On January 27th, the "Black Pearl Restaurant Guide", which gathered high-quality benchmark catering brands in China, held the 2026 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide Release and Awards Ceremony in Quanzhou, Fujian. The list of 263 restaurants from 32 cities in mainland China has been officially announced, covering 45 different cuisines, with 7 restaurants successfully rising to the diamond level.

By continuously tracking the transformation trend of Black Pearl Restaurant, Meituan analyzed the three major changes in exquisite catering and launched the "Chef Growth Plan" to enable more outstanding brand managers and chefs to be seen, respected, and developed.

The 2026 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide Release and Awards Ceremony will be held in Quanzhou, Fujian Province (Photo by Yu Jianzhong)

Reshaping Lifestyle, Exquisite Catering Blooms in a Variety

Wang Puzhong, the core local business CEO of Meituan, stated at the meeting that the catering industry and the lifestyle of the masses behind it are rapidly being reshaped, and consumer behavior is shifting from "outward expression" to "inward expression". In the future, exquisite catering will not only be about a single meal, but also lead the way in lifestyle, "said Wang Puzhong. From the list of Black Pearl, it can be seen that the era of diverse flowers in China's exquisite catering industry has arrived.

Meituan Core Local Business CEO Wang Puzhong (Photo: Yu Jianzhong)

When the private rooms are fully integrated with traditional Fujian culture and contemporary art, diners enter the new Quanzhou Black Pearl One Diamond restaurant "Yueyan ? Fujian Cuisine Boutique Cuisine", as if opening a book of Minnan scenery; NABI, which is currently in the limelight, takes the form of a chef's table and brings traditional Korean cuisine into a fashionable new style, successfully lighting up the Shanghai Black Pearl again after three years of Korean cuisine... In the "2026 Black Pearl" list, 20 cities have added new restaurants to the list, bringing the total number of restaurants to 46, presenting new trends such as diversified experiences, youthful expression, and personalized models.

In recent years, the exploration of local ingredients and flavors has become a characteristic of exquisite catering. In the "2026 Black Pearl" competition, "Liaocai" made its debut on the list, with two high-quality restaurants in Shenyang receiving one diamond; Hebei Province's exquisite catering industry has achieved a key breakthrough, with two restaurants in Shijiazhuang making it onto the list; Jiangsu and Shandong, which are rich in natural resources, have more segmented flavors shining brightly. Nantong and Qingdao have been added to the list of cities, each welcoming two one diamond restaurants. According to statistics, in the past three years, the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide has added a total of 11 regional cuisines.

Online and offline assistance for dine in, "Chef Growth Plan" launched

Meituan data shows that the user base of exquisite catering presents an olive shaped pattern. By 2025, the proportion of post-95s and post-00s consumers in the refined catering industry has expanded to 37%, and the age group of 30 to 50 will still be the backbone of refined catering consumption. In addition, the number of consumers aged 60 and above increased by 115% year-on-year.

Wei Wei, Vice President of Meituan and General Manager of In Store Catering Business Unit, said, "Under the changing demand, the refined catering industry is undergoing three major changes: smaller and more flexible store sizes, more refined products, and more authentic services

Wei Wei, Vice President of Meituan and General Manager of In Store Catering Business Unit (Photo by Yu Jianzhong)

A group of restaurants with innovative genes have emerged, not only continuously receiving recognition from the Black Pearl judges, but also winning higher honors. In the "2026 Black Pearl" event, there are 7 diamond restaurants, including 3 in Shanghai, 2 in Beijing, and 1 each in Hangzhou and Nanjing.

These "fast moving" restaurants are generally actively breaking through and innovating in store type, service, and products. For example, Shanghai Yuwaitan (Xintiandi Store) will be upgraded from two to three in 2026, and the restaurant will specially divide the area of Tea House to explore a new increment of tea meal integration package; Changsha Xinchangfu (Sega Store) has won the first Black Pearl Service Team Award. The store has broken down its service standards into 13 steps from pre meal to post meal, and is able to handle more than ten guests with ease.

Wei Wei stated that with the support of product technologies such as AI and intelligent shopkeepers, Meituan is committed to making the online expression of exquisite catering more authentic, and enabling users to better connect with high-quality exquisite catering stores online.

At the meeting, Meituan also launched the "Chef Growth Plan", which will enable more outstanding brand managers and chefs to be discovered through four directions: skills and R&D innovation support, cross-border exchanges, business management training, and youth talent reserve incubation.

Enrich the selection system and expand the leading role of urban benchmark cuisine

In recent years, "Black Pearl" has helped cities create distinctive consumer business cards and demonstrate the leading role of benchmark cuisine through continuous city opening, dish award selection, and recognition of outstanding chefs. In Yangzhou, Changzhou, Sanya and other places, Black Pearl Restaurant has even become a tourist destination, forming a benchmark effect of "one meal drives one city"; The "Cuisine Award" initiated by Black Pearl has effectively promoted the development and dissemination of local specialty ingredients. According to data from Meituan, the usage rate of regional ingredients such as Jinggang bamboo shoots, Lushan stone chicken, and Kuixiang chicken in exquisite catering stores has increased by about 90% year-on-year.

In order to further promote local culinary culture, the 2026 Black Pearl Annual Cuisine Award for the first time includes classic dishes favored by diners in the selection, with a total of ten dishes successfully listed nationwide.

In 2025, more and more chefs will move from the back kitchen to the front stage, using craftsmanship and skills to create the soul of the brand. Thanks to the deep collaboration between Meituan and the variety show IP of "One Rice Sealing God", the revenue of Xiamen Black Pearl One Diamond "Burning Restaurant" increased by 107% compared to before the program was broadcast.

Fu Yueliang from Hangzhou's "Ruyuan" restaurant has been crowned as the "2026 Black Pearl Chef of the Year". The number of "Black Pearl Young Chef Awards" has increased by one on the basis of two last year, and the winners are all born in the 1990s.

Four Black Pearl chefs win 2026 awards (Photo by Yu Jianzhong)

In addition, this year Black Pearl has also added a service team award for the first time, in order to provide multi-dimensional incentives for the industry to improve and upgrade. Tang Yan, the person in charge of Meituan Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, said that regardless of the restaurant award, chef award, dish award, or service award, the evaluation is built around the consumer experience. At the same time, to ensure fairness in the selection process, all evaluation stages must be cross validated with Meituan data anonymously.

In 2026, Black Pearl will also hold industry training and exchange activities in multiple cities, sharing benchmark cases and business insights to further enhance the competitiveness of local catering, making every Black Pearl restaurant a disseminator and leader of local food culture and lifestyle.