Major changes in the latest ranking of Asia's top 100 restaurants.

This year, according to new rankings from the 50 Best organization, Hong Kong is the top destination in Asia for food enthusiasts.

In March, a list of the top 100 restaurants in the region, with 16 of them located in the city, was released in two parts.

12 Singaporean restaurants made it to Asia's top list, while Thailand and Japan shared second place with 13 establishments each.

William Drew, William Reed Business Media's director of content, stated that Hong Kong had an "unusual experience" in 2020 as it was mostly closed to foreign visitors due to the pandemic.

Despite the restrictions, many local restaurants have been very busy, Drew stated.

He stated that it is probable that local voters ate in a broader selection of restaurants in the city, thereby spreading their vote across a wider range of establishments.

The top 50 restaurants in Asia

The "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" list marks its 10th anniversary this year, featuring restaurants from 10 different countries and including 16 new entries.

Japan has won the top spot in the "Best Restaurants in Asia 2022" list for the second year in a row, with Tokyo's Den being named "The Best Restaurant in Asia 2022." Additionally, Japan is home to one out of every five restaurants on the list.

Last year, Hong Kong's Chairman was ranked No. 1, but has now dropped four spots to No. 5. Meanwhile, Singapore's Odette, which has won the title of Asia's best restaurant twice, has also lost ground, moving six spots from No. 2 to No. 8.

Thailand's Sorn rose nine places to become the second-best restaurant in the country, while local chef Thitid 'Ton' Tassanakajohn saw two of his restaurants, Le Du and Nusara, rank in the top 10.

Den — Asia’s ‘best restaurant’

In seven years, Japan's Den, which was No. 3 on last year's list, moved from 37th place to No. 1, earning two Michelin stars.

Since 2007, Zaiyu Hasegawa, the chef and owner, and his team have been taking a creative approach to kaiseki, a traditional Japanese meal known for its small, intricate dishes, by putting their own unique twist on the traditional dishes.

The chicken in the box resembling KFC's packaging is stuffed with rice and instead of Colonel Sanders, it shows Hasegawa holding two drum sticks.

Den, a restaurant in Japan, has been named the "Best Restaurant in Japan" for five consecutive years and ranked No. 11 on "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list in 2021.

Asia’s top 50 restaurants

1. Den (Tokyo, Japan) 2. Sorn (Bangkok, Thailand) 3. Florilege (Tokyo, Japan) 4. Le Du (Bangkok, Thailand) 5. The Chairman (Hong Kong) 6. La Cime (Osaka, Japan) 7. Suhring (Bangkok, Thailand) 8. Odette (Singapore) 9. Neighborhood (Hong Kong) 10. Nusara (Bangkok, Thailand) 11. Sazenka (Tokyo, Japan) 12. Fu He Hui (Shanghai, China) 13. Ode (Tokyo, Japan) 14. Villa Aida (Wakayama, Japan) 15. Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan) 16. Mingles (Seoul, South Korea) 17. Sezanne (Tokyo, Japan) 18. Joo Ok (Seoul, South Korea) 19. Ensue (Shenzhen, China) 20. Meta (Singapore) 21

1. 7th Door (Seoul, South Korea) 2. Mosu (Seoul, South Korea) 3. Da Vittorio (Shanghai, China) 4. Sushi Masato (Bangkok, Thailand) 5. Onjium (Seoul, South Korea) 6. Samrub Samrub Thai (Bangkok, Thailand) 7. Mono (Hong Kong) 8. Gaa (Bangkok, Thailand) 9. Wing (Hong Kong) 10. Ministry of Crab (Colombo, Sri Lanka) 11. La Maison de la Nature Goh (Fukuoka, Japan) 12. Zen (Singapore) 13. Logy (Taipei, Taiwan) 14. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Shanghai, China) 15. Labyrinth (Singapore) 16. Burnt Ends (Singapore) 17. Ete (Tokyo, Japan) 18. Cenci (Kyoto, Japan) 19. Cloudstreet (Singapore)

Asia’s best restaurants: 51-100

This is the second year the extended list has been released.

This year, 11 of Asia's top 50 restaurants from last year moved to the 51-100 ranking. Notably, L'Effervescence fell 52 places from its previous ranking of No. 19 to No. 71, while Vea dropped 49 places from No. 14 to No. 63.

This year, Hong Kong surpassed its 2021 ranking, with 10 restaurants on the list compared to just one last year.

Jin Sha from China experienced the greatest leap, climbing 38 positions from No. 89 to No. 51, nearly reaching the top 50 list. Nadodi followed closely behind, improving by 37 ranks from No. 99 to No. 62.

Here’s the extended list:

1. Jin Sha (Hangzhou, China) 2. Adachi Sushi (Taipei, Taiwan) 3. Seventh Son (Hong Kong) 4. Mume (Taipei, Taiwan) 5. Jaan by Kirk Westaway (Singapore) 6. Euphoria (Singapore) 7. Shoun RyuGin (Taipei, Taiwan) 8. Esora (Singapore) 9. Karavalli (Bangalore, India) 10. Ta Vie (Hong Kong) 11. Pru (Phuket, Thailand) 12. Nadodi (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) 13. Vea (Hong Kong) 14. Godenya (Hong Kong) 15. Anan Saigon (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam) 16. Bukhara (New Delhi, India) 17. Refer (Beijing, China) 18. Xin Rong Ji (Beijing, China) 19. TIE — Comorin, Gurugram

Singapore restaurants take a hit

This year, approximately half of the Singapore restaurants on both lists experienced a decline in their rankings.

Last year, the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Meta in Singapore experienced a significant improvement in rankings, moving up 40 places to No. 20.

Chef Sun Kim suggests giving his Korean barbecue a try. "This dish holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of my past," he said to CNBC.

Jaan by Kirk Westaway experienced a decline in rankings for three consecutive years, dropping from No. 21 to No. 55, while Euphoria fell 15 places to 56th place.

No. 41 is where Burnt Ends, an Australian barbecue restaurant, now ranks after falling 27 places from its previous position of No. 14.

This year, Lolla is Singapore's top new entrant at position 75.

The Mediterranean restaurant's success is attributed to its head chef, Johanne Siy, who has been with the restaurant for less than two years. Siy was recognized as the female "Chef of the Year" at the 2019 World Gourmet Awards.

How the list is made

This is how voting works, according to the 50 Best organization.

Over 300 industry leaders, known as "the academy," consisting of food writers, critics, chefs, and restaurateurs from across the region, select restaurants. The academy is constantly evolving and has a 50-50 gender balance. Each voter must have visited the restaurant they vote for at least once in the last 18 months.

Due to travel restrictions, voting rules for international restaurants were modified in 2022. Each member can nominate eight restaurants, with a maximum of six from their home country, and there is no requirement to vote for restaurants from other countries.

This year's awards presentation was hosted live in three cities: Bangkok, Macao, and Tokyo, and was also streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

The 50 Best organization releases various rankings to showcase outstanding achievements in the food sector, including "The World's 50 Best Bars" and regional lists such as "Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants."