- ProgrammeInternational Restaurant Awards
- Who is nominatedCompanies & organisations
- ScopeInternational — Hong Kong eligible
- Track recordFounded 2021 in Dubai
- Nomination feeFrom USD 299 · packages
- 2026 close15 September 2026
- Winners announcedSaturday, 14 November 2026, Dubai
Who it is for. Restaurants, dim sum and tea houses, cha chaan tengs, private kitchens, cafés, bars and lounges, hotel dining outlets, caterers, cloud kitchens and F&B groups operating in Hong Kong. What it judges. Guest experience, quality, performance and growth, in the category — of 130 — that names the business by cuisine, concept or segment. Cost and dates. From USD 299; entries close on 15 September 2026.
Golden Tree Events LLC founded the International Restaurant Awards in Dubai in 2021; its official site is therestaurantaward.com. The 130 categories are organised three ways — by cuisine, by concept and by segment — so that a Cantonese institution, a rooftop bar, a specialty-coffee brand and a caterer are judged against their own kind.
Hong Kong's dining scene is among the deepest in the world and among the hardest to run — rents, labour, a customer base that has changed shape twice in five years. The businesses that thrive are managed as carefully as they are cooked, and that management is what the jury reads.
Who should participate
Eligible nominees are food and beverage businesses of any concept or size:
- Fine-dining, casual-dining and specialty-cuisine restaurants
- Cafés, coffee brands and quick-service restaurants
- Cloud kitchens, delivery brands and catering companies
- Restaurant groups, chains and F&B concepts
- Chefs and culinary teams
Hong Kong sectors where restaurant entries come from
The restaurant & F&B page lists all 130 categories; the other sectors show where hotel, retail and venue dining also qualifies.
Restaurant / F & B
Michelin rooms, dim sum houses, cha chaan tengs, private kitchens, world-list bars, cafés and caterers — 130 categories.
Awards for this industryHotels & Resorts
Harbour-view luxury, Central business hotels, boutique properties, Lantau and theme-park resorts — 131 property categories plus a GM programme.
Awards for this industryTravel & Tourism
Licensed agencies and GBA tour specialists, attractions, cruise and MICE organisers, online travel — 75 travel categories plus hotels.
Awards for this industryRetail
Luxury on Canton Road and in Central, the great malls, supermarket and convenience chains, electronics and lifestyle retail, home-grown brands — 75 categories.
Awards for this industryEntertainment & Sports
Kai Tak Sports Park events, concert and festival promoters, film and content production, clubs and federations, esports, attractions, media.
Awards for this industryStartups
Cyberport and Science Park ventures, fintech and biotech founders, GBA-facing start-ups, family businesses reinvented — founder and company categories.
Awards for this industry
Nominate a Hong Kong restaurant, bar or café
One hundred and thirty categories, an independent jury, one form.
What to send: a Hong Kong restaurant nomination
The concept and the team in a paragraph; then the numbers. Covers, spend and revenue trend over a defined period (indexed if confidential); guest-review and satisfaction scores; FEHD licensing and hygiene record; guide, list or press recognition; menu development, sourcing and sustainability; and expansion — a second outlet, a delivery brand, a catering arm, a Shenzhen or Macau opening — with dates. Heritage houses should say what they have preserved and what they have changed; bars should present their programme and recognition.
The restaurateur can enter the Golden Entrepreneur Awards; a hotel restaurant is nominated on its own while the hotel enters the International Travel Awards.
International Restaurant Awards categories
130 official categories are mapped to this programme in the supplied category list.
Restaurant / F & B 130 categories
- Best QSR Brand
- Best Food Chain Brand
- Best Luxury Restaurant Brand
- Best Fine Dining Luxury Restaurant
- Best Michelin-Level Restaurant
- Best Signature Luxury Dining Experience
- Best Premium Gourmet Restaurant
- Best Exclusive Dining Restaurant
- Best High-End Restaurant Concept
- Best Luxury Culinary Experience
- Best Elite Dining Restaurant
- Best Luxury Restaurant Service
- Best Fine Dining Restaurant
- Best Luxury Fine Dining Brand
- Best Gourmet Dining Restaurant
- Best Premium Dining Experience
- Best Signature Fine Dining Concept
- Best Chef-Led Fine Dining Restaurant
- Best Contemporary Fine Dining Brand
- Best Elegant Dining Experience
- Best High-End Restaurant Concept
- Best Exclusive Dining Restaurant
- Best Café Brand
- Best Coffee Shop Experience
- Best Specialty Coffee Brand
- Best Artisan Café Concept
- Best Premium Coffee Brand
- Best Café Experience Concept
- Best Modern Café Brand
- Best Boutique Coffee Shop
- Best Urban Café Concept
- Best Café Service Experience
- Best Casual Dining Restaurant
- Best Family Dining Restaurant
- Best Everyday Dining Brand
- Best Modern Casual Restaurant
- Best Casual Dining Experience
- Best Restaurant Service Experience
- Best Customer Experience Restaurant
- Best Urban Dining Concept
- Best Popular Dining Restaurant
- Best Multi-Cuisine Restaurant
- Best Quick Service Restaurant
- Best Fast Food Brand
- Best Fast Casual Restaurant
- Best High-Volume Dining Brand
- Best Efficient Service Restaurant
- Best Urban QSR Concept
- Best Scalable Restaurant Brand
- Best Quick Dining Experience
- Best Cloud Kitchen Brand
- Best Food Delivery Brand
- Best Virtual Restaurant Concept
- Best Delivery-Only Restaurant
- Best Digital Food Brand
- Best Online Food Service Brand
- Best Scalable Cloud Kitchen
- Best Food Tech Restaurant
- Best Delivery Experience Brand
- Best Multi-Brand Kitchen Concept
- Indian Restaurant
- Italian Restaurant
- Chinese Restaurant
- Japanese Restaurant
- Thai Restaurant
- French Restaurant
- Mexican Restaurant
- American Restaurant
- Spanish Restaurant
- Greek Restaurant
- Turkish Restaurant
- Lebanese Restaurant
- Arabic Restaurant
- Korean Restaurant
- Vietnamese Restaurant
- Indonesian Restaurant
- Malaysian Restaurant
- Singaporean Restaurant
- Filipino Restaurant
- Sri Lankan Restaurant
- Pakistani Restaurant
- Bangladeshi Restaurant
- Nepali Restaurant
- Iranian Restaurant
- Moroccan Restaurant
- Ethiopian Restaurant
- Brazilian Restaurant
- Argentinian Restaurant
- Peruvian Restaurant
- German Restaurant
- Best Healthy Dining Restaurant
- Best Organic Food Restaurant
- Best Vegan Dining Brand
- Best Sustainable Restaurant
- Best Eco-Friendly Dining Concept
- Best Nutrition-Focused Restaurant
- Best Wellness Dining Experience
- Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant
- Best Clean Eating Restaurant
- Best Green Restaurant Brand
- Best Dining Experience Restaurant
- Best Themed Restaurant Concept
- Best Rooftop Restaurant
- Best Waterfront Dining Restaurant
- Best Romantic Dining Restaurant
- Best Family Experience Restaurant
- Best Entertainment Dining Concept
- Best Destination Dining Restaurant
- Best Ambience Experience Restaurant
- Best Social Dining Concept
- Best Restaurant Brand
- Best Restaurant Chain
- Best Multi-Outlet Restaurant Brand
- Best Growing Restaurant Brand
- Best Franchise Restaurant Brand
- Best International Restaurant Brand
- Best Scalable Restaurant Business
- Best Premium Dining Brand
- Best Restaurant Group Brand
- Best Brand Expansion Restaurant
- Best Innovative Restaurant Concept
- Best Restaurant Technology Adoption
- Best Digital Dining Experience
- Best Restaurant Marketing Strategy
- Best Customer Engagement Restaurant
- Best Operational Excellence Restaurant
- Best Revenue Growth Restaurant
- Best Brand Experience Restaurant
- Best Restaurant Business Model
- Best Food Innovation Restaurant
Category names are shown exactly as published. The awards team confirms final category fit during profile completion.
Nomination requirements & evidence
Nominations are assessed on the information and evidence submitted. Useful material includes:
- Concept, menu and culinary philosophy
- Guest reviews, ratings and repeat-visit indicators
- Revenue, covers or outlet growth
- Food safety, sourcing and sustainability practices
- Team development and service standards
- Photography, press features and guest testimonials
Judging & selection process
Every nomination moves through the same published stages. Public voting is not used and commercial purchases carry no weight.
- New nomination
The nomination is received and registered against the relevant award programme.
- Profile completion
The nominee profile and required information are completed.
- Team approval
Eligibility and profile suitability are reviewed.
- Final jury data
Additional information required for evaluation is collected.
- Jury / management review
The nomination is evaluated against the applicable criteria.
- Finalist
Eligible strong nominations may progress to the finalist stage.
- Winner or closed
A finalist may be assigned an appropriate winning category, or the nomination is closed with a reason.
Fees & costs
Nomination packages are identical across the network's programmes and priced in USD. Winner packages are optional and available only to confirmed winners.
Silver
- 1 award · 1 category
- Competition level: Country
- Standard nominee listing
- Support: Email
Gold
- 1 award · 2 in 1 award categories
- Competition level: Country
- Featured in nominees section
- Support: Email, WhatsApp, Call
Diamond
- 2 awards · 2 across awards categories
- Competition level: Country
- Featured in nominees section
- Support: Email, WhatsApp, Call
Platinum
- 2 awards · 3 per award categories
- Competition level: Country & Regional
- Featured in nominees section
- Support: Email, WhatsApp, Call
Titanium
- 3 awards · 3 per award categories
- Competition level: Country, Regional & World
- Featured in nominees section
- Support: Email, WhatsApp, Call
Paying any fee never guarantees winning. Award credits are valid for the same-year programme only. Full fee details.
2026 dates
Published timeline for the 2026 cycle:
- May 2026Nominations open
The 2026 nomination window opens to eligible companies and leaders worldwide.
- 30 July 2026Early window closes
Last date for early-entry submissions.
- 15 September 2026Nominations close
Final published deadline for all 2026 entries.
- 3rd–4th week of September 2026Jury review
Independent jury / management evaluation of every eligible nomination.
- October 2026Shortlist (internal)
Finalists are confirmed and winners notified privately.
- 14 November 2026Gala ceremony — winners announced
Winners revealed and celebrated at the annual gala in Dubai.
Winners are announced live at the gala in Dubai. Nominees in Hong Kong are notified privately in October.
Restaurant and restaurateur
Diamond (USD 980) covers the restaurant here and its founder in the Golden Entrepreneur Awards — one evidence pack, two juries.
- Cuisine, concept and segment categories
- Hotel outlets enter on their own
- Announced in Dubai on 14 November 2026
Related awards to consider
Programmes paired with a restaurant entry:
International Travel Awards
For the hotel that houses the restaurant.
Asia Best of Best Awards
For F&B groups seeking Asia company-level recognition.
International Restaurant Awards — FAQs for Hong Kong nominees
Who can enter?
Restaurants, dim sum and tea houses, cha chaan tengs, private kitchens, cafés, bars, hotel outlets, caterers, cloud kitchens and F&B groups operating in Hong Kong.
How are the categories organised?
By cuisine (Cantonese, Sichuan, Japanese, French, Italian and more), by concept (fine dining, casual, café, bar, tea house) and by segment (hotel outlet, catering, delivery) — 130 in all.
A brand with several outlets?
As a brand or for one outlet; the awards team confirms fit.
Dai pai dongs and stalls?
A stall or shop operating as a business qualifies in the casual and street-food categories.
The evidence?
Concept and team, performance over a defined period (indexed if confidential), guest scores, hygiene record, recognition, innovation, expansion.
Cost?
USD 299 for one category; USD 980 for two awards; up to USD 1,750.
Deadline?
15 September 2026; results in Dubai on 14 November 2026.
Public vote?
None.
Last reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Award facts sourced from the official programme publications.