50 Best Restaurants 2026: Lima Hosts in November | The Rio Times

PERU · FOOD AND TRAVEL

The Peruvian capital welcomes the global food awards for the first time, and the state tourism agency projects about US$2 million in immediate local spending.

Lima will host the 50 Best Restaurants 2026 from 2 to 4 November, the first edition held in South America. PromPerú, the state export and tourism promotion agency, projects about US$2 million in immediate local spending.

Three Days of Food in the Peruvian Capital

The programme runs from Monday 2 to Wednesday 4 November 2026. It opens with a welcome lunch, and the 50 Best Talks forum follows on Tuesday 3 November.

The awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 4 November at the Teatro Municipal de Lima. The new list is revealed there and streamed live on the organisers’ YouTube channel.

PromPerú expects about 1,200 chefs, food journalists, content creators and industry figures from more than 34 countries. Local restaurants will also host visiting chefs in ticketed 50 Best Signature Sessions.

This is the awards night itself, not a side event or a regional spin-off. The 2026 winner will be named on that stage in Lima.

Who Announced It, and When

The organisers named Lima as host on 10 July 2026. That was a change of plan, since Abu Dhabi had been announced for this year first.

The detailed programme was presented in Lima on Monday 21 September 2026. Teresa Mera, executive president of PromPerú, led the launch with chefs Virgilio Martínez and Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura.

Rogers Valencia, Peru’s foreign trade and tourism minister since late July, spoke by video message. Rikki Tidball, events director for the organisers, also sent a recorded message.

What the US$2 Million Figure Really Means

PromPerú projects about US$2 million in immediate economic activity around the event. The estimate covers lodging, food, transport, production services and entertainment.

Its breakdown includes more than 700 international air tickets and about US$400,000 in hotel bookings. It also counts more than US$300,000 in food and roughly US$300,000 in local production work.

This is a projection, not prize money and not an audited result. No winning restaurant receives cash, and the final total will depend on who actually travels.

PromPerú also points to the organisers’ reach online, with more than four million social media followers. It says their site draws 8.8 million users a year.

Peru’s Place on the 50 Best Restaurants 2026 Stage

Four Lima restaurants sit in the current list, which was published in Turin in June 2025. Maido is No.1, Kjolle No.9, Mérito No.26 and Mayta No.39.

Central, which won the top spot in 2023, is now in the Best of the Best hall of fame. Restaurants that have been voted No.1 are no longer eligible for the annual ranking.

Maido joins that group at the Lima ceremony, so it will not be ranked again. Mil, in Cusco, sat at No.75 on the extended 51–100 list.

Has Lima Done This Before?

Lima hosted Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2013 and 2014, according to Peru’s trade and tourism ministry. Those were regional awards, not the global edition.

The regional ceremony moved to Mexico City in 2015. The global list has been unveiled in cities including Singapore, Antwerp, London, Valencia and Turin.

Peru has promoted its cooking abroad as a tourism draw for two decades. This is the first time the global ceremony comes to the country.

What Hosting Has Meant for Other Cities

Roberta Garibaldi, a food tourism professor at Italy’s University of Bergamo, studied earlier editions. Her analysis put direct benefits for Valencia in 2023 at about US$5 million.

That figure rested on more than 800 international flights, 5,500 hotel nights and over 10,000 meals. She valued the media coverage at about US$106 million in advertising terms.

Those numbers are one analyst’s estimates, not official accounts. The same study argued the biggest gain is long-term visibility rather than three days of takings.

Turin hosted the 2025 ceremony and drew more than 1,300 guests over four days. Piedmont’s regional government backed the bid and used the week to promote the wider area.

Why This Matters If You Live In or Invest In Peru

Hotels, restaurants, taxi firms and production agencies in Lima can expect a busy first week of November. If you plan to eat out or travel then, book early.

For investors, this is a marketing moment for Peru’s food and hotel sector, not a guaranteed return. PromPerú hopes it lifts average visitor spending over time, but that is a hope rather than a result.

Ticket prices, the full guest list and the 2026 rankings have not been published. The order stays secret until the night itself.

How to Follow It From Anywhere

The ceremony will be streamed live on the organisers’ YouTube channel. Three awards, plus the extended 51–100 list, are announced before the main night.

PromPerú says one in five foreign holiday visitors names food among their reasons for choosing Peru. Those travellers stay about 12 nights in the country.

Lima will stay in the food world’s conversation long after the plates are cleared. For now, the city has about six weeks to get ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where are the awards held?

The programme runs from 2 to 4 November 2026 in Lima. The ceremony is on Wednesday 4 November at the Teatro Municipal de Lima.

Is the US$2 million a prize for the winner?

No. It is PromPerú’s projection of immediate local spending on hotels, food, transport, production and entertainment.

Which Peruvian restaurants are on the list now?

Four, all in Lima: Maido at No.1, Kjolle at No.9, Mérito at No.26 and Mayta at No.39.

Sources: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants host-city announcement, 10 July 2026; PromPerú statement and programme launch, 21 September 2026; Andina; Gestión; Il Sole 24 Ore; El Peruano.