New York’s premier Korean fine dining restaurant Atomix has elevated the global status of Korean cuisine by climbing to 11th place in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings.
According to the ‘2026 World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list released on the 4th, a total of three Korean-influenced restaurants made it into this year’s global top 50 rankings.
‘The 50 Best’ is a world-renowned restaurant evaluation and ranking organization hosted by the British media company William Reed.
In this year’s rankings, Atomix, a Michelin 2-star restaurant located in Manhattan, New York, secured the 11th spot, making it the highest-ranking Korean restaurant and the top-ranked establishment in the United States.
Operated by Chef Park Jung-hyun and his wife, CEO Park Jung-eun, Atomix is renowned for reinterpreting traditional Korean ingredients and cooking methods into modern fine dining.
Chef Park Jung-hyun also won this year’s special ‘Chef’s Choice Award.’ This accolade holds significant meaning as the winner is chosen through votes by fellow chefs, recognizing culinary skill, creativity, and impact on the global dining industry.
In South Korea, Chef Kang Min-goo’s Korean fine dining restaurant ‘Mingles’ ranked 17th, achieving the highest position among restaurants located within South Korea. Mingles, South Korea’s sole Michelin 3-star restaurant, has built international acclaim for its modern interpretation of traditional Korean culinary culture, highlighted by jang (fermented sauces) and fermented foods.
Following closely, Chef Cho Eun-hee and Park Sung-bae’s ‘Onjium’ ranked 41st. Onjium is a restaurant that researches traditional Korean cooking methods and food culture, presenting them as modern course meals.
Additionally, three other Korean-influenced restaurants secured spots on the 51st to 100th rankings list.
First, ‘Koan’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, placed 57th. Operated by Korean-born Danish adoptee Chef Kristian Baumann, Koan is celebrated for its modern cuisine combining Korean food culture with Nordic ingredients.
Star Chef Sohn Jong-won’s ‘Eatanic Garden’ ranked 72nd. Located inside the Josun Palace Hotel, Eatanic Garden offers original course meals inspired by seasonal Korean ingredients and traditional foods.
Chef Anh Sung-jae, widely recognized as a judge on the Netflix culinary competition show ‘Culinary Class Wars,’ also landed his restaurant ‘Mosu’ at the 78th spot. Mosu has firmly established itself as a world-class Korean fine dining destination through exquisite cooking techniques and creative dishes utilizing Korean ingredients.
Meanwhile, the global No. 1 spot this year went to ‘Asador Etxebarri’ in Axpe, Spain. ‘Gaggan’ in Bangkok, Thailand, took 2nd place, and ‘Alchemist’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, was selected for 3rd place.
