Since its debut on the ranking in 2015, it has been a fixture every year (All photos: World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025)
The who’s who of the F&B world gathered in Turin, Italy, for the grand reveal of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. History was made that when the announcer crowned Lima-based Maido the cream of the crop.
Headed by chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, the Nikkei — Japanese and Peruvian fusion cuisine — hotspot is no first-time rider at the rodeo, having earned great acclaim as well as top 10 rankings over the past decade. It clinched the premier spot on the Latin America list four times before and made it to No 5 globally last year.
The restaurant was not always the powerhouse it is today, and Tsumura, who trained in the US and Osaka before moving to Lima, even considered closing at one point. In his speech, he reflected on the win and Maido’s 16 year-long journey. “I can’t describe it in words really. It’s a mix of feelings… All the hard work, all the difficult moments, making people understand what we were doing, and now seeing what we’ve done with Nikkei cuisine and Peruvian cuisine… with hospitality. Making people happy has always been what I’ve loved doing.
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“One day, my father came over and just told me to persevere, and to continue believing in what I do. We still have a lot of Peruvians who come, and they would tell me, ‘Don’t close, we love what you do’, and that kept us going. It was beautiful because Nikkei cuisine wasn’t well known in the streets, and now it’s known all over the world.”
Comprising more than 10 dishes, the Maido Experience tasting menu strikes a fine balance between vibrant Peruvian ingredients and Japanese technique, culminating in flavours and presentations that pay homage to the Latin nation’s multidimensional terroir and the head chef’s cultural background. The most raved about plates include squid ramen with Amazonian chorizo, sea snails with yellow chilli foam and a signature short rib so tender that “all you need is a spoon”.
This article first appeared on June 30, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
