Where to Eat & Drink

Ubud's best restaurant and one of Southeast Asia's most creative kitchens — hyper-local ingredients, zero-waste philosophy, and a tasting menu that changes weekly.

The most famous suckling pig (babi guling) in Bali. Queue out the door at lunch, gone by 2pm — arrive early or miss out. Cash only.

Santorini's most respected kitchen — Pyrgos village setting, celebrating local produce including the island's famous cherry tomatoes and white eggplant.

The world's greatest breakfast destination. Arrive at 7am for grilled scallops, fresh oysters, and tuna don served in tiny stalls by the fish market.

Consistently in the World's 50 Best — Yoshihiro Narisawa's 'innovative satoyama cuisine' connects Japanese nature and cooking in a way nothing else does.

Joël Robuchon's only ocean restaurant, at Dusit Thani Maldives. Dine in an overwater glass-floor pavilion with reef below and stars above.

The world's first all-glass undersea restaurant at Conrad Maldives. Sit 5 metres below the Indian Ocean surrounded by coral reef — extraordinary even by Maldives standards.

The most praised bistro in Paris — impossible to book but try anyway. Market-driven tasting menus in a beautifully minimal Bastille dining room.

Feeding Parisians since 1896 — belle époque dining room, waiters in white aprons, and three-course lunches under $22. Authentically French and genuinely affordable.

Bangkok's most famous street food cook — 70-year-old Supinya Junsuta in a hairnet and goggles, cooking with a Michelin star. Reserve months ahead for the crab omelette.

The best traditional Thai restaurant in the world — two alumni of nahm cooking ancient royal recipes with zero compromises. Not 'westernised' in any way.

Bangkok's finest fresh market — the mango sticky rice stalls here are the best in the city, and every prepared food counter is better quality than 95% of restaurants.

Europe's most famous food market — tourist-heavy but the produce is real and the jamón counters are worth every cent. Go early, avoid the tourist tapas bars inside.

Albert Adrià's playful response to his brother's legendary elBulli. Avant-garde tapas in a circus setting — the hardest reservation in Barcelona.

The Atlantic Ocean Club of the Middle East — Nobu's Dubai outpost at Atlantis is larger, more spectacular, and somehow more consistent than most. Book the robata counter.

The best Lebanese street food in the city — chaotic, colourful, and completely unpretentious. Shawarma and freshly baked bread at prices that make the flashy spots look absurd.

Progressive Indian cuisine in a city not short on great restaurants — Trésind Studio is in a league of its own, landing on every Asia and Middle East best-restaurant list.

Trastevere's most beloved trattoria — the real Roman classics done without shortcuts. Cacio e pepe with tonnarelli pasta is one of the city's greatest dishes.

Bakery, deli, restaurant, and wine bar rolled into one — Roscioli's carbonara has been called the best in Rome, which is a bold claim this city takes seriously.

Three Michelin stars and the benchmark for traditional Kyoto kaiseki cuisine — multi-course dining that follows the Japanese seasons in a Higashiyama tea-house setting.

Kyoto's 'kitchen' — a narrow five-block covered market with 100+ stalls selling pickles, fresh tofu, grilled octopus balls, and matcha everything.

The best southern Thai restaurant in Phuket Town, open since 1973. Moo hong — slow-braised pork belly in a rich soy reduction — is one of the south's great dishes.

Chef Noi's passion project in Phuket Town — creative Thai cuisine using local Andaman seafood, consistently rated one of the island's top tables.

A rooftop circular bar at Sri Panwa resort — the most dramatic sunset-watching location in Phuket. Reservation required, cocktails are excellent, views are unmatchable.

Inside the Rijksmuseum, Michelin-starred and surprisingly accessible for a world-class museum restaurant. Modern Dutch cuisine with beautifully sourced local ingredients.

The obligatory Amsterdam food experience — raw Hollandse nieuwe herring with raw onion and pickles, eaten in one bite from a paper cone. The Albert Cuyp vendors are the best.

Luke Dale-Roberts's Test Kitchen is one of the world's great restaurants and Africa's best. The 'dark room' to 'light room' journey is a complete dining theatre experience.

Voted the world's best coffee shop multiple times — a steampunk-themed warehouse roastery in the CBD with extraordinary coffee from their own green bean sourcing program.

Eric Ripert's three-Michelin-star temple to seafood — the most precise fish cooking in America, in an elegant Midtown room that never feels stuffy.

Open since 1888 and still cutting their own pastrami every morning. The When Harry Met Sally deli counter is just a bonus — the sandwich is what matters. Cash helps.

Brooklyn's most legendary pizza, made by Domenico DeMarco (and his children) since 1965. Long queues, cash only, but the pizza is on a different level. Get the square slice.

The original Portuguese custard tart bakery, operating since 1837 with a secret recipe. Eat them hot at the counter, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Always a queue.

The best traditional Portuguese restaurant in Lisbon — hanging hams, azulejo tiles, and a menu of bacalhau dishes that explores every preparation of Portugal's beloved salt cod.

The best fish restaurant on the Amalfi strip — sits right on the waterfront with the ferry pier as backdrop. Order the pasta with local lemon and anchovy, then fresh catch.

The Amalfi Coast's most famous pastry shop — Alfonso De Riso has won every Italian pastry award. The delizia al limone (lemon cream puff) is the essential local sweet.

The most theatrical dining in Morocco — a 1920s riad with rooftop cocktails, lantern-lit courtyards, and a seven-course Moroccan feast served on cushioned banquettes.

After sunset, the main square transforms into the world's greatest open-air restaurant — hundreds of stalls selling snails, fried fish, tagines, and fresh orange juice at $0.50 a glass.

Singapore's most famous hawker centre — Tian Tian has been serving the city's most debated chicken rice for 30 years. Get there before 1pm or the queue becomes unreasonable.

Number one in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants — Julien Royer's cooking at Odette is sophisticated and deeply personal, in the National Gallery's beautifully restored colonial building.

Dave Pynt's wood-fired restaurant is the hardest reservation in Singapore — the open-flame kitchen, counter seats, and four-tonne custom kiln make it an experience unlike anywhere else.

The best Czech pub restaurant in the city — tank Pilsner Urquell (unpasteurised, from direct pipe), svíčková beef sirloin with cream sauce, and bread dumplings done perfectly.

Prague's standout fine-dining destination — a Michelin star, modern Czech cuisine, and a commitment to seasonal local ingredients that's rare in central European capital cities.

Consistently in the World's 50 Best Bars — an Art Deco gem serving perfectly executed classic cocktails in a bookshelf-lined room that feels transported from 1920s Paris.

The best restaurant on the island — Nobu's Ibiza outpost overlooks the bay with a terrace made for lingering. The black cod miso is always on the menu and always perfect.

The most authentic Ibizan restaurant in Ibiza Town — family-run since 1934, serving the island's traditional fishing and farming dishes at prices the locals can still afford.

Bora Bora's most legendary restaurant — sand floor, tiki torches, and a fish display where you choose your own from the day's catch. Celebrity wall of fame includes virtually everyone.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's overwater restaurant at The St. Regis — French technique meets Polynesian ingredients in a setting where the lagoon glows blue beneath the glass floor.

The cheapest and most authentic meal on the island — a roadside van near Vaitape that serves poisson cru for a fraction of resort prices. Locals eat here daily.

The best baklava in Istanbul — flaky phyllo pastry, Syrian pistachios, and clarified butter made to a recipe that has barely changed in 200 years. Buy by weight, eat immediately.

Musa Dağdeviren's legendary restaurant in Kadiköy brings forgotten Anatolian recipes back to life — dishes from regions most Turks have never tasted, changing by season.

Rooftop fine dining with the world's most dramatic skyline — Mehmet Gürs's tasting menu fuses Nordic precision with Anatolian flavours, with the Bosphorus spread below.

The most famous burger in the Southern Hemisphere — open 24 hours, always a queue, always worth it. The buns are baked fresh, patties hand-pressed, and portions are genuinely enormous.

The best meat restaurant in the South Island — NZ grass-fed beef at its finest, with a lakeside setting and the most impressive Central Otago wine list outside of a winery.

The most famous restaurant in Hawaii — Maui institution since 1973, where every fish on the menu is named with the fisherman who caught it. Book months in advance.

Honolulu's most beloved plate lunch spot since 1961 — the Hawaiian plate lunch (rice, macaroni salad, and a protein) is the working person's meal of the islands, done perfectly.

Hanoi's most celebrated bánh mì stall — the Vietnamese baguette sandwich is simpler here than in the south, but this tiny counter has been perfecting the formula for 30 years.

The most distinctive pho in Hanoi — a stir-fried preparation rather than the standard soup, with a rich beef broth that's been evolving since 1979. The Dinh Tien Hoang original is best.

An entire dish named after this restaurant — cha ca is grilled turmeric and dill fish, prepared tableside in a sizzling pan. Served for 150 years, on a street now named after the dish.

Iceland's most awarded restaurant — a single Michelin star, new Nordic philosophy applied to Icelandic ingredients (lamb, Arctic char, skyr), and a menu that changes with the seasons.

The harbour fish stall that everyone ends up at — the lobster soup (humarsúpa) is Iceland's most famous bowl, and the grilled skewers of unusual fish are the honest tourist experience.

The most famous hot dog stand in the world — lamb-pork-beef blend, sweet mustard, remoulade, and crispy fried onions on a fresh bun. Bill Clinton ordered one. You should too.

Enrique Olvera's landmark restaurant — the mole madre (a living sauce aged over 500 days) is one of the world's great single dishes. The taco counter is slightly more accessible.

Saturday and Sunday only — the best barbacoa (slow-pit lamb) in Mexico City, served in a family restaurant that has been cooking the same way for three generations. Open until sold out.

Consistently in the World's 50 Best Bars — the bar that made Mexico City a serious cocktail destination, with an emphasis on Mexican spirits, seasonal ingredients, and serious technique.

A treehouse restaurant in the Santa Teresa hills — ceramic-tiled terraces, vine-covered pergolas, and Brazilian cuisine using ingredients from all the country's biomes. Reserve for the view.

Rio's most beautiful café, open since 1894 — stained glass ceilings, ornate mirrors, and a pastry counter that supplies half the city with their brigadeiro fix every morning.

The Leblon boteco where footballers and intellectuals drink side by side — the best chopp (draft beer) in Rio, impossibly good cod fritters, and a terrace that has survived every trend.

The bar where Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes wrote The Girl from Ipanema — still a proper neighbourhood boteco, still serving good caipirinhas, still worth a pilgrimage.

The best restaurant in Croatia — built into the old city walls, with tables literally overhanging the Adriatic. The cooking matches the view: serious Croatian produce, elegant execution.

The most authentic konoba (tavern) in the old city — the lamb peka (slow-cooked under an iron bell covered in embers) needs 24 hours notice but is the best thing you'll eat in Dubrovnik.

The most important restaurant in Miami's Cuban community since 1971 — every Cuban exile, every presidential candidate, and every Food Network host ends up at Versailles eventually.

Korean BBQ elevated to Michelin-star level — tableside grills, premium cuts, and a wine list that could hold its own at any serious Manhattan restaurant. The full butcher's feast is worth it.

Miami Beach institution since 1913 — Florida stone crab claws served cold with mustard sauce, only available October to May. The hash browns and key lime pie are as legendary as the crab.

Seminyak's iconic beach club — arrive at 4pm for a sunbed, stay for the DJ sets and cocktails at one of the world's best bars by the ocean.

The budget alternative to Ibu Oka — equally delicious, no queue, and a real local warung experience deep in Seminyak's back streets.

Caldera-edge dining in Oia with dramatic views. Worth the premium for the setting — grilled fish flown in daily from the mainland.

The best value on the island — a proper Greek mezze spread without caldera prices. Locals eat here. Hidden in Firostefani.

The island's best winery doubles as one of its best sunset bars. Free tastings, excellent wine shop, and a view that rivals any restaurant on the caldera.

Solo dining in private booths, customised broth intensity, and the best bowl of tonkotsu you'll ever eat. Queue is worth it — every Tokyo branch.

The Kill Bill restaurant, now an institution. Great yakitori, lively izakaya atmosphere, and a multi-storey bamboo interior that's genuinely spectacular.

The best introduction to authentic Maldivian cuisine — tuna-based dishes, coconut curries, and flatbreads made the traditional way on Maafushi local island.

The street food of Maafushi's main road — short eats at $0.50 each, fresh fish rolls, and sweet iced tea that beats anything sold at resort prices.

The walk-in wine bar sibling of the impossible-to-book Frenchie restaurant. First-come first-served — arrive at 6:30pm. Outstanding natural wine list.

The original home of the double-decker macaron since 1862. The Saint-Germain salon is the most beautiful — have the hot chocolate and don't rush.

Beautiful riverside location near Wat Arun, serving modern takes on Thai classics without tourist-trap prices. One of Bangkok's best views over the Chao Phraya.

Barcelona's oldest bar, open since 1820. Dust-covered bottles, peeling mirrors, and absinthe poured from unlabelled bottles. A time capsule in the Gothic Quarter.

The best all-round tapas bar in the Eixample — consistent, great terrace, proper Catalan pintxos and a very reasonable wine list. Always busy, worth the wait.

One of the few places in Dubai serving authentic Emirati food at non-luxury prices — breakfast here before hitting the Al Fahidi historic district next door.

The aperitivo bar of Rome's Prati neighbourhood — excellent natural wine, outstanding tramezzini (Italian tea sandwiches), and a terrace that fills every evening from 6pm.

The most inventive gelato in Rome — unconventional flavour combinations using only natural ingredients, no dairy option available for most. Multiple locations.

The Kyoto style of sushi is pressed (oshizushi), not Edomae — Izuju in Gion is the city's best, with mackerel saba sushi a completely different experience from Tokyo-style.

The best coffee shop in Kyoto — just outside Fushimi Inari shrine, making it the ideal stop before (or after) walking the 10,000 torii gates trail.

Sunday evening only — Thalang Road closes and fills with the best Phuket street food, local handicrafts, and musicians. More genuine than any tourist night market.

Amsterdam's most famous craft brewery inside a windmill — the IJwit wheat beer and Columbus IPA are outstanding. Tasting room open daily, terrace in summer.

A vast covered food market in De Pijp — 20+ stalls from ramen to raw bar to loaded fries. Perfect for groups with different tastes, buzzy until midnight.

Cape Town's most trusted steakhouse, open since 1964. South African grass-fed beef at its best — the dry-aged fillet with bordelaise sauce is the signature order.

The best Cape Malay cooking in the Bo-Kaap quarter — bobotie (spiced meat with egg topping), fragrant curries, and koeksisters sweet enough to end any meal well.

The West Village bar that influenced a generation of cocktail bars worldwide — classic-style drinks made seriously well, open until 3:30am, with a kitchen to match.

Lisbon's best-kept secret rooftop bar, hidden on the top floor of a multi-storey car park in Bairro Alto. Extraordinary Tagus views, affordable drinks, no reservation needed.

The petiscos bar that made Chiado cool — tiny, loud, and brilliant. Small plates of Portuguese flavours with a natural wine list that rivals anywhere in the city.

Ravello's beloved institution — Netta has been cooking the same dishes in the same dining room for 50 years. One of the last truly unchanged southern Italian trattorias.

The morning bar ritual on the Amalfi Coast — granita di caffè (semi-frozen coffee slush) with a brioche is the proper local breakfast, better than any hotel buffet.

Modern Moroccan cuisine on a rooftop in the medina — the food bridges traditional spices with contemporary plating, and the views over the rooftops are as good as anything in the city.

The most elegant rooftop bar in the medina — Italian-owned, with excellent wine (rare in Marrakech), cocktails mixed properly, and a Moroccan-Italian menu that actually works.

The birthplace of the Singapore Sling in 1915 — tourist trap? Absolutely. Worth doing anyway? Yes. The Sling is sweeter than expected but the colonial setting is magnificent.

Prague's coolest food truck park — a rotating cast of 20+ vendors in repurposed shipping containers near Florenc, open from spring to autumn with live DJs on weekends.

The most beautiful bar on the island — Art Nouveau interior, 100+ absinthes, and carefully researched pre-Prohibition cocktails in a narrow street of the old Dalt Vila.

The morning market in Ibiza Town's port area — local cheese, cured meats, and the island's signature ensaimada pastry, before the beach clubs take over the afternoon.

The best independent restaurant on Matira beach — no resort markup, proper Polynesian home cooking, and a beachside terrace that's the island's most beautiful budget dining spot.

The Galata Bridge fish sandwich boats are one of the great Istanbul street food experiences — fresh mackerel grilled on the boat and stuffed into bread with onion and lemon.

Queenstown's best craft beer bar — local and NZ-wide taps, excellent pub food, and a terrace on the main waterfront street that fills from 4pm every afternoon.

Modern NZ cuisine done without pretension — beautifully sourced South Island ingredients (venison, salmon, lamb) in a casual lakeside room with great wine by the glass.

The best ramen in Hawaii — a Chinatown Honolulu spot where the pork belly ramen is rich, the bao buns are pillowy, and the cocktail list is better than most dedicated bars.

Waikiki's best tiki bar — proper hand-crafted tiki cocktails (not the neon slushie versions), ocean views, and a kitchen that makes Hawaiian drinking food seriously well.

Hanoi's best bar — founded by a famous journalist and still the intellectual's hangout of the old quarter. Vietnamese spirits, interesting cocktails, and genuinely good small plates.

The best craft beer bar in Reykjavik — 20 taps of Icelandic and Scandinavian beers, friendly staff who explain every option, and bar food that's genuinely worth ordering.

The Roma neighbourhood's gourmet food market — less touristic than Mercado de Medellín, with excellent tacos, fresh juice, artisan mezcal stalls, and a great weekend atmosphere.

The best straightforward fish restaurant in Dubrovnik — away from the Old Town tourist traps, with Adriatic sea bass, mussels in white wine, and Dalmatian wine by the carafe.

A bar literally cut into the cliff face outside the city walls — find the hole in the wall, climb down, and drink cold beer on the rocks with the Adriatic 15 metres below. Unmissable.

A Calle Ocho landmark — the 1930s club where Billie Holiday played, now serving outstanding mojitos with live Latin music every night. The best nightlife bar in the city.