The best places to eat around the world – where to book right now

The Datai Langkawi has a long-running “Chef Series”, in which top-end cooks are tempted to the resort – no doubt with the promise of island luxury – to do a residence at the hotel’s restaurant. In the past Michel Roux, Tom Aikens and Michel and Sebastian Bras have done stints; this year, the focus has been on attracting the world’s finest female talent, with Cristina Bowerman (from Michelin-starred Glass in Rome) and Angela Hartnett (of one-starred Murano in London) banging pans. The highlight, however, is in January 2025, when Slovenian Ana Ros takes over. Ros helms the three-Michelin-starred Hisa Franko in Slovenia, and was named the World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best in 2017 – genuine star power. See thedatai.com

Intrepid Travel’s Real Food Adventures

Travellers are becoming increasingly obsessed with cuisine, and in response tour companies are adding new food-focused itineraries to their suite of products. Later this year, Intrepid Travel will launch two new “Real Food Adventures”: a 12-day tour of Morocco, which includes a home-cooked dinner in Chefchaouen, and an eight-day itinerary in South Korea, including a temple stay to sample the monks’ vegan cuisine. Fellow tour company World Expeditions, meanwhile, is also launching a series of unique food-focused itineraries, including one hosted by your humble writer, a tour of the incredible cuisines of Asturias and the Basque Country in Spain. See intrepidtravel.com; worldexpeditions.com

Bangkok and Mexico City

Name the global hubs for fine dining: Paris, London, New York, Singapore… These famous cities offer incredible choices for diners. However, there are a few new kids on the block. Begin with Bangkok, a megacity that now boasts seven restaurants awarded two Michelin stars, plus four entries on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (Gaggan, Suhring, Sorn, and Le Du). Throw in Bangkok’s well-known street-food culture, and you have one of the finest foodie cities on the planet. And then there’s Mexico City, with three entrants on the 50 Best list (Quintonil, Pujol and Rosetta), plus a swag of exciting new restaurants helmed by local talent. See amazingthailand.com.au; visitmexico.com

Momofuku, Los Angeles, California, US

There are restaurant chains, and there are restaurant chains. In the US you have your McDonald’s, your KFC, and then you have Momofuku, chef David Chang’s pan-Asian plaything. Momofuku began in 2004 as a New York noodle bar, and Chang has since opened and then closed more spin-offs in more locations than we can keep track of (including in Sydney). There are now four Momofukus in the US, and soon there will be one more: Super Peach, a casual diner in LA’s Century City precinct, next to Beverly Hills. That area is becoming a foodie hub, with multiple restaurants by Spanish chef Dani Garcia, and outlets of New York eatery Sushi Noz, Miami’s decorated Kyu, and Montreal’s Greek-flavoured Estiatorio Milos. See momofuku.com

Raffles London

Hold your jokes about English cuisine because London is one of the best places on the planet to eat, where home-grown heroes Fergus Henderson, Gordon Ramsay and Clare Smyth sit alongside a smorgasbord of international cuisine cooked by some of the best in the business. And more are arriving, particularly at the OWO (Old War Office), the refurbished building in Whitehall that’s home to the new Raffles London hotel. By the end of this year the OWO will also host Langosteria, a fine-dining favourite from Milan; Kioku, a high-end sushi restaurant by chef Endo Kazutoshi; and multiple outlets by Mauro Colagreco, head of the three-Michelin-starred Mirazur in France. Throw in a speakeasy, a sake bar and cocktail bar and you have London’s hottest address. See theowo.london

Hotel dining

Speaking of hotel dining, it’s not just London stepping up the game. There’s been a marked improvement in Australia and across the world in the past decade, taking hotel dining far beyond the sad selection that was once offered. On home shores, check out Peppina at the Tasman Hobart, Atria at the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, Prince Dining Room in Melbourne’s Prince hotel, and Brasserie 1930 at the Capella Sydney.

Globally, new openings such as Le Pristine at the Hotel Toranomon Hills in Tokyo, Riviera by Jean Imbert at the Lana Dubai, and Il Ristorante at the Bulgari Hotel in Rome are helping to drive the trend forward. See marriott.com; theprince.com.au; capellahotels.com; hyatt.com; bulgarihotels.com

Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is always changing, always looking for the innovative and the exciting. So, it can come as a surprise to hear that the city’s newest food destination is a recreation of an old-style market. Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai is a complex of outlets in an Edo-style eat street near the city’s new fish market. Visitors will find a mix of fresh-produce stands, kitchen supply shops, souvenir stands, snack shops and sit-down restaurants, not to mention a classic hot-spring onsen. Elsewhere in the city, another new development, Azabudai Hills Market, collects purveyors of some of the city’s finest high-end produce in one building, with multiple restaurants also on site. See japan.travel

Michelin Down Under

Once, there was only a Michelin food guide to the company’s homeland, France. However, Michelin has since expanded to cover much of the northern hemisphere, and its most recent additions show where the world will soon be looking for high-quality cuisine: guides to Vietnam and Argentina were launched within the past 12 months, and in November Michelin will publish its inaugural guide to Texas. But… where is next? In May this year, the international director of the Michelin Guide, Gwendal Poullennec, confirmed to American website Bon Appetit that Australia is on the radar: “We’re not there yet because it’s quite big,” he said. “So you need the knowledge, you need the teams, and as we do not compromise with quality, you need the people first.” Watch this space. See guide.michelin.com