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The world’s very best restaurants have been crowned once again by The 50, and almost half are located in Europe.
Asador Etxebarri, a grill restaurant tucked away in a remote part of Spain’s Basque Country, was crowned champion. Spots in Sweden, Italy, and the UK, to name just a few, also made the ranking – in fact, there were 21 inclusions from across Europe in total.
Take Vyn, for example. This stunning space is not only a restaurant but also a wine bar, two private dining rooms, and a boutique hotel. It’s nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Baltic Sea in Simrishamn, Sweden.
‘Spotlighting seasonal, local and sustainable ingredients – as well as dishes that use the whole animal – standout creations include [head chef Daniel Berlin’s] wild reindeer carpaccio, garnished with berries and roots, a perfectly cooked whole fish with house-made herb butter and succulent slow-cooked lamb,’ says The 50.
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One of the five spots repping Italy on this list is Reale, which is housed inside a sixteenth-century monastery (and former family bakery), known for championing often overlooked ingredients and ‘the Italian food of tomorrow’.
In the UK, Ikoyi, a swish African-inspired restaurant (and the first of its kind in London to earn a Michelin star) claimed 48th place in the world, and is the last entry for Europe. It was reviewed by Time Out London’s food editor Leonie Cooper, who described it as ‘a huge deal. Monumental, in fact’.
‘Named after the affluent suburb of Lagos where co-founder Iré Hassan-Odukale was born, Ikoyi has gently moved away from its original west African culinary concept,’ says Leonie. ‘Now the focus is on what Chan calls ‘spice-based cuisine’, though a handful of Nigerian-inflected dishes remain on the 14-ish course set menu, including a potent smoked jollof rice, and a guinea fowl suya, which comes served in a crispy caramelised rice shell with a spiced grape gel and freshly grated black truffle.’
Sounds pretty spectacular, right? Scroll on for the complete list of European restaurants that made the top 50.
The best restaurants in Europe for 2026
- Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
- Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Diverxo, Madrid, Spain
- Plénitude, Paris, France
- Jan, Munich, Germany
- Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
- Vyn, Skillinge, Sweden
- Al Gatto Verde, Modena, Italy
- Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
- Enigma, Barcelona, Spain
- Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
- Elkano, Getaria, Spain
- Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France
- Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy
- Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland
- Jordnær, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
- Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
- Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Ikoyi, London, United Kingdom
Take a look at which restaurants made the top 10 across the world and check out the full list on The 50’s official website.
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