The 50 Best Restaurants 2026: Five Italian Winners, Where Are They?

Italy confirms itself once again as one of the leading players in international gastronomy. In the new The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 ranking, which each year selects some of the planet’s best dining spots, no fewer than five Italian venues have earned a place among the top 50. From the Langhe to the mountains of South Tyrol, passing through Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo and Veneto, these gastronomic destinations are set amid splendid landscapes of villages, elegant towns and hills covered with vineyards, and they demonstrate how Italian cuisine can distinguish itself on the world stage.

At the summit of the global ranking, however, was a Spanish restaurant, Asador Etxebarri, which edged out Bangkok’s Gaggan and Copenhagen’s Alchemist. But which Italian restaurants are worth getting to know and, perhaps, visiting during your next trip or weekend excursion? Here are the awarded addresses.

The five Italian restaurants among the world’s best

The Italian restaurant that achieved the highest position in The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, at 20th place, is Piazza Duomo: located in Alba, in Piazza Risorgimento, in the heart of the Langhe. A region renowned for its vineyards, villages and enogastronomic excellence. The restaurant, led by chef Enrico Crippa, boasts three Michelin stars and is set in an ideal environment for those who want to explore the territory through authorial cuisine, rolling hills, and outstanding wines.

The second Italian restaurant on the list, ranking 24th, is Al Gatto Verde in Modena (a city recently lauded by foreign press). A new entry in the top 50, this venue sits at Casa Maria Luigia, Massimo Bottura’s hospitality project, and is led by chef Jessica Rosval. The restaurant has earned one Michelin star, while for the chef 2026 marks a particularly significant year: in addition to the venue’s ranking, she received the Best Female Chef Award, a distinction given for her charcoal-cooking technique and for her commitment to sustainability and social inclusion. Among her projects is Roots, a social restaurant founded to offer training and employment opportunities to migrant women in the culinary world.

From the Emilia plains we rise toward the Abruzzo Apennines, where we find Reale, another Italian name in the prestigious ranking (27th place). It is housed inside Casadonna, a former monastery transformed into a place of hospitality and haute cuisine. Led by chef Niko Romito, the restaurant is awarded three Michelin stars. Its location, embedded in the mountain landscape of Castel di Sangro, makes it a destination to combine with a visit to one of Abruzzo’s most evocative corners.

South Tyrol also finds a place in the top 50 with Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, in Brunico, at 38th place. The restaurant, boasting three Michelin stars, is tied to the culinary philosophy of chef Norbert Niederkofler, who has made elevating local territory and ingredients a central element of his craft. A venue set in a captivating alpine context, nestled among towering mountains, forests, and landscapes that continually change with the seasons.

Closing the Italian quintet is Le Calandre, in Rubano, near Padua (43rd place in the global ranking). Founded in 1981 by Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto, it bears the signature of chef Massimiliano Alajmo, who took charge in the kitchen in 1994 together with his brother Raffaele, and since 2003 has boasted three Michelin stars. The restaurant brings Veneto into the international list and completes an Italian representation that spans different territories and traditions. Another address to note for those who love turning travel into an opportunity to discover the culinary excellence as well.

The complete ranking

Italy celebrates five entries, but the ranking also offers the chance to discover exceptional gastronomic addresses around the world. At the top is Spain, with Asador Etxebarri, while Asia stands out with several restaurants in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul.

Here are all 50 awarded venues, to note for an unusual gourmet experience during your next journey:

1. Asador Etxebarri: Atxondo (Basque Country, Spain);
2. Gaggan: Bangkok (Thailand);
3. Alchemist: Copenhagen (Denmark);
4. Quintonil: Mexico City (Mexico);
5. Wing: Hong Kong (China);
6. The Chairman: Hong Kong (China);
7. Kjolle: Lima (Peru);
8. Kadeau: Copenhagen (Denmark);
   

9. Diverxo: Madrid (Spain);
10. Plénitude: Paris (France);
11. Atomix: New York (USA);
12. Sorn: Bangkok (Thailand);
13. Mérito: Lima (Peru);
14. Sühring: Bangkok (Thailand);
    

15. Odette: Singapore (Singapore);
16. Tuju: São Paulo (Brazil);
17. Mingles: Seoul (South Korea);
18. Nusara: Bangkok (Thailand);
19. Jan: Munich (Germany);
20. Piazza Duomo: Alba (Piedmont, Italy);
21. Meet the Bund: Shanghai (China);
    

22. Boragó: Santiago (Chile);
23. Vyn: Skillinge (Sweden);
24. Al Gatto Verde: Modena (Emilia-Romagna, Italy);
25. Lasai: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil);
26. Masque: Mumbai (India);
    

27. Reale: Castel di Sangro (Abruzzo, Italy);
28. Trèsind Studio: Dubai (United Arab Emirates);
29. Enigma: Barcelona (Spain);
30. Steirereck: Vienna (Austria);
31. Celele: Cartagena (Colombia);
32. Potong: Bangkok (Thailand);
    

33. Elkano: Getaria (Basque Country, Spain);
34. Le Coquillage: Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes (France);
35. La Colombe: Cape Town (South Africa);
36. Ru Yuan: Hangzhou (China);
37. Nuema: Quito (Ecuador);
38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler: Brunico (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy);
39. Schloss Schauenstein: Fürstenau (Switzerland);
40. Jordnær: Copenhagen (Denmark);
41. Onjium: Seoul (South Korea);
    

42. Bozar: Brussels (Belgium);
43. Le Calandre: Rubano (Veneto, Italy);
44. Don Julio: Buenos Aires (Argentina);
45. Mayta: Lima (Peru);
46. El Chato: Bogotá (Colombia);
47. Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse: Monte Carlo (Monaco);
48. Ikoyi: London (United Kingdom);
49. Naar: Kasauli (India);
50. Saint Peter: Sydney (Australia).