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This Restaurant in Lima, Peru, Was Just Named the Best in the World
Maido, the Lima institution where Peruvian and Japanese traditions meet, claimed this year's top spot. Asador Etxebarri in Spain, which is all about fire and fermentation, held steady at No. 2. Mexico City's Quintonil landed at No. 3, further proof that Latin America now sits confidently at the center of the global culinary map.
North America, by contrast, made a quieter statement, but not an insignificant one. Atomix in New York City, the intimate tasting counter helmed by chef Junghyun 'JP' Park and his wife, partner and hospitality director Ellia Park, slipped from No. 8 to No. 12. SingleThread, the elegant farm-restaurant-inn in Healdsburg, California, led by husband-wife duo Kyle and Katina Connaughton, dropped from the main list to No. 80 in the extended 51-100 ranking.
I spoke with JP and Ellia Park earlier this week at the James Beard Awards in Chicago, where they had just won for Outstanding Hospitality. 'We're not just plating food,' JP told me before flying to Italy. 'We're trying to offer a place where guests can truly feel present, maybe even feel seen.' Atomix's rise from No. 33 in 2023 to the top 10 last year marked a turning point for Korean fine dining in America. But its real triumph lies in how it frames hospitality as a cultural act—one where the tasting menu becomes a vessel for storytelling, tradition, and connection.
Out west in Sonoma County, I visited SingleThread's 70-acre farm in Dry Creek Valley, where Kyle, the chef, and Katina, the head farmer, are building something far larger than a restaurant. 'We're part of an ecosystem,' Katina said as we walked between rows of young greens and flowering herbs. 'Our goal is regeneration, not just of the soil, but of the way we think about food.' Their inn, perched above the dining room, serves the most quietly extraordinary breakfast I've ever had: house-milled grains, just-laid eggs, persimmons still warm from the tree. While SingleThread is no longer in the top 50, its impact has only deepened, shifting the focus from accolades to ethos.
William Drew, managing director of the 50 Best portfolio, echoed that sentiment. 'It's not just about which countries are ranking,' he told me. 'It's about what values are showing up on the plate—sustainability, indigenous ingredients, and a deep respect for culinary heritage.' The interior of Quintonil in Mexico City.
With more than 1,100 anonymous voters around the globe, the list is always evolving. This year, that evolution is also geographic.
For the first time, North America will receive its own dedicated ranking. North America's 50 Best Restaurants will debut this September in Las Vegas. The list, compiled by a new academy of 300 regional experts from the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, will reframe the continent's culinary narrative, spotlighting restaurants well beyond the coastal strongholds of New York and San Francisco. The live countdown will take place inside the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on September 25. The Ganjang Gejang from Atomix in NYC.
The launch coincides with Revelry, Wynn Las Vegas's immersive food and drink festival, which has evolved into a global culinary summit. The programming reads like a love letter to craftsmanship: tastings, talks, hands-on workshops, and a constellation of collaborative dinners. Atomix will team up with Casa Playa, where chef Sarah Thompson was a 2025 James Beard finalist, for a dinner that traces flavors through Korea and Mexico's Yucatán. SingleThread will unite with chef Jeff Ramsey at Mizumi for an afternoon exploring Japanese gastronomy through a Northern California lens. 'It's not just about a dinner,' JP Park said. 'It's about learning from one another, creating something ephemeral and meaningful.'
Beyond the headline dinners, the week will include: The Feast, a multi-cuisine tasting experience, anchored by chefs from coastal Greece to Texas's 6666 Ranch; and the All-Star Chefs Dinner, hosted by Christopher Lee and featuring names like Spoon & Stable's Gavin Kaysen and Le B.'s Angie Mar. For those hungry for more, the Connoisseur Series offers everything from a whiskey tasting with Mahesh Patel to a burger-and-bubbles masterclass with Dominique Crenn.
While Maido and Quintonil may currently dominate the top slots in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, it's clear North America is moving in its own direction—one marked less by dominance than by depth.
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