Must-see restaurants in Mediterranean Europe

  • Outside Trastevere gelateria Fior di Luna.

    Fior di Luna

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    The perfect place to go for handmade gelato in Rome.

  • DiverXO is a high-end, avant-garde tasting menus served on outré dishware in a sleek, modern dining room.

    DiverXo

    Madrid

    Madrid's only three-Michelin-starred restaurant, DiverXo in northern Madrid is one of Spain's most unusual culinary experiences. Chef David Muñoz is…

  • Mercado de San Miguel is a covered market in Madrid, Spain located in the downtown area next to the Plaza Mayor. It is the most famous market in Madrid with tapas.

    Mercado de San Miguel

    Madrid

    This is one of Madrid’s oldest and most beautiful markets, within early-20th-century glass walls and an inviting space strewn with tables. You can order…

  • Una patata che vuole diventare Tarfuto

    Osteria Francescana

    Modena

    Reserve months in advance (or pray for a waiting-list miracle) at this fabled 12-table restaurant, where reimagined Italian fare is art and tasting menus…

  • Enigma is a unique, daring and unusual restaurant has raised its game once again with its focus on technical excellence and, above all, a desire to amaze its guests.

    Enigma

    Barcelona

    Resembling a 3D art installation, this conceptual Michelin-star creation from the famed Adrià brothers is a 40-course tour de force of cutting-edge…

  • Inside restaurant Rimessa Roscioli

    Rimessa Roscioli

    Centro Storico

    Rimessa is particularly geared to wine lovers, but the food is good too.

  • Lasarte is a sophisticated locale for creative, artfully arranged dishes, with tasting menus & wine pairings.

    Lasarte

    L'Eixample

    One of Barcelona's preeminent restaurants – and its first to gain three Michelin stars (in 2016) – Lasarte is overseen by lauded chef Martín Berasategui…

  • Disfrutar is an experimental tasting menus emphasizes Mediterranean seafood in an airy, upscale dining room.

    Disfrutar

    L'Eixample

    Two-Michelin-star Disfrutar ('Enjoy') is among the city's finest restaurants. Run by alumni of Ferran Adrià's game-changing El Bulli, nothing is as it…

  • Trattoria da Amerigo

    Emilia-Romagna

    Emilia-Romagna's best dining experience awaits in truffle territory. In the small village of Savigno, a 30km detour west of Bologna, this fantastic…

  • Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890

    Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi

    Don Alsonso is as much an experience as a meal – and a world-class one at that. Not only is the food exquisite, creative and true to its Sorrentino roots;…

  • El Jardín del Califa

    Vejer de la Frontera

    Sizzling atmosphere and flawless cooking combine at this beautiful restaurant hidden within a cavernous 16th-century, Moorish-origin house where even…

  • Concettina Ai Tre Santi

    Naples

    Head in by noon (or 7.30pm at dinner) to avoid a long wait at this hot-spot pizzeria, made famous thanks to its young, driven pizzaiolo Ciro Oliva. The…

  • Ristorante La Caravella

    Amalfi

    A restaurant of artists, art and artistry, Caravella once hosted Andy Warhol. No surprise that it doubles up as a de-facto gallery with frescoes, creative…

  • Il Leccio

    Val d'Orcia

    Sometimes simple dishes are the hardest to perfect. And perfection is the only term to use when discussing this trattoria in Brunello heartland. Watching…

  • El Celler de Can Roca

    Girona

    Ever-changing avant-garde takes on Catalan dishes have catapulted El Celler de Can Roca to global fame. Holding three Michelin stars, it was named one of…

  • Da Vittorio

    Bergamo

    Bergamo's Vittorio is set in a country house 9km east of town and, with over 50 years and three Michelin stars under its belt, is up there with the best…

  • Casa Victor Montes

    Bilbao

    The 1849-built Victor Montes attracts numerous luminaries but locals also appreciate its exquisite gilding, marble and frescoes, 1000-strong wine list and…

  • El Portal

    Alicante

    Excellent in every way, this plush corner spot sports deliberately OTT decor that changes biannually but is always interesting. Grab a table or squeeze up…

  • Restaurante La Meancera

    Extremadura

    Now here's something special. In remote El Gasco, La Meancera has classy, intimate decor (white wooden furnishings, an open kitchen) and fabulous food,…

  • Taverna Mylos

    Dodecanese

    If there's one reason to visit Leros, it's to eat here, one of the best restaurants in the Dodecanese. Run by two passionate and knowledgeable brothers,…

  • To Paradosiakon

    Dodecanese

    This patisserie and ice-cream bar, housed in an historic Italianate mansion on the waterfront, provides a sweet-toothed experience like no other. The…

  • Il Santo Bevitore

    Oltrarno

    Reserve or arrive right on 7.30pm to snag the last table at this ever-popular address, an ode to stylish dining where gastronomes eat by candlelight in a…

  • Seta

    Milan

    Smooth as the silk after which it's named, Seta is Michelin-starred dining at its best: beautiful, inventive and full of flavour surprises. Diners sit on…

  • Ergon House Agora

    Syntagma & Plaka

    A superb addition to Athens' culinary landscape is this deli, cafe and restaurant occupying a gorgeously designed atrium space flooded with light. There…

  • Kiniras Garden

    Pafos

    This family-run restaurant (for four generations) is a green oasis, with trees, statues and trickling waterfalls. Owner Georgios is passionate about his…

  • Colline Emiliane

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Serving sensational regional cuisine from Emilia-Romagna, this restaurant has been operated by the Latini family since 1931. Our three recommendations…

  • La Torre degli Aquila

    Pavia

    It is almost worth a trip to Pavia just to eat in Dimo and Maria's medieval tower. Although rooted in tradition (farming sickles and antique pots adorn…

  • Marco Polo Cafe

    Rhodes Town

    Despite being barely visible, or even signed, from the street, this irresistible dinner-only restaurant is filled nightly, with diners savouring exquisite…

  • Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia

    Milan

    Started by Aimo and Nadia Moroni in 1962 as a simple trattoria, it’s now one of the most revered restaurants in town, with two-Michelin stars to its name…

  • Yöruk Restaurant

    Turquoise Coast

    Just after the bridge into Çıralı, this is the best place for Turkish food: behind a counter heaving with mezes and seafood, the open kitchen turns out…

  • El Greco

    Dodecanese

    Offering tables right on the beach or on a thatch-roofed terrace, this stylish taverna prepares up-to-the-minute versions of traditional seafood cuisine…

  • CousinA

    Ikaria

    A short walk from the main square, this tiny but outstanding eatery ventures well beyond the Ikarian mainstream, upgrading traditional Greek food to the…

  • Quique Dacosta

    Dénia

    In sleek, white, minimalist premises near the beach 3km west of Dénia, this coolly handsome place is one of the peninsula's temples to modern gastronomy…

  • Sobrino de Botín is a Spanish restaurant in Madrid, The artist Francisco de Goya worked in Café Botín as a waiter while waiting to get accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The restaurant is mentioned in an Ernest Hemingway novel and the book Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós.

    Restaurante Sobrino de Botín

    Madrid

    It’s not every day that you can eat in the oldest restaurant in the world (as recognised by the Guinness Book of Records – established in 1725). The…

  • Mont Bar in Barcelona Artfully presented tapas using seasonal produce, plus an extensive wine list, in a refined setting.

    Mont Bar

    L'Eixample

    Named for the owner's Val d’Aran hometown, this stylish space with black-and-white floors, pine-green booths and bottle-lined walls offers next-level…

  • Casa Lucio in Madrid has rustic Spanish cuisine, including egg dishes & bull's tail stew, in a quaint spot opened in 1974.

    Casa Lucio

    La Latina & Lavapiés

    Casa Lucio is a Madrid classic and has been wowing madrileños since 1974 with its light touch, quality ingredients and home-style local cooking such as…

  • Trattoria Bertozzi in Bologna, Italy

    Trattoria Bertozzi

    Bologna

    Often touted as Bologna's best restaurant by in-the-know culinarians – especially locals – this unassuming neighbourhood trattoria is both a rousing good…

  • The interior of Trattoria Ermes in Modena.

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    Trattoria Ermes

    Modena

    In business since 1963, this fabulous, affordable little lunch spot is tucked into a single wood-panelled room at the northern edge of downtown Modena…

  • Felice a Testaccio in Rome is a venerable & celebrated trattoria with a simple, bare-brick interior, dedicated to Roman cooking.

    Felice a Testaccio

    San Giovanni & Testaccio

    This neighbourhood trattoria is renowned for its unswerving dedication to Roman soul food. Though its decor is contemporary, the menu is unrelentingly old…

  • Tapas served in the restaurant Estado Puro (Paco Roncero), Madrid, Spain

    Estado Puro

    Madrid

    A slick but casual tapas bar, Estado Puro serves up fantastic tapas, that push the boundaries of traditional recipes. It's known for many things, among…