater, CNN and The Independent all placed Gaggan in Bangkok at No. 2 and Alchemist in Copenhagen at No. 3, followed by Quintonil in Mexico City at No. 4 and Wing in Hong Kong at No. 5. PR Newswire said Asador Etxebarri was also named The Best Restaurant in Europe; Gaggan took The Best Restaurant in Asia; Quintonil won The Best Restaurant in Latin America; Atomix in New York at No. 11 secured The Best Restaurant in North America; Trèsind Studio in Dubai won The Best Restaurant in the Middle East; La Colombe in Cape Town was named The Best Restaurant in Africa; and Saint Peter in Sydney secured The Best Restaurant in Oceania.

Eater and CNN reported that Atomix was the only U.S. restaurant in the 2026 top 50. The 50 said four Spanish restaurants made the list: Asador Etxebarri at No. 1, Diverxo in Madrid at No. 9, Enigma in Barcelona at No. 29 and Elkano in Getaria at No. 33. Restaurant noted that London's Ikoyi at No. 48 was the only U.K. restaurant on the 1–50 list.

New entries, special awards and voting

PR Newswire reported 11 new entries to the 1–50 list, including Tuju in São Paulo at No. 16, which received the Highest New Entry Award, and five re-entries, including La Colombe at No. 35. Kadeau in Copenhagen at No. 8 received the Highest Climber Award after moving up 33 places from 2025, the release said. Special awards listed by PR Newswire and corroborated by Eater and Bon Appétit included Best Female Chef for Jessica Rosval of Al Gatto Verde in Modena; the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award for Junghyun "JP" Park of Atomix; Best Pastry Chef for Bangkok's Dej Kewkacha; Best Sommelier for Lesley Liu of Odette in Singapore; the SevenRooms Icon Award for Ferran Adrià; the Sustainable Restaurant Award for Naar in Kasauli; and The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship for Doris Lam.

According to PR Newswire, the 2026 list draws on votes from The 50 Best Restaurants Academy of more than 1,100 international restaurant industry experts across 28 regions, with a 50/50 gender balance and at least 25 percent of voters refreshed annually. The organization works with Deloitte as its independent adjudication partner, the release said. Bon Appétit reported that the ceremony was The 50's first such event in South America after an earlier plan to host in Abu Dhabi was changed to Peru in June.

Rikki Tidball, managing director of events for The 50, said in the PR Newswire release that the ranking "celebrates the highest calibre of hospitality on a global scale" and that Arguinzoniz's team was recognized for "transforming simple, high-quality ingredients into sophisticated dishes." The 50 reported that Asador Etxebarri's sommelier and restaurant manager, Mohamed Benabdallah, won The World's Best Sommelier Award in 2025 and curates a roughly 400-bottle wine list.