This year, the awards ceremony for "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" was held at 50pm on March 25th at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in South Korea. The highest ranking restaurant from Japan was "Sézanne" at XNUMXth place.
Asian fine dining as seen from the results of this event, along with the excitement on the ground
1st to 50th place,
Last year, Japan finished one-two!
The awards ceremony was hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and this will be the second time it is held in the city following last year.
Now in its 13th year, the Asia's 50 Best awards have become increasingly well-known, and it may be fair to say they have already become an award comparable to the Michelin Guide.
In recent years, in 2022, Den became the first Japanese restaurant to reach number one in Asia, and last year in 2024, Japanese restaurants Sézanne took the top spot, followed by Florilège in second place, achieving a brilliant one-two finish that is still fresh in our memories.
Clearly, the Japanese team is expected to do well, so how did it go this year? Will Florilege take first place? Let's hurry. I think many of you have already seen the first report, but what are the results for 2025?
Bangkok's "Gaggan" tops the charts for the fifth time
The result was that Gaggan, run by an Indian man named Gaggan Anand in Bangkok, came in first place for the fifth time.
To put it precisely,
Let me introduce Gagan Anand. Born in Kolkata, he started out as a professional drummer, but eventually traded in his drumsticks for knives. He began his career as a chef at the Taj Group, a luxury hotel chain in India, but then moved to El Bulli, a restaurant that promotes revolutionary Spanish cuisine, where he discovered molecular gastronomy.
In the center is Gaggan Anand, chef of Gaggan.
The city he chose to open his restaurant in is Bangkok, Thailand. Gaggan has only 14 dining seats. Each of the 22 dishes is accompanied by music, and sometimes the staff sings while tapping on the table, making all the guests sing "Hey Jude." Two guests are chosen to have a salad battle (they eat what the chef has tweaked)... It's like being thrown into a movie, and the meal is full of excitement in a kind of noisy atmosphere. It's an entertainment dinner experience like no other in the world.
"I got bored when I ate fine dining," Gaggan said. So he came up with a course that would have guests singing and dancing to the menu, including rock and other music that he liked. One song for each dish. The scene where guests lick the paste off their plates to the tune of Kiss's "Lick it up" has become a famous feature, and all the customers wait with excitement, wondering when the guests will arrive.
I have also experienced this, and although most of the songs played are well-known old and new Western songs, I was a bit surprised when the Japanese song "Odoriko" by Vaundy started playing around dessert. There was only one other Japanese person there, so it may have been a special treat.
Of the 14 customers, half were into it and the other half were totally turned off (bitter smile).
There are 50 Japanese establishments in the top 11!
Coming in second is the Hong Kong Cantonese restaurant "The Chairman." It's a famous restaurant that once ranked first. Chef Danny Yip is a talented man who has a deep respect for Japanese cuisine, and his cooking is constantly evolving. I love this restaurant too.
Third place goes to Wing, a Cantonese restaurant also in Hong Kong. I have written about my experience there in the Fine Dining series on this website. Chef Vicky Chan also runs a French restaurant, but his talent for Cantonese cuisine is truly brilliant, and his innovative Chinese dishes are stunning.
Coming in second is Hong Kong's "Chairman." On the left is chef Danny Yip.
Although Florilege had attracted a lot of expectations and had worked hard on various activities, it ended up in 17th place. I, and all the Japanese people watching, were really surprised. No one could accept the big drop from last year's XNUMXnd place.
At the venue, Chef Kawate seemed disappointed, saying, "Well, about 50 people told me, 'This year's number one,'"
The top Japanese restaurant was Sezan, which was ranked first last year, at No. 10. The only other restaurant to make the top 10 was La Cime in Osaka, at No. 4. Compared to last year, when four restaurants made it into the top XNUMX, it's hard to deny that this year's rankings seem less exciting.
Although it missed out on the top 10 and came in 12th, Tokyo's NARISAWA has been ranked in the list for 13 consecutive years since it was first held. I'm impressed by the efforts that go into it every day. Chef Narisawa is now the face of Japan.
Eleven Japanese establishments made it into the top 50, accounting for 11 percent of the total. Tokyo alone had nine establishments, accounting for 22 percent of the total. Considering that 18 Asian countries participated, Japan's ratio was the highest overall, which is quite high.
Combined with the six restaurants already announced in the 51st to 100th places, the total number of restaurants is 17, or 17 percent. That means just under one in five restaurants is Japanese.
I will discuss how to interpret this later.
Three new Japanese establishments have been added to the list, all of which are highly anticipated
The list is small and difficult to read, so I will list out the Japanese stores that made the ranking.
4th place: Sézanne, Tokyo
8. La Cime (Osaka)
12th place: NARISAWA (Tokyo)
17th place: Florilège (Tokyo)
22. Den (Tokyo)
30. Crony (Tokyo)
33. Sushi Saito (Tokyo)
34th place: Sazenka (Tokyo)
36th place: Goh (Fukuoka)
43. Maz (Tokyo)
45th place Myoujaku Tokyo
Den, which was ranked first in 2022, is now ranked 22nd, and Cloney has risen from 58th place last year to 30th place. Owner and sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa has also achieved the feat of winning the Asia's Best Sommelier Award in recognition of his exquisite pairings that enhance the flavor of the dishes.
Sushi Saito, ranked 60th last year, returned to the top 33 at 50rd place. Chazenka rose from 39th to 34th, and Goh rose from 45th to 36th.
Mas, which serves a course menu inspired by the diverse ecosystems of Peru and uses Japanese ingredients, rose from 69th to 43rd place, while Meijaku, which is influenced by French cuisine but boils vegetables using only water and salt, jumped from 76th to 45th, both of which jumped into the top 50.
All restaurants except for Cloney, Sushi Saito, Masu, and Meijaku were held in by regulars.
The 50 restaurants ranked in the top 11 are two more than last year. However, as Chef Sakamoto of "Cenci" aptly stated at the event, "The suspense right up to the end was unbelievable, just like last year," it is certain that for Japan, last year was the most dramatic scene in the Asia's Best 50 so far.
However, this is not to promote national pride or show favoritism or anything like that, but rather those of us in the food industry firmly believe that, given the strength of Japanese gastronomy, it would not be surprising if around 20 restaurants were ranked on the list.
Here, as a recap, I would like to explain what the Asia Top 50 is.
1. Council members (voters) scattered across the world
Asia's Best 50 is a restaurant ranking award that began in 2013. This year marks its 13th anniversary. Since it's called Asia's Best, its parent organization is the World's Best 2005 Restaurants, which began in 50.
If the world best is the Olympics, then this is the Asian Games (although strictly speaking, this is just a metaphor, as we will see later).
By the way, being number one in the world comes with great honor and influence; it is like winning a gold medal in the Olympics or winning the Masters in golf.
By the way, here are all the store names in order of oldest to newest.
"Past World's 50 Best No. 1 Restaurant List"
2002, 06, 07, 08, 09 "El Bulli" (Spain)
2003, 04 "French Laundry" (USA)
2005 "The Fat Duck" (UK)
2010, 11, 12, 14, 21 "Noma" (Denmark)
2013, 15 "El Celler de Canroca" (Spain)
2016, 18 "Osteria Francescana" (Italy)
2017 "Eleven Madison Park" (USA)
2019 "Mirazur" (France)
2022 "Geranium" (Denmark)
2023 "Central" (Peru)
2024 "Disfrutar" (Spain)
Japan has never been ranked number one in the world. Some restaurants have been ranked number one multiple times, and in 2019 a "Hall of Fame" system was devised to remove restaurants that have been number one once. There seems to be a lot of support and opposition to this among the number one chefs (in the Asia's Top 1, you can be number one multiple times).
I think the organizers of this Asia Best 50 competition should reconsider this fifth first place win, and that after winning first place twice, it should be considered a "hall of fame" award.
Whether in Asia or the world, the joy that chefs feel about being ranked in the top 50 and the impact it has on them seem to grow with each passing year.
2. Strict internal rules for selection
So how are they selected? After doing some research, we found that they have strict internal rules, just like Michelin.
First of all, there are 50 participating countries in the "Asia's Best 16". Each country has a council member called a "voter", totaling 360 people. They are food writers, foodies, chefs, restaurateurs, culinary experts, etc., and each one votes based solely on their own preferences.
Therefore, although it is likened to the Olympics or the Asian Games, in reality it is not a competition of time or quality. It is merely a popularity contest based on personal likes and dislikes, and the selection process is not exposed. Well, it is easy to see why it is said to be something like the Academy Awards.
By the way, it is strictly forbidden for these council members to reveal their identities. They must be completely masked, and apparently the organizers do not cover any expenses. Therefore, they must pay for their own meals. The masking part is the same as that of Michelin inspectors, but it must be very tough not to be covered by expenses.
Each council member has 10 votes, and can cast up to 18 votes for stores from their own country. Furthermore, they are strictly required to vote for stores they have visited within the last XNUMX months prior to the voting date, which makes sense, since store conditions change all the time.
On the other hand, this is a high hurdle for voters who travel domestically and internationally and pay for their own meals. When voting, voters must also write down the date of their visit and the reasons for their selection.
Given such strict conditions, I'm impressed that there are people who are willing to serve as council members without any pay.
A photo session will be held after the award ceremony.
3. What criteria should you use to select a
Basically, it's a "popularity vote" by masked council members, so no one knows what each person is thinking when they make their selections. Even among the council members, although they may have a vague idea, they never talk about the vote.
Even if some countries try to organize votes, the results will likely be treated as legitimate votes by the organizers.
It may seem like a desperate move for the stores that are trying to get reviews, but they may need to view it as a bit of a game and take it with a bit of leeway.
That said, upon closer inspection of the list, there do seem to be some clear trends among the restaurants that make it onto the list.
Of course, the first condition is that the food tastes good, but that's not all. In summary, it also has to be innovation, originality, the chef's humanity and sociability, the ability to work with other chefs, hospitality, sustainability, consideration for the environment, relationships with producers and the local community, and so on.
Of course, it's impossible to achieve all of these things, because chefs are incredibly busy every day. In reality, it may be that innovation, originality, and the chef's humanity and sociability are the only things that are taken into consideration.
Although it is not lobbying, actively collaborating with chefs from other countries could be an appealing point.
The Grand Hyatt Seoul in South Korea was the venue for the Asia Best 50 awards ceremony.
Michelin and the Best 50
Of course, there are restaurants that are also listed in the Michelin Guide, Gault & Millau, OAD, etc., but there are also some interesting differences.
However, when you look at the Michelin Guide, for example, every year, it does feel as though the rankings of the top 50 restaurants have an influence on the Michelin stars.
Michelin only started promoting sustainability with the Green Star in the 2021 edition, so this seems a little later than the Best 50. Well, it's only good if they can have a positive influence on each other.
For the average person, the more indicators there are to help them choose a restaurant, including Tabelog, the more beneficial it will be.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get a reservation at restaurants with three or two stars in the Michelin Guide, or restaurants ranked in the World's Top 50 or Asia's Top 50. Some restaurants blatantly raise their prices depending on their performance, which can be a huge nuisance for customers.
To go even further, the media and food writers should reconsider introducing restaurants that charge exorbitant prices, and ordinary customers would be better off choosing restaurants with reasonable ethos.
Stores ranked 2025st-51th in 100
Now, let's take a look at the Asia's Best 25 for 2025, rankings 50-51, which were announced ahead of the awards ceremony on March 100th.
63rd place: Cenci, Kyoto
67th Esquisse (Tokyo)
69th place: L'effervescence (Tokyo)
76th HARUTAKA (Blue Sky) Tokyo
78. HOMMAGE (Tokyo)
83rd place Hajime (Osaka)
From Japan, the Ginza sushi restaurant Aozora, which was just awarded three Michelin stars, made its debut at No. 76. The other five restaurants were regulars or second-time customers.
By the way, the following Japanese stores ranked within the top 2024 of Asia's Best 50 for 100 are as follows.
"List of Japanese athletes ranked within the top 2024 of the Asia's Best 50 for 100"
2st Cezanne, 14nd Florilege, 35th Den, 39th La Chime, 45th Narisawa, 47th Villa Aida, 51th Chazenka, 58th Go, 60th Cenci, 66st L'Effervescence, 67th Cloney, 69th Sushi Saito, 76th Nihonbashi Kakigaracho Sugita, 80th L'evo, 83th Mas, XNUMXth Meijaku, XNUMXth Homage, XNUMXrd Sketch
50. The Significance of Asia's Best XNUMX
Finally, let us consider the significance of Asia's Top 50.
Its main purpose is to start ranking restaurants on a global or Asian scale. OAD also does rankings, but it started much later.
Of course, some people are of the opinion that it is not appropriate to rank the dishes, and that the types of food are all mixed up. If you think about it in terms of Japanese food, the boldness of this is easy to understand. It is the same as ranking sushi, soba, French cuisine, and tonkatsu all side by side.
It is a fundamentally reckless endeavor. Food director Mayuko Yamaguchi is spot on when she calls it "mixed martial arts." So, it's important for both participants and spectators to approach this epic "fun" with a relaxed attitude and without getting too worked up, right?
Don't miss out on the benefits of hosting an awards ceremony
In Japan, too, the challenge is to work together with the public and private sectors
Before the "Asia's 50 Best" there was the "World's 50 Best", and the achievement that this has is clear.
If that happens, the number of votes will increase significantly to 1080 votes (from people), so it will definitely take on an Olympic feel.
However, since the organizers of the Best 50 were a British company called William Reed & Co., it was inevitable that the focus was on Europe. If Japan had conceived and hosted the list, the focus would have been on Asia.
For example, there were only three Japanese restaurants ranked in the World's Best 50 last year: Cezanne at 15th place, Florilege at 21st place, and Den at 32nd place.
As someone who is well-acquainted with the level of restaurants in Japan and also knows restaurants overseas, I am convinced, and this is no favouritism, that Japan's capabilities are far beyond what they are.
The only disadvantage is distance. If the European council members could experience Japanese stores equally, it would not be surprising if the number of winners increased even more.
To achieve this, the chef's individual efforts alone will not be enough.
A joint project combining the public and private sectors will be essential. In particular, it is vital that the public sector does not sit idle and take advantage of this global boom in Japanese food and come up with proactive measures.
Please take a look at Seoul's previous and current events. The government was keenly aware that hosting the festival in their own country was advantageous and that gastronomy could be used as a tourism resource in the future. This is what they actually said.
The "proactive measures" taken by the government do not mean getting excited about the number of inbound tourists that will increase on their own even if we do nothing. The examples of the late Joël Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, and Yannick Alléno make it clear that top chefs are fascinated by Japanese food. The key is to attract influential chefs, businesspeople, and foodies from overseas to Japan.
To achieve this, the most urgent task is for Tokyo to host the "World's Best 50" and for regional cities to host the "Asia's Best 50."
A clear achievement of the "World's Best 50"
Now, what are the achievements of the top 50? Please take a look at the list of the top 50 in the world. The meaning is clear at a glance.
First, there was El Bulli in its first year in 2002. It has won the award a total of five times, and its dishes that make full use of espuma (foam), molecular cooking, and various other culinary sciences took the culinary world by storm. The revolutionary influence pioneered by Ferran Adrià and Julie Soler caused French cuisine to lose its way, to the point where French chefs at one point didn't know what to do.
There was a time when everyone was talking about bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles.
It can be said that the achievement of being named to the World's Top 50 is what has brought El Bulli to the global stage.
Furthermore, the seeds of innovation that were once ignited in Spain will likely bear fruit in the form of "El Celler de Can Roca" in 2013 and "Disfrutar" in 2024.
Another notable example is the appearance of Noma in 2010, which has also topped the charts five times. Rene Redzepi, the revolutionary who appeared like a shooting star in Denmark, has breathed new life into the Nordic region, which was once thought to be a barren land for cuisine.
The inspiration for the menu development research team, who work day and night on this, must have come from El Bulli.
Noma's buds have borne fruit as "Geranium" in 2022.
The only place where chefs from all over Asia come together
Now, what about turning our attention to the Asian Top 50 at the Asian Games?
For example, collaboration between chefs has become more prevalent than ever before, as Asia's Top 50 major event brings together leading chefs from the region.
There is no other opportunity or place like this. This festival is unique, where chefs come together and collaborate.
To understand why collaboration is important, imagine a collaboration between Thai and French cuisine, or between Cantonese and Japanese cuisine. By opening up to each other, two cuisines with different techniques and ingredients can open their hearts to each other and help each other break out of their shells.
It's not just about technique. How to think about ingredients, how to interact with producers, how to train staff, and so on - they stimulate each other in many ways.
The inspiration gained there will eventually turn into new products that we, the users, can enjoy.
It's well worth it for chefs to take time off work to attend this once-a-year event.
Japanese chefs and their associates.
50. Another significance of Asia's Best XNUMX
The organizers of the Asia Best 50 awards have set themes, and in recent years, these have been "local character" and "sustainability."
Please don't think that you are tired of hearing about SDG's and sustainability. Sustainability for food is also an urgent issue. Fish and meat are not infinite. For example, the reality is that there is a shortage of rice in Japan. There is also a chronic shortage of food and beverage staff. Restaurants are faced with sustainability every day.
Asian cuisine has a sustainable aspect to begin with. Preservation through fermentation, pickling, and drying, as well as food culture that makes the most of seasonal ingredients. Sustainability has been a consideration for a long time.
Of course, European and South American cuisines, for example, also have sustainable aspects. Putting these aspects in the spotlight is important for humanity in a broader sense.
The day before the awards ceremony, an event called "Meet the Chefs" was held, where participants could hear from some of the top chefs in Asia.
From left: Director William Drew, chef Ricardo Cheneton of Mono in Hong Kong, Alex Sanchez and Maryeka Watsa of Americano in Mumbai, and Tam Kwok Phan of Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau.
The theme is simply "Sustainability in Asian Cuisine." William Drew, Content Director of Best 50, explains the intention behind the project.
"Sustainability is the foundation of gastronomy. It will likely become increasingly mainstream in the future. Recently, sustainability has come to be discussed not only in terms of ingredients, but also in terms of human resources and relationships with producers. Also, because sustainability is discussed differently in urban and rural areas, I thought it would be an opportunity to exchange a wide range of opinions.
It is also important for restaurants ranked in the Asia Top 50 to publicize the fact that they are restaurants that give serious thought to sustainability. A recent new trend is that even luxury restaurants no longer necessarily serve high-end ingredients such as caviar. There is a change in awareness among the guests who come to eat there."
Ricardo Chaneton is a strong man who was ranked 50th in this year's Asia's Best 24. At the young age of 28, he opened Mono, an innovative French restaurant in Hong Kong.
"Simply put, sustainability to me means that imperfection is perfection. In the past, for example, tomatoes and potatoes might be squashed or have holes in them, but that was just how vegetables were. I think it's important to rediscover natural imperfections. I'm trying to acquire and sell such vegetables from local markets in China."
Tam Quoc Phan showed his talent at the famous Macau restaurant "Jade Dragon". He is currently showcasing the essence of Cantonese cuisine at "Chef Tam's Seasons" in Wynn Palace. This year, he was ranked 50th in Asia's Best XNUMX.
"My idea of sustainability is simple. I go to the market to buy fish and other seafood. In Macau, where other ingredients such as meat and vegetables are scarce, it is important not to order too many ingredients and to avoid leaving any leftovers as much as possible. This is the problem of food waste. Also, I believe that the three cooking methods used in Chinese cuisine - fermenting, drying, and pickling - are linked to sustainability."
Offering a different perspective are Alex Sanchez and Maryeka Watsa, the makers of Mumbai's iconic Americano, ranked 2025st in the Asia's 50 Best restaurants list for 71.
"If there is one thing that is most important for sustainability in India, it is securing human resources. In India, the food and beverage industry is ranked lower than the hotel industry. Therefore, it is important to create a working environment of '54 hours a day, XNUMX days a week = XNUMX hours' work and to give people the confidence to work in the food and beverage industry."
Even when it comes to sustainability, the content changes depending on the place. It was really meaningful to have four different perspectives from four different people.
While there will likely be mixed opinions about the results of Asia's 2025 Best in 50, I would like to commend the chefs and other involved parties for their tireless efforts.
(Honorific title omitted in the text)
