The ultimate guide to Europe’s best restaurants
From hidden beachside taverns to Michelin-star juggernauts, there’s an eatery to suit all tastes and budgets.
Tapas or tzatziki, pizza or paella, every European holiday comes with a distinct flavour. But with the continent’s top destinations brimming with options, it’s hard to know where to go for authentic flavours. You might be looking for a quick bite while on the go in a city, or planning a special culinary celebration, but whatever the occasion it pays to do some research if you want to eat well.
Luckily, our destination experts have tried and tested the best menus, for every budget and taste, in favourite holiday hot spots. Here, they share their favourites, from the hidden beachside taverns only locals know about to the Michelin-star juggernauts attracting global attention. Find your next meal with their help.
SPAIN
Barcelona
Head to the maritime district of Barceloneta if it’s paella you’re after, but if you want traditional Catalan dishes it’s best to stick inland in Barri Gotic or Gracia, where you’ll find tiled dining rooms and plenty of pa amb tomaquet (bread rubbed with tomato) and hearty stews.
Top pick:Can Culleretes. The second-oldest restaurant in Spain, with a mention in Guinness World Records, this place has been around since 1786, and many of its waitresses act like they have, too.
Palma
The joy of Palma’s burgeoning restaurant scene is the sensational choice and diversity on offer. Jogging alongside traditional and quirky bars serving tapas and pinchos are feted Michelin-starred establishments and edgy sushi and Asian food joints. Inspired and innovative menus del dia (lunchtime set menus), accompanied by superb local and Spanish wines, abound, provide exceptional value, even from Palma’s leading gastronomic maestros.
Top pick:Fera. Hidden in an unobtrusive street is one of the city’s chicest addresses, with grand arched portals and an inviting patio and garden. Rock up here for a Mediterranean-cum-Asian sensory journey.
Seville
You can hop from one traditional tapas bar to the next, trying out small plates of baby clams with artichokes, or wafer-thin slices of jamon iberico. Alternatively, you can slide into a chic velvet booth and dine on crab tacos and tuna ceviche. Instead of sangria, an overpriced tourist cliche, order like a local and go for tinto de verano (red wine with soda water), or else sample the sherry selection, available in most restaurants.
Top pick:Las Teresas. This is still one of Seville’s most authentic bars, with walls covered in Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Feria posters, and hams hanging from the ceiling.
FRANCE
Paris
From the bistro terraces to the ubiquitous boulangeries, Parisian life is quite literally arranged around food. Eating out is more than mere nutrition; it’s a daily opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of the wonderful products that French terroir has to offer. Those looking for traditional French fare will find plenty of options, from glitzy Michelin-starred restaurants set in grand hotels to hearty local bistros serving all the classics.
Top pick:Chez Omar. Nothing short of an institution on Rue de Bretagne in the lively Upper Marais district.
Cannes
With big-budget restaurants rubbing alongside smaller bistros specialising in regional fare, Cannes offers both elaborate and charmingly authentic culinary experiences. From Michelin-awarded inventions in the city’s swishest hotels, to rustic boltholes specialising in grandmother-style Provencal cooking, and food-truck-chic outfits overlooking the sea, the city has it all.
Top pick:Aux Bons Enfants. Get to the very roots of Cannes catering with this tiny, cramped eatery by the Forville market.
Marseilles
Being a port city, it makes sense that Marseilles’ signature dish is bouillabaisse fish stew. Other local dishes are of a similarly sustaining nature: daube, a beef stew in wine; and le grand aioli, which is warm cod flanked by a full floor show of vegetables, shellfish and, of course, garlic mayonnaise. Marseilles also enjoys plenty of foreign influence. Look out for fine food from the Mahgreb, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and, naturally, Italy.
Top pick:Le Petit Nice. Undoubtedly the finest, most inventive table in Marseille, hence its three Michelin stars and throat-grabbing prices.
GREECE
Mykonos
Mykonos’s restaurant scene runs the gamut from modest to magnificent. Its capital, Chora, is crammed with places to eat to suit every budget, from formica-tabled souvlaki shacks to slick, fine-dining establishments. One constant is the classic Greek salad, which you’ll find on almost every menu, never deviating far from its basic ingredients of ripe, juicy tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, firm chunks of cucumber and glossy, black kalamata olives, garnished with a slab of crumbly, oregano-dusted feta cheese.
Top pick: Nusr-Et. It was only a matter of time before the Sultan of Salinity, Turkish restaurateur Nusret Gokce, aka Salt Bae, washed up on Mykonos’s shores.
Corfu
Venetian rulers dealt a decisive hand in this island’s recipe book. In the heart of the Old Town are low-key mezedopolia (where meze is served), long-established restaurants and upscale eateries where inventive chefs do Corfiot cuisine differently. On the coastline, waterfront tavernas specialising in seafood reign supreme. Inland are no-frills slow food joints focusing on meat.
Top pick:The White House. Even if you don’t choose to stay at the former home of the Durrells, which is available for rent, it’s well worth dropping in to the stylish yet laid-back dining spot adjacent to the villa.
Athens
From budget-friendly tavernas to dirt-cheap souvlaki joints, Athens is a city where you can eat well without spending a fortune. Locals eat late and never alone; they linger over tiny tables heaped with mezze. Eating out is as much about sharing dishes, clinking glasses and people-watching as it is about seasonal ingredients served with minimal fuss.
Top pick: Therapeftirio. Athenians come from far and wide for the perfectly grilled fish, creamiest taramosalata and crunchiest calamari at this old-time taverna.
ITALY
Venice
The floating city is a minefield of overpriced, tourist-trap restaurants offering depressingly mediocre food. Happily, for those in the know, there are also some wonderful authentic local finds and dazzling fine-diners. Intimate Michelin-starred canal-side establishments offer delicately presented seafood dishes, while old-school Venetian trattorias feed punters delicious seafood pasta and carafes of local wine.
Top pick: Osteria San Marco. The area around the square is full of bland, overpriced touristy restaurants. The Osteria San Marco is a rare exception.
Florence
A place of gastronomic delights, it has delicious street fare – such as panini and gelato – at every turn, and more than a smattering of elegant dining experiences, as well. Visitors should expect an abundance of choice, from hole-in-the-wall sandwich bars to Michelin-starred restaurants, where ingredients are straight from the owner’s organic farm.
Top pick:Giotto. Ischia-born pizzaiolo Marco Manzi has been serving up Neapolitan-style pizzas with light-as-air crusts in the western suburbs since 2016. Many consider his pizzas to be the best in town.
Rome
Romans take their food and wine seriously, and you will never be stuck for somewhere to enjoy a good meal here. Aside from the ubiquitous takeaway pizza and tramezzini (sandwiches), snack culture is a more recent phenomenon. It has been spurred on by the recession, and there are places to grab a decent stand-up or carry-out meal for €10 ($17). Then, of course, there are the classics, from cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper pasta) to involtini di manzo al sugo (rolled beef in tomato sauce).
Top pick: Da Francesco. In a picturesque cobbled lane not far from Piazza Navona, this elbow-to-elbow trattoria/pizzeria is worth a visit for the atmosphere alone.
PORTUGAL
The Algarve
Despite the fact this region has the highest number of Michelin stars in Portugal, the heart and soul of its cuisine can be found at the beach, where you can linger over grilled fish that still tastes of the sea. Drizzle it with local olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and pair it with a crisp, chilled Portuguese white wine.
Top pick: Rei das Praias, Ferragudo.A spectacular location on a small beach, a terrace with sea views and a restaurant that goes that extra mile.
Lisbon
The Lisbon food scene has undergone enormous change within the past few years and continues to boom. An influential wave of young chefs has remained loyal to the culture of the Portuguese table while reimagining it afresh, drawing on the endless bounty from the sea and coastline, the mountains, plains and vineyards. Dining out here is not merely about fashion or trends; food is held in high regard and eating out is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Top Pick:Feitoria. It’s on the banks of the River Tagus in historical Belem, from which the great Portuguese explorers set sail.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Amsterdam
It’s easy to eat your way round Amsterdam. Start with lunch at an apothecary shop-turned diner, or enjoy a blowout supper at a double-Michelin restaurant with high-rise views. You could swing by a sparsely decorated canalside joint that knocks out some of the city’s best sandwiches or head to an upscale food hall with vendors selling everything from Turkish meze to sushi.
Top pick:Van Oost. In a 1908 former medical school dissecting theatre, Van Oost is one of the most exciting restaurants to hit Amsterdam in years.
Copenhagen
The Danish capital has one of the best food scenes in Europe. There’s a real buzz, with a seemingly never-ending stream of interesting places popping up and covering a cosmopolitan range of cuisines. All price points are covered, too, from great street food stalls and artisanal bakeries to classic French cuisine and experimental Nordic.
Top pick: Geranium. Step out of the lift on the eighth floor of Denmark’s national football stadium into bright, light, Scandi-chic surroundings, where chef Rasmus Kofoed shows off skills that have won him multiple awards.
Malta
In the past decade Malta has morphed from a nation still culinarily compromised by the legacy of British colonial cooking to a truly gourmet Mediterranean destination. The Maltese love food and eating out, so the country is full of excellent restaurants.
Top pick: Guze. In one of Valletta’s oldest houses, said to have belonged to the city’s main Maltese architect (Girolamo Cassar), you’ll find Guze, an intimate restaurant serving consistently excellent food.
Budapest
Until relatively recently, many restaurants in Budapest seemed to “suffer” customers rather than welcome them. Hungary’s proud culinary tradition withered on the Communist vine, and in the immediate aftermath the food remained stodgy and the staff sullen. All that has changed. Now you’ll find restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. Menus are imaginative, service is good, there is a sprinkling of Michelin stars and vegetarian options.
Top pick: Gerbeaud Cafe. Budapest’s best-known cafe caps the northern end of Vorosmarty ter, well placed for a sugar hit after a stroll up Vaci utca.
Dubrovnik
Fresh seafood tops the menu in Dubrovnik, from octopus burgers in hole-in-the-wall eateries to slap-up sushi feasts with fresh oysters and amberjack sashimi. Other options range from hearty sandwich joints to intimate Bosnian eateries. It pays to know the off-the-beaten-track menus to avoid the crowds.
Top pick:Azur. This restaurant in Pobijana St was founded by two Dubrovnik-born brothers and serves Croatian cuisine with an Asian twist.
Prague
Dining in Prague is dramatically different depending on the season. Winters are spent sheltering in cosy cellar pubs and restaurants. In warmer times, dining on the street or a river terrace adds a bohemian dimension to the city’s international cuisine, still highly affordable by western European standards.
Top pick:La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise. This culinary shrine, overseen by star chef Oldrich Sahajdak, is one of just two restaurants with a Michelin star in the city.
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