Food has become a compass for global travellers and Singaporeans are leading the charge. The newly announced Trip.Gourmet 2026 Global Restaurant Selection celebrates the world’s most exceptional dining destinations across 68 countries and more than 18,000 restaurants, and highlights the exciting ways culinary creativity is reshaping travel.
Singaporeans are known for flying fork-first into new destinations. The city-state is now ranked among the world’s top three destinations globally for food-related experiences, alongside Mainland China and Thailand. This year’s rankings mark an evolution in global dining, where culinary identity, sustainability, and experience now matter just as much as Michelin stars.
“From hawker icons to Michelin-starred restaurants, Singaporeans have always viewed food as a reflection of identity, culture, and community. With Trip.Gourmet, we’re celebrating that spirit by helping travellers discover and book the world’s most memorable dining experiences – from Singapore’s Michelin-starred bak chor mee and Hainanese chicken rice hawker stalls to Tokyo’s omakase counters – all in one seamless, intuitive feature.”
Edmund Ong, General Manager, Trip.com Singapore.
Singapore’s Dining Powerhouses
The Fine Dining Black Diamond tier features top culinary institutions like Les Amis, celebrated for its classic French fine dining and acclaimed wine list, alongside Odette’s refined French gastronomy and Labyrinth’s inventive Singaporean flavours.
Singapore and Bangkok also emerged as epicentres for world-class dining in Southeast Asia, with 53 and 55 restaurants respectively recognised.
Three New Ways to Discover Food Globally
Trip.Gourmet has evolved its categories to reflect how travellers actually eat:
| New Category | What It Covers | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Dining | Black Diamond, Diamond and Platinum award-winners | Benchmark for premium gastronomy |
| Must-Visit Restaurants | Local gems, unique experiences, casual bites | Perfect for travellers seeking personality and culture |
| Hometown Cuisines | Restaurants offering familiar flavours abroad | Supports comfort food tourism for expats and travellers |
The Hometown Cuisines list is now live across Southeast Asia plus Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea. It highlights regional food categories like Southeast Asian, Japanese, and Korean cuisine, and adapts recommendations based on where the user is. This means travellers can easily find familiar flavours wherever they go.
What’s Driving Global Dining Right Now
Five key trends shape the 2026 list:
| Trend | Examples | Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability | Narisawa, Vanderlyle | Zero-waste and farm-to-table focus |
| Fusion Flair | Sola Paris, Potong Bangkok | Blending heritage with innovation |
| Plant-Based Fine Dining | Lamdre Beijing, Cookies Cream Berlin | Haute cuisine goes greener |
| Modern Culinary Science | Alchemist CPH, Ling Long Shanghai, Labyrinth Singapore | Molecular theatrics and storytelling |
| Immersive Dining | Ocean Restaurant SG, Le Petit Chef KL | Dining as entertainment |
Atmosphere now matters as much as taste, and diners are paying for experience as much as excellence.
Dining and Travel, Now Fully Connected
Alongside rankings, Trip.Gourmet lets users book 50,000+ restaurants and use AI trip planning tools like TripGenie to map out flavour-driven itineraries.
The brand is also launching celebrity-led food tours, immersive gastronomy journeys, and culture paired experiences that position food at the heart of travel memory-making. These will be hosted by influential chefs and personalities featuring immersive dining experiences such as Taste of China,