Destination restaurants worth traveling across the world for
Restaurants That Turn the Journey Into Part of Dinner
Qwenews.com – The most memorable meals are sometimes shaped as much by the trip as by the food. A long drive through open country, a coastal arrival by boat or a stay in a remote resort can set the tone before a menu is even opened. In destinations where local ingredients, scenery and hospitality are closely connected, the restaurant becomes a compelling reason to travel.
From New Mexico wilderness to Tuscany’s shore and London’s Mayfair, these dining experiences pair a sense of place with distinctive cooking. Some are reached after hours on the road; others sit in celebrated holiday enclaves. All make the setting an important part of what arrives at the table.
Vermejo, New Mexico
Reaching Vermejo requires commitment. The luxury resort occupies the former home of Ted Turner, the late founder of CNN, within his enormous private reserve in New Mexico. Unless guests arrive by private plane, access is by car from Albuquerque or Denver. Each route takes nearly four hours, though the drives reveal striking Southwestern scenery along the way.
Its scale is central to the appeal. Vermejo spans 780 square miles of unspoiled land, an area more than 650 times larger than Central Park, with virtually no surrounding development. That space makes outdoor eating feel especially fitting, whether the occasion is breakfast around a fire, a polished dinner beside a lake, a picnic or a fish fry.
The food reflects both comfort and freshness. Diners may find bison sliders, cornbread, salads made with greenhouse-grown produce, trout caught shortly before cooking and rich house-made potato chips. After hiking, fishing or looking for bison, an evening can end with s’mores toasted beneath a star-filled sky. Here, dinner is closely tied to the day spent outdoors.
Puna at Nekajui, Costa Rica
On Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo, Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, sits amid a landscape alive with monkeys, sloths and iguanas. Costa Rica is roughly the size of West Virginia yet contains 10% of the world’s biodiversity, making the natural environment impossible to separate from the experience of visiting.
The resort has eight places to dine, with Italian and Japanese options among them. Puna stands out for its Latin American cooking under acclaimed chef Diego Muñoz. Its approach emphasizes ingredients sourced very close to the resort, an especially relevant choice in a region defined by its ecological richness. Sauces, condiments and baked goods are all prepared in-house.
A roasted shrimp ceviche is served with leche de tigre, the vibrant citrus-and-spice mixture associated with the dish.
“Tiger’s milk”
Other dishes include risotto featuring charred baby corn, while desserts focus on fruit from the region. The menu offers travelers a direct culinary connection to Costa Rica’s produce and flavors without losing the polished character expected at a luxury retreat.
Marias in Forte dei Marmi, Italy
Forte dei Marmi is among Tuscany’s most exclusive summer destinations, known for its stylish coastal atmosphere and families who return season after season. It can be reached by a drive of about three hours from Milan, although visitors arriving by yacht can use the town’s marina.
Restaurateurs Jason and Irha Atherton, whose restaurants have earned acclaim in the United Kingdom and Dubai, have brought their hospitality to Principessa Forte dei Marmi, a boutique hotel with 36 suites. Their poolside restaurant, Marias, is positioned close to the shimmering Tyrrhenian Sea, so seafood naturally takes center stage.
Fish and shellfish are purchased each day from the market in nearby Livorno and treated with restraint. Sweet langoustines are wood-fired, then served with confit garlic and lemon. Handmade linguine is paired with local clams. The cooking lets the quality of the coastal ingredients do most of the talking, which suits a place where the sea is visible from the table.
Bonheur by Matt Abé, London
In London, Bonheur by Matt Abé quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after reservations after receiving two Michelin stars less than three months after opening. Such an early achievement is rare and has helped make the Mayfair restaurant a major draw for diners seeking a special-occasion meal.
The location brings its own history. Bonheur occupies the former home of Le Gavroche, the famous restaurant once favored by figures including Charlie Chaplin and Queen Elizabeth II. The building therefore connects a new chapter in London dining to one of the capital’s most storied culinary addresses.
Australian chef-patron Matt Abé arrived with a notable background that includes time at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. His first independent restaurant offers tasting menus as well as à la carte choices. A particularly important dish is his interpretation of quiche Lorraine, made with smoked pork belly and Gruyère.
British ingredients are used extensively throughout the menus, including beef from England’s Lake District in the northwest. The result is a restaurant that draws on local produce while presenting it in a refined Mayfair setting.
When a Meal Becomes an Itinerary
Destination dining works best when it offers more than a difficult reservation. At Vermejo, the wilderness helps define every campfire breakfast and lakeside meal. In Costa Rica, Puna’s local produce complements an environment celebrated for biodiversity. Marias brings daily-market seafood to a Tuscan coast, while Bonheur adds new energy to a historic London restaurant address.
For travelers, these restaurants provide a useful way to organize a journey: plan the route, leave time to experience the landscape and arrive ready to understand why the food belongs precisely where it is served.
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