At a ceremony in Lima, Peru last night, The 50 (formerly known as The World’s 50 Best) unveiled its coveted annual restaurant ranking. One UK restaurant made it into the list – London fine diner Ikoyi at number 48 – and taking the top spot was Basque Country restaurant Asador Extebarri.
This isn’t Ikoyi’s first time on the list. After debuting at 87th place in 2021, it cracked the top 50 in 2022 at number 49, then climbed to 35th place in 2023. Last year, it won the Highest Climber Award, shooting up to the 15th spot.
While the 2025 list included another UK restaurant – chef Santiago Lastra’s Mexican fine diner Kol in Marylebone, ranked at number 49 – this time Ikoyi alone represents the UK. Its story is one of unbridled creativity; while chef Jeremy Chan and restaurateur Iré Hassan-Odukale may have started in 2017 drawing inspiration from West African cuisine, it has evolved into something that defies categorisation. Its tasting menu (which sets diners back £395, with a shorter £180 option available) is described as “spice-based cuisine” inspired by hyper-seasonal British ingredients. While some dishes, like the signature smoked jollof rice tend to be mainstays, diners can expect surprises throughout the menu like desserts infused with Scotch bonnet chilli or crisp-edge sweetbreads with Kampot pepper paired with white flint corn grits.
Ikoyi received its first Michelin star in 2018, and won a second in 2022 around the same time it moved from St James’s Market to a larger site on the Strand.
The 50 is judged by more than 1100 voters, comprising industry professionals and food writers. Voting is confidential and anonymous, and is split into 28 geographic regions around the world.
Here is the full list of winners:
50. Saint Peter, Sydney
49. Naar, Kasauli
48. Ikoyi, London
47. Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo
46. El Chato, Bogotá
45. Mayta, Lima
44. Don Julio, Buenos Aires
43. Le Calandre, Rubano
42. Bozar, Brussels
41. Onjium, Seoul
40. Jordnær, Copenhagen
39. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau
38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico
37. Nuema, Quito
36. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou
35. La Colombe, Cape Town
34. Le Coquillage, Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes
33. Elkano, Getaria
32. Potong, Bangkok
31. Celele, Cartagena
30. Steirereck, Vienna
29. Enigma, Barcelona
28. Trèsind Studio, Dubai
27. Reale, Castel di Sangro
26. Masque, Mumbai
25. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro
24. Al Gatto Verde, Modena
23. Vyn, Skillinge
22. Boragó, Santiago
21. Meet the Bund, Shanghai
20. Piazza Duomo, Alba
19. Jan, Munich
18. Nusara, Bangkok
17. Mingles, Seoul
16. Tuju, São Paulo
15. Odette, Singapore
14. Sühring, Bangkok
13. Mérito, Lima
12. Sorn, Bangkok
11. Atomix, New York
10. Plénitude, Paris
9. Diverxo, Madrid
8. Kadeau, Copenhagen
7. Kjolle, Lima
6. The Chairman, Hong Kong
5. Wing, Hong Kong
4. Quintonil, Mexico City
3. Alchemist, Copenhagen
2. Gaggan, Bangkok
1 Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo
