Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026: 10 Japanese Restaurants Make the 51–100 List, With Kanazawa and Yamagata Debuts
KAMPAI Editorial
The 51st to 100th positions of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 have been announced. Ten restaurants from Japan made the list. The rankings were published by William Reed Ltd via PR TIMES.
The top 50 will be revealed at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong on March 25.
Japan's 10, Including 4 New Entries
| Rank | Restaurant | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Den | Tokyo | |
| 60 | Goh | Fukuoka | |
| 63 | Sushi Shunji | Tokyo | New entry |
| 72 | Sushi Saito | Tokyo | |
| 76 | Cenci | Kyoto | |
| 81 | Villa Aida | Iwade, Wakayama | |
| 82 | Kataori | Kanazawa | New entry |
| 92 | Respiración | Kanazawa | New entry |
| 93 | Dewaya | Nishikawa, Yamagata | New entry |
| 97 | L'evo | Nanto, Toyama |
Four are new entries: Sushi Shunji from Tokyo, Kataori and Respiración from Kanazawa, and Dewaya from Yamagata.
Kanazawa Debuts With Two, Plus a Yamagata Ryokan
The standout trend is the arrival of regional cities. Both Kanazawa and Nishikawa-machi in Yamagata Prefecture appear on this ranking for the first time.
Kanazawa's Kataori (No. 82) has been described as "the future of kaiseki." Respiración (No. 92) is run by three childhood friends who trained at Ferran Adrià's elBulli in Spain.
Dewaya (No. 93) in Yamagata is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) founded in 1929, serving seasonal cuisine centered on sansai (wild mountain vegetables), led by chef Yoki Sato. A nearly century-old inn in rural Yamagata making a global restaurant list — that's a development worth noting.
From Tokyo, Sushi Shunji (No. 63) is a new entry. Chef Shunji Hashiba offers his own take on Edomae sushi.
Seoul Leads by City, 27 Cities Represented
Across the full 51–100 list, Seoul leads with seven restaurants. Restaurants were selected from 27 cities in total, up four from last year. Twelve are new entries.
The top 50 will be announced at the awards ceremony in Hong Kong on March 25, with a live stream on the official YouTube channel starting at 9 PM Japan time. How many Japanese restaurants will make the upper half? We'll be watching.