It's official – these are restaurants ranked 1-50 in the very first edition of North America's 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, as announced on Thursday 25 September from Wynn Las Vegas.
No.50 Beba
Montreal
@restaurantbeba
(Image: Scott Usheroff)
In 2019, brothers Ari and Pablo Schor opened their restaurant as a tribute to their grandmother Vera, who the family lovingly knew as 'Beba'. Tucked into a residential corner of Verdun, diners won't find artifice or overcomplication here. Chef Schor's deeply personal cooking champions traditional preparations inspired by his Argentine-Jewish heritage.
No.49 Stush in the Bush
St.Ann
@stushinthebush
Everything served at Lisa and Christopher Binns' plant-based paradisial restaurant comes from Stush in the Bush's regenerative garden or neighbouring farms, all served on plateware that speaks to the dishes prepared using Ital (the vegan Rastafarian movement) principles. The dining experience is a five-hour immersion into the duo's vision, complete with house-made artisanal products for guests to take home.
No.48 Quince
San Francisco
@quince_sf
Masters of Californian terroir-driven cuisine since 2003, chef Michael Tusk and his wife, Lindsay, show off precise, confident cooking at Quince. The menu features the best of northern California bounty, from seafood to produce and an impressive champagne cart offering a full bubbly experience from luxury brands to grower labels.
No.47 Providence
Los Angeles
@providencela
Sustainably sourced American seafood is the main draw at chef and co-owner Michael Cimarusti's luxe LA restaurant. At the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice award-winner's iconic Cali spot, diners can expect a multi-course voyage featuring uni and sashimi, a dainty lobster roll decked in truffles and catch of the day, perhaps dressed with heirloom beans. Desserts are given attention too, with chocolate offerings made with house-processed Hawaiian cacao.
No.46 Atelier Crenn
San Francisco
@atelier.crenn
(Image: Jason Bowman)
'Atelier' – meaning an artist's workshop or studio – is an apt way to describe decorated chef and activist Dominique Crenn's self-titled restaurant. Based on the concept of 'Poetic Culinaria', an eight-table space adorned with family photos and her father's artwork envelops guests as they experience an artistic menu, presented in the form of a poem written by Crenn, before ample tableside theatrics begin.
No.45 Alma Fonda Fina
Denver
@almalohidenver
(Image: Shawn Campbell)
Chef Johnny Curiel opened this highly polished yet deeply personal showcase of contemporary Mexican cuisine in Colorado to immediate acclaim. The menu is inspired by his childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico, with diners treated to dishes like agave-roasted sweet potato with broken salsa macha and fennel-whipped requesón (akin to ricotta) or halibut in watercress mole verde with pistachio salsa and pickled white onions.
No.44 Mhel
Toronto
@mhelisanchovy
Mhel, meaning anchovy – a key ingredient in Korean and Japanese cuisines – is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Young Hoon Ji and Seung-min Yi. The Japanese izakaya-cum-Korean bar serves small plates using seasonal produce on ceramic dishware from Korea and Japan, as well as sake-dominant drink list that's peppered with refreshing sparkling tea alternatives.
No.43 Alma
Montreal
@alma.mtl
(Image: Two Food Photographers)
At this bijou 22-seat haute Mexican spot, diners will find a five or nine-course tasting menu featuring dishes like sea bream crudo, Nordic shrimp ceviche with charred Morita chillies and mextlapique (wrapping food to cook on a grill) of Magdalen Island lobster with mezcal butter. To drink? Sommelier Lindsay Brennan has curated a programme of Catalan wines for seamless pairing, as well as a burgeoning selection of Mexican producers.
No.42 Holbox
Los Angeles
@holboxlosangeles
(Image: Liam Brown)
Set in a bustling market, diners at Holbox may find themselves sharing communal tables with visitors to other vendors at this vibrant cultural hub. The informal restaurant's dishes conjure chef Gilbert Cetina's oceanic summer adventures in his native Yucatán Peninsula with zippy, clean flavours and well-considered heat. Naturally, the tacos, tostadas, ceviches and aguachiles found here are all prepared with conscientiously sourced fish and seafood.
No.41 Buzo Osteria Italiana
Bridgetown
@buzobarbados
Everything this buzzing Italian-Caribbean restaurant reflects his commitment to authenticity with a tropical twist. From the food, led by chef Nakita Goddard, with dishes that blend traditional Italian technique with local ingredients, to the design, that combines Italian Old-World style with Barbadian vibrancy.
No.40 Penny
New York
@penny_newyork
(Image: Teddy Wolff)
Penny's menu is a love letter to seafood, with the bar seating giving diners a front-row seat to some of the freshest produce in town. Think: oysters, clams and mussels escabeche, or specials like stuffed squid with swiss chard and tuna in a harissa-like sauce, and dover sole finished with bone marrow. Meanwhile, the 6,000-bottle wine list is enough to keep any oenophile happy.
No.39 Café Carmellini
New York
@cafecarmellini
(Image: Evan Sung)
Café Carmellini, arguably the most personal project of New York culinary icon, Andrew Carmellini, is a tribute to French-Italian cooking filtered through three decades of Manhattan culinary influence, all wrapped in Gilded Age glamour. Expect elegance and approachability encapsulated in dishes like tuna crudo, duck tortellini and venison medallions with a sauce made from foie gras and bittersweet chocolate.
No.38 César
New York
@cesar.newyork
Opened in July 2024 by chef César Ramirez, this self-titled spot has been making waves in a relatively short time. Ramirez draws on his childhood in Mexico, his great-grandmother's Spanish heritage and his travels in Europe and Japan for the seafood-focused menu. Housed in a sleek former printing house in Soho, diners at César can expect classics like Ramirez' legendary Hokkaido uni brioche toast, as well as Japanese-inflected newer offerings.
No.37 Dōgon
Washington DC
@dogondc
(Image: Rey Lopez)
Dōgon, opened by chef Kwame Onwuachi in 2024 along DC's Southwest waterfront, showcases and honours bold cuisine that pulls from his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole roots. Dishes focus on contemporary cuisine from the African diaspora; every dish layered with vibrant herbs and spices. Expect the likes of charbroiled oysters, hoe crab and a bowl of crispy lamb, tamarind glaze and chickpea curry or berbere-laced chicken and rice.
No.36 Corima
New York
@corima.nyc
Fidel Caballero opened Corimain 2024 – its name meaning 'circle of sharing' in northern Mexican culture. The intimate restaurant honours Caballero's heritage through a modern lens, drawing on inspiration from the Chihuahuan desert and the culinary traditions of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, with nods to Asia and Europe. The menu showcases northern Mexican ingredients and techniques, reimagined with precision and creativity.
No.35 Jungsik
New York
@jungsik_nyc
While New York – and America in general – is currently experiencing a boom in haute Korean cookery, chef Jung Sik Yim's Jungsik was the first, more than a decade ago, to introduce the style. Diners here can expect classic Korean ingredients and flavours – kimchi, fermented vegetables, and seafood – with artful plating, French technique-based sauce-making and pristine ingredients.
No.34 Albi
Washington DC
@albiwashdc
(Image: Rey Lopez)
Albi offers chef-owner Michael Rafidi's alternate take on traditional Palestinian cuisine using modern techniques. Every dish is evocative of his grandparents' ancestry in Ramallah, Palestine and their home cooking. Plus, the restaurant's hearth centrepiece isn't just for show – it's a functioning fire that touches almost every dish before it hits the plate.
No.33 Saga
New York
@saga_nyc
Located on the 63rd floor of an Art Deco skyscraper near Wall Street and once helmed by the late, great chef James Kent, Saga has entered a new era. The kitchen is now under the charge of Detroit-born Charlie Mitchell, whose menu pulls from his grandmother's Southern cooking, Detroit upbringing and experiences in New York. Mitchell's elegant dishes include cornbread with caviar or dry-aged Japanese red sea bream with tsuyahime dirty rice and coconut.
No.32 Royal Sushi & Izakaya
Philadelphia
@royal_izakaya
(Image: Casey Robinson)
Opened in Philadelphia's residential Queen Village neighbourhood in 2017, Royal Sushi & Izakaya offers an omakase experience granted to just 16 diners a night. At the front of the restaurant, an energetic tavern serves a more casual menu including crispy karaage wings and shiro dashi-glazed wagyu alongside a deep well of Japanese whisky and sake.
No.31 Kasama
Chicago
@kasamachicago
(Image: Colleen O'Brien)
Kasama, meaning 'together' in Tagalog, features a daytime menu that's all about traditional comfort food – longganisa sausage, chicken adobo, garlic rice and flaky ube croissants. The evening tasting menu is more elevated and precise, yet equally as personal. Expect dishes like sinigang (a traditional soup) with wagyu and lumpia and kinilaw, a traditional raw seafood dish.
No.30 Emeril's
New Orleans
@emerils
Originally opened by chef Emeril Lagasse in 1990, this Warehouse District restaurant is now helmed by his son, EJ. EJ's menu celebrates the best of Louisiana produce and Southern culinary tradition while also embracing more forward-looking dishes like the one-bite po' boy and oyster stew with honshimeji mushrooms forming a distinctly contemporary Louisiana menu.
No.29 Le Violon
Montreal
@leviolonmontreal
(Image: Alex Lesage)
Drawing on chef Danny Smiles' Italian and Egyptian heritage, the menu at super sleek Le Violon features dishes such as beef tartare prepared kibbeh nayeh-style, monkfish fish and chips, beef cheek bordelaise, gochujang-glazed sweetbreads and gnocchi in cavolo nero sauce.
No.28 Published on Main
Vancouver
@published.on.main
(Image: Sarah Annand)
Foraged ingredients are pivotal to the menu at this upscale spot; nettles, spruce tips and chanterelles – all cherished in Western Canada – are part of the experience, depending on the season. The snacks are particularly revered, with diner favourites including foie gras on a bed of cashews and topped with a glistening frozen strawberry gel.
No.27 Kann
Portland
@kannrestaurant
(Image: Eva Kosmas Flores)
Decorated chef Gregory Gourdet's Haitian-meets-Pacific-Northwest cuisine shines at Kann, his debut restaurant. Highlights include warm sweet potato bread arriving at the table with berbere-infused butter; a half-chicken joins it with an emulsion made from epis, a herb and aromatic-laden Haitian green seasoning, cashew-crowned.
No.26 Kato
Los Angeles
@katorestaurant
(Image: Colleen O'Brien)
Kato's 10-course tasting menu combines elements of chef Jon Yao's Taiwanese heritage with his upbringing in southern California's San Gabriel Valley. Expect new interpretations of seemingly familiar dishes, such as beef noodle soup or basil and clams stir-fry made with sablefish, imaginatively presented and backed by precise culinary technique.
No.25 Lazy Bear
San Francisco
@lazybearsf
Based on lawyer-turned-chef David Barzelay's dinner party series in 2009, Lazy Bear's nostalgic modern American fare has gained a cult following. Iconic bites include whipped scrambled eggs with maple syrup and hot sauce in an eggshell, while seasonal thrills might feature caviar over white asparagus, sturgeon rillettes and spring alliums in caramelised asparagus cream and ramp oil.
No.24 Aska
New York
@askanyc
(Image: Tom Corremans)
Diners at Aska, which means 'ashes' in Swedish, can feast on a procession of 12-14 dishes, each expressing the rhythms of Northeastern US seasonality and Scandinavian terroir. Signature dishes include sea oak with blue mussel emulsion, grilled langoustine with red gooseberry and live scallop with white turnip and blackcurrant leaf.
No.23 Kono
New York
@yakitorikono
This 14-seat yakitori counter tucked inside Chinatown's Canal Arcade offers a seasonal 16-course, meticulously crafted journey through chicken – grilled over kishu binchotan charcoal. Each course spotlights a different chicken cut – everything from juicy thigh meat, crispy skin, heart and cartilage to other speciality parts – highlighting texture and respect for the whole bird.
No.22 Montréal Plaza
Montreal
@montrealplaza
(Image: Matthieu Goyer)
Sophistication meets soul at co-chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson's energetic venue. Everything here, from the personal touches – orchids, vintage clocks, Chef Crête's teddy bear – to the whimsical menu. The vegetable bourguignon features beef with strawberries and lobster mushrooms, the tartare is laced with popcorn and don't be surprised to see toy dinosaurs in the wine buckets.
No.21 Saison
San Francisco
@saisonsf
Opened in 2009 under founding chef Joshua Skenes, Saison was an early pioneer of upscale open-hearth cooking and elements like sauces made with bones and livers of animals. Now, under chef Richard Lee, it showcases northern California's superb ingredients, farmers, ranchers and fishers, weaving in Lee's Chinese heritage and a vivid East-meets-West ethos on seasonal menus that heavily employ open-cooking in front of diners.
No.20 Locust
Nashville
@locustnashville
(Image: Victoria Quirk)
One of the hottest reservations in Nashville, Locust offers an intentionally stripped back menu focusing on dumplings and kakigōri (Japanese-style shaved ice). Whether it is the aptly named Too Much Caviar, the razor clams or the lamb dumplings, each dish is complex and yet simple and often showcase unusual flavour combinations.
No.19 Chubby Fish
Charleston
@chubbyfishchs
This no-reservation spot is the toast of Charleston. The Chubby Fish kitchen coordinates with fishers to get the best, freshest catch every day. The menu changes as a result, but expect an assortment of raw bar, oysters and dishes such as triggerfish tempura or braised grouper. The beverage selection is thoughtful, designed to pair perfectly with the exemplary seafood on offer.
No.18 Via Carota
New York
@viacarota
Run by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, two acclaimed New York chefs and partners in life, Via Carota blends their distinct culinary backgrounds – Williams' intimate, French-inspired time at Buvette and Sodi's tradition-based Tuscan cooking at Sodi. Expect seasonal, ingredient-driven Italian cuisine featuring dishes like insalata verde, a towering tangle of perfectly dressed greens, or hand-cut pappardelle with rabbit ragu.
No.17 Moon Rabbit
Washington DC
@moonrabbitdc
(Image: Rachel Paraoan)
Chef-owner Kevin Tien's modern Vietnamese cuisine centres on seasonal ingredients prepared with precision, taking diners on a culinary journey from land to sea. Highlights include the mochi beignet, a savoury dish made with freshwater eel and served with Vietnamese-style pickles and chilli jam and aromatic perilla leaves stuffed with beef wagyu. Desserts aren't to be missed either – the creations from North America's Best Pastry Chef award-winner Susan Bae are truly unique.
No.16 Friday Saturday Sunday
Philadelphia
@friday.saturday.sunday
(Image: Jason Varney)
In an intimate, checkerboard-floored dining room with stained glass windows and mustard velvet banquettes, chef-owner Chad Williams pours his resume and heritage into a Franco-African diasporic eight-course tasting menu. A menu standout? Seared white fish with a frothy vin jaune sauce that the front-of-house team, led by Hanna Williams, direct diners to mop up with warm Caribbean coco bread.
No.15 The Four Horsemen
New York
@fourhorsemenbk
Opened in 2015 by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, his wife Christina Topsøe, Randy Moon and late wine director Justin Chearno, The Four Horsemen has grown into a hugely respected wine bar and restaurant. The menu changes regularly with dishes such as razor clams with fish sauce and lime, yakitori-style sweetbreads, or chicken schnitzel with blistered peak-summer tomatoes.
No.14 Californios
San Francisco
@californiossf
At this San Fran spot, chef Val Cantú draws from his Mexican roots, California's history and the spoils of the land with a vibrant showcase of ingredients displayed tableside in multiple varieties before arriving in dishes. The selection of Mexican maize in kaleidoscopic colours is the star of the show, as well as the inventive desserts created by highly skilled pastry chef Kelli Huerta.
No.13 Benu
San Francisco
@benu_sf
Benu, helmed by Korean-American chef Corey Lee, shows off his fusion-based cooking approach, where innovation and bold flavours are met with restraint. The ever-evolving tasting menus are centred around San Francisco and its rich cosmopolitanism, featuring dishes like Lee's iconic faux shark's fin soup.
No.12 Baan Lao
Richmond
@baanlaosteveson
(Image: Luis Valdizon)
The 18-course Royal Thai menu at chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng's fishing village-set restaurant involves painstaking detail and hours-long preparation. Artfully presented plates include a chicken dumpling shaped to resemble a baby chick, dotted with blue eyes for added cuteness, and vermicelli noodles topped with an ornate tuile wafer of squid ink and a velouté bath of green curry sauce.
No.11 Quetzal
Toronto
@quetzaltoronto
Quetzal has earned acclaim for its upscale regional Mexican cuisine prepared with Canadian ingredients over an open flame, a signature smokiness running through every dish. The restaurant's ambitious bar programme is a highlight too, spotlighting mezcal and tequila in imaginative cocktails along with thoughtful non-alcoholic options of reimagined Mexican classics.
No.10 Le Veau d'Or
New York
@leveaudor
Established in 1937, chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette revamped this Manhattan institution in 2024. Honouring the restaurant's heritage with a contemporary touch, the duo brings precision and a modern sensibility to traditional French fare. Refined classics like pâté en croûte, golden-roasted poulet à l'estragon and apple tart are accompanied by a bold all-natural wine list curated by acclaimed wine director Jorge Riera.
No.9 Le Bernadin
New York
@lebernadinny
(Image: Nigel Parry)
Eric Ripert's New York stalwart offers a four-course dinner menu split into four sections – almost raw, barely touched, lightly cooked and 'upon request' – with dishes marrying French and global influences, especially those from Asia. Think thinly pounded Yellowfin tuna with foie gras, toasted baguette and chives; or steamed lobster, kumquat and charred cucumber with a spiced shellfish-citrus broth.
No.8 SingleThread
Healdsburg
@singlethreadfarms
(Image: John Troxell)
Led by husband-and-wife team Kyle and Katina Connaughton – a chef and farmer respectively – SingleThread's Japanese-influenced, super-sustainable cooking has garnered it widespread attention and won it the Sustainable Restaurant Award 2025. Both the exquisite tasting menu of kaiseki-style dining and the restaurant's five-bedroom boutique hotel operate based on the concept of omotenashi, namely going above and beyond to anticipate guests' needs.
No.7 Kalaya
Philadelphia
@kalayaphilly
Kalaya's bold, exciting Thai cuisine, helmed by the luminous Chutatip 'Nok' Suntaranon, winner of North America's Best Female Chef Award 2025, has made waves across North America since its opening in 2019. Periwinkle-blue, butterfly-pea dumplings, regal tom yum soup and other electric interpretations of traditional Thai recipes are stand-outs here, where the raison d'etre is to free the cuisine from the cheap ingredients and takeaway boxes.
No.6 Dakar NOLA
New Orleans
@dakarnola
(Image: Jeremy Tauriac)
The brilliant Dakar NOLA offers a tasting menu inspired by the coastal cuisines of Senegal and south Louisiana. Diners can expect soulful cooking served with style. Think: fonio salad mixed with West African millet and dressed with citrus honey vinaigrette, a version of shrimp and grits that substitutes thiéré and adds coconut tamarind sauce, and a beautiful jollof.
No.5 Tanière3
Quebec City
@taniere3
Immersive restaurant Tanière3 celebrates Quebec's rich culinary heritage with a hyper-seasonal, terroir-driven tasting menu of multiple courses. From field, forest and estuary, each dish showcases the province's natural bounty – Quebec scallops with wild lake sturgeon caviar from Lac-St-Pierre is a prime example. Service is meticulous and warm, as recognised by Tanière3 winning the Art of Hospitality Award 2025, sponsored by Lee Kum Kee.
No.4 Smyth
Chicago
@smythchicago
At Smyth, the produce used on the menu comes from The Farm, an actual nearby farm. Select crops are grown specifically for the restaurant, including vegetables that aren't found on menus anywhere else in Chicago. Small-batch natural wines from all over the world accompany the hours-long tasting menu, which honours co-chefs Karen Urie Shields and John Shields' formative culinary time spent in Smyth County, Virginia.
No.3 Restaurant Pearl Morissette
Lincoln
@restaurant_pearlmorissette
Perched on the second floor above Pearl Morissette Estate Winery in one of Canada's most prized wine regions, chef-owners Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson's restaurant focuses on hyper-local, often foraged ingredients. The tasting menu-only experience showcases dishes like grilled West Coast geoduck with pickled spruce tips, Nubian goat with overwintered parsnips and blackened barley koji that acts as a chocolate ganache dupe.
No.2 Mon Lapin
Montreal
@vinmonlapin
Chef Marc-Olivier Frappier and sommelier Vanya Filipovic's project offers a creatively prepared daily changing menu, featuring dishes like honeynut squash with pig's head and camelina and salt cod tonnarelli with courgette, cantaloupe, chartreuse and tomato ice cream. The winning wine list from the winner of North America's Best Sommelier Award 2025 bursts with sought-after natural wines and grower champagnes – Filipovic's speciality.
No.1 Atomix
New York
@atomixnyc
(Image: Evan Sung)
Ranked No.1 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, JP and Ellia Park's compact Manhattan masterpiece serves a 12-course tasting menu of Korean-based plates on beautiful bespoke ceramics. Dedicated to providing a brilliant guest experience, each dish, from teok-galbi (grilled short rib patty) with chocolate and chopi (Korean pepper) to halibut served with sea urchin and rice porridge – comes with an accompanying explanatory card.
Discover more about the venues on the first-ever North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna.
