Dubai’s Tresind Studio is UAE's lone entry on world’s 50 best restaurants list

Dubai’s Tresind Studio has been named the Best Restaurant in the Middle East, placing 28th in this year’s global 50 Best Restaurants ranking.

The Indian fine-dining restaurant was the UAE’s only entry in the top 50, announced at a ceremony in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday, November 4. Spain’s Asador Etxebarri took the top spot at the awards, held in South America for the first time.

Led by chef Himanshu Saini, Tresind Studio secured a place in the top 50 for a fourth consecutive year, slipping one position from last year’s ranking of 27th. It entered the top 50 at No 11 in 2023 before placing 13th in 2024.

Its first inclusion in the extended ranking came in 2022, when it was listed at No 57.

Show caption: Chef Himanshu Saini of Tresind Studio is known for his exper…

The result adds to a series of accolades for the restaurant at St Regis Gardens on Palm Jumeirah. It retained its three Michelin stars in the 2026 Dubai guide, having become the first Indian restaurant in the world to receive the distinction in 2025.

It is one of only two restaurants in Dubai with Michelin’s highest rating, alongside FZN by Bjorn Frantzen.

Tresind Studio also placed third in this year’s separate Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking. Saini received the regional programme’s Chefs’ Choice Award, voted for by the teams behind restaurants on that list, in recognition of his contribution to the region’s culinary scene.

Opened in 2018, Tresind Studio serves tasting menus based on India’s regional cuisines. Its Rising India menu is organised around the country’s landscapes, including the Thar Desert, the Deccan Plateau, the coastal and northern plains, and the Himalayan mountains.

Show caption: Oyster pearl, lychee, sea water. Photo: Tresind Studio

Although Tresind Studio was the UAE’s sole representative in the top 50, Dubai also featured in the extended ranking, with FZN by Bjorn Frantzen at No 88.

At the top of the global list, Asador Etxebarri in Spain’s Basque Country was followed by Bangkok’s Gaggan in second place and Copenhagen’s Alchemist in third. Mexico City’s Quintonil and Hong Kong’s Wing completed the top five.

Known for elevating live-fire and open-grill cooking, Asador Etxebarri rose from second place last year and also received the title of Best Restaurant in Europe.

Previously known as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the ranking is now called The 50 Best Restaurants following a rebrand announced in September.

The list is compiled from votes cast by more than 1,100 international restaurant industry experts across 28 regions. The panel has an equal gender split, with at least a quarter replaced each year.

The 50 Best Restaurants for 2026

1. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain
2. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
3. Alchemist, Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
5. Wing, Hong Kong
6. The Chairman, Hong Kong
7. Kjolle, Lima, Peru
8. Kadeau, Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Diverxo, Madrid, Spain
10. Plénitude, Paris, France
11. Atomix, New York, United States
12. Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand
13. Merito, Lima, Peru
14. Suhring, Bangkok, Thailand
15. Odette, Singapore
16. Tuju, Sao Paulo, Brazil
17. Mingles, Seoul, Korea
18. Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand
19. Jan, Munich, Germany
20. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
21. Meet the Bund, Shanghai, China
22. Borago, Santiago, Chile
23. Vyn, Simrishamn, Sweden
24. Al Gatto Verde, Modena, Italy
25. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26. Masque, Mumbai, India
27. Reale, Castel di Sangro, Italy
28. Tresind Studio, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
29. Enigma, Barcelona, Spain
30. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
31. Celele, Cartagena, Colombia
32. Potong, Bangkok, Thailand
33. Elkano, Getaria, Spain
34. La Coquillage, Saint-Malo-des-Ondes, France
35. La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa
36. Ru Yuan, Hangzhou, China
37. Nuema, Quito, Ecuador
38. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, Brunico, Italy
39. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Switzerland
40. Jordnaer, Copenhagen, Denmark
41. Onjium, Seoul, Korea
42. Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
43. Le Calandre Padua, Italy
44. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina
45. Mayta, Lima, Peru
46. El Chato, Bogota, Colombia
47. Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse a l'Hotel de Paris, Monaco
48. Ikoyi, London, UK
49. Naar, Kasauli, India
50. Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia