Bangkok’s World Gourmet Festival returns with a diverse lineup of international chefs in 2026

The 26th edition of Bangkok’s renowned World Gourmet Festival will feature a global roster of culinary talents and collaborative dining experiences, set against the vibrant backdrop of Anantara Siam Bangkok from 29 September to 4 October 2026.

Bangkok’s World Gourmet Festival is set to return to Anantara Siam Bangkok this autumn for its 26th edition, promising six days of high-profile dining under the theme "A World of Flavours". Running from 29 September to 4 October 2026, the event will bring together chefs from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa for a programme of collaborative dinners, solo tasting menus, afternoon tea and brunch, according to the organisers.

The line-up announced so far points to a festival aimed at diners who want variety as much as prestige. French chef Julien Royer, co-owner of Singapore’s three-Michelin-starred Odette, is among the headline names, alongside Josiah Citrin of Los Angeles, who leads both Citrin and the two-star Mélisse. Also confirmed is Álvaro Clavijo of Bogotá’s El Chato, ranked first on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and Dave Pynt, whose Singapore restaurant Burnt Ends is known for open-flame cooking and a Michelin star.

Several of the most interesting inclusions are chefs whose work goes beyond familiar fine dining formats. Georgiana Viou, culinary director of L’Ami in Benin, has built a reputation around Beninese and Mediterranean influences and was the first African woman to receive a Michelin star. From Vietnam, Thanh Vuong Vo of CoCo Dining in Ho Chi Minh City will draw on ancestral preservation techniques from his coastal hometown of Phan Thiết, while pastry specialist Eunjung Cho of Seoul’s Honeybee is expected to bring a more playful note to the festival with her bear-shaped cakes.

The announced roster also includes two chefs from Anantara’s own properties. Paul Gamauf of Edvard in Vienna and Heros De Agostinis of Ineo in Rome both bring Michelin-starred credentials, with De Agostinis drawing on Abruzzese and Eritrean heritage. Shanghai-based Zee Yunze Zheng of Fabula rounds out the current list, bringing experience from Le Bernardin and Taian Table and a style that blends East China Sea and Cantonese influences with European technique. A Bangkok addition has also been flagged: Minor Hotels said the line-up includes Arnaud Dunand of Maison Dunand, the city’s one-Michelin-starred contemporary French restaurant.

For travellers considering whether to book, the festival’s appeal lies as much in its setting as in the chef roster. Anantara Siam Bangkok has 335 rooms and suites and sits in central Bangkok, close to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the city’s major shopping districts. The hotel is positioned as a polished base for a gourmet trip, with tropical gardens, award-winning dining and a reputation for feeling more personal than many grand city hotels, according to the Michelin Guide. In practical terms, that makes it one of the more convenient places in Bangkok to turn a festival visit into a full food-focused stay.