The World's 50 Best Restaurants has announced that its 2026 awards ceremony will take place in Lima, Peru, on 4 November. The destination replaces the previously announced host city of Abu Dhabi and marks the first time that the global event will be held in Peru. The ranking itself has not been revealed yet; the ceremony is still ahead.
Lima is a fitting setting because its food culture is shaped by an unusually broad pantry. Pacific seafood meets Andean potatoes, corn, ají peppers, tropical fruit, and ingredients from the Amazon. Generations of Indigenous, Spanish, African, Chinese, and Japanese cooks have also contributed techniques and ideas that now feel inseparable from the city's identity.
The choice follows a landmark year for Maido, which was named The World's Best Restaurant in 2025. At the Lima ceremony, Maido is expected to enter the Best of the Best group for former No. 1 restaurants. Central, another Lima restaurant, held the top position in 2023. Together, these results have made the city impossible to treat as a passing dining trend.
For home cooks, the useful lesson is not to imitate a tasting menu. It is to look at familiar ingredients with fresh attention: sharpen a stew with citrus, balance heat with sweetness, explore more varieties of potato or corn, and treat a sauce as the link between landscape and plate. Peru's influence shows how a strong local pantry can support food that speaks to the world.