The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is heading to South America for the first time, with Lima, Peru, announced as the host city for its 2026 awards ceremony on November 4.

Presented in partnership with the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism, known as PromPerú, the event will bring chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and hospitality professionals from around the world to one of the most influential culinary capitals of our time.

For me, the announcement brings two memorable trips full circle. Last June, I attended The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony in Turin, Italy, where Lima’s Maido was named The World’s Best Restaurant for 2025. Now, one year later, the event heads to a city I know well after spending time exploring Lima’s remarkable dining scene.

Lima’s History With 50 Best

Although this will be the first time the flagship World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony is held in Peru, Lima is not new to the 50 Best organization. The city hosted the inaugural Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in 2013, when Astrid y Gastón claimed the first No. 1 ranking.

Lima’s influence has only continued to grow since that inaugural regional event. Its restaurants have become consistent fixtures near the top of both the Latin American and global lists, driven by the country’s biodiversity, native ingredients, regional traditions and the increasingly international reach of Peruvian cuisine.

Maido’s 2025 victory made it the second Peruvian restaurant in three years to receive the title of The World’s Best Restaurant. Central, led by Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, earned the No. 1 position in 2023.

With its win in Turin, Maido entered the Best of the Best hall of fame, which includes restaurants that have previously reached No. 1. Those restaurants are no longer eligible to appear in future editions of the ranking, meaning a new global winner will be crowned when the list is revealed in Lima.

What to Expect From the 2026 Program

The November awards will be supported by a broader schedule of events highlighting both the international restaurant community and Peru’s culinary identity.

Programming is expected to include #50BestTalks, a forum addressing significant issues within hospitality; collaborative 50 Best Signature Sessions featuring chefs from ranked restaurants alongside local talent; and the Chefs’ Feast, showcasing ingredients and techniques associated with the host destination. The week will culminate with the awards ceremony and the countdown of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 on November 4. Several individual and restaurant awards will also be announced in the months leading up to the ceremony.

Rikki Tidball, Managing Director of Events for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, described Peru as a destination where centuries of cultural heritage have contributed to one of the world’s most exciting contemporary dining scenes. Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Berthin Enrique Gómez Vela, called Lima’s selection a historic milestone and emphasized gastronomy’s growing role in attracting visitors while supporting the country’s wider hospitality and tourism industries.

Planning a Culinary Trip to Peru

I was fortunate to experience several of Lima’s most celebrated restaurants during my own trip to Peru, including Central, Maido, Kjolle, Mayta and Mérito. That journey later became my Lima, Peru: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Itinerary, created for travelers interested in planning their own food-focused visit to the city.

With the awards now headed to Lima, the itinerary still offers a useful starting point for anyone inspired to make the journey. It includes suggestions for organizing reservations and meals across several days, along with individual restaurant coverage from the trip.

Lima offers far more than a checklist of internationally ranked restaurants. Its culinary identity draws from the coast, Andes and Amazon, while reflecting Indigenous, Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese influences.

Travelers planning a food-centered visit should allow enough time to experience the city beyond a succession of tasting menus. Markets, neighborhood restaurants, cevicherías, Nikkei cuisine and traditional Peruvian dishes provide essential context for understanding the celebrated fine-dining restaurants. Reservations for the city’s most internationally recognized destinations should be made well in advance, particularly as interest builds ahead of the November ceremony.

From hosting the inaugural Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2013 to welcoming the global awards in 2026, Lima continues to strengthen its place on the international culinary stage. I’ll be following the road to Lima and sharing as much coverage as I can along the way.