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March 26, 2025
The day has finally arrived — the one that reveals the continent’s most up-and-coming, sought after, and trailblazing restaurants. Last night saw the much-anticipated release of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 List during a live ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, following the announcement of restaurants ranked 51-100 on March 12.
Leading up to the awards ceremony, Seoul has been bustling with popups, four-hands, ‘meet the chefs’ gatherings, and collaborative dining and drinking events — involving renowned 50 Best chefs cooking alongside local talent for exclusive dining opportunities.
The culmination of all this excitement, the 13th edition of the list saw the continuing emergence of venues within Greater China, with 15 entries in the 1-50 list (in Shanghai, Beijing, Macau, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Taichung), and 12 entries in the 51-100 list (split between Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Taipei, and Hong Kong), thus creating big waves in the Asia dining scene.
Fu He Hui (No. 15)
Ling Long (No. 27)
Shanghai lays claim to six of these up-and-coming restaurants in the top 100 list, including Meet the Bund, (No. 14), Fu He Hui (No. 15), Ling Long (No. 27), 102 House (No. 29), Xin Rong Ji (Nanyang Road) (No. 82), and new entry La Bourriche 133 (No. 96).
Chef Vicky Cheng of Wing (No. 3) and Vea (No. 53)
One of the most notable wins for the Greater China, Hong Kong chef and restaurateur Vicky Cheng of Wing and Vea won the Chef’s Choice award, 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.
Wing's signature Sea Cucumber Spring Roll
And Cheng has done just that, paying homage to the Eight Great Chinese cuisines while subverting norms through his “boundary-less” menu at Wing. Cheng’s foray into the world of Chinese cuisine was not planned; rather, it was a natural gravitation towards his roots and local flavours following his move from Toronto back to his hometown of Hong Kong in 2010. 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.
Chef Tam's Seasons (No. 9) Shrimp and Dried Oyster Spring Roll with tangerine peel sauce
Another remarkable showing for Greater China, Chef Tam’s Seasons (No.9) in Macau climbed 40 spots, scoring it the coveted Highest Climber Award 2025. After winning its second Michelin star just two weeks before, Chef Tam’s Seasons at the opulent Wynn Palace Macau, led by the eponymous Chef Tam Kwok Fung, is spotlighting sustainably-sourced, refined Cantonese cuisine on the global stage.
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.
Now — the moment you’ve been waiting for — here’s the full Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list:
And the No.1 restaurant in Asia in 2025 is... Gaggan in Bangkok!
The 51-100 list of restaurants helps to shine 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 23 different cities across Asia, with 13 new entries. Here’s the full list of 51-100 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant winners:
Asia’s Best Female Chef: Chudaree Tam Debhakam of Baan Tepa, Bangkok
Chef’s Choice Award: Vicky Cheng of Wing and Vea, Hong Kong
Best Sommelier: Kazutaka Ozawa of Crony, Tokyo
Asia’s Best Pastry Chef: Dej Kewkacha of Gaggan by Louis Vuitton, Bangkok
Sustainable Restaurant Award: Locavore NXT, Bali
Art of Hospitality Award: Toyo Eatery, Manila
Highest Climber: Chef Tam’s Seasons, Macau
Highest New Entry Award: Eatanic Garden, Seoul
One to Watch Award: Farmlore, Bengaluru
Icon Award: Margarita Forés
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
My name is Sophie Steiner, and welcome to my food-focused travel blog. This is a place to discover where and what to eat, drink, and do in Shanghai, Asia, and beyond. As an American based in Shanghai since 2015 as a food, beverage, travel, and lifestyle writer, I bring you the latest news on all things food and travel.
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