Before we get into the rankings, here’s a little history on the list. 12 years ago, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants launched as an offshoot of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which started life in London in 2002 as the brainchild of someone at Restaurant magazine. The first Asia list was announced in Singapore, with just four Bangkok restaurants finding their way on to the list that year.
Nahm led the way back then in third place, Gaggan was at 10, Eat Me at 19 and bringing up the rear at 36 for Thailand was Bo.lan. No-one really knew how the ratings were achieved and hardly any attention was paid to a mystical list of foodies who apparently travelled around the region eating at well-known and very expensive restaurants. But the PR team back in London did a fabulous job and media outlets across Asia started to publish the results as if it was the definitive list, and a serious assessment of the best places to eat in Asia.
Not long after that, the Asia’s 50 Best awards moved to Bangkok for a while, where a savvy cabal of established Thai restaurants found a way to influence the results, having become fixtures on the annual list. This year we offer our congratulations to nine Bangkok restaurants that made the Asia’s 50 Best list and in alphabetical order they are: Baan Tepa, Gaggan, Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, Le Du, Nusara, Potong, Samrub Samrub Thai, Sorn and Suhring. Many familiar names from earlier lists in there, albeit with some shuffling of the positions to keep a sense of impartiality.
In all fairness to Asia’s 50 Best, it cannot be easy to produce a list that will be taken seriously every year, with so many great restaurants across the region, and especially in Thailand, continuing to be overlooked. So exactly how are the rankings calculated each year? As comedian Nate Bargatze playing George Washinton on Saturday Night Live says, nobody knows. Deloitte, the official adjudicators, however offer re-assurance that they do employ a normalisation process in the event of a significant variance, to ensure the list fairly represents the votes of its panel of food experts. (Time Out Bangkok advice to aspiring restaurant owners: if you wish to get on the list in 2026 perhaps take a re-look at your old accounting textbooks).
Asia’s 50 Best genuinely has a fantastic public relations and marketing team driving its success, as do the group of friends, restaurant owners and chefs in Bangkok that appear annually. While many may scratch their heads in wonder every time the list is announced, those that make the list can be sure to catch a few headlines.
Finally more Bangkok cred and congrats to Chef Tam, of Baan Tepa, for being awarded Asia’s Best Female Chef 2025, although the award does sound a little behind the times, and Dej Kewkacha for snagging Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2025. An award that has got everyone talking in Bangkok.
Here is the complete list:
1. Gaggan (Bangkok)
2. The Chairman (Hong Kong)
3. Wing (Hong Kong)
4. Sezanne (Tokyo)
5. Mingles (Seoul)
6. Nusara (Bangkok)
7. Odette (Singapore)
8. La Cime (Osaka)
9. Chef Tam’s Seasons (Macao)
10. Onjium (Seoul)
11. Sühring (Bangkok)
12. Narisawa (Tokyo)
13. Potong (Bangkok)
14. Meet the Bund (Shanghai)
15. Fu He Hui (Shanghai)
16. Sorn (Bangkok)
17. Florilège (Tokyo)
18. Caprice (Hong Kong)
19. Masque (Mumbai)
20. Le Du (Bangkok)
21. Neighborhood (Hong Kong)
22. Den (Tokyo)
23. 7th Door (Seoul)
24. Mono (Hong Kong)
25. Eatanic Garden (Seoul)
26. Logy (Taipei)
27. Ling Long (Shanghai)
28. Les Amis (Singapore)
29. 102 House (Shanghai)
30. Crony (Tokyo)
31. Gaggan at Louis Vuitton (Bangkok)
32. Estro (Hong Kong)
33. Sushi Saito (Tokyo)
34. Sazenka (Tokyo)
35. JL Studio (Taichung, Taiwan)
36. Goh (Fukuoka, Japan)
37. Labyrinth (Singapore)
38. Burnt Ends (Singapore)
39. Meta (Singapore)
40. Seroja (Singapore)
41. Ando (Hong Kong)
42. Toyo Eatery (Manila)
43. Maz (Tokyo)
44. Baan Tepa (Bangkok)
45. Myoujyaku (Tokyo)
46. Indian Accent (New Delhi)
47. Samrub Samrub Thai (Bangkok)
48. Euphoria (Singapore)
49. August (Jakarta)
50. Lamdre (Beijing)
Here is Time Out Bangkok’s list of 50 Best restaurants 2025:
1. 100 Mahaseth
2. Potong
3. Sühring
4. Sorn
5. Côte by Mauro Colagreco
6. Sushi Masato
7. Clara
8. Inddee
9. Blue by Alain Ducasse
10. China House
11. Gaggan Anand
12. Baan Tepa
13. Villa Frantzen
14. Bisou
15. Maison Dunand
16. Haoma
17. Samrub Samrub Thai
18. Mia
19. Riva del Fiume
20. Cagette
21. Zao
22. Methavalai Sorndaeng
23. Elements, Inspired by Ciel Bleu
24. Sushi Misaki
25. Gaa
26. Nahm
27. Jhol
28. Smokin' Pug
29. El Mercado
30. Tori Tama
31. Santiaga
32. Casa Lenzi
33. Ms.Maria & Mr.Singh
34. Charmgang
35. Khua Kling + Pak Sod
36. Cento
37. Nan Bei
38. Savelberg Thailand
39. Zuma
40. El Willy Spanish Kitchen
41. No Name Noodle
42. Ore
43. Wah Lok
44. Taberna Jamon Jamon
45. Guay Tiew Kua Gai Suanmali
46. Saawaan
47. Enoteca
48. Eat Me
49. Appia
50. Punjab Grill