Restaurant · Tel-aviv, Israel
Port Said
“Dip the bread in the stuff. Eyal Shani's legendary Tel Aviv spot. Have a long lunch, drink some arak. Dip the fluffy pita in whatever yummy thing is on the table. Chaim Tovim.”
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Elsewhere.
Good places don’t stop at the edge of the usual city guide.
Discover HoodTips from smaller cities, islands, mountain towns and far-flung places around the world—all recommended by people who went there.
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51 placesPlaces worth the detour
Every recommendation keeps its original author and permanent link.
Hotel · Athens, Greece
Hotel Dryades
“Have morning cofee on the rooftop, it overlooks the Acropolis. Great little hotel in Exarcheia neighborhood. There's a ton of bars and restos in the area, and the rooftop has the best view of Athens in the whole city. Rooms are nice, crowd is cool, solid place for a few nights in Athens before or after the islands.”
Restaurant · Chicago, United States
The Smith
“I don't know why I liked this place so much, but as an American living in Europe, who was in Chicago, and needed to get some food for his family, stumbling into this place and drinking a beer while I waited for my food to be ready was a really enjoyable 15 min. The American Brasserie in general is an underrated institution, and this place does it well. Life is good if you have a place like The Smith within walking distance from your house.”
Hotel · Chicago, United States
Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel
“I was in a jam, cancelled flight now where to go, and Loews sorted me out with a comfortable room. Restaurant is good also. If you need a hotel by Chicago airport just go to Loews. There’s also a big outlet mall walking distance from The hotel to do some shopping.”
Restaurant · Chicago, USA
Egg Harbor Cafe
“You know you’re in the Midwest when there’s maple syrup in the condiment basket. I was staying in downtown Chicago and stumbled across this place for breakfast. Good food, friendly service, solid coffee, etc. If you’re staying at a hotel downtown and need a proper breakfast, go here.”
Café · Genève, Switzerland
Fouund
“Foound is the one place on this list that has essentially consented in advance to your laptop. It combines a café, vegetarian restaurant, creative community and proper coworking space inside a colourful room near Cornavin. You can stop for coffee and get through some emails without feeling like an intruder. If you need to stay all day, do the decent thing and pay for the coworking rather than trying to game the café. Address: Rue Jean-Dassier 7 Good for: A productive morning, lunch and meeting other people pretending not to procrastinate”
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Steakhouse · Charlotte, United States
Beef 'N Bottle
“The draw is comfort and continuity: martinis, steaks, a room with history and service that makes the ritual feel personal.”
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Steakhouse · Chicago, United States
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf
“A newer steakhouse that understands the old rules: flattering light, a proper bar and food good enough to make the room more than theatre.”
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Sushi · Tokyo, Japan
Sawada
“This is a plan-the-trip-around-it meal: six seats, exacting sushi and a final sequence Eric remembered long after leaving Tokyo.”
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Fried chicken · Dallas–Fort Worth, United States
Babe's Chicken Dinner House
“Go to the original Roanoke dining room, order the fried chicken and let the family-style sides do their work.”
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Thai · Los Angeles, United States
Night + Market Song
“Go for bright, spicy Thai food and natural wine. Fried chicken, crab fried rice and string beans make a convincing first order.”
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Pizza · Los Angeles, United States
Pizzeria Mozza
“Start with pizza, but treat it like a full dinner: a salad, a blistered crust and a table worth lingering over.”
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Italian steakhouse · Los Angeles, United States
chi SPACCA
“Bring people who like sharing. Build the table around one serious piece of meat, then add the focaccia and whatever vegetables look best.”
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Israeli grill · Philadelphia, United States
Laser Wolf
“Build the meal around the hummus and salatim, then add the grill. It is the kind of table that rewards ordering widely and sharing everything.”
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Steakhouse · Tampa, United States
Bern's Steak House
“Come for a full-scale steakhouse evening, but pay as much attention to the wine program as the steak. This is not a quick dinner.”
Restaurant · Saugatuck, USA
Pumpernickels
“If you need lunch, (the Reuben is good), Pumpernickels will do the job. And do it well. A Saugatuck institution.”
Café · Saugatuck, United States
Uncommon Coffee Roasters
“Looking for a good cortado or iced latte while meandering around Saugatuck? This is the spot. Can also sit and do laptop stuff if needed.”
Restaurant · Galway
Moran's Oyster Cottage
“The most legit local oysters you can get in Ireland. They harvest them right there where the cottage is built, they're the flat kind of Oysters. Get a plate and some Guinness and life is good.”
Hotel · Zanzibar, Tanzania
Hotel Riu Palace Zanzibar
“No visit to Zanzibar is complete without acknowledging the island's most famous son. Farrokh Bulsara was born in Stone Town in 1946 — he became Freddie Mercury, and the place knows it. You'll see his face on menus, on walls, in bars. Our beach bar had a little Freddie card propped up by the bottles. Felt right. Some of the best two nights of any trip I can remember. Lock it down and just go.”
Cava Bar · Barcelona, Spain
El Xampanyet,since 1929.
“You basically have to go here if you're in Barcelona. El Xampanyet has been on Carrer de Montcada since 1929. The bar does not look like it has changed much. Tiled walls, a long zinc counter, bottles stacked behind, pintxos under glass. It is loud in the way that a bar is loud when everyone in it is having a good time. You will need to push in a little to get served. Stand at the bar. Order the house cava. You're in Barcelona now.”
Restaurant · Zurich
Wesley's Kitchen
“Wesley Qian opened his first Zürich restaurant in February 2015 with his wife Jing and longtime friend Yang Wei — a Cantonese dim sum master who'd been head dim sum chef at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Wesley grew up in his mother's Shanghai restaurant before becoming a rising star of Chinese gastronomy himself. Traditional Chinese, reinterpreted with Japanese and European influences. Three locations in Zürich now — the one to know is the revamped shipping container behind Hauptbahnhof. There are 3 of these places in Zürich — I'd recommend the one by the central train station — it's just a revamped shipping container with cool graphics on it — get the chicken katsu — thank me later”
Travel · Switzerland
Skip first class on Swiss trains. Take the restaurant car.
“The restaurant car on Swiss trains is legitimately nicer than first class, and you can sit there the whole trip. Order something, open your laptop, watch Switzerland go by. Nobody seems to know this is an option, which is why the car is usually half empty and completely calm. Buy the regular ticket and walk straight to the restaurant car. White tablecloth, real glass, Alps out the window. After a coffee or a glass of wine you've spent first-class money — and had a much better trip.”
Culture · Versoix, Switzerland
Simply Theatre
“Simply Theatre is a funky little kid-friendly theatre in Versoix. Rotating shows, all in English. They host touring companies — we caught Squashbox Theatre, run by a guy named Craig from Cornwall who tours the UK doing puppet shows for schools and festivals. Solid dude. One actor. Some puppets. The kids loved it. One actor named Craig. Some puppets. The kids loved it. The parents loved it more.”
Restaurant · Nouakchott, Mauritania
Le Soultane
“Nouakchott is not on most people's itinerary. It probably should be on more. It's a proper city on the Atlantic edge of the Sahara — not obviously pretty, not set up for tourists, genuinely itself. The market in town is worth a few hours before you head out to the beach. Camels, horses, grilled fish, the Atlantic. I don't know how else to explain Mauritania but this is a start.”
Beach Club · Assos, Turkey
Show up at noon. Leave at sunset.
“Simurg Sea is the beach club arm of Simurg Inn, a small Turkish hospitality group on the Aegean coast. Spend the day reading a book by the Aegean. Eat grilled sardines. Have a boozy lunch with raki or white wine. Swim. Have a nap. Etc. The setup is straightforward — thatched umbrellas, wooden loungers, a beach in front, a restaurant behind.”
Hotel · Zurich, Switzerland
Ruby Mimi
“Ruby hotel chains are solid. Book a step up from the base room if you can, the balcony is worth it. If you need a hotel in Zurich just book here and stop wasting time looking at hotels online.”
Bar · Lausanne, Switzerland
La Pinte Besson
“Lausanne is built on hills. After a couple of hours walking the old town your legs need a sit-down. This is a good place to catch your breath. Haven't tried the food, but the beer was crispy. I think it's Lausanne's oldest restaurant.”
Hotel · Lugano
Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola
“More than the hotel, which of course was great, I think the tip here is, Switzerland has a strange corner where everyone speaks Italian. It's Italy, but it's Switzerland. There's palm trees overlooking alpine lakes. For a second you feel like you're in Rio. Get a glass of 'while Merlot' stay at the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola, and soak up the strange and beautiful vibes of Lugano. I also did my daughter's 1st birthday party in the hotel courtyard and it was perfect.”
Tip · Elsewhere
Get a beer. Watch the football.
“Arusha is a gateway city — most people pass through on the way to Kilimanjaro or the Serengeti. Le Patio is a reason to actually stop for the evening. Open-air garden bar, thatched roof, good cold beer, football on the big screen. The crowd is local and expat mixed, which is always the right sign. A great spot in Arusha to get a beer and watch the football.”
Restaurant · Elsewhere
Le Balafon
“I think we stopped here on the way out to the airport, which is rarely when you're looking to have a great meal. But it was a great meal. Popenguine is a small town on the Petite Côte south of Dakar — white buildings, bougainvillea, the Atlantic right there. Le Balafon sits up on the cliff with a terrace that looks straight out to sea. Ate some fish, drank some wine, had a good vibe, then kept it moving. Exactly what it needed to be.”
Boulangerie · Elsewhere
Mérigonde
“Under 10 francs. Sit on the grass, eat in the sun, watch the UN building loom in the background. It's one of the better lunches available in a neighbourhood that doesn't have many. A short walk from the UN. Get the sandwich, take it to the park.”
Tip · Elsewhere
Kunsthalle Bern
“The Kunsthalle Bern is a contemporary art space across the river, worth going to for whatever is on. But the reason to know about it regardless of the programme is the café — a white modernist box that cantilevers out over the trees above the Aare, half indoors, half out. A dope spot for a coffee or a drink. A room suspended in the trees above the Aare. Bern doesn't get enough credit.”
Coffee · City of Kigali, Rwanda
Question Coffee
“Rwanda produces some of the best coffee in the world, and this place will turn those beans into a very nice little espresso. More importantly, you can buy a bag of Rwanda’s finest to bring home with you. There are few cooler gifts than a bag of coffee beans you hand-carried back from Rwanda.”
Hotel · Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali Marriott
“The buffet itself is extensive and properly fresh. Tropical fruit, east African staples, eggs cooked to order, Rwandan honey. And the tea is Sorwathe — grown on the shores of Lake Kivu — which is worth knowing about even if you're a coffee person. The breakfast alone is worth factoring into your accommodation decision.”
Izakaya · Chiyoda, Japan
立ち呑み 串吟
“Cold sake poured from a giant bottle into a small bowl. Chicken skewers, smoke, and curious locals. I am by no means an expert on Tokyo, but I was lucky ennough to hae a long weekend to spend in the city, and stumbled upon this spot. People were outside drinking and eating and smoking and talking and it just had the energy that brings guys like me closer. Turned out to be perfect. If you want yakitori, cold sake, maybe blast a cig, chat with people, go here.”
Tip · Lusaka, Zambia
Latitude 15
“The coolest place to stay in Lusaka. Even if you're not a guest, come for dinner, food is good, atmosphere is cool. The crowd that gathers here in the evenings is reliably interesting: travellers, UN workers, NGO types, diplomats, and hip Lusakans. One of those rare spots that feels genuinely local and genuinely international at the same time.”
Restaurant · Saugatuck
Kilwins
“Kilwins started in Petoskey, Michigan in 1947. Now there's a few hundred of them across the country, all making fudge on marble slabs and ice cream in-store the way they did 78 years ago. This one's in Saugatuck, I grew up going here in the summer. Get an ice cream, a square of fudge, whatever else looks good in the window. Quintessential Americana summer vibes.”
Travel · Bodrum, Turkey
Il Fratello Yacht Charter
“Charter a boat on the Turkish Aegean in summer or September. Jump in for a dip. Read the New Yorker in your towel. Il Fratello is on the higher end but incredibly nice. Getting on a boat in Turkey in September, life is about as good as it gets. September is bonito season on the Aegean. The crew will fry it whole the Turkish way — like tuna, delicious. If it's fresh out of the water, ask them to fillet it and serve it as sashimi. The guys on Il Fratello hadn't done it before — Turkey doesn't do much raw fish. They figured it out. Best meal we had on the boat.”
Wine · South Africa
Glen Carlou
“Ended up here somehow. Great place, got to squeeze some grapes, taste some wines, and then taste some more wines. They do a serious Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon that are both worth taking home. I also remember drinking from the bottle on the van ride back to the hotel. No regrets whatsoever.”
Restaurant · Sifnos
White wine in Greece.
“You're in Greece. It's lunch. You're at a taverna by the water. You like white wine. Here's what you do. It's always served cold, usually in a nice little jug or metal carafe with nice small cups, not a fancy wine glass. And it always hits. Greece has been making wine for four thousand years. Every taverna pours something local, by the carafe — sometimes a glass jug, sometimes a battered metal pitcher. None of it is precious. All of it works. Trust the process.Tip within a tip: Pantelis on Patmos. A taverna since 1950, on the harbour. Sit outside, order the Symi shrimp, ask for the house white. Life is good.”
Restaurant · Çerkezköy, Turkey
Filinta.
“Filinta sits on a wooden deck on the Aegean coast, in Küçükkuyu near Assos. Traditional Turkish raki-balık — mezze, grilled fish, raki, the sea three feet from your table. If you like mezze, fish, raki, and eating all of those things next to the sea, you will love this place. Plenty of places do raki-balık. What makes Filinta different is that the chefs put that extra something into all of it. The mezze isn't just mezze. The fish isn't just grilled. Each plate has been thought about. It's Michelin-star worthy in a setting that's the opposite of a Michelin-star room — paper napkins, blue chairs, sun on the water. Just go to Filinta if you are ever near this place. It's so good.”
Hotel · Tokyo
Hotel CenturySouthern Tower
“Super central, great view, no reason to keep searching. Just book this place — there's no chance it doesn't work for you.”
Restaurant · Biarritz
De puta madre
“The name is Spanish slang — the polite translation is "fucking great." The restaurant lives up to it. South side of Biarritz, near Lac Marion, away from the surf-tourist core. Beautiful garden setting and outdoor cooking by highly trained seasonal chefs.”
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Restaurant · Tel-Aviv, Israel
קלארו
“No matter the occasion, Claro works. The atmosphere is one of those rare ones that genuinely caters to all — a long lunch, a proper dinner, something in between. High ceilings, an open kitchen you can watch from almost anywhere in the room, professional and friendly staff who clearly know what they're doing, and a wine list that actually rewards attention. The restaurant itself has a crazy history, which you can hear all about whilst tucking into the lamb platter.”
Culture · Athens, Greece
Ριβιέρα (Cinema Riviera)
“There's also a Saturday market up there worth going to. Not a performative farmers market with nine dollar heirloom tomatoes — it's where real people go shopping. Good produce, good prices, a genuine feel for neighbourhood life in Athens that you don't get on Ermou Street. Sitting outside, having a drink, watching a film under the sky. There are worse ways to spend a night in Athens.”
Café · Elsewhere
Café Chou
“The name comes from the thing they make here — a chou, a small dough ball that's essentially the missing part of a doughnut. Light, slightly crisp outside, properly soft inside. They do them fresh and they're the reason to come. Ici on aime faire des choux et du bon café." It says so on the window. They mean it.”
Hotel · Wengen
Go to Wengen. Stay at the Belvedere. Stop searching.
“Park your car in Lauterbrunnen, in the valley. The cog railway carries you up the mountain for twenty minutes through pine and snow to Wengen, a car-free ski town. The Belvedere sends a small electric vehicle to fetch you from the train stop. It's all very Wes Anderson but like authentic Wes. The cocktail guy works Scorpios in Mykonos in summer. Smoky negroni, small decanter, large cube. 22 CHF. Accept the price, enjoy the quality. We checked in, ordered the wagyu bresaola, ate it in the lobby with a beer and a view of the Jungfrau. Expectations for Swiss food are not high. This was mind-blowing. The hotel itself — perfectly refurbished old Swiss building, The staff is cool and friendly. A relief, after the French side.”
Restaurant · Suboptica, Serbia
Restaurant Bates
“If you find yourself in Subotica, Serbia, a genuinely interesting city, Art Nouveau architecture, close to the Hungarian border, very much off the usual trail — come here and get the meat platter. Order the rakia. Trust the bartender. The more of those little glass vials I drank, the more memorable the meal became. The more my covid went away.”
Library · Elsewhere
Bibliothèque de Genève
“The building is beautiful and the atmosphere is genuinely quiet. The card catalogue wall alone is worth a look. Outside is Parc des Bastions — the old park that runs along the old city walls — so you can break for air without going anywhere ugly. A very nice place for a focused few hours. Walk in off the street. Find a table. The park is outside when you need a break. Free.”
Tip · Athens, Greece
Astypalea (Greek Island)
“Astypalea is a butterfly-shaped Dodecanese island where almost nobody goes. Far from the usual circuit. Direct flights from Athens. Stay in or near the Chora.”
Drink · Türkiye
Nothing hits like a Beypazarı.
“You're in Turkey. You want a drink that isn't alcohol. You want something cold, something with bite, something that won't quit halfway down. Order a Beypazarı. Perfect-sized bottle, perfect level of bite on the bubbles. There is no better soda water in this world than a crisp cold Beypazarı. Comes in a small green glass bottle with a label that hasn't changed in decades. Drink it from the bottle or pour it into a small glass — both correct. Every restaurant has it. Every kiosk has it. Every gas station has it. There are other Turkish sparkling waters. None of them are this.The dose: five a day in summer.”
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