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[SEOUL] It was deja vu at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards on Tuesday (Mar 25), when Bangkok eatery Gaggan was once again crowned the best in Asia – seven years after it won the honour four consecutive times from 2015 to 2018.

The fine-dining restaurant beat Hong Kong restaurant The Chairman to the top spot; Wing, also in Hong Kong, took third place.

Last year’s No 1, Sezanne of Tokyo, came in fourth. Singapore restaurant Odette managed to stay in the top 10 at No 7, an improvement from its No 10 position in 2024.

Apart from Odette, Singapore’s restaurants did not fare as well this year. Seven made it into the top 50, compared with nine in 2024. Lolla, ranked 43rd last year, dropped out of the list; Born, which was in 25th place, dropped to 54th. The other restaurants still in the top 50 are Labyrinth, Meta, Burnt Ends, Euphoria and Seroja, which also dropped to lower positions. Les Amis, on the other hand, rose 10 places from 38th to 28th.

There were a number of new entries on the Top 50 list, including Japanese kaiseki Myoujyaku and Peruvian restaurant Maz in Tokyo. Eatanic Garden in Seoul was named the highest new entry at 25th place, while Sushi Saito – despite being one of the hardest restaurants to book in Tokyo and does not take new customers unless they are guests of regulars – made a re-entry into the list at No 33. 

Special awards were also presented. The one for Best Pastry Chef went to Dej Dewkacha of Bangkok’s Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, a collaboration between Gaggan Anand and the luxury brand. The restaurant was also a new entry to the list, at No 31.

The win marks chef-owner Gaggan Anand’s comeback. He closed his original Gaggan restaurant in 2019, following a dispute with his partners, and reopened it several months later under his full name. He went back to the original name in 2024, and was in third position last year. 

Anand was emotional when he took to the stage after the climactic end of the awards, saying that he had gone through a period of denial and self-doubt. He added that the award was for his team and “everyone who thought I wouldn’t deserve (this) because when you said that, it gave me all the power to work even harder – so this is not the fifth time to win, but the best time”.

The ranking of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is created from the votes of some 350 voters around Asia, comprising food writers, critics, chefs and restaurateurs, and is seen largely as a popularity contest rather than one based on certain criteria of merit like the Michelin Guide.

It also explains the large fluctuations in the restaurants’ positions, which did not just affect Singapore’s restaurants, but those of other countries as well.

William Drew, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ director of content, says: “The list is always dynamic because it reflects the dining scene in Asia, which is always changing. It’s a positive reflection with plenty of new entries and movements in the list. It is, most of all, a celebration of the restaurants in Asia and the quality of talent there is.”

He has also seen trends emerging this year, particularly in sustainability and how it has become “the core of restaurants rather than an add-on”. He also notes that restaurants are celebrating heritage and indigenous ingredients, which reflects the diversity of Asia. “People are celebrating their history, but in a contemporary way.”

As for the fluctuations, Han Li Guang of Labyrinth sums it up: “Being in the list for five years and my ranking being volatile each year, I don’t read too much into the rankings. I’m just happy to be in the list, regardless of the position.”