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Mark my words, MAK will receive a Michelin Star! The Chef’s Tasting menu was sublime—innovative offerings with caviar, sweet breads, foie gras (not surprising because every menu in Hungary features foie gras), duck, cod, and trout. The New York Times has taken notice of Mak, too, so reservations are recommended.

Work your way from Excelsior’s top floors (slinky Chloé dresses, Balmain leather jackets) to the main floor (watches, speakers, a sea of colorful iPad cases), then down to the subterranean floors for the impressive wine shop and restaurants.

Located near the National Constitution Center and Philadelphia’s historic district, Franklin Square is an urban oasis that offers fun family activities. One of the city’s five original town squares, it has evolved into a fairground with both daytime and evening attractions. Highlights include the nostalgic Liberty Carousel, a playground, fountain, and a charming Philly-themed miniature-golf course. Visitors can refuel at the popular SquareBurger restaurant. Special events include a winter holiday festival in December, when more than 50,000 lights illuminate the area. During the festival you can also do some holiday shopping, or kick back with a local brew (there’s also a hot-beverage menu just for kids). The park is open from March through December.

Often ranked as Maui’s top bed-and-breakfast, this adults-only sanctuary in Lahaina holds its own among Hawaii’s top accommodations. As its name implies, the inn boasts plantation-style architecture, but rooms feature modern conveniences like dual rain showers and whirlpool hot tubs. Guests can also expect hardwood floors, French doors, four-poster beds topped with Hawaiian quilts, and complimentary breakfasts at the award-winning on-site French restaurant Gerard’s. Set right in Lahaina, the property is close to shops, sights, and restaurants and just 10 minutes from the beach, but guests often find themselves lingering at the tranquil outdoor pool instead of venturing out.

Expect the unexpected at Ka‘ana Kitchen, set within the funky yet sophisticated Andaz Maui. Here, executive chef Isaac Bancaco draws from the best of the island’s bounty, using local ingredients in a mix of Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, French, and Native Hawaiian cuisine. Think breadfruit hush puppies, Kona clams with savory malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts), and ahi tataki with burrata and lilikoi (passion fruit), enhanced only by the restaurant’s sweeping coastal views. You don’t need to change out of casualwear to dine here, but Bancaco has a knack for turning meals into events, inspiring diners to dress up a little.

A slip of a restaurant on Burnside, Canard is the least formal of Gabriel Rucker’s restaurants (Le Pigeon, Little Bird) yet is easily the most fun. The burger is justly celebrated by local critics, publications and even local food notables like former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley, all of whom praise Rucker’s take on the White Castle slider, steamed with onions, pickles, and cheese for $6 apiece. More decadent types opt for the “duck stack,” pancakes with duck gravy and foie gras, topped with a duck egg; or the foie gras dumplings. Canard is open all day until midnight. Because of the limited number of seats and lack of reservations, popping in at an off-hour is a smart move.

“This family-run restaurant on the fishing island of Pellestrina is quite far out—probably 45 minutes by boat. But in the summer months, it’s a lovely ride, breezy and fresh. Once you’re at the restaurant, you sit on a pontoon and see nothing but the spread of la laguna and the occasional boat speeding past. They do wonderful fish here. It’s incredibly fresh and they’ll bring you an array of mixed antipasti to start. The oven-baked turbot on potatoes with baby artichokes and baby tomatoes is fantastic. So, so good.”

Read about more of McAlpine’s Venice favorites.

A Niçoise institution for nearly 100 years, Chez Pipo specializes in socca, a chickpea-flour flatbread that comes out of the restaurant’s wood-fired ovens looking like a giant pizza. Their motto, “Aqui si mangia la socca,” says it all—socca is the only dish they serve, alongside a selection of Provençale spreads like tapenades made with anchovies, artichokes, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes. Seating is on a large terrace during summer months or in a wood-trimmed dining room for shade or winter dining. The line outside can get long, but because of the simple menu and well-trained staff, the service moves quickly.

Chef Gabrielle Hamilton opened Prune in 1999. It took a little more than a decade, but when her career took off, it rocketed into the stratosphere. In 2011, she was named Best Chef in New York City by the James Beard Foundation, and in the years since, she has published a memoir about her life and the restaurant, as well as hosted her own television show on PBS. All of these have contributed to Prune’s popularity, and the warmly-lit restaurant is now an East Village fixture. Adventurous eaters who aren’t afraid of organ meats or game such as braised rabbit will especially be rewarded, as these are a strength of Hamilton and co-chef Ashley Merriman.

Kitty Fisher’s is the antithesis to the New York exposed brick brand of cool. Named after a Georgian courtesan, this tiny restaurant in Mayfair is rather a wood-clad room flickering with candles and exuding a intimate, “make yourself at home” vibe. The food is some of the best in London: the original chef, Tomos Parry, won the Young British Foodie award during his tenure, and his successor George Barson, formerly of the River Cottage, continues to surprise with innovative dishes cooked on the wood grill. If you can’t get a booking, fear not: a second restaurant, Cora Pearl, named for a 19th-century courtesan this time, recently opened on Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street.

A local institution, the Lobster Pot serves up its crustacean namesakes, among other Caribbean delicacies, on a vista-blessed seaside deck. If you can, arrive at sunset for the nightly tarpon feeding (much more engrossing in person than you’d imagine). And even if you don’t get there exactly at the appointed hour, you can still spot these giants as they continue to patrol the dramatically floodlit waters off the restaurant’s deck for leftovers. As you take in the view, you’ll be eating the likes of lobster-and-mango salad, lobster bisque, or lobster sautéed in a tomatoey, peppery blend and served with fried plantains, rice, and beans.

Owner Cesare Maranza managed to bring a little bit of Italy to the middle of the Atlantic more than 35 years ago, when he opened Portofino, named after his hometown. Just a short walk from Front Street in Hamilton, you’ll feel like you’ve arrived in a northern Italian taverna. “It’s a lively and rustic restaurant,” Rebecca says, “and a great place for groups for a fun night out.” While they serve a number of hot and cold appetizers—calamari, prosciutto and melon, grilled vegetables—as well as soups and salads, Rebecca recommends that you order a pie instead. “To get better Neapolitan pizza, you’d have to keep traveling east to Naples!”

Atop the Prime Tower, Switzerland’s tallest building, Clouds offers two dining experiences: an ambitious restaurant that serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as a Jerusalem artichoke velouté with smoked mackerel as well as a bistro with more casual dishes and a terrific weekend breakfast. Both offer phenomenal views from floor-to-ceiling windows. Photo © Clouds.

“Dini Mueter” translates to “your mother,” so it’s no surprise this is the most inviting restaurant on bustling, seedy Langstrasse, with a chalkboard wall, and the kitchen windows that overlook the long wooden communal table and the green-and-white gingham curtains. There are two daily changing specials—often incorporating seasonal, organic ingredients—plus a terrific brunch menu with eggs Benedict and fluffy pancakes topped with vanilla yogurt. Photo © Katja Granzin.

Here you’ll find very authentic Sichuan-style Chinese food in the heart of Houston‘s sprawling Asian community. The chef is a Sichuan native who’s not bashful about his use of the region’s distinct peppercorns and chili oil. Mala seems to be the restaurant that has everyone venturing out to Chinatown and has picked up a lot of press in local papers and magazines.