Regina Troy Barrios

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants: Iai And Asador Alfonso Join 50 Best Discovery, Toyo Eatery and Celera Make Extended List

Article (news)

The Philippines strengthened its presence on one of Asia&#x27;s most influential dining platforms this year, with <a href="https://www.theworlds50best.com/discovery/Establishments/Philippines/Taguig/Iai.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iai</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asadoralfonso/https://www.instagram.com/asadoralfonso/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Asador Alfonso</a> joining 50 Best Discovery, a global dining guide from the organization behind <a href="https://www.theworlds50best.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The World&#x27;s 50 Best rankings</a>. The country also placed two restaurants on the Asia&#x27;s 50 Best Restaurants <a href="https://www.theworlds50best.com/restaurants/best-in-asia/list/51-100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">extended 51-100 list</a>, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/toyoeatery/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toyo Eatery at No. 71</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/restaurantcelera/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Celera at No. 100</a>.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17842070736102.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Asia&#x27;s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 names the region&#x27;s finest dining destinations | Photo: The World&#x27;s 50 Best </div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17842070920903.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Toyo Eatery and Celera represent the Philippines on the extended 51–100 list | Photo: The World&#x27;s 50 Best </div>Published by the team behind The World&#x27;s 50 Best, 50 Best Discovery is a year-round global guide to restaurants, bars, and hotels recommended by the organization&#x27;s voting academies. Unlike the annual rankings, it is not a numbered list. Instead, it highlights destinations considered worthy of international attention, giving diners another way to discover exceptional places beyond the Top 50. Inclusion signals recognition from the same network of industry experts who shape the 50 Best rankings, even though Discovery itself is not a competitive ranking.&quot;We&#x27;re honored to represent the Philippines in @theworlds50best&#x27;s 50 Best Discovery!&quot; Iai&#x27;s chef-owner Bruce Ricketts wrote on Instagram. &quot;To be recognized alongside exceptional restaurants, hotels, and bars here and from all around the world is such a meaningful moment for our entire team.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17842071100714.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Chef Bruce Ricketts brings Iai to the prestigious 50 Best Discovery guide | Photo: World&#x27;s 50 Best Restaurants</div>On its official website, 50 Best Discovery describes Iai as an intimate kappo-style restaurant where Japanese techniques meet Filipino ingredients, highlighting dishes featuring Basilan seafood, calamansi, and Ricketts&#x27; contemporary approach to omakase.Also joining 50 Best Discovery is Asador Alfonso, chef Chele González&#x27;s restaurant set on Carlo Calma&#x27;s nine-hectare estate in Cavite. The guide highlights its architect-designed dining pavilion, wood-fired cooking centered around a four-tonne Spanish oven, and tasting menus featuring dishes such as Segovia suckling pig, slow-roasted lamb, and carabinero prawns, alongside produce grown on the estate&#x27;s own farm.&quot;We at Asador Alfonso are incredibly honored to have made our debut on 50 Best Discovery,&quot; the restaurant shared on Instagram. &quot;We are proud to represent our Spanish culinary heritage alongside some of the world&#x27;s exceptional restaurants.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784385873725a.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Asador Alfonso debuts on the 50 Best Discovery list | Photo: Asador Alfonso </div>Bangkok&#x27;s Gaggan reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Asia&#x27;s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 with chef Gaggan Anand&#x27;s progressive Indian cuisine. Restaurants from Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong dominated this year&#x27;s Top 50.

The Philippines missed this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 Top 50, but Makati's Iai joined 50 Best Discoverywhile Toyo Eatery and Celera secured places on the extended 51–100 list, highlighting the country's continued presence on Asia's premier restaurant rankings.

The Philippines missed this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 Top 50, but Makati's Iai joined 50 Best Discovery while Toyo Eatery and Celera secured places on the extended 51–100 list, highlighting the country's continued presence on Asia's premier restaurant rankings.

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026: Iai And Asador Alfonso Join 50 Best Discovery, Toyo Eatery And Celera Make Extended List

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Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026: Iai And Asador Alfonso Join 50 Best Discovery, Toyo Eatery And Celera Make Extended List

Troy Barrios

Published July 16, 2026 08:10 PM PHT

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Updated July 18, 2026 11:01 PM PHT

Read More:

asia's 50 best restaurants 2026

50 best discovery

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bruce ricketts

toyo eatery

celera

makati restaurants

bgc restaurants

best restaurants in the philippines

fine dining philippines

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