Though it ultimately all comes down to the food, most of us look for stunning interiors, an exceptional location and an incredible ambience to match the plates set in front of us when choosing a restaurant. We've scoured the globe to bring you some of the world's most beautiful dining spaces, from the super modern and ultra luxe to the romantic and whimsical.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 32 stunning restaurants we should all add to our bucket lists – counting down to the most breathtaking of all.
Our selections and ranking are based on genuine reviews and ratings, as well as on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team.
Traditional and modern Brazilian design come together at Tuju, where a vertical garden extends through the restaurant’s multiple floors. With industrial style but plenty of warmth, the space features modern artwork and, outside, a mural of the restaurant’s namesake (the short-tailed nighthawk, a native nocturnal bird). On the menu of this Michelin-starred restaurant, which changes every few months, diners can expect seasonal Brazilian flavours, served from an open kitchen.
Tucked away underneath Brooklyn Bridge, The River Café and its view are hard to compete against. Set right on the banks of the East River, the restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows, exposing a stunning panorama of Lower Manhattan across the water. Fabulous to look at at any time of the day, the view can be paired with breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and is complemented by romantic interiors, flower arrangements and live piano music inside.
With a view that's hard to beat, Sydney's Altitude restaurant is located within the upscale Shangri-La hotel. Towering 36 levels above Sydney Harbour, the floor-to-ceiling windows give the impression that diners are floating through air as they take in spectacular views of some of the most iconic Australian landmarks, Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The food is equally incredible, bringing together some of the best ingredients Australia has to offer.
A sun-filled room (on a clear day) with high ceilings and views over the kitchen garden, The Green Barn Restaurant is relaxed and welcoming, but it's no less beautiful for it. The restaurant is part of Burton House & Gardens, a stunning early Georgian villa surrounded by parkland. Within the rustic yet contemporary interior of the barn, guests can enjoy seasonal, sustainable cooking – look out for dishes such as avocado bruschetta for brunch and Irish venison steak for dinner.
Often described as the experience of a lifetime, dinner at chef Thomas Keller's famous establishment is a parade of signature dishes, arriving as part of a nine-course tasting menu. However, the restaurant's food is so incredible, its stunning setting often goes unmentioned. Nestled in a historic steam laundry, The French Laundry welcomes its guests through a sequence of manicured gardens that lead to indoor and outdoor dining areas. There, wrap-around windows allow diners to peek inside the sprawling kitchen, while the courtyard's ever-changing flowers signal the seasons.
Situated 16 feet (5m) below sea level, Ithaa is the world's first all-glass undersea restaurant. A panoramic dining experience like no other, the eatery's minimalistic décor lets its unusual surroundings shine, with sharks, stingrays and colourful fish keeping guests company. The food is, unsurprisingly, very seafood centric – Ithaa's menu features dishes like Maldivian lobster carpaccio and blackened scallops.
Effortlessly cool, there are lots of little quirks to love about The Refuge. The beating heart of Kimpton Clocktower, a hotel set in a Grade II-listed Victorian Gothic Revival building that was designed in 1891, The Refuge incorporates plenty of original detail. Large brass pendant lights hang from the coved ceilings, the heritage tiling is complemented by elegant and muted colours in the upholstery, and modern murals with slogans like 'The Glamour of Manchester' adorn the walls. Modern British dishes with local and global influences grace the menu, from Patagonia red prawns to lamb suet pudding.
A five-hour dining experience in a former warehouse in Copenhagen, Alchemist is a genuine feast for the senses. The windowless restaurant is completely sealed off from natural light, and the 50-course tasting menu is served in what feels like a futuristic planetarium, with an enormous 22,000 square-foot (2,043sqm) dome. Immersive projections feature everything from underwater worlds with floating jellyfish to the Northern Lights and outer space, while the dishes, like cod jaw with edible plastic, highlight widely discussed issues.
A throwback to the sultry parlours of days gone by, this elegant Berlin establishment seduces with deep-red walls, plush sofas, subtle lighting and accents of gold throughout. Oozing 1920s vibes, Golden Phoenix is set within the Hotel Provocateur, and its chef, Duc Ngo, serves an enticing mix of what the restaurant calls 'otherworldly French Chinese culinary creations'. Parisian cabarets serve as the inspiration for the intimate and cosy space, created by Dutch interior designer Saar Zafrir.
Even in a city as beautiful as Rome, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better location for a restaurant. Situated on top of a 17th-century palace, Michelin-starred Ristorante Aroma has the Eternal City in its palm. Here, guests dine on seasonally inspired Italian cuisine with the Colosseum and Emperor Nero's gardens for company.
Nautika isn't only one of Dubrovnik’s best restaurants, but it's one of its best looking, too. Chairs and tables are scattered along the walls of the Dubrovnik School of Maritime Studies, offering impressive views of the historic fortresses of Lovrijenac and Bokar. The menu focuses on seafood, which is brought in fresh from the Adriatic each morning.
Located on the second level of Paris' famous Eiffel Tower, Le Jules Verne is arguably the city's most breathtaking restaurant. With a view over the city 410 feet (125m) above ground, this place isn't just a novelty because of its one-of-a-kind location. The restaurant received a Michelin star in 2021 for its 'delicate, flawlessly crafted food' – and it picked up an impressive second star in 2024.
Lauded as the city's (and often the world's) most romantic restaurant, dining at Clos Maggiore feels like stepping into another world. White cherry blossom canopies adorn the ceilings in the dining room and the conservatory, which also has a retractable roof for alfresco summer dinners. The food – a contemporary take on classic French cuisine – is just as elegant.
Located in the stunning Leela Palace in Udaipur, Sheesh Mahal is set across two levels overlooking Pichola Lake. The open-air restaurant features plenty of eye-catching detail, like stunning tile work and embroidered umbrellas. Traditional Rajasthani cuisine is on offer, served under the stars and illuminated by candlelight.
Set in the lush Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden hotel, Botànic's ethos of horticultural eating is reflected through its interiors. Housed in a 16th-century mansion, the restaurant has ivy creeping along its walls and bird cages hanging from its ceilings, and it's decorated in regal shades of sage, blush and blue. Many of the ingredients served here are grown in the chef's garden, but the largely plant-based menu still has a couple of surprises for carnivores too, from marinated Iberian pork to red prawns.
Part of the exquisite Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano, La Sponda looks like it's been plucked straight out of a fairy tale. The romantic Michelin-starred restaurant features arched floor-to-ceiling windows and vine-coated ceilings, and 400 candles illuminate the dining room. Overlooking Positano and the Amalfi Coast, the restaurant's menu focuses on fresh, local ingredients, as well as the culinary traditions of Naples and the famous coast.
The arched stained-glass windows at Reine & La Rue are sure to catch your eye immediately. French marble columns and intricate moulding add to the drama in this restaurant, housed in what was once Melbourne’s stock exchange. It has been lovingly restored to create a space fit for showcasing modern French dining using locally sourced ingredients. Beef tartare, a potato and Comté cheese terrine and a frozen coconut meringue are some of the dishes on the menu, which incorporates both old and new ingredients and cooking methods.
Fans of clean, simple lines and perfect symmetry will feel right at home at Odette, in Singapore's National Gallery. Elegant and sleek, it's an excellent example of less being a lot more. A colour palette of blush, ivory and powder pink is matched with accents in gold and marble – and the glass kitchen, where guests can watch their (modern French) food being cooked, is equally streamlined.
Sky Bistro charms with its simplistic yet sleek interior, but it's the jaw-dropping view that makes it a truly special dining experience – the restaurant is located at the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. Diners ascend via a gondola to nearly 8,000 feet (2,281m) above sea level, where they can take in the snowy tips and grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The menu is inspired by the restaurant's location in western Canada and features lots of local and seasonal produce.
The sweeping views of the Salzach valley afforded from Oberforsthof Alm may have won the restaurant awards, but the interiors are equally stunning. The wood-framed building keeps things au naturel, with just a few decorations – think hunting trophies and wildflowers – for good measure. Long wooden tables encourage communal eating and, of course, the floor-to-ceiling windows don’t hurt, either. The menu mixes local and international flavours, from sushi to Wienerschnitzel, and the service is award winning, too.
This breathtaking cliffside fine dining restaurant is the most sought-after dinner location in Los Cabos. Part of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, El Farallon (meaning a rock that comes out of the ocean) offers fresh fish caught daily by local fishermen. Those who eat here can take in views that span across the Pacific Ocean, as well as across the mountainous terrain inland.
AMMO is a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant in Hong Kong, and its mix of interiors is as enticing as its food. Inspired by the 1965 film Alphaville, the award-winning restaurant sits in what can only be described as a glass box in a former explosives site. With deconstructed spiral staircases for chandeliers, copper piping, and leather upholstery in earthy tones, there's lots to love about this restaurant.
On Australia's Central Coast, about an hour's drive from Sydney, Saddles overlooks a dam and is surrounded by thick, sepia-toned bush landscape. The cowboy ranch theme here totally fits, and the grand sandstone fireplaces and leather saddles for bar stools only add to the charm. The food is equally unpretentious but satisfying, with dishes like whole roast chicken and meat pies making an appearance on the menu.
Nestled in Zürich’s charming old town, Zunfthaus zur Waag has been welcoming diners since 1636. Its bright and fresh interiors help keep tradition alive, with cool blue and white panelling, upholstered wooden chairs and classic white tablecloths. Views over the Münsterhof square, including the Fraumünster church (featuring stained glass by Russian French artist Marc Chagall), delight diners whether they’re inside or out. The food is refined Zürcher fare, from fried whitefish to veal and potato rösti.
Circolo Popolare is a popular London haunt but, when you experience its picture-perfect interiors and silky pasta dishes, you'll feel like you're on a sun-drenched terrace in Italy rather than in Fitzrovia – after all, it's designed to recreate the 'warm ambience of typical Sicilian weddings'. Dishes fly out of the kitchen on brightly painted plates, pasta is served tableside after it's twisted in a massive wheel of molten Parmesan, and fairy light–packed wisteria and orange trees cover the ceiling. It might be a little kitsch, but it's definitely a lot of fun.
Deserts have a reputation for being inhospitable places, but diners get nothing less than the best service and food at Suhail restaurant. Located in Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort in the United Arab Emirates, the restaurant offers an international menu of food that, put quite simply, tastes amazing. Meals are served on the rooftop under the stars, where guests can admire the views across miles of undulating sand dunes.
A fine dining oasis in West Hollywood, The Little Door offers the ambience of a secret hideout. With gorgeous, Mediterranean-inspired décor, the restaurant whisks diners away to another world not only with its interiors, but with its food as well. Light and uplifting dishes like Portuguese shrimp, hamachi crudo (yellowtail sashimi) and heirloom tomatoes with burrata are best enjoyed out in the courtyard, where candles, fairy lights and lush greenery create a truly magical dining environment.
Originally built for the Exposition Universelle in 1900, Paris' Le Train Bleu is still one of the city's most exquisite and charming places to eat. Set in the Gare de Lyon train station, the opulent restaurant was a favourite of Coco Chanel and Brigitte Bardot, and it's easy to see why – gilded frames and carvings, large-scale murals and grand chandeliers all add to the sumptuous atmosphere.
Deemed Bangkok's finest (and highest) restaurant, Sirocco at Lebua Hotel is vertigo inducing. Set 63 floors above the sprawling city, the award-winning restaurant is not only popular for its exquisite cuisine, but also for its panoramic views. A live jazz band adds to a moonlit dinner experience that brings together the aromas and flavours of the Mediterranean.
A taste of 18th-century Russia, Turandot in Moscow feels like it belongs in an entirely different era. Reminiscent of a grand opera house, with fountains, pillars and marble replicas of ancient statues, its grand staircases lead through golden archways to balconies overlooking the dining room. Both the walls and ceiling are adorned with beautiful paintings and murals. The menu has a heavy Asian influence, borrowing ideas from all over – think Vietnamese spring rolls, Japanese sushi and Chinese-style beef in black pepper sauce.
Playful and theatrical, no two areas at sketch are the same – and even the toilets resemble pods on a spacecraft. The Gallery (pictured) has undergone a series of transformations over the years (from mismatched furniture to candyfloss-pink décor), but it's currently decked out in golden tones. Meanwhile, The Glade has been reimagined as a mythical forest, with a fluffy carpet resembling the forest floor, and The Lecture Room is resplendent in sunset colours. The food here is as beguiling as the interiors, bagging The Lecture Room an impressive three Michelin stars.
This two-Michelin-starred restaurant is located within the glamorous Hôtel Meurice in Paris, with rooms inspired by the Salon de la Paix at the Palace of Versailles – and the restaurant's décor isn't far off in terms of lavishness. Dishes are created with the seal of approval of the renowned chef Alain Ducasse, famed for his technical skills and traditional French haute cuisine, meaning the menu matches the palatial surroundings perfectly.
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Last updated by Laura Ellis.