What Your Neighborhood Restaurant Can Learn From the World's Best in 2025
What Your Neighborhood Restaurant Can Learn From the World's Best in 2025
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list landed in Turin, Italy, on June 19, 2025. It did not whisper. It roared. The top spots weren’t just kitchens. They were ideas, sharp and on fire. Your neighborhood spot can borrow from their brilliance. You do not need fame. You need focus, love, and grit.
Maido in Lima took first. Chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura stood tall. He said, “I think the most beautiful act of love is to cook for somebody. It’s the most beautiful thing that has happened in my life.”¹ He mixes Japanese craft with Peruvian soil. Sushi rice, ají peppers, native potatoes. Bold, simple, real. You can do this. Find one bold mix. Make it yours. Tell that story on the plate.
Asador Etxebarri followed. Chef Victor Arguinzoniz builds with fire. He said, “The aroma of wood smoke became etched in my memory when I was a child.”² He selects oak, cherry, and apple wood. Grilled scallops. Charms beef cheeks. Your turn. Choose a tool. A brick oven, a wood grill. Master it. Let it define your taste.
Quintonil in Mexico City claimed third. Jorge Vallejo cooks with his neighbors. Farmers bring him heirloom corn. Foragers hand him mushrooms. The dishes speak of land and labor. Build this. Name your farmer. Taste will follow.
At number four, DiverXO in Madrid throws the theater on the table. Chef Dabiz Muñoz bends sweet into sour. Sends dishes through dry ice clouds. Projects light onto the plates. It’s surreal. You can do something small. A dark room. One whispered story. A reveal under a cloche. Make it magic.
Fifth came Alchemist in Copenhagen. Rasmus Munk burns the script each month. New dishes. New themes. Guests don’t know what’s coming. That is the thrill. Do a weekly surprise dish. Post it online. See who returns.
Odette in Singapore ranked 25. Chef Julien Royer grows herbs onsite. He composts coffee grounds. His team wears recycled fabrics. He buys local. “Sustainability is not a trend, it is survival,” he told the Australian Financial Review.³ You can do this. Serve water in a glass. Filter oil for a second fry. Change one small thing. Then change one more.
Atomix in New York sits at 12. Chef Junghyun Park greets guests by name. Only 19 seats. It is soft, close, and deliberate. Park says, “We feed more than hunger, we feed belonging.”⁴ Your staff can remember birthdays. Favorite dishes. Write a note with the bill. Guests will come back.
Potong in Bangkok entered strongly at 13. Chef Pichaya Soontornyanakij walks five floors to her family’s old recipes. Her soups speak in Thai and Chinese. You can do this. Think of your roots. Put that memory on a chalkboard or a napkin. People will read it.
Ikoyi in London climbed to 15. Chef Jeremy Chan blends West African, Asian, and British traditions. No walls, no rules. He pairs palm oil with sea bass, then serves it on fine bone china. It works. If it tastes right, serve it. That’s the only law.
Septime in Paris took 40. It wears jeans, not suits. Wood tables, soft light. No linens. No formality. Just elegance in ease. Your place can feel like that. Lose the stiffness. Light a candle. Let your food breathe.
You don’t need stars. You need a soul. Pick one idea. One fire. One story. Own it with grit. Shine with heart. Then the people will come.
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Footnotes
The World's 50 Best Restaurants, “Maido named The World’s Best Restaurant 2025,” published June 19, 2025.
Food & Wine, “The Grilling Genius of Spain: Victor Arguinzoniz,” published in 2022.
Australian Financial Review, “The Awards Australia Will Never Win: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants,” published June 18, 2025.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants, “Full 2025 Rankings and Interviews,” published June 19, 2025.