Mingles, Korea's only Michelin 3-star restaurant this year, lands 5th spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards
Gaggan, the renowned Bangkok restaurant, has been crowned the best restaurant in Asia at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025.
The rankings of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants are determined through a vote conducted by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy — a group of over 350 influential figures in the food industry, including chefs, restaurant operators, food journalists, critics and regional culinary experts. The Academy selects restaurants from 16 cities across Asia.
Gaggan, led by star chef Gaggan Anand, was named the best restaurant in Asia for the second time after a period of mixed results following its 2015 win.
“Our food evolved over the years. We reinvented and reduced our seating to only 14 seats. I gave up all the things that I felt were wrong in food and started doing things that made me happy,” said Anand after winning the award in Seoul. “We show you 25 courses in 2 hours. I take you away from all the problems of your life, at least during that time. Food is the most humane thing. To be honest, I didn’t work so hard in 2015. But the last 10 years, it was very challenging because this title was very heavy. From tomorrow, everyone will judge me again. But this time, I’m ready,” he added.
Seoul saw four restaurants make the list, with Mingles taking the No. 5 spot. Chef Kang Min-goo’s innovative fusion of Korean and Hong Kong influences earned Mingles the title of the best restaurant in South Korea. Other notable Seoul entries included Onjium, which rose 11 spots to No. 10, and Eatanic Garden, which debuted at No. 25 and won the Highest New Entry Award.
This year, Bangkok and Tokyo claimed the top spots with nine restaurants each on the list. Sezanne, a restaurant in Tokyo, ranked No. 4. Known for its neo-French cuisine that marries classic French techniques with exceptional Japanese ingredients, Sezanne received widespread praise at the 2024 awards when it was ranked No. 1.
Hong Kong, with seven restaurants featured, had The Chairman, a modern Cantonese restaurant, take the No. 2 spot. The Wellington, known for its artistic ambiance and creative dishes highlighting rare southern Chinese ingredients, ranked No. 3. Wing's chef Vicky Cheng also won the prestigious Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award, an award whose winner is selected by fellow chefs.
The event, held for the second consecutive year in Seoul, was organized by William Reed Business Media, a UK-based publishing company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
yoohong@heraldcorp.com
