What top chefs really think about Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards

It was after midnight and renowned chef Mauro Colagreco was jostling his way out of Luk Yu Tea House, a legendary, nearly century-old restaurant in Hong Kong’s Central district. “Wow, it’s crazy up there,” I said to him, having just emerged outside myself. “Yes, I needed some air,” he replied with a slight sweat on his brow and a big smile on his face. 

I don’t actually know Colagreco personally, and this casual exchange is one of many encounters between normal people like me and celebrated chefs like him — a scene that could only happen at a 50 Best event. We were both at an after party organised by top chefs including Vicky Cheng of Wing and Han Liguang of Labyrinth to mark Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, with the 2026 list revealed just hours earlier. 

Most awards ceremonies lean quite formal, with post-event soirees conducted like a media circus rather than a genuinely fun gathering. Since launching in 2013, however, Asia’s 50 Best has retained its relaxed, almost grassroots atmosphere — making it an occasion when chefs, their teams, and the wider dining community can let their hair down. This is all by design. “The underlying aim of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants — and indeed all 50 Best events — is one of reunion, mutual celebration and teamwork,” said Faye Huggett, Director of Community at 50 Best. 

A PLATFORM FOR EXPRESSION

There’s no doubt that being part of the list is important for chefs, and the dynamic nature of 50 Best makes it a heat map of the most exciting restaurants. “It's special to be on the list and stay for so many years,” said chef Julien Royer, whose restaurant Odette topped the Asia list twice; it was crowned the best restaurant in Singapore and his colleague Lesley Liu was awarded Asia's Best Sommelier in the 2026 edition. “I was in the room for the brand’s regional expansion in Singapore in 2013. We were given the ‘One to Watch’ award and it was incredible to witness an iconic moment,” he added. 

Another mainstay, chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber in Hong Kong, agreed. “For me, Asia’s 50 Best has never been about ranking; it has always been about relevance, dialogue and responsibility,” he shared. “To have remained on the list for years speaks not to a single moment of success, but to consistency, evolution, and resilience. It reflects a team that continually questions itself and strives to move forward,” added Ekkebus, who was also the recipient of peer-voted Chef’s Choice Award in 2015. 

The 50 Best famously has a looser criteria — restaurants needn’t have white table cloths or cook with French techniques — and this allows for more novel expressions and lesser-known cuisines to shine. For Pichaya Soontornyanakij, aka chef Pam, the first Asian to be named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2025, being part of the list is a meaningful representation of a long journey of learning, growth, and persistence. The award-winning chef sees the recognition as a reflection for her continuous effort, and it also serves as an important platform. “It allows what we are doing at Potong — Thai-Chinese cuisine, our ingredients, our techniques, and our perspective — to be seen and understood by a global audience. That kind of visibility opens doors not just for one restaurant, but for Thai cuisine more broadly. It creates curiosity and encourages people to explore more deeply,” she added.

Chef Jordy Navarra, whose restaurant Toyo Eatery showcases modern Filipino cuisine with a reverence for heritage ingredients, credits Asia’s 50 Best for shining a spotlight on unique approaches, too. “It’s great in a way that people come into the restaurant with an idea of our philosophy and what we do because of 50 Best,” he said. Over the years, Toyo Eatery has become a beacon for Filipino food in the region, thanks to its consistent inclusion on the list and even winning the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2023. “I don’t really see it as an accolade, I see it more as a way to communicate our philosophy with the dining public and our peers.” 

PLATE IT FORWARD

Even a stalwart like Ekkebus, recognises how it can amplify one’s voice especially after a transition. After years of doing traditional fine dining, he rebooted Amber by removing dairy, refined sugars, as well as prioritising sustainable sourcing. “50 Best has given us a platform to prove that responsibility and luxury can coexist. When we reopened Amber in 2019, it was not a renovation; it was a reinvention,” he shared. “We challenged everything, from flavour architecture to supply chains, guided by a deeper commitment to sustainability and well-being. The return to the list felt like an affirmation that purpose-driven change resonates.”

In recent years, 50 Best has actively sought to highlight changemakers who demonstrate how food can be a force for good. “We’re always inspired by the opportunity to spotlight previously underrepresented chefs and restaurants, as well as individuals driving positive change,” said Huggett. “Our Champions of Change Award, honours unsung individuals, who are making a real impact in their communities, by advocating for inclusivity, sustainability and social progress. 50 Best also provides a donation to the winner’s initiatives, allowing them to continue their vital work,” she added. This year, Peggy Chan, founder of non-profit Zero Foodprint Asia, won the inaugural Champions of Change Award for her work leading a movement to fund regenerative farming and promote sustainability across the region. 

Spotlighting these types of individuals resonates strongly with Royer, who points out the time when chef Jose Andres was presented with the American Express Icon Award in 2019 in Singapore as one of his standout 50 Best memories. “I found it very special that a chef like him was recognised for his extraordinary humanitarian efforts and contribution to food, even though his restaurant wasn’t on the 50 Best list. I believe it's very important to shine a light on what is done great in the F&B world,” he shared.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

It may sound like a cliche but after surveying what chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and writers think of the 50 Best awards, one word stood out: community. The awards ceremony serves as a catalyst for chefs to cook, drink and basically have fun together — which means a lot given that they hardly have time off and the numerous challenges hospitality businesses face today. “The event creates a joyful space for chefs from across the region to connect, exchange ideas and celebrate one another. There’s a genuine spirit of mutual respect and camaraderie that sits at the heart of it,” stressed Huggett.

Chef Pam applauds the special atmosphere that surrounds the event. “It’s one of the few occasions where chefs from all over the world come together in a very open and relaxed environment,” she noted. For Navarra, he considers being part of the 50 Best community as a privilege. “I’ve met so many people who have become close friends through the years so I’m grateful we had the opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas with some of the best chefs and F&B professionals in the world.”

This kinship was on full display at the multi-day celebration of Toyo Eatery’s 10th anniversary, which happened the same week as the Asia’s 50 Best awards were unfolding in Hong Kong. Award-winning chefs including Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn of Le Du and Nusara in Bangkok, Richie Lin from Mume in Taiwan, Will Goldfarb of Room4Dessert in Bali and more flew to Manila and feasted on lechon, drank lambanog (palm liquor) cocktails and danced to local music.

For Huggett, last year’s 50 Best Signature Session in Seoul featuring a four-hands between Joseph Lidgerwood of Evett and Rodolfo Guzman of Borago was a particular highlight. “I’ll never forget how both teams were so grateful for the chance to meet one another, cook together and learn different approaches to similar ingredients. Joseph told us that they perhaps would never have met without 50 Best. In fact, they then did another dinner a few months afterwards where the Evett team travelled to Santiago, Chile. That for me is the power of the 50 Best community in action — building long-lasting friendships beyond borders and enabling the exchange of knowledge and creativity.” 

In a tough, relentless industry, these moments of openness are as valuable as gold. Chef Ekkebus said it best: “I remember one evening after the ceremony was a small group of chefs from across Asia sitting together long past midnight. There were no hierarchies at that table, no rankings, no stars. Just cooks sharing stories of failures, of suppliers who inspired us, of young apprentices who reminded us why we began,” he said. “We spoke about sustainability before it became a global headline, about responsibility, about the future. There was laughter, candour and a rare vulnerability. For me, that is the essence of 50 Best. It creates a space where competition dissolves into camaraderie. It reminds you that beyond the precision, beyond the pursuit of perfection, we are part of a collective of individuals striving, in different parts of Asia, toward the same ideals.”