The list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced on 25th March via a virtual awards ceremony that shone a floodlight on the ultimate destinations for foodies to visit across the Asian continent.
The ninth edition of the list also highlighted more restaurants than ever before, with the first-ever reveal of the venues ranked from 51st to 100th in the 2021 vote, as well as the announcement of the Essence of Asia unranked collection. Here are the destinations that should be on your radar
1. Hong Kong
In 2021, Hong Kong emerged as the region’s top gastronomic destination, counting the highest number of spots on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants with 11 entries. For the first time, the title of The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, landed in the city with a win for the ingredient-driven Cantonese eatery The Chairman, led by restaurateur Danny Yip and chef Kwok Keung Tung.
Danny Yip and Kwok Keung Tung celebrate The Chairman's win
True to its nickname ‘fragrant harbour’, the city also saw a newcomer debut on the list – Mono, a contemporary South American restaurant by chef Ricardo Chaneton (No.44) – and a re-entry for two more restaurants after a hiatus: French haute cuisine bastion Caprice (No.28) and Japanese chef Hideaki Sato’s Ta Vie (No.38).
Ricardo Chaneton at Mono and his dish of Venezuelan 'bollos'
Vea (No.16), famous for its unique brand of ‘Chinese x French’ cuisine, was also recognised with the top accolade for service – the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award – while the remaining Hong Kong restaurants included Neighborhood (No.17), Belon (No.25), 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana (No.33), Amber (No.37), Lung King Heen (No.47) and Seventh Son (No.48). A city with an eclectic and ever-growing gastronomic offer, Hong Kong is set to attract the attention of more food aficionados in 2021 than ever before as international travel resumes.
Vicky Cheng celebrating at Vea and his dish with amberjack and Kristal caviar
2. Japan
A country whose gastronomic traditions go back thousands of years, Japan has historically had strong showings on Asia’s 50 Best, confirming its status as one of the region’s most fascinating food cultures. In 2021, nine restaurants made the ranking across three cities: Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka.
Japan's award-winning chefs celebrated their achievements at a viewing event in Tokyo
Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa’s innovative Kaiseki eatery Den won the title of The Best Restaurant in Japan for a fourth successive year, while its Tokyo neighbours Florilège and Narisawa maintained places in the top 10, showcasing the capital’s diverse foodie appeal. Climbing an impressive 29 places to No.19, Tokyo’s L’Effervescence was the winner of this year’s Beronia Highest Climber Award.
Cenci's (No.91) Italian-inspired dish and the team in Kyoto
Japan’s other returning favourites include La Cime (No.8), Sazenka (No.12), Ode (No.27), La Maison de la Nature Goh (No.30) and Nihonryori RyuGin (No.35). A further nine restaurants from Japan featured in the extended 51-100 list, including eateries in Kyoto, Wakayama and Kitakyushu – all cities pushing for space on the gastronomic map.
3. Singapore
The Lion City may have had to give up its top spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, previously held for two years by Julien Royer’s French-inspired Odette, but the city is still one of Asia’s gastronomic hotspots, debuting three new restaurants on the list.
Odette's famous Hokkaido Uni dish and the team's celebration
At No.2, Odette retains The Best Restaurant in Singapore title, and it is joined by new entries Cloudstreet – fronted by Sri Lankan chef Rishi Naalendra – at No.31, LG Han’s Labyrinth at No.40 (the winner of the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award for its sustainable sourcing policies and work to support the community during the pandemic) and Jason Tan’s botanical-inspired Euphoria at No.41.
LG Han celebrating at Labyrinth and his dish Bak Chor Mee
In total, Singapore counts eight spots on the latest ranking with an outstanding variety of cuisine styles, including French fine dining destination Les Amis (No.13), grill-focused Burnt Ends (No.14), Nordic-inspired Zén (No.23) and modern British fine dining restaurant Jaan by Kirk Westaway (No.42). A further four Singapore restaurants made it into the 51-100 list, including American Express One To Watch Award winner Meta, created by South Korean chef Sun Kim, at No.61.
Meta's cabbage chawanmushi dish and chef Sun Kim
4. Thailand
Acclaimed equally for its street food and haute cuisine, Thailand’s capital of Bangkok contributed six restaurants to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021, including the two highest new entries. After closing Gaggan in 2019, popular chef Gaggan Anand made a dramatic return to the list with his new eponymous restaurant – known for its irreverent emoji menus – entering at No.5, securing the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles. This is a dining experience that foodies certainly won’t want to miss as Anand is set to re-invent his ‘G’s Spot’ chef’s table experience in the coming months.
Gaggan Anand, Jay Fai and Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn show off their trophies at a viewing event in Bangkok
At No.4, chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn’s high-profile Le Du earned the title of The Best Restaurant in Thailand for the first time, while the cook’s traditional Thai venture Nusara debuted at No.20. Sühring, an eclectic spot serving contemporary German cuisine, ranked at No.6, while other hot tables in Bangkok include southern-Thai-focused Sorn (No.11) and Indian-inspired Gaa (No.46).
Inside Nusara (No.20) and its dish with squid and tomato
Supinya ‘Jay Fai’ Junsuta, often dubbed the queen of Bangkok’s street food, received the Icon Award, while her world-famous crab omelette and street food stall Raan Jay Fai landed at No.62 in the extended list, along with eight more Bangkok restaurants.
5. Taiwan
The island of Taiwan – renowned for its outstanding ingredients and 24 micro-seasons – remains one of the continent’s most popular gastronomic destinations. Nordic-influenced restaurant Mume, led by chef Richie Lin, landed at No.15 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, winning the title of The Best Restaurant in Taiwan.
Richie Lin and Ryogo Tahara celebrate together in Taipei
André Chiang’s perennial favourite Raw returned at No.21, while Logy – a study in contemporary locavorian cooking headed by Japanese chef Ryogo Tahara – debuted at No.24. Contemporary Singaporean eatery JL Studio in Taichung (No.26) and Japanese-inspired Shoun RyuGin in Taipei (No.45) complete the representation in Taiwan.
Asia's Best Pastry Chef Angela Lai and her signature dessert Pong Pia
The country will also be the destination of choice for any gastronauts with a sweet tooth, as it is the current home of Angela Lai, voted Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2021, whose French desserts with Taiwanese ingredients can be tasted at restaurant Taïrroir.
6. South Korea
To those who have already discovered the wonders of hansik (Korean food), the fact that the country contributed four restaurants to the ranking of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 will be no surprise. Led by Mingles at No.10 (The Best Restaurant in Korea 2021, with its chef Mingoo Kang also picking up the Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award), the country’s showing also included two new entries: 7th Door at No.34, which comes as a journey through the seven tastes of Korea by chef Kim Dae-chun, and Born & Bred (No.36), a temple to premium Korean beef. Hansikgonggan, the modern restaurant by godmother of Korean cuisine Cho Hee-sook, joined the top destinations at No.46. Four more South Korean restaurants were also included in the 51-100 ranking, expanding the dining possibilities even further.
Chef Sang-won Jung celebrates Born & Bred's debut with the team
7. China
China emerges in 2021 as a country whose millennia-old culinary heritage and huge breadth of regional cuisines are receiving the recognition they deserve. This is exemplified in chef DeAille Tam of Obscura in Shanghai, named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2021, sponsored by Cinco Jotas, who studies the country’s rich traditions and reinvents them through a progressive lens.
Asia's Best Female Chef DeAille Tam with the Obscura team in Shanghai
Mainland China’s restaurants are led by Tony Lu’s vegetable-focused Fu He Hui in Shanghai (No.22), which is followed by as many as nine other destinations in the 51-100 list. These include progressive eatery Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (No.52), two branches of Xin Rong Ji serving Taizhou cuisine in Shanghai and Linhai (No.61 and No.76), as well as restaurants in Shenzhen (Ensue, No.69) and Hangzhou (Jin Sha, No.89) among four others, cementing the country’s status as an upcoming player in world gastronomy.
Fu He Hui's dish with pear and chef Tony Lu
A further five restaurants in Macau were also voted on the list, including elegant Cantonese restaurant Wing Lei Palace (No.50), Chinese destination The Eight (No.68), elegant French eatery Robuchon Au Dôme (No.88), regionally-inspired Sichuan Moon (No.95) and renowned Chinese spot Jade Dragon (No.100).
The list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2021, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced on March 25, 2021, via a virtual awards ceremony – visit the website to discover all the winners. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
