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Sister restaurant to local favorite Serpico’s in Upcountry, this sweet, welcoming spot serves New Jersey–style pizza in an old plantation-style house in West Maui. Tourists dine here, sure, but Prison Street isn’t overrun with overpriced rum cocktails or macadamia-crusted everything. Instead, the pizzeria keeps things simple with subtle nautical decor—a nod to Lahaina’s past as a whaling port—and thin-crust pies in variations like barbecue chicken, Philly cheesesteak, and the Windmills, a curiously named mix of Italian ingredients like pesto, mozzarella, and roasted red peppers. Also available are subs, salads, and calzones, all of which can be delivered if you need a break from dining out one night.

With its welcoming vibe and low-key decor, The Saloon is about as close as Laguna gets to a dive bar. A local favorite, it’s ideal for when you’re craving a cold beer, a good glass of wine, or an unpretentious cocktail like the PoPo (The Saloon’s take on an Irish coffee) or the Pino (made with house-infused pineapple vodka). There are very few seats in the bar, so be prepared to stand and mingle with other patrons. That’s what makes The Saloon great, though—and the fact that it’s right next door to Nick’s, making it perfect for a pre-dinner drink or nightcap.

Gabriel’s Gate has been a local staple for years, but it recently started getting national attention after Bon Appétit named its chicken wings the best in Buffalo. The restaurant, located in a historic home in Allentown, features original details like wood-burning fireplaces, plus a spacious outdoor patio for eating alfresco. The decor is eclectic and the vibe laid-back, with a decidedly “where everybody knows your name” feeling. As for the wings, they’re large, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and tossed in a sauce that’s the perfect mix of tangy and spicy. Should you prefer red meat, there’s also a great burger selection, plus a killer French onion soup.

Good, old-fashioned pie can be hard to find these days, which makes Betty’s in Encinitas more than worth a trip. Don’t be turned off by the location in a strip mall, Betty’s pies are delicious; they always use real fruit, pure butter, premium chocolate and local eggs. Betty’s doesn’t sell pie slices, hence the name Betty’s Pie Hole, but they do make sweet and savory pies in individual and full-size portions. The chicken potpie is hearty and delicious—but it’s the fruit pies, like the perfectly balanced strawberry-rhubarb with a flaky crust, that you’ll be dreaming of for days.

Hong Kong’s tram system dates back to 1904 and still plies some of the same routes, stopping on average every 820 feet. Locals affectionately call the trams Ding Ding because of the bells rung when the trams approach a stop. The main line runs across the whole northern edge of Hong Kong Island, along what was once the waterfront, between Kennedy Bay and Shau Kei Wan Road, passing through the Central Business District and bustling Causeway Bay area. The six routes cover 19 miles and more than 100 stops. Most cars are double-decker and were rebuilt in the 1980s or later, but No. 120 dates back to the 1950s and still sports seats made of rattan and teakwood.

Boasting some of the best views in Kauai, this dreamy eatery serves up spectacular sunsets alongside splurgeworthy lunches and dinners. Start with the signature Monkeypod Mai Tai: A potent blend of Old Lahaina rums and orange curaçao, graced by honey foam. Then try the Thai-inspired coconut crab cakes, followed by the oven-roasted Jidori chicken with goat-cheese polenta or the wasabi-crusted fish with passion-fruit beurre blanc. Vegetarians won’t go hungry either, thanks to dishes like coconut corn chowder sweetened with local lemongrass and slow-roasted beets with tomato-cilantro salad and tempura asparagus. Often voted the island’s top restaurant by Honolulu Magazine, Beach House has also won a steady streak of awards from Wine Spectator.

On clear days—"when the mountains are out,” as locals say—this steep, ice-gilded volcano dominates Seattle’s horizon. In fact, the peak is 90 miles southeast of the metropolitan area. You can see lush green forests blanketing about 60 percent of Mount Rainier National Park, while the rest is covered in meadows, alpine heather, and the densest patch of glaciers in the contiguous United States. Easygoing hikers like to explore the wildflower meadows near the 1916 Paradise Inn, which transform into prime terrain for sledding, snowshoeing, and igloo-building come winter. Prefer the thrill of downhill? Head to Crystal Mountain, just northeast of Rainier, where the state’s first ski gondola still serves its most elevated restaurant.

It sounds like a Portlandia sketch: the Northwest pizza joint with an on-site chicken coop, where you can get any pie topped with a soft-cooked egg. But Humble Pie is quite serious about their pizza (and their chickens); their goal is balancing Asian and Pacific Northwest architectural elements with sustainable urban farming. That means sunny wooden picnic benches right next to the outdoor coop, and sharing a table with new friends during their busy happy hour. The menu is heavy on local and organic ingredients, including the beer and cider selection. Our favorite was the pulled pork, pickled onion, and Beecher’s mozzarella cheese pizza — with an egg on top, of course.

A quick drive from the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens, Chez Tante Athalie prepares memorable Creole cuisine in an idyllic setting. The restaurant only offers lunch, served Monday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Whether you order from the prix-fixe or limited à la carte menus, you’ll get a traditional taste of Mauritian cooking. The airy dining space opens onto a garden that displays vintage cars and features a quaint stone patio; the setting is so picturesque that it’s been the backdrop for multiple photo shoots. Chez Tante Athalie has also become a community gathering spot for local book launches.

This natural soup-n-burger joint lies far from the tourist hordes, on a quiet residential street in the San Frediano neighbourhood. The kitchen and takeaway operation (open lunch and dinner) stands on one side of the road while opposite there is a pared-down modern restaurant (open for dinner only) with a tiny courtyard. Organic vegetables and herbs and locally produced beef go into tasty, seasonal soups (creamy cauliflower with truffle or earthy lentil and kale) and juicy burgers and there are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options too. Don’t miss the delicious desserts such as the rich flourless chocolate cake. The drinks list features excellent organic wines from the owner’s estate, craft beers and organic fizzy drinks.

You can’t visit Florence without indulging in ice cream once at the very least, but it’s not so easy to find the real deal. Carapina, gelateria of choice for cognoscenti (but often overlooked by tourists), is located a stone’s throw from the Ponte Vecchio, brain child of Simone Bonin who is widely acknowledged to be one of the best ice cream makers in Italy. Sixteen flavors are available at any one time and produced in small batches each day from top-notch local, strictly seasonal ingredients. Classics include pistachio, ‘real’ yoghurt and the bitterest of bitter chocolate but there are more unusual flavors too like the sweet/salty gorgonzola, Parmigiano reggiano or creamy mozzarella di bufala.

Atlanta is ripe with farmer’s markets and the Freedom Farmer’s Market, held weekly from March to December at the Carter Center, is one of the better ones. It has less stalls than others around town, but many of the vendors come from much further away to showcase their goods. Grab a warm pastry from the Star Provisions tent and a pour over coffee from 1000 Faces Coffee of Athens to sip as you wander the stalls. Bring your own bag to take home your haul of produce. Each week a local restaurant holds a pop up tent to showcase a unique dish only available there. You may even see former president Jimmy Carter walking around!

“One of the biggest parks in Barcelona, Parc de la Cuitadella is situated near the port and for years was one of the city’s only green spaces. Today it is home to a zoo, a lake, a lovely fountain, as well as a few museums. This is also the home of the Catalan Parliament, which is housed in a beautiful early 18th-century building.” —Primavera music founder Pablo Soler on the El Bron neighborhood. Read more about his local’s take on Barcelona.

Anywhere breakfast is served all day usually scores in my book. At Caficultura in Old San Juan, the food is “farm to table” and is as delicious as the creative menu sounds. In addition to the mostly healthy options, the highlight is the maple syrup made with rum, and coconut milk–dipped french toast topped with coconut shavings. The atmosphere was pretty cool—large black chandeliers hang from large wooden beams, and the picture windows face Plaza Colón outside.


Definitely a cool local place to stop into and grab a coffee or brunch while sightseeing throughout Old San Juan’s historic district.

The Saturday tianguis is a Mexico City tradition, and many neighborhoods have one of these open-air flea markets, where vendors peddle everything from rare books, maps, and postcards to locally made T-shirts, vintage jewelry, and art. One popular tianguis is the Tianguis Cultural del Chopo, near the Buenavista Metro station. This tianguis has been around since the 1960s and has long been known for its countercultural offerings. If you’re looking for old-school vinyl records or punk rock tees, this is the place. Even if you don’t plan to buy, spending a Saturday wandering through a tianguis just browsing the wares is a fun experience.