Asian Restaurant Awards
Honouring the kitchens, chefs and hospitality teams who carry the breadth of Asia’s culinary traditions onto the world stage with craft, generosity and quiet brilliance.
Celebrating the Living Craft of Asian Dining
No single phrase can hold the world of Asian restaurants. It stretches from a smoky robatayaki counter in Tokyo to a perfumed biryani house in Hyderabad, from a Cantonese banquet hall ringing with the clatter of dim sum trolleys to a Bangkok kitchen balancing sour, sweet, salt and heat in a single spoonful. The Asian Restaurant Awards exist to honour this extraordinary range — the inherited techniques, the family recipes and the modern reinventions that together make Asian cuisine one of the most beloved and most demanding traditions on earth.
Behind every great Asian restaurant sits a discipline that rarely announces itself. It is the chef who has spent two decades perfecting the gloss on a roast duck, the noodle master who pulls dough by feel alone, the team who treat every guest as though they have walked into a home rather than a dining room. This recognition matters because that craftsmanship is too easily taken for granted — comforting, affordable, everywhere — when in truth it represents some of the most refined cooking in the world.
By celebrating excellence across Asian restaurants of every scale, we give chefs and operators a credible, international platform to be seen. A win here is more than a trophy on a shelf; it is a signal to diners, investors and a new generation of cooks that this kitchen is doing something worth travelling for. Explore the wider restaurant sectors we honour, or browse the full award categories to see where your restaurant belongs. 🥢
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What We Recognise
Six distinct accolades within the Asian Restaurant Awards, each shaped to reward a particular kind of excellence — from the standard-setting establishment of the year to the newcomer rewriting the rules.
Asian Restaurant of the Year
The flagship honour, awarded to the restaurant that best embodies the soul of Asian dining — impeccable cooking, warm and intuitive hospitality, and a clear, confident sense of identity sustained across a full service.
Best New Asian Restaurant
For an establishment opened within the last two years that has arrived with conviction, demonstrating remarkable maturity of kitchen, concept and guest care well beyond its years in operation.
Award for Culinary Excellence
Recognising sustained technical mastery — the precision of a knife, the balance of a sauce, the consistency of a dish reproduced flawlessly across hundreds of covers night after night.
Rising Star Award
Celebrating an emerging chef or young restaurateur whose talent, ambition and originality mark them as a defining voice in the next chapter of Asian gastronomy.
Best Menu & Concept
For the most thoughtfully composed offering — a menu that tells a coherent story, honours regional authenticity, and pairs intelligently with its setting, pricing and clientele.
Best Guest Experience
Awarded for hospitality that lingers in the memory: the timing of service, the generosity of welcome, and the small, considered details that turn a meal into an occasion.
Who Should Enter
The Asian Restaurant Awards welcome establishments of every format and price point. If your kitchen draws on the culinary heritage of Asia, there is a place for you here.
Pan-Asian Restaurants
Venues drawing across regions and borders to present a confident, curated journey through the flavours of the continent.
Noodle & Street-Food Houses
Specialists turning humble, soulful dishes into a genuine destination through skill, sourcing and atmosphere.
Japanese Kitchens
Sushi counters, izakayas and kaiseki rooms whose precision deserves its own recognition — see the Japanese Restaurant Awards.
Chinese Restaurants
From Cantonese banqueting to fiery Sichuan, the breadth of China’s regional cooking finds a home in the Chinese Restaurant Awards.
Korean Dining Rooms
Barbecue houses and modern Korean kitchens balancing fermentation and fire — explore the Korean Restaurant Awards.
Indian & South Asian Venues
Spice-led kitchens, from coastal seafood to tandoor traditions — consider the Indian Restaurant Awards.
South-East Asian Restaurants
Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indonesian kitchens whose layered, aromatic cooking thrives on contrast and freshness.
Hotel & Resort Asian Outlets
Signature Asian restaurants within luxury hotels and resorts delivering polished, destination-worthy dining.
Benefits of Winning
Independent Credibility
An award judged on merit gives your restaurant a mark of distinction that guests trust far more than self-promotion — a third-party endorsement of genuine quality.
Visibility & Reach
Winners are featured across our channels and press outreach, placing your restaurant in front of an international audience of discerning diners and industry peers.
Team Pride & Retention
Recognition lifts the whole brigade, from head chef to commis and front-of-house, validating long hours and helping you attract and keep exceptional talent.
Commercial Momentum
A respected accolade supports premium positioning, new openings and investor conversations — tangible value that extends well beyond the awards night itself.
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Judging Criteria
Every nomination is assessed by our panel of chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality specialists against six clear pillars.
- Cuisine & Cooking — the quality of ingredients, the command of technique, and the authenticity and depth of flavour that define the food.
- Service & Hospitality — the warmth, knowledge and timing of the team, and their instinct for reading and caring for each guest.
- Ambience & Setting — how convincingly the space, design and atmosphere support the cuisine and the intended dining occasion.
- Consistency — the ability to deliver the same standard across a full service, across the week, and from one visit to the next.
- Innovation & Identity — the originality of the concept and the courage to evolve while remaining true to a recognisable culinary voice.
- Guest Experience — the complete journey from reservation to farewell, judged on the lasting impression it leaves behind.