Peru’s Maido took the crown this year

The newly crowned best restaurant in the world is here—and it’s in Peru.

Maido, a Nikkei dining destination in Lima, has taken the No. 2 spot atop the World’s 50 Best list of the top restaurants around the globe for 2025. Leaders in the culinary space came together to celebrate the occasion in Turin, Italy, on 19 June 2025.

Maido, which held the No. 5 spot on the 2024 ranking, is helmed by chef-owner Mitsuharu Tsumura. The restaurant’s Nikkei cuisine is a fusion that combines Japanese culinary techniques with Peruvian flavors and ingredients, owing to a rich history of Japanese immigrants in the South American country. The locale in Lima gets its name from a Japanese greeting, which just so happens to be the first thing they hear walking into the doors of Maido.

“Led by the brilliant Micha Tsumura, the team has demonstrated remarkable dedication, seamlessly incorporating Japanese techniques with traditional Peruvian ingredients to create dishes that captivate and surprise diners,” William Drew, director of content for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said in a press statement.

Following behind Maido in the No. 2 spot (for the second year in a row) is Asador Etxebarri, which specialises in Basque cuisine in Atxondo, Spain, and is one of the most influential live-fire restaurants in the world. Mexico City’s Quintonil is third on the annual ranking, with chef Jorge Vallejo changing the Mexican culinary game by using traditional flavors in a more modern way. Rounding out the top five is Diverxo in Madrid and the Alchemist on Copenhagen. Atomix—fresh off a best hospitality win at the James Beard Awards—is the only American restaurant in the top 50. This year, Ellia and Junghyun Park’s groundbreaking Korean tasting counter came in at No. 12 on the list, down from No. 5 in 2024. (Previous U.S. restaurants who have perched atop the annual ranking, such as Eleven Madison Park and the French Laundry, now sit on the organisation’s Best of the Best Hall of Fame and weren’t eligible for voting this year.) Stateside destinations are much more prevalent on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, where 26 spots in the U.S. sat in the rankings in 2025.

There were also some newcomers on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants this year. Ten claimed a spot on the ranking for the first time, including Bangkok’s Potong (No. 13) and Brunico’s Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler (No. 20). Pontong is also the highest new entry on the 2025 list, while London’s Ikoyi had the biggest jump, moving 27 spots from last year to claim No. 15 this time around.

In 2025, 1,120 international voters marked their ballots to decide who would make the cut for the best restaurants of the year. While America didn’t fare too well this time around, more U.S. restaurants will hear their name called this fall, when the 50 Best organisation debuts its first ranking of North American dining destinations.

The 50 Best Restaurants in the World 2025