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Thailand leads Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025

Bangkok and Tokyo dominate this year’s Asia's 50 Best, with nine establishments each.

Nigel Oakins
Written by
Nigel Oakins
Publisher, Time Out Thailand
Gaggan
Photograph: Gaggan
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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

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