The best restaurant in North America, according to 50 Best’s inaugural list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, is Atomix. The New York City fine dining restaurant from husband-wife team Junghyun (“JP”) and Ellia Park has been serving an innovative tasting menu of Korean cuisine since it opened its doors in 2018.
For those paying attention to the awards circuit, it’s probably not a huge surprise to see Atomix take the crown. Its impeccable dishes and hospitality earned the restaurant two Michelin stars in 2021, and it ranked 12th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025 (down from a high of No. 6 the prior year); Atomix was the only North American restaurant to make the World’s top 50.
“This is a dream; I’m in the clouds. This [win] is not just for me and for us and our restaurant, it’s for our country too,” Ellia said immediately following the announcement at a glitzy awards ceremony at the Wynn in Las Vegas. “When we first moved to the US, we never thought we could be on this stage,” JP added. “We’re just working hard and trying to make better food and build some community, which we love.”
North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, which celebrates restaurants in the United States, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, is a much anticipated addition to 50 Best’s roster, and one that’s been in the works for many years, said William Drew, director of content at 50 Best. “We felt that North American restaurants were not getting much of the spotlight on the global list.” Restaurants throughout the continent showcase an exciting “diversity of culinary styles,” he adds. “The menus of the restaurants on the list have elements going back to influences all over the world.”
Indeed, “North American cuisine” defies definition and eschews generalization. The huge geographical area is a collection of cultures and communities, large and small. And the strength of this list—which has no set criteria for inclusion (beyond geography) and is compiled based on the votes of 300 anonymous gourmets, journalists, and restaurateurs selected by eight regional Academy Chairs—is the wide swath of cuisines represented. (Disclosure: Bon Appétit editor in chief Jamila Robinson is a 50 Best Academy Chair.) In addition to Atomix’s Korean, restaurants on the list draw inspiration from Senegalese, Haitian, Filipino, Thai, Taiwanese, Italian, French, and Mexican traditions.
The common thread running through the winners, illuminated through a series of talks and presentations leading up to the awards ceremony, is their chefs’ and founders’ deep passion for their heritage and dedication to telling their personal stories through food.
“It’s been great to see this building of North American cuisine as all these different points of view,” said Kyle Connaughton, chef and co-owner of SingleThread in Healdsburg, California (No. 8 on the list). “I love to see that young chefs are going to get great training, and then they’re coming back [to their cities or hometowns].