Restaurants are ranked as dining destinations in their own right; a restaurant inside a hotel is judged on its kitchen, not on the stay. Evidence: the 2026 MICHELIN Guide editions (Spain, Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong & Macau, France, Austria, Nordic Countries), La Liste 2026 (published 24 November 2025) and The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 (19 June 2025). The 2026 World's 50 Best list had not been announced by 17 October 2026 (its ceremony is set for November 2026), so the 2025 list is the current edition. Every pick has at least two independent sources; a restaurant's own website never counts toward that. Score method: only a cuisine score is given. It starts from MICHELIN Stars (three 9.4, two 9.0, one 8.6; 9.0 where the 2026 star count could not be confirmed but La Liste scores it 99.5). Add 0.4 for a World's 50 Best top 10, 0.2 for 11–25, 0.1 for 26–50, plus 0.2 for La Liste 99.5 or 0.1 for 99.0. Capped at 9.9. Overall equals cuisine. Service, setting, exclusivity and experience scores are left out because there is no consistent named evidence for them. Market context: Bain & Company and Altagamma (Fine Wines & Restaurants Market Monitor, April 2025) estimate global fine dining at about €28 billion in 2024, up 27% on 2022, across roughly 14,000 high-end venues. This is context only and not a ranking input. Left out: Sézanne (Tokyo), whose stars were removed after its head chef left in April 2026; Restaurant Aqua (Wolfsburg), closed March 2026; Quattro Passi (Nerano), under judicial seizure and not reopening for 2026; L'Ambroisie (Paris), down to two stars after a chef change.
