The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Since opening in 2020, Albi in Washington DC has been on a rapid ascent.    Not only named The Best Restaurant in Northeast USA, as part of North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, the venue also received this year's Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee, after climbing a massive 28 places since its debut on the inaugural list in 2025.   Albi, which means 'my heart' in Arabic, is chef-owner Michael Rafidi's personal expression of his Palestinian heritage and American experience.    Outside of the kitchen, Rafidi is both embedded in the DC food scene and a world traveller, often bringing back inspiration to inform the restaurant's menu.    From his favourite childhood dish to his best late-night bite in the city, he shares the dishes, drinks and not-so guilty pleasures he can't get enough of. Read the full interview with Michael Rafidi here: https://lnkd.in/euj_7EtG #NorthAmericas50Best #50BestRestaurants

Meet the 25 finalists of The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship 2026, in partnership with Parmigiano Reggiano! In April, the 2026 edition of The 50 Best Restaurants Scholarship, launched, open to any chef with under three full years of experience in a professional kitchen. After hundreds of applications, three finalists will travel to Lima to attend The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 award ceremony, where the eventual winner will be announced live on stage. The winner will then take part in two all-expenses-paid internships at world-leading restaurants: The Fat Duck in Bray, UK, and Salsify at The Roundhouse in Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, they will receive $2,700 (£2,000) per stage. Following a competitive first round, the candidates have been whittled down to just 25 hopefuls. Click here to get to know the candidates who made it through to round two: https://lnkd.in/eVAHcj_B #Worlds50Best #50BestRestaurants

El Chato in Bogotá is a contemporary Colombian bistro, led by chef Álvaro Clavijo, which pays homage to the producers it works with and applies global techniques to highlight local ingredients. Named after a Bogotan word of affection used by grandparents towards their grandchildren ('chaticos'), El Chato opened in 2017 and debuted on the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list at No.21 in 2018. Last year, it was crowned The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2025, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Take a look inside... #LatAm50Best #50BestRestaurants Gruppo Sanpellegrino

50 Best is delighted to announce the appointment of Rouba Khalil as the new Academy Chair for the Gulf region, as part of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants.   Khalil is the founder and chef behind Rouba Khalil Kitchen, a Beirut and Dubai based culinary company. Originally trained as an engineer, Khalil left a career in finance in New York to study at the French Culinary Institute, before gaining experience in kitchens including Jean-Georges, Babbo and Boulud Sud. She succeeds Claudia de Brito, who steps down after several years of dedicated service to the 50 Best community. Each Academy Chair plays a key role in ensuring the diversity, integrity and independence of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants voting process. Learn more about the Academy here: https://lnkd.in/ePfBQaeB

Emeril Lagasse is a bona fide culinary legend and one of the most beloved chefs in the US. At the recent North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, Lagasse was named the winner of the SevenRooms Icon Award. With a career stretching decades, he has continued to believe the customer is always right. His flagship restaurant, Emeril’s, opened in 1990 and is still going strong, with his son EJ now head chef. Lagasse attributes its ongoing success to something quite simple: “The key to having a great restaurant is having great ingredients and treating them with respect.' He also has a strong desire to encourage the next generation, teaching them not just how to cook – something he has helped millions of Americans to do – but how to appreciate food and ingredients as well. Read the full interview with Emeril Lagasse here: https://lnkd.in/eQ_yDfDn #NorthAmericas50Best #50BestRestaurants SevenRooms Emeril Lagasse

BREAKING NEWS: The 2026 edition of The World's 50 Best Restaurants will be revealed live from Lima, Peru this November! For the first time in its 24-year history, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will take place in Peru. A destination recognised for its diverse food scene - and home to The World’s Best Restaurant 2025, Maido - Lima’s rich cultural heritage and exciting culinary community make the ideal setting to celebrate the unveiling of the 1-50 ranking. Please note this is following a change to the originally announced host destination of Abu Dhabi. An extensive event programme will build up to the much-anticipated awards ceremony. Highlights include a series of key events which are the foundation of 50 Best Restaurants celebrations: #50BestTalks, exploring some of the most pertinent topics affecting the hospitality industry today; a 50 Best Signature Sessions series of collaborative dining events open to the public, a Chefs’ Feast showcasing the finest quality ingredients and cooking techniques the region is known for; and the awards ceremony and countdown itself. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/W50BR26Lima #Worlds50Best #50BestRestaurants Gruppo Sanpellegrino Promperu

Aldo Sohm, wine director at Le Bernardin in New York, is passionate about making wine accessible to all. He has been named the winner of North America’s Best Sommelier Award 2026, sponsored by Vik, as part of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants. Despite his reputation as one of the most technically gifted palates of his generation, Sohm’s true strength lies in making guests feel relaxed. He always goes above and beyond to curate their experience based on personal preferences. All too aware that wine can be intimidating, Sohm connects to his diners in a way that is approachable, but that still allows them to truly appreciate anything he pours in the glass. He says, “Wine is a social lubricant. It can soften edges. It can bring people together. But only if you understand the moment, the mood, and the people.” Read the full interview with Aldo Sohm here: https://lnkd.in/ea6sg_5h #NorthAmericas50Best #50BestRestaurants VIK Chile - Winery & Luxury Hotel

At award-winning Dubai restaurants, Orfali Bros and Three Bros, dessert is more than just a sweet way to round off the meal. For Omar and Wassim Orfali, pastry is a way of preserving memories of their Syrian childhood and embracing the dynamism of Dubai, and it is for this reason they were awarded the Middle East & North Africa's Best Pastry Chef Award 2026, sponsored by Valrhona, as part of the Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants. The brothers grew up around the smell of homemade pistachio baklava, freshly baked bread and syrup-soaked sweets, and were heavily influenced by walking through the old souks, witnessing artisans making sweets by hand. Their rise to fame comes at a time when Dubai is one of the world's most exciting dessert destinations, with global sensations like Dubai chocolate and concepts like Brix, a dessert-tasting menu restaurant by Chef Carmen Rueda Hernandez. At their own restaurants, traditional Syrian ingredients and techniques sit alongside contemporary pastry craftsmanship to ensure desserts are nostalgic and culturally rich. The brothers work with flavours to intensify depth and complexity, as well as making everything from scratch, from nut pastes and tahini to jams, syrups, ferments and creams. In addition to creating their own masterpieces, the brothers know where to find the best desserts across Dubai. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ehBqGVi2  #MENAs50Best #50BestRestaurants VALRHONA

Meet our partners for North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Take a look at the epic awards ceremony hosted in New Orleans and our incredible partners who make it possible. Thank you to: Gruppo Sanpellegrino Damm SevenRooms VALRHONA Aspire Lifestyles illycaffè Lee Kum Kee VIK Chile - Winery & Luxury Hotel Maison Kaviari Tequila Ocho Blackwood Distilling Co. Hennessy #NorthAmericas50Best #50BestRestaurants

Meet the Indonesian 'Prince of Pastry' fusing local ingredients with megacity sensibility. Ardika Dwitama joined chef Hans Christian and restaurateur Budi Cahyadi to open August in Jakarta and brings his precise, innovative approach to the role of head pastry chef at this fine-dining spot.  Dwitama is heavily influenced by Indonesia's culture and environment and this is reflected in his layered desserts. His passion derives from early memories revolving around food, and he credits his imaginative and daring approach to desserts to his father, who shared the same determination when he worked in the same industry. Dwitama's dishes are abstract; from ingredients and colour, to the shape of the plate, his goal is to create a sense of surprise for his diners. At August everything has a seasonal slant and depending on the time of year, diners can enjoy dishes like sourdough ice cream with mulberry and cashew, or sticky rice pudding with passionfruit granita, fermented pineapple jelly and thyme oil. Much of the sweetness is natural and comes from honey, or palm and coconut sugars in place of imported ingredients, an integral part of Dwitama's process. This year, he received Asia's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Valrhona, as part of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. #Asias50Best #50BestRestaurants VALRHONA