The 12th edition of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards was held for the first time in Seoul, South Korea on 26th March 2024 at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas with Cezanne from Tokyo taking home the top spot. This prestigious event celebrated the finest in Asian gastronomy, highlighting a diverse range of culinary talents from across the continent.
“It is truly uplifting to witness such a rich array of exceptional dining establishments spanning 19 cities in Asia, including eight exciting newcomers. We extend our sincere congratulations to the esteemed restaurants featured on this year’s ranking — a true example of the vibrancy and diversity of Asia’s culinary landscape. Special acknowledgement is in order for the entire Sézanne team: their impeccable cuisine, hospitality and innovative approach has resulted in the restaurant becoming a must-visit destination.” — William Drew, Director of Content at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Sézanne in Tokyo, Best Restaurant in Asia
Tokyo’s Sézanne clinched the top spot as the Best Restaurant in Asia. Chef Daniel Calvert’s modern French eatery at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi was recognised for its exceptional cuisine. Sézanne moved up from its previous second-place position, underscoring its growing reputation in the culinary world.
“I just wanna say thank you to everybody who, who’ve dined with us who, who voted for us, who, who visited last year and supported us not only last year, but many, many years since I’ve been in Asia, which is 2016. So I never ever thought we would ever be on the stage right now, but, so thank you for that.” — Daniel Calvert, Sézanne, Tokyo.
#50BestTalks: Food Of The People
The 50 Best Talks 2024, held at Four Seasons Seoul, celebrated the theme Food of the People, emphasising the historical and cultural significance of everyday dishes. Mi Hyun Ha, founder of Spoken Recipes, discussed the seasonal origins of traditional Korean foods, such as the spring use of corn kimchi versus winter daikon kimchi. Chefs Johanne Siy of Lolla Singapore, Peter Cuong Franklin of Anan Saigon, and Richie Lin of Mume Taipei shared their insights on fermentation in their respective cuisines, highlighting Filipino patis and bagoong, Vietnamese pickled vegetables and fermented chilli sauce, and Taiwanese fermented soybean and pineapple. Indian chefs Niyati Rao and Jishnu AJ explored Ayurvedic foods and the rich diversity of Indian fermentation practices. The event concluded with Do Yun Kim of Yun demonstrating the meticulous preparation of his renowned cold noodles, blending tradition with innovation.
50 Best Signature Sessions Seoul
The 50 Best Signature Sessions at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 in Seoul featured a series of unique culinary collaborations that brought together top chefs from across Asia. In one standout session, Danny Yip of The Chairman in Hong Kong, Kevin Wong of Seroja in Singapore, and Eun-hee Cho and Sung-bae Park of Onjium Korea crafted a menu that harmonised Cantonese, Malaysian, and Korean flavours, demonstrating the perfect blend of tradition and modernity. Another highlight was the collaboration between Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn of Le Du in Bangkok, Vicky Cheng of Wing in Hong Kong, and Seoul’s Woojoong Kwon and Jun Lee. This session showcased a beautiful fusion of contemporary Thai, Chinese, and Korean cuisines, culminating in an eight-hands course that seamlessly integrated their culinary identities. These sessions exemplified how culinary art can transcend borders, creating unforgettable gastronomic experiences through collaborative creativity and mutual respect.
What Will It Take For Malaysia To Breach The Top 50 Again?
Once again Malaysia has failed to place in the top 50, but why is this so? It is clearly not for the lack of good restaurants in Malaysia as any critic, writer or foodie can attest to. The only restaurant that has placed from Malaysia is Dewakan (No. 56) which clearly does not make much sense to anyone in the culinary industry. Perhaps the voters need to pay more attention to this budding country as its starting to make waves internationally, instead of only rallying to support only once the country is on the rise.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024
- Sézanne, Tokyo, Japan (No. 2 in 2023)
- Florilège, Tokyo, Japan (No. 7 in 2023)
- Gaggan Anand, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 5 in 2023)
- The Chairman, Hong Kong, China (No. 13 in 2023)
- Wing, Hong Kong, China (No. 37 in 2023)
- Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 3 in 2023)
- Sühring, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 22 in 2023)
- Den, Tokyo, Japan (No. 4 in 2023)
- La Cime, Osaka, Japan (No. 8 in 2023)
- Odette, Singapore (No. 6 in 2023)
- Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 9 in 2023)
- Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 1 in 2023)
- Mingles, Seoul, South Korea (No. 28 in 2023)
- Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan (No. 10 in 2023)
- Burnt Ends, Singapore (No. 24 in 2023)
- Neighborhood, Hong Kong, China (No. 29 in 2023)
- Potong, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 35 in 2023)
- 7th Door, Seoul, South Korea (No. 55 in 2023)
- Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China (No. 18 in 2023)
- Euphoria, Singapore (No. 25 in 2023)
- Onjium, Seoul, South Korea (No. 57 in 2023)
- Logy, Taipei, Taiwan (No. 45 in 2023)
- Masque, Mumbai, India (No. 16 in 2023)
- Toyo Eatery, Manila, Philippines (No. 42 in 2023)
- Born, Singapore (No. 36 in 2023)
- Indian Accent, New Delhi, India (No. 19 in 2023)
- Mono, Hong Kong, China (No. 41 in 2023)
- Meta, Singapore (No. 17 in 2023)
- Samrub Samrub Thai, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 82 in 2023)
- Labyrinth, Singapore (No. 11 in 2023)
- Seroja, Singapore
- Caprice, Hong Kong, China (No. 49 in 2023)
- JL Studio, Taichung, Taiwan (Re-entered in 2024)
- Mume, Taipei, Taiwan (No. 45 in 2023)
- Villa Aida, Wakayama, Japan (No. 14 in 2023)
- Ling Long, Shanghai, China (No. 77 in 2023)
- Ando, Hong Kong, China (No. 61 in 2023)
- Les Amis, Singapore (No. 27 in 2023)
- Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan (No. 12 in 2023)
- 102 House, Shanghai, China
- Mosu, Seoul, South Korea (No. 15 in 2023)
- Baan Tepa, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 46 in 2023)
- Lolla, Singapore (No. 63 in 2023)
- Avartana, Chennai, India (No. 79 in 2023)
- Goh, Fukuoka, Japan
- August, Jakarta, Indonesia (No. 95 in 2023)
- Cenci, Kyoto, Japan (No. 32 in 2023)
- Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (No. 40 in 2023)
- Chef Tam’s Seasons, Macau
- Meet the Bund, Shanghai, China (No. 89 in 2023)
- L’effervescence, Tokyo, Japan (No. 44 in 2023)
- Xin Rong Ji, Hong Kong, China (No. 99 in 2023)
- Jaan by Kirk Westaway, Singapore (No. 84 in 2023)
- Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 33 in 2023)
- Ta Vie, Hong Kong, China (No. 53 in 2023)
- Dewakan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (No. 74 in 2023)
- Zén, Singapore (No. 21 in 2023)
- Crony, Tokyo, Japan
- Jade Dragon, Macau, China (No. 58 in 2023)
- Sushi Saito, Tokyo, Japan
- Americano, Mumbai, India (No. 66 in 2023)
- Eatanic Garden, Seoul, South Korea (No. 68 in 2023)
- Blue by Alain Ducasse, Bangkok, Thailand
- Born & Bred, Seoul, South Korea (No. 47 in 2023)
- Solbam, Seoul, South Korea
- Sugita, Tokyo, Japan (No. 64 in 2023)
- L’évo, Toyama, Japan (No. 60 in 2023)
- Vea, Hong Kong, China (No. 100 in 2023)
- Maz, Tokyo, Japan
- The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai, India
- Estro, Hong Kong, China (No. 62 in 2023)
- Thevar, Singapore (No. 56 in 2023)
- Nae:um, Singapore (No. 83 in 2023)
- Peach Blossoms, Singapore
- Summer Pavilion, Singapore (No. 86 in 2023)
- Myoujyaku, Tokyo, Japan
- Ministry of Crab, Colombo, Sri Lanka (No. 69 in 2023)
- Xin Rong Ji (Nanyang Road), Shanghai, China
- Comorin, Gurugram, India
- Hommage, Tokyo, Japan (No. 91 in 2023)
- Mustard Seed, Singapore
- Cloudstreet, Singapore (No. 26 in 2023)
- Esquisse, Tokyo, Japan (No. 67 in 2023)
- Metiz, Manila, Philippines (No. 48 in 2023)
- Refer, Beijing, China (No. 50 in 2023)
- Ensue, Shenzhen, China (No. 31 in 2023)
- Dum Pukht, New Delhi, India
- Godenya, Hong Kong, China
- Kwonsooksoo, Seoul, South Korea
- Haoma, Bangkok, Thailand
- Alla Prima, Seoul, South Korea
- Wana Yook, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 72 in 2023)
- Côte by Mauro Colagreco, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 71 in 2023)
- Gaa, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 81 in 2023)
- Raan Jay Fai, Bangkok, Thailand (No. 38 in 2023)
- Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China (No. 65 in 2023)
- Lamdre, Beijing, China
- Ekaa, Mumbai, India (No. 93 in 2023)
- Fu1015, Shanghai, China
- Howard’s Gourmet, Hong Kong, China
And The Winners Are…
Best Restaurant in Asia: Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand
Best Restaurant in Hong Kong: The Chairman, Hong Kong, China
Best Restaurant in India: Masque, Mumbai, India
Best Restaurant in Japan: Sézanne, Tokyo, Japan
Best Restaurant in Korea: Mingles, Seoul, Korea
Best Restaurant in Macau: Chef Tam’s Seasons, Macau, China
Best Restaurant in Mainland China: Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China
Best Restaurant in the Philippines: Toyo Eatery, Manila, Philippines
Best Restaurant in Singapore: Odette, Singapore
Best Restaurant in Thailand: Gaggan Anand, Bangkok, Thailand
Best Restaurant in Taiwan: Logy, Taipei, Taiwan
Best Restaurant in Vietnam: Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hong Kong has 6 restaurants in the top 50, 6 restaurants in the top 100, total 12 restaurants.
India has 3 restaurants in the top 50, 5 restaurants in the top 100, total 8 restaurants.
|Indonesia has 1 restaurant in the top 50, 0 restaurants in the top 100, total 1 restaurant.
Japan has 9 restaurants in the top 50, 9 restaurants in the top 100, total 18 restaurants.
Korea has 4 restaurants in the top 50, 5 restaurants in the top 100, total 9 restaurants.
Macau has 1 restaurant in the top 50, 1 restaurant in the top 100, total 2 restaurants.
Malaysia has 0 restaurant in the top 50, 1 restaurant in the top 100, total 1 restaurant.
Mainland China has 4 restaurants in the top 50, 10 restaurants in the top 100, total 14
restaurants.
The Philippines has 1 restaurant in the top 50, 1 restaurant in the top 100, total 2 restaurants.
Singapore has 9 restaurants in the top 50, 8 restaurants in the top 100, total 17 restaurants.
Sri Lanka has 0 restaurants in the top 50, 1 restaurant in the top 100, total 1 restaurant.
Thailand has 7 restaurants in the top 50, 7 restaurants in the top 100, total 14 restaurants.
Taiwan has 3 restaurants in the top 50, 0 restaurants in the top 100, total 3 restaurants.
Vietnam has 1 restaurant in the top 50, 0 restaurants in the top 100, total 1 restaurant.
Inedit Damm Chef’s Choice Award: Sung Anh of Mosu, Seoul, South Korea
Icon Award: Danny Yip of The Chairman, Hong Kong, China
Asia’s Best Female Chef: Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij of Potong, Bangkok, Thailand
Valrhona Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award: Mineko Kato of Faro, Tokyo, Japan
Beronia Asia’s Best Sommelier Award: Kevin Lu of Logy, Taipei, Taiwan
Aspire Lifestyles Highest New Entry Award: Seroja, Singapore
Highest Climber Award: Wing, Hong Kong, China
American Express One To Watch Award: August, Jakarta, Indonesia
Gin Mare Art Of Hospitality Award: Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand
Sustainable Restaurant Award: Haoma, Bangkok, Thailand
For our thoughts on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, see Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
For our thoughts on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, see The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
For all 50 Best related content, see 50 Best.