30 cities. The same standard.
Places worth an evening, a long lunch or a good coffee. Compare menus, atmosphere and practical details before you choose.
Pick a city
Choose your city, then narrow the guide by neighbourhood, cuisine and occasion.
Istanbul
The taste guide for cosmopolitan Istanbul.
Bodrum
Where Istanbul cosmopolitans go in summer.
Çeşme
The Çeşme peninsula, stone-village Alaçatı, the Çeşme-town and Ilıca tables, Dalyan’s fishing harbour and the windsurf bay: the slower Aegean.
London
The London chapter for Istanbul cosmopolitans, where to actually book on your next trip.
Munich
The Munich chapter, where to book for Oktoberfest, business trips, and the Bavarian classics worth the seat.
Paris
The Paris chapter for Istanbul cosmopolitans, where to actually book on your next trip.
Berlin
The Berlin chapter, three-star tables in Mitte, the döner question in Kreuzberg, and the rooms Berliners actually book.
Vienna
Vienna for the Istanbul cosmopolitan, the Habsburg coffee house, the three-star room, and the streets where both make sense.
Athens
Athens for the Aegean basin reader, Spondi, the modern Greek wave, and the Smyrna refugee canon İstanbullular still recognise.
Milan
The Milan chapter, the neo-trattoria wave, the aperitivo that invented the genre, and the tables worth booking on a work trip.
Madrid
The Madrid chapter, Europe's best value for substance: La Latina tabernas, the Ponzano gastro corridor, and a DiverXO ceiling.
Barcelona
The Barcelona chapter, Catalan substance behind the Gaudí crowds: El Born vermuterias, the Eixample's modernista dining rooms, and a Disfrutar ceiling.
Lisbon
The Lisbon chapter, Portuguese substance beyond the miradouros: Chiado tascas, the new wave, and a Belcanto ceiling.
Amsterdam
The Amsterdam chapter, Dutch substance beyond the canals: De Pijp wine bars, the brown-cafe ritual, the new-Dutch wave, and a Michelin ceiling.
Nice
The Nice chapter, Niçoise substance beyond the Promenade: Vieux Nice family kitchens, the cours Saleya market, and a Mirazur-grade Riviera ceiling.
Crete
The Crete chapter, island-wide Cretan substance: Chania’s Splantzia back-lanes, Heraklion’s farm-to-table tables, Rethymno old town, and a Peskesi-grade ceiling.
İzmir
The İzmir chapter, Aegean substance the city keeps for itself: Alsancak meyhanes, the Kemeraltı bazaar, Karşıyaka, and the Urla wine-route ceiling (Vino Locale, OD).
Rome
The Rome chapter, the Romans' own table: Testaccio quinto-quarto, Trastevere trattorie, and the new-wave kitchens past the monument perimeter.
Florence
The Florence chapter, behind the Uffizi queue: Oltrarno trattorie, natural-wine rooms and the living Tuscan canon, the brand-tourism tables left out.
Mallorca
The Mallorca chapter, island substance past the beach clubs: Palma's Santa Catalina and old-town rooms, the Tramuntana tables of Deià and Sóller, and a Voro-grade ceiling.
Marbella
The Marbella chapter, substance behind the Puerto Banús flash: Old Town tabernas, the Golden Mile dining rooms, and a Skina-grade ceiling.
Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast chapter, Capri to Ravello past the Piazzetta traps: the storied trattorie, the cliffside Michelin rooms, and a Don Alfonso-grade ceiling.
Santorini
The Santorini chapter, substance behind the caldera-view sunset rooms: the merit kitchens of Selene and Varoulko, inland Exo Gonia tables, and the Assyrtiko wineries.
Sardinia
The Sardinia chapter, substance past the Costa Smeralda yacht-set: Porto Cervo's serious kitchens, Gallura agriturismi, and the Cagliari and Carloforte tables.
Lyon
The Lyon chapter, France's gastronomic capital past the tourist bouchons: the real Vieux Lyon institutions, the Mères and Bocuse legacy, and a Mère Brazier-grade ceiling.
San Sebastián
The San Sebastián chapter, the world's densest dining city past the Parte Vieja crush: the pintxos canon done right, the Getaria grills, and an Arzak-grade ceiling.
Porto
The Porto chapter, Douro substance past the Ribeira strip: the Matosinhos seafood grills, the port-lodge dining rooms, and a Yeatman-grade ceiling.
Thessaloniki
The Thessaloniki chapter, Greece's year-round food capital: the market mezedopoleia, the Asia-Minor and Pontic kitchens, and the new-wave Aegean table.
Naples
The Naples chapter, the real city past the tourist-menu pizzerie: the pizza canon, the Chiaia and Posillipo seafood institutions, and a George-grade ceiling.
Emilia-Romagna
The Emilia-Romagna chapter, Italy's larder anchored in Bologna: the handmade-sfoglia trattorie, the Parma and Modena producers, and an Osteria Francescana ceiling.
How we curate
We favour good cooking, character and a reason to return. Menu sources and dates are shown where available; confirm current prices, hours and bookings with the venue.