Chef Gaggan Anand's Bangkok-based restaurant Gaggan has been named the Best Restaurant in Asia. It came second overall in the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 rankings, just behind Asador Etxebarri, based in Spain's Basque region. For Anand, his achievement is more than a comeback.
In a long social media post, Anand shared his personal struggles and why he decided to close his restaurant a few years ago. He talked about feeling burnt out and low after a period of personal struggles.
Speaking about his new restaurant's name in the rankings just a few years after it reopened, the celebrity chef thanked his team and everyone who stood by him during tough times.
Chef Gaggan Anand Reflects On His Restaurant's Big Win
Anand shared a carousel of photos from his restaurant and said that by the time he closed down Gaggan in 2019, he was “completely burnt, hurt” and angry at the world. The Bangkok-based chef recalled that he did not know where he was heading. “I was tired of doing what everyone around me wanted me to do. I was running a restaurant that didn't make sense in my head,” he said.
After the pandemic and a period of personal struggles, Anand, who was born in Kolkata, was written off by his critics. Things changed after some of his colleagues - Vlad, Rydo, Marko - convinced him to “do what makes us happy.” Gaggan was re-established as a restaurant in 2019 in another location, initially as Gaggan Anand.
“We fought back our name in 2024. Today, in just two years, this is the closest to where we can be...we are knocking on heaven's door!!” Anand wrote. He added that Gaggan's name on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list “proved that fine dining without phones and cameras is refreshing and fun.”
Gaggan Anand also congratulated Spanish hotel Asador Etxebarri for being ranked as the best restaurant in the world.
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About Gaggan In Bangkok
Anand's restaurant offers an immersive dining experience that focuses on progressive Indian cuisine and also draws inspiration from French, Thai and Japanese culinary traditions.
The restaurant is known for challenging fine-dining conventions. Gaggan introduced a no-phones-at-the-table policy to help diners stay focused on their dining experience.
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