10 Restaurants from Japan, 2 from Philippines Are Among Asia’s 50 Best

The latest list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has been revealed, with 10 restaurants from Japan and two from the Philippines making the prestigious list.

Tokyo-based restaurant Sézanne shot up the rankings to take the second spot, while Den, last year’s best restaurant in Asia, secured the fourth place. Florilège, owned by chef Hiroyasu Kawate, was ranked seventh and also received the peer-voted Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award. Narisawa, on the list for 11 consecutive years since it debuted at No. 1 in 2013, was at No. 10, followed by Sazenka at No. 12, Ode at No. 20, and L’Effervescence at No. 44, whose executive chef Shinobu Namae won the Icon Award. Osaka’s La Cime was ranked eighth, while Villa Aida from Wakayama held onto its position at 14th, and Kyoto’s Cenci moved up 11 spots to take the 32nd place.

Manila’s Toyo Eatery made a comeback to the list at No. 42 and also bagged the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award, while Metiz, showcasing the terroir of the Philippines, debuted at No. 48.

The 2023 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was revealed at a live awards ceremony on March 28 at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in Singapore. - Florenda Corpuz

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