Fogón Asado in Buenos Aires has taken the top spot in Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Fine Dining awards, while Ristorante Paoletti in Highlands, North Carolina, leads the U.S. ranking. Tripadvisor announced the results on September 15, highlighting restaurants and culinary experiences selected through traveler feedback.
Argentina accounts for three of the global top 10, with Abrasado in Guaymallén placing sixth and El Mercado in Buenos Aires tenth. Mexico contributes two restaurants, Careyes in Cancún and Acre in San José del Cabo, giving travelers in the Americas several highly ranked options for a food-focused trip.
At Fogón Asado, the attraction is an intimate, interactive interpretation of Argentine barbecue. Diners sit around an open-fire grill for a multicourse tasting experience paired with local wines. The format turns preparation into part of the evening, putting the cooking process alongside the meal itself.
KOMA Singapore takes second place with contemporary Japanese cuisine, followed by The Rhythms Restaurant in Hanoi. Edinburgh’s The Witchery ranks fourth, bringing its theatrical, candlelit setting into a top five completed by Meat Market in Valencia. The range underscores how atmosphere and a sense of place can shape a memorable restaurant visit.
U.S. Winners and New Culinary Experiences
For domestic travelers, the U.S. list extends well beyond the country’s biggest restaurant markets. Ristorante Paoletti leads with Northern Italian cooking and an extensive wine cellar. Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana in Hilton Head, South Carolina, ranks second, ahead of Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina locations in New York City and Nashville.
Primal Steakhouse in Las Vegas completes the U.S. top five. Other winners include Hakkasan Miami, Beach Walk at Henderson Park Inn in Destin, Brenner’s on the River Walk in San Antonio, Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse in Lake Charles, and Swizzle Dinner & Drinks in Louisville.
This year’s awards also expand beyond restaurant tables with four new categories: Food Tours, Cooking Classes, Wine & Beer Tours, and Viral Right Now. The Reykjavik Food Walk leads globally in food tours, while a chef-guided Pike Place Market tour in Seattle tops the U.S. list. A five-hour Traverse City wine tour takes the U.S. Wine & Beer Tours title.
For readers exploring the world’s leading food cities, the awards add specific restaurants and activities to consider. That broader scope treats food as something travelers participate in, from market walks to cooking sessions. It also gives trip planners options alongside a formal dinner reservation, with experiences that introduce regional ingredients, producers and local traditions.
The restaurant awards assess the quality and quantity of Tripadvisor reviews and ratings collected from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, alongside an editorial process. Best of the Best winners fall within the platform’s top 1% of listings. These are traveler-driven distinctions, offering a different perspective from professional restaurant inspection systems.
The 10 Best Fine-Dining Restaurants in the World in 2026
1.Fogón Asado, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2. KOMA Singapore, Singapore
3. The Rhythms Restaurant, Hanoi, Vietnam
4. The Witchery, Edinburgh, UK
5. Meat Market, Valencia, Spain
6. Abrasado, Guaymallén, Argentina
7. Catherine Gramado, Gramado, Brazil
8. Careyes Restaurant, Cancún, Mexico
9. Acre, San José del Cabo, Mexico
10. El Mercado, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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