In the world of gastronomy, restaurants vie for a spot in distinguished guides like the World's 50 Best, La Liste or the Michelin Guide, while diners pore over them to decide what their next culinary adventure will be. One of the lists they turn to is Forbes' annual selection of the world's coolest restaurants, released in anticipatory fashion for the year ahead, and with only 10 coveted spots in the curation.
For the 2026 edition, one establishment from Singapore earns the honour as the only restaurant in the country and in Southeast Asia to be selected for the list. It's none other than Araya, a sleek 30-seater in Mondrian Singapore Duxton serving Chilean cuisine with a contemporary twist. The restaurant is also one of two in Asia named by Forbes, with the other being Sushi Meino from Tokyo.
Who determines what's on the list? Unlike culinary guides like the World's 50 Best and Michelin, where the judges and inspectors are anonymous, the coolest restaurants are handpicked by three renowned food experts, based on which most impressed them this year and who they deem are working at the forefront of gastronomy.
With Araya, one of the contributors to the list, Kristian Brask Thomsen, describes the experience as a "captivating Chilean culinary narrative", praising Araya's "seductive mix of Patagonian and Japanese produce". In particular, the French pigeon and caviar stand out, and are, in his words, "cooked as perfectly as at Disfrutar in Barcelona".
This is not the restaurant's first time being recognised on the global stage. As it stands, Araya is the only Chilean restaurant in the world with a Michelin star to its name and a Michelin Sommelier Award for its excellent wine pairings. Most recently, it also earned a 1 Knife distinction at The Best Chef Awards in Milan. And it has its founders – Chilean chef-couple Francisco Araya and Fernanda Guerrero – to thank for that.
A meal at Araya starts from $88 for the most affordable lunch set and up to $368 for a multi-course dinner. Find out more and make a reservation here.
The full selection of Forbes' Coolest Restaurants for 2026:
- Araya, Singapore
- Da Lucio, Rimini, Italy
- The Jane 2.0, Antwerp, Belgium
- Knystaforsen, Rydabäck, Sweden
- Largo do Paço, Amarante, Portugal
- LuMi, Sydney
- Rocio Tapas y Sushi, Málaga, Spain
- Row on 5, London
- Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
- Sushi Meino, Tokyo
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