Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022: Den in Tokyo takes top spot, Japan claims 11 places; Hong Kong takes 6 spots, down from 11
- Den has been moving up the list ever since its debut at number 37 in 2016; head chef Zaiyu Hasegawa offers a playful, innovative take on kaiseki
- Thailand took nine spots, Singapore seven; 2021’s winner, The Chairman in Hong Kong, dropped to fifth
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants celebrated its 10th anniversary this year with an awards ceremony that was live-streamed on YouTube and at in-person events in Bangkok, Macau and Tokyo.
Taking the top spot this year was Den in Tokyo, Japan, which has been moving up ever since its debut on the list at number 37 in 2016. Head chef Zaiyu Hasegawa offers a playful, innovative take on kaiseki, allowing Japan to take the top spot on the list for the second time in 10 years.
Japan as a whole won big this year, with 11 restaurants making the list, up from nine in 2021. Thailand followed close behind, with nine restaurants on the list and Sorn, in Bangkok, taking second place.
Singapore claimed seven spots on the list, with fine-dining French restaurant Odette, which dropped six spots from second to eighth, taking home the Art of Hospitality Award. In addition to Odette, which ranked top in 2020, chef Julien Royer also runs Louise at PMQ in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s Neighborhood is another that has steadily climbed the ranks over the years, and this year cracked the top 10, jumping from 17th spot to 9th. Chef David Lai was also awarded the Chefs’ Choice Award – voted on by all the head chefs on the list – for his sustainable and creative dishes.
While Hong Kong’s VEA, a “Chinese x French” restaurant in Central, dropped from 16th spot in 2021 to out of the top 50, chef Vicky Cheng’s other restaurant, Wing, made its debut on this year’s list at number 34. Opened in 2021, Wing is situated directly below VEA but places the spotlight fully on Cheng’s interpretation of the “eight great Chinese cuisines”.
Three other Hong Kong restaurants made the list this year. Caprice, helmed by chef Guillaume Galliot at the Four Seasons, jumped four spots to number 24. Latin American restaurant Mono, which debuted on the list in 2021 at number 44, rose to 32. Meanwhile, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana dropped from number 33 in 2021 to 48.
Back in Singapore, Meta was a new entry at number 20, while Les Amis dropped from 13th spot in 2021 to 23rd. Zen, Labyrinth and Burnt Ends were awarded 37th, 40th and 41st place, respectively. Cloudstreet ranked at number 44, with pastry chef Maira Yeo named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef.
Wing Lei Palace in Macau jumped three spots from number 50 to 47. Fu He Hui, which was mainland China’s only restaurant on the list in 2021, jumped from number 22 to 12. This year, it was joined by Ensue, in Shenzhen, Da Vittorio, in Shanghai, and Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, also in Shanghai, at 19th, 28th and 39th places, respectively. Ensue and Da Vittorio were new entries on the list, while Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet returned after falling out of the top 50 in 2021.
Several other chefs also received special awards, including Natsuko Shoji of Été, in Tokyo, who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef. The Icon Award went to Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun and chef who lives at the Baegyangsa temple in South Korea. While she does not own a restaurant, she’s known for intertwining food with her spiritual practice.
The Highest Climber Award went to Ode in Tokyo, which rose 14 places to number 13. The Highest New Entry Award was given to Villa Aida in Wakayama, Japan, which debuted at number 14.
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The Sustainable Restaurant Award went to Mume in Taipei, Taiwan, while the One To Watch Award went to Eat and Cook in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is voted on by over 300 experts spread across the continent, with this year’s voting process adjusted in consideration of pandemic restrictions. The list is run by William Reed business media, and is an offshoot of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which began its list in 2002.
The full list:
1. Den
Tokyo, Japan
2. Sorn
Bangkok, Thailand
3. Florilège
Tokyo, Japan
4. Le Du
Bangkok, Thailand
5. The Chairman
Hong Kong, China
6. La Cime
Osaka, Japan
7. Sühring
Bangkok, Thailand
8. Odette
Singapore
9. Neighborhood
Hong Kong, China
10. Nusara
Bangkok, Thailand
11. Sazenka
Tokyo, Japan
12. Fu He Hui
Shanghai, China
13. Ode
Tokyo, Japan
14. Villa Aida
Wakayama, Japan
15. Narisawa
Tokyo, Japan
16. Mingles
Seoul, South Korea
17. Sézanne
Tokyo, Japan
18. Joo Ok
Seoul, South Korea
19. Ensue
Shenzhen, China
20. Meta
Singapore
21. Masque
Mumbai, India
22. Indian Accent
New Delhi, India
23. Les Amis
Singapore
24. Caprice
Hong Kong, China
25. Blue by Alain Ducasse
Bangkok, Thailand
26. 7th Door
Seoul, South Korea
27. Mosu
Seoul, South Korea
28. Da Vittorio
Shanghai, China
29. Sushi Masato
Bangkok, Thailand
30. Onjium
Seoul, South Korea
31. Samrub Samrub Thai
Bangkok, Thailand
32. Mono
Hong Kong, China
33. Gaa
Bangkok, Thailand
34. Wing
Hong Kong, China
35. Ministry of Crab
Colombo, Sri Lanka
36. La Maison de la Nature Goh
Fukuoka, Japan
37. Zén
Singapore
38. Logy
Taipei, Taiwan
39. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet
Shanghai, China
40. Labyrinth
Singapore
41. Burnt Ends
Singapore
42. Été
Tokyo, Japan
43. Cenci
Kyoto, Japan
44. Cloudstreet
Singapore
45. JL Studio
Taichung, Taiwan
46. Raan Jay Fai
Bangkok, Thailand
47. Wing Lei Palace
Macau, China
48. 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Hong Kong, China
49. Megu
New Delhi, India
50. Dewakan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
