Top 10 best hotel restaurants in the world

Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.

Today (October 15, 2018): Top 10 best hotel restaurants in the world.

The times that hotel restaurants were seen as a last resort or a backup plan are gone. These days, ultraluxe properties are luring guests with Michelin starred restaurants that boast exceptional settings and world-class cuisine. Here are my ten favorite hotel restaurants from around the world, and they all have one thing in common: their stunning, world-class fine dining venues will blow you off your feet with a tantalizing gastronomic fantasy.

There is more information below the slideshow. Think I missed one? Share your favorite hotel restaurant in the comments section, or take my poll below!

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10. THE LIVINGSTONE ROOM, THE VICTORIA FALLS HOTEL, ZIMBABWE

The classically elegant Edwardian-style Livingstone Room, which was totally refurbished in 2013, seats 120 and opens only for dinner. The opulent restaurant is located in the portion of the Victoria Falls Hotel which was built between 1914 and 1917. It consistently sets the benchmark for fine dining in Africa and features a la carte and a seven-course degustation menu. The latter includes thyme chicken rillettes accompanied by bacon and tarragon with cauliflower piccalilli and pecan bread.

• Restaurant website: The Livingstone Room
• Tip: get complimentary VIP perks at the Victoria Falls Hotel when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and one way airport transfer).

9. GB ROOF GARDEN, GRANDE BRETAGNE HOTEL, ATHENS, GREECE

The GB Roof Garden is located on the rooftop floor of the Grande Bretagne Hotel, offering uninterrupted views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the Parliament. The restaurant menu exudes “new Mediterranean cuisine” created by Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis and his team. The “slow cooking” method – at low temperature and for many hours – finds its perfect expression in the gastronomic delights of the Chef as well as the excellent raw materials and workmanship reflected in each bite.

• Restaurant website: GB Rooftop restaurant
• Other accolades: Hotel Grande Bretagne features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels & resorts in Greece.
• Tip: get complimentary VIP perks at Grande Bretagne Hotel when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and one complimentary à la carte lunch for two).
• Review: read my review of Grande Bretagne Hotel here.

8. ALTITUDE RESTAURANT, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

The floor-to-ceiling windows at the 36th-floor Altitude Restaurant present outstanding Sydney Harbour views as an accompaniment to the finest contemporary Australian cuisine. The delicious creations from Altitude’s kitchen aim to take dining to another level with inventive dishes that play with textures, temperatures and contrasting but complementing tastes. A highlight is the Japanese Black Wagyu striploin, served with pear braised beef cheeks, beetroot, pumpkin, parsnip, and miso glazed eggplant.

• Restaurant website: Altitude Restaurant
• Tip: get complimentary VIP perks at Shangri-La Sydney when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, fresh fruit plate, and $100 USD food credit).

7. THE BAZAAR, SLS BEVERLY HILLS, USA

Aptly named, The Bazaar is a tapestry of magical dining experiences set in an indoor piazza designed by Philippe Starck. From cocktails that bellow with smoke to inventive tapas such as spherified olives, SLS Culinary Director Chef José Andrés’ pioneering creations define why they’re called the culinary arts. The Bazaar takes you on a wild sensory adventure, blending modern Spanish tapas with avant-garde delights in a bold, multifaceted atmosphere where anything is possible.

• Restaurant website: The Bazaar
• Other accolades: SLS Beverly Hills also features in my top 10 list of the world’s most spectacular rooftop pools.
• Tip: get complimentary VIP perks at SLS Beverly Hills when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD food credit).

6. BOUGAINVILLE, HOTEL TWENTYSEVEN, AMSTERDAM

Led by Executive Chef Tim Golsteijn – Hollands rising star – restaurant Bougainville is located in Amsterdam’s sensational new TwentySeven Hotel. The venue is a destination unto itself, offering a unique gastronomic experience, complemented by an elegant setting and a panoramic view of the city’s Dam Square. The menu features traditional European cuisine, influenced by subtle Latin American and Far Eastern touches. All wines are hand-picked by wine director Lendl Mijnhijmer, who won the Trophee Henriot 2018, which makes him the best sommelier of The Netherlands.

• Restaurant website: Bougainville

5. WAKU GHIN, MARINA BAY SANDS, SINGAPORE

The most sought-after table at Singapore’s famous Marina Bay Sands hotel is at Waku Ghin by chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, regarded as one of Australia’s finest chefs, showcases his culinary flair by combining the freshest Australian seasonal produce with the French culinary arts and Japanese-style presentation. You can indulge in marinated botan shrimp with sea urchin and oscietra caviar and Japanese ohmi wagyu steak from Shiga Prefecture with wasabi and citrus soy.

• Restaurant website: Waku Ghin
• Other accolades: Marina Bay Sands features in my top 10 lists of the most Instagrammable hotels in the world, the world’s most amazing hotel pools, the world’s best urban resorts, the world’s best hotel rooftops, and the best hotels in Singapore.
• Review: read my review of Marina Bay Sands here.

4. FELIX, THE PENINSULA HONG KONG, CHINA

Sweeping views of Hong Kong’s dramatic cityscape captivate diners at the 28th floor Felix restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel, created by avant-garde designer Philippe Starck. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out on the city’s neon skyline, Victoria Harbour ships, and the bustling shopping district of Kowloon. The contemporary menu features fresh seasonal dishes such as crab salad and tuna tartar with dandelion salad, slow-cooked sea bass with black shrimp mousse, and grilled Australian lamb.

• Restaurant website: Felix
• Other accolades: The Peninsula Hong Kong also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels in Hong Kong, the world’s most amazing restaurants with a view, and luxury hotels with private helipads and airports.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP perks at the Peninsula Hong Kong when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD resort credit).

3. EPICURE, LE BRISTOL PARIS, FRANCE

Le Bristol Paris is a bastion of gastronomic excellence built on the true values of craftsmanship, with three Michelin stars awarded to its highly exclusive restaurant Epicure. Here, the celebrated chef Eric Frechon has created a temple of gastronomy that is absolutely French. His macaroni stuffed with black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras, gratinéed with aged Parmesan is an unforgettable dish that people travel to Paris to experience.

• Restaurant website: Epicure
• Other accolades: The Bristol also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels in Paris.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g.room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD spa credit).

2. DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL’S, MANDARIN ORIENTAL LONDON, UK

Inspired by Heston Blumenthal’s fascination with historic gastronomy, Dinner is one of the world’s most celebrated restaurants. First conceived in the late 1990s, the idea for Dinner sprung from Heston’s fascination with the savoury ice creams of the late 1800s, the theatre of the Tudor dining experience and the dishes featured in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The Mandarin Oriental London is temporarily closed following a fire last June, but the restaurant will reopen on December 4th.

• Restaurant website: Dinner by Heston Bluemnthal’s
• Other accolades: The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels in London.

1. OUT OF THE BLUE, SONEVA FUSHI, MALDIVES

During all my years of traveling around the world, I have always enjoyed the most exquisite food at the private island resort of Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. The resort’s stunning two-storey overwater structure houses five unique dining outlets and a bar and cellar. Here, guests can feast on the creations of top chefs from around the world in intimate settings. Out of the Blue’s most exclusive dining venue is ‘Once Upon a Table’, a horseshoe-shaped table that seats just eight diners for an intimate dining experience. Throughout the year many of the world’s top chefs will hold court here.

Contact me to get a room upgrade + resort credit + free Soneva experience at Soneva Fushi.

• Restaurant website: Out Of The Blue
• Other accolades: Soneva Fushi features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury resorts in the Maldives, the most astonishing beach retreats in Asia, the best family hotels in the world, the world’s most insanely beautiful hotel beaches, and the best resorts in the Maldives for snorkeling.
• Tip: get free VIP perks when booking Soneva Fushi via Virtuoso (e.g. villa upgrade, breakfast, early check-in , late check-out, welcome Champagne with Maldivian tapas on arrival, one lunch for two, original handcrafted arrival and departure mementos, shoreline beach dinner, private sunset sailing by Dhoni at Baa Atoll, and a cooking class for two).
• Review: read my review of Soneva Fushi here.

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