And they’re all in one tower.
In a tightly curated line up of just sixteen restaurants on the Prix Versailles 2026 World’s Most Beautiful Restaurants List, three are all found in a single Hong Kong skyscraper. Akira Back, Hana no Kumo and Peridot at The Henderson sit alongside headline names in Dubai, Vienna, London, Los Angeles and Cape Town, in a selection that celebrates restaurant spaces where architecture, décor and cuisine create unforgettable experiences.
Akira Back, Hong Kong
On the fifth floor of The Henderson, Zaha Hadid Architects’ fluid tower in Central, Akira Back’s restaurant is as spectacular as the chef’s own trajectory from professional snowboarder to fusion cuisine star. AB Concept uses rounded lines, delicate timber posts and a sculptural ceiling to stage a multisensory experience, where light, art and layered spaces echo the energy of the city outside. A private dining room, inspired by the chef’s mother Young Hee Back, pushes guests directly into Hong Kong’s urban vitality.
Hana no Kumo, Hong Kong
High inside The Henderson, Hana no Kumo, “flower cloud”, is imagined as a Japanese mountain refuge in the sky. Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates for Chef Ogawa Masaru, it seats just 24 guests across two rooms, framing kappou dining as both performance and meditation. Soft timber tones, washi accents, stone surfaces, a glowing resin “ice cube” sculpture at the entrance and petal motifs with white to pink lighting recall sakura in bloom above Central.
Peridot, Hong Kong
Perched at the top of The Henderson, Peridot is a surreal cocktail bar following Studio Paolo Ferrari’s “Natural Futurism” philosophy. The space reads like a deconstructed disco ball, with over 20,000 hand crafted lights, a signature green palette and mirror chrome capped frosted cylinders giving the bar an expansive, kaleidoscopic glow. A green grand piano and a plant based menu pair with a terroir driven cocktail list, pushing the boundaries between design, art, mixology and cuisine.
Nobu One Za’abeel, Dubai
Hovering 100 metres in the air along the cantilevered sky concourse that links the twin towers of One Za’abeel, Nobu One offers a setting as bold as Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japanese and South American fusion. Rockwell Group plays up high ceilings and crisscrossing geometries to install a monumental custom lighting system that unifies the restaurant from arrival to private dining. Daytime brings immersive city views, by night DJs and cocktails animate a social bar scene framed by Dubai’s lights.
Le Fou, Vienna
Le Fou translates the subtle, sensual attitude of Parisian nightlife into a contemporary Viennese setting. Founder Alexander Schrack and interior designer Theresa Obermoser choreograph a sequence of interconnected rooms, each with its own mood yet tied together by tactile materials like silk, mohair velvet, natural stone and patinated metal. Rust and terracotta tones anchor the main lounge, while a golden lounge and leopard print enclave lean into theatrical, slightly ironic opulence.
Monti, Gstaad
Overlooking Alpine scenery, Monti takes the familiar language of chalet architecture and elevates it with a clean, contemporary sensibility. Architect Jakob Sprenger and creative director Antonia Crespí pair warm woods, natural textures and local craftsmanship with Italian inspired cuisine. Woven bronze dividers echo basket weaving while structuring the room, and exposed beams, custom carpets and mohair draped banquettes create an intimate yet sociable setting.
Monsieur Dior by Anne‑Sophie Pic, Beijing
Inside the House of Dior in Beijing’s Sanlitun district, Monsieur Dior by Anne Sophie Pic becomes a bright bridge between couture and cuisine. Black and white photographs of iconic silhouettes, a René Bouché portrait of Christian Dior and commissioned works by Hong Hao build a layered narrative backdrop. Pic’s dishes are framed as poetic reinterpretations of Dior’s legacy, turning culinary “embroidery” into contemporary art.
Escā Playa, Ras El Hekma, Egypt
Escā Playa, by Cairo based architect Mohamed Badie, rises from the Ras El Hekma coastline like a sculpted landform. Inspired by caves and rocky outcrops, its fluid, porous shell blurs inside and outside, shade and light, enclosure and openness. Guests move through shifting scales, temperatures and framed sea views, while mineral coatings and coral like textures reinforce the sense that the building is an extension of the shoreline itself.
Finlandia Bistro, Helsinki
Housed in Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall, a modernist landmark and historic diplomatic venue, Finlandia Bistro’s redesign by Fyra balances preservation and renewal. Original Aalto furniture is retained and complemented with new bespoke pieces, giving each dining area its own identity without pastiche. A muted, elegant atmosphere emerges from the contrast between protected heritage elements and subtle contemporary layers.
Carbone, London
In a former American Embassy building in Mayfair, Carbone marks the European debut of the iconic New York restaurant. Designer Ken Fulk channels the mood of mid century American supper clubs, with velvet banquettes, mosaics and lacquered woodwork forming a lush backdrop for works by artists such as René Ricard, Lola Montes and Ai Weiwei. A grand stair with a hand painted mural leads to the bar, lounge and main dining room, capped by a vault like private dining space.
Rosso, Hinganigada, India
Within a vast working winery on the edge of reserve forest in Hinganigada, Rosso sits at Hotel Irada in Pune Wine Country. Designed entirely by Humming Tree, the restaurant pairs views of vineyards with interiors that channel Southern Italian elegance. Warm toned furniture and a bar that contrasts cool green marble with polished wood Solomonic columns create an air of refinement aligned with the cuisine and the avant garde spirit of the estate.
Marlow, Monaco
On the main square of Mareterra, a new district reclaimed from the sea, Marlow feels like a longstanding Riviera anchor. Artist and architect Hugo Toro builds a story around a fictional British character, nodding to the history of British visitors on the coast. Club like spaces around a sculptural central bar, cabinets of curiosities and custom furniture mix eras and influences into a warm, slightly eccentric setting.
Lucia, Los Angeles
Lucia, Los Angeles’ first Afro Caribbean restaurant with a clubhouse feel, takes its cue from island nightlife. Under founder Sam Jordan and Chef Cleophus Hethington, Preen, Inc. fills the space with lush tropical textiles, bold patterns and sculptural shell and palm motifs. Music is integral, with a DJ framed by the smoked glass kitchen window, blending rap, hip hop and traditional tracks by Black artists into the dining experience.
Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn, Beverly Hills
On the third floor of the House of Dior in Beverly Hills, Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn is an ode to sunshine, gardens and couture. Peter Marino’s design blends heritage and modernity with a photograph of Château de La Colle Noire, a green wall and Nicole Wittenberg’s Gardens of Courances painting. An ebony and onyx bar beneath a rose petal ceiling leads to a terrace overlooking Rodeo Drive, where Parisian spirit meets Californian ease.
Mottai, Coral Gables
Mottai, created by Chef Brian Nasajon and Saladino Design Studios, is structured around an open sushi bar beneath a delicate central canopy. The architecture echoes Japanese spatial philosophies of discipline and minimalism, while curved custom furniture and tactile materials encourage comfort and connection. The choreography of the kitchen team becomes a visible ritual, turning precise gestures into part of the spatial experience.
Amura by Ángel León, Cape Town
Amura by Ángel León stages a marine world inspired by kelp forests and the meeting of two oceans off Cape Town. Designed by Tristan du Plessis, the restaurant is imagined as its own biotope, with deep greens, woodwork and bronze details forming a warm, cinematic backdrop. León, known as the “chef of the sea”, uses an ocean centric tasting menu to guide guests through different marine ecosystems in an open plan space where the kitchen is the theatrical heart.
