[Big News] 5 Shanghai Restaurants on Asia's 50 Best List

The moment Asia's food and beverage community eagerly awaits all year is finally upon us. After much nail-biting, hair-pulling, and floor pacing, the results are out, revealing the continent's most pioneering, sought-after, and trailblazing restaurants. Last night saw the much-anticipated release of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 List during a live ceremony at Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, following the announcement of restaurants ranked 51-100 on March 12.

Shanghai on the rise...

This is a BIG year for China on Asia's 50 best, particularly for Shanghai, which scored 5 positions within the top 50, and whose positions have climbed significantly compared to years past.

During the week preceding the awards ceremony, Hong Kong handed the culinary reigns of the city over to Asia's F&B elite through a series of pop-ups, four-hands, meet-the-chefs gatherings, World's 50 Best-sponsored Signature Sessions, and collaborative dining and drinking events, all involving renowned chefs cooking alongside local talent for once-in-a-lifetime dining opportunities.

50 Best Talks: Rooted

As a lead up to the event, on March 24, Tiffin at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong played host to the 50 Best Talks, this year with the theme Rooted. During this workshop, respected industry icons – like Lesley Liu (sommelier of Odette), Prateek Sadhu (founder and head chef of Naar), Peggy Chan (Champions of Change Award winner 2026 and head of Zero Footprint Asia), Jason Liu (executive chef of Ling Long), and Thitid 'Ton' & Chaisiri 'Tam' Tassanakajohn (co-owners, executive chef and head sommelier of Nusara) – explored the profound influence of place: the landscapes, memories, flavors, and communities that define who they are and how they cook. During the workshop, these industry thought leaders discussed the inspiration they draw from the places around them and how they bring that back into their line of culinary work.

How Did China Fare in the Awards?

In a word. INCREDIBLE.

The culmination of all this excitement, the 14th edition of the list saw the continuing emergence of venues within China, with 16 entries in the 1-50 list (in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Hangzhou, Beijing and Taipei), and 13 entries in the 51-100 list (split between Beijing, Taipei, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Macau and Hangzhou).

China Has a Powerful Showing This Year

Shanghai lays claim to five of these up-and-coming restaurants in the top 50 list, including:

• Meet the Bund 遇外滩 (No. 6)
• Ling Long 玲珑 (No. 9)
• Fu He Hui 福和慧 (No. 11)
• 102 House 壹零贰小馆 (No. 29)
• La Bourriche 133 现代海鲜餐厅 (No. 48)

Beyond Shanghai, China truly swept the awards this year, taking home big wins in numerous categories, like:

• Ruyuan (如院) of Hangzhou comes in as the Highest New Entry

• Lamdre (兰斋) of Beijing wins the coveted Highest Climber award

• Zhang Yong of Xin Rong Ji (新荣记) is awarded the prestigious Icon Award

• Wing (永) of Hong Kong clocks in as the No. 2 restaurant in all of Asia

• And one more HUGE win, the No. 1 restaurant in all of Asia…read on for the big reveal!

A momentous victory for Hangzhou, Ru Yuan is the first ever restaurant to find its place among Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Not only did it make its debut on this year's list, but it also did so with panache, claiming the title of Highest New Entry at No. 10. Ru Yuan is an amalgamation of ingredients, recipes, and memories gathered by founder and Executive Chef Fu Yueliang throughout his extensive China and global travels, celebrating the tastes of his childhood while also reworking lesser-known flavors into a fine dining setting. His Pagoda Braised Pork Belly is a prime example, one that's hardly changed since its debut in 2004.

Beijing's Lamdre was also afforded an impressive feat at No. 17, accompanied by the Highest Climber Award. Nestled in Beijing's vibrant Sanlitun district, Lamdre is a fully plant-based restaurant owned by Zhao Jia and Chef Dai Jun. The duo shares a vision that transcends mere vegetarianism, promoting a way of life that prioritizes health, sustainability, and a deep respect for nature. The menu at Lamdre changes with the seasons, showcasing the diversity of ingredients sourced from the rich soils and culinary traditions of the East.

Another feather in acclaimed Chef Vicky Cheng's cap (last year's winner of the Chef's Choice Award), the beloved Wing (of Hong Kong) came as the No. 2 restaurant in all of Asia. Paying homage to the Eight Great Chinese cuisines, Wing's culinary ethos is all about subverting norms through its "boundary-less" menu. Wing made an impressive debut on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, ranking at No. 34 in 2022, and ascending to No. 3 by 2025.

The Moment You've Been Waiting For: The 2026 List Reveal

Before I reveal the full list, a little background (assuming you haven't skipped ahead already). It's compiled based on anonymous voting by the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential gender-balanced group of over 350 food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-traveled gourmets.

This year's 1-50 list spans 17 different cities across Asia, with eight new entries and four re-entries.

Now – the moment you've been waiting for – here's the full Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list:

And the No.1 restaurant in Asia in 2026 is...The Chairman in Hong Kong!

Under esteemed Chef Danny Yip's leadership, The Chairman made history in 2021 by becoming the first Chinese restaurant to reign supreme as No. 1 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, while also being the first Chinese establishment to crack the top 10 in The World's 50 Best ranking. Yip later went on to achieve the Icon Award in 2024, an honor that celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to gastronomy worthy of global recognition and who use their platform to drive positive change. Now, The Chairman reclaims its title of The Best Restaurant in Asia.

Since its inception, The Chairman has continued to heighten the perception of Cantonese cuisine on a global scale – a noteworthy triumph for a family-style Cantonese establishment offering an alternative to elaborate tasting menus. So what's on the menu? Ingredient-led food rather than extravagant or theatrical presentation. Each dish is truly the best possible rendition of classic Cantonese fare that honors forgotten heritage recipes coupled with the highest quality ingredients, one of the many reasons why the majority of diners are loyal regulars.

The 51-100 list of restaurants helps to shine a broader light on even more deserving establishments across Asia, inspiring budding gourmets to widen their scope of restaurants to consider for future dining plans. This year's 51-100 list spans 27 different cities across Asia, with 12 new entries.

Here's the full list of 51-100 Asia's 50 Best Restaurant winners:

This year saw Chengdu's first-ever entry onto the Asia's 50 Best List, with the inclusion of Co- (No. 69), a multi-course tasting menu restaurant inspired by the chef's widespread travels. Shenzhen's Fumée (No. 65) also debuted on the list, featuring a hybrid cuisine that is no longer confined to a geographical region, but instead acknowledges the widespread exchange via population movement of indigenous ingredients and local recipes that form the backbone of culinary cultures.

Other Award Winners include:

Asia's Best Female Chef: Cho Eun-hee of Onjium, Seoul

Chef's Choice Award: Thitid 'Ton' Tassanakajohn of Nusara and Le Du, Bangkok

Best Sommelier: Lesley Liu of Odette, Singapore

Asia's Best Pastry Chef: Ardika Dwitama of August, Jakarta

Sustainable Restaurant Award: Baan Tepa, Bangkok

Art of Hospitality Award: Masque, Mumbai

Highest Climber: Lamdre, Beijing

Highest New Entry Award: Ru Yuan, Hangzhou

One to Watch Award: San, Seoul

Icon Award: Zhang Yong

So there you have it – time to start planning your future travel accordingly, zig-zagging across the continent to visit as many of the establishments as your stomach will allow.

Interested in comparing this year's results to last year's? Check out the 2025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards winners and details here.