Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 highlights: Singapore attains seven spots as Seoul hosts the region’s top chefs.
Text by: Jocelyn Tan
(Additional reporting: Amy Van)
For the second year running, Seoul played host to one of Asia’s most prestigious culinary events — the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards — held on 25 March 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. With chefs, critics, and restaurateurs flying in from across the region, the evening cemented the South Korean capital’s growing status as a dynamic food destination — not just for Korean cuisine, but as a hub for cross-cultural innovation and excellence.
The number one spot went to Bangkok’s Gaggan, marking a decade since the progressive Indian restaurant first took the top honour in 2015. Hong Kong’s Chairman and Wing claimed second and third respectively, while restaurants from 16 cities made the 2025 list, reflecting the increasingly diverse and competitive culinary landscape across Asia.
Seoul’s own culinary scene was in the spotlight, with four restaurants making the list: Mingles, Onjium, 7th Door, and Eatanic Garden. The latter made a spectacular debut at No. 25, clinching the Highest New Entry Award for Chef Son Jong Won’s inventive take on Korean cuisine. “I’m still in shock. I never expected to be placed so highly for our debut,” said Chef Son at the post-awards press conference.
Singapore made a strong showing with seven entries, led by Odette at No. 7. “We are, first of all, very happy to be listed as one of the top restaurants in Asia. We’ve been in the top 10 of this list for the last 7 years,” says chef-owner Julien Royer. “I’m super proud of my team for their excellence and consistency and that’s super important. Being number on the list doesn’t matter to me. It’s a testament of the really hard work of the team. Also this year, we are turning 10, and we have become a fine dining institution in this part of the world. And that is something that I dreamt of achieving. We are very fortunate to do the job that we love most. It’s just the beginning for us. We are really working hard to deliver something solid. We have a lot of honesty, passion and curiosity.” He adds, “This award is not about Julien Royer. It’s about 50 people that work at Odette on a daily basis to make the magic happen for 35 to 40 customers.”
This year, Les Amis is ranked at No.28, Labyrinth at No.37, Burnt Ends at No.38 and Meta by Korean Chef Sun Kim at No.39. Completing the line-up is Chef Kevin Wong’s Seroja at No.40 and Jason Tan’s Euphoria at No.48.
During the evening, a list of distinguished award recipients was also announced. Japan’s Crony received accolades for wine, with Kazutaka Ozawa named Asia’s Best Sommelier. Bangkok’s Chudaree ‘Tam’ Debhakam of Baan Tepa was celebrated as Asia’s Best Female Chef.
The title of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by Valrhona, went to Dej Kewkacha from Gaggan at Louis Vuitton (No.31) in Bangkok. Dej is known for his masterful modern twist on classic desserts, blending traditional textures with unexpected flavours. He says, “I’m honoured to be the first Thai to win this prestigious award. I have to thank Louis Vuitton and Chef Gaggan for this special project that brought three parties together.”
Other top awards included the Chefs’ Choice Award for Wing’s Vicky Cheng in Hong Kong, and The One to Watch Award, which went to Farmlore in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Locavore NXT earned the Sustainable Restaurant Award.
Toyo Eatery in the Philippines made headlines with a triple win, taking 42nd place on the list and two additional honours: Best Restaurant in the Philippines and the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award. In a heartfelt moment, the Icon Award was presented posthumously to beloved Filipino culinary icon Margarita Forés, with her son, restaurateur Amado Forés, accepting the award on her behalf.
Here’s the full list:
- Gaggan (Bangkok)
- Chairman (Hong Kong)
- Wing (Hong Kong)
- Sezanne (Tokyo)
- Mingles (Seoul)
- Nusara (Bangkok)
- Odette (Singapore)
- La Cime (Osaka)
- Chef Tam’s Seasons (Macau) highest climber award
- Onjium (Seoul)
- Sühring (Bangkok)
- Narisawa (Tokyo)
- Potong (Bangkok)
- Meet The Bund (Shanghai)
- Fu He Hui (Shanghai)
- Sorn (Bangkok)
- Florilege (Tokyo)
- Caprice (Hong Kong)
- Masque (Mumbai)
- Le Du (Bangkok)
- Neighborhood (Hong Kong)
- Den (Tokyo)
- 7th Door (Seoul)
- Mono (Hong Kong)
- Eatanic Garden (Seoul)*
- Logy (Taipei)
- Ling Long (ShanghaI)
- Les Amis (Singapore)
- 102 House (Shanghai)
- Crony (Tokyo)*
- Gaggan at Louis Vuitton (Bangkok)*
- Estro (Hong Kong)
- Sushi Saito (Tokyo) **
- Sazenka (Tokyo)
- JL Studio (Taichung)
- Goh (Fukuoka)
- Labyrinth (Singapore)
- Burnt Ends (Singapore)
- Meta (Singapore)
- Seroja (Singapore)
- Ando (Hong Kong)
- Toyo Eatery, (Manila)
- Maz (Tokyo)*
- Bann Tepa (Bangkok)
- Myoujyaku (Tokyo)*
- Indian Accent (New Delhi)
- Samrub Samrub Thai (Bangkok)
- Euphoria (Singapore)
- August (Jakarta)
- Lamdre (Beijing)*
*new entry
** re-entry