This is a small, friendly tapas bar not far from the Alameda. As a resident of Seville I dislike giving away the city's best kept secrets but this place truly deserves rewarding. The tapas are very tasty, really imaginative, well presented and ridiculously good value. The salmorejo is one of the (if not the) best in the city. A bit off the beaten track but well worth the bother.
C/ Alcoy 10, just round the corner from Plaza San Lorenzo, not far from the Alameda; tel: 954 905 702
Although Irish owned it's nothing like the typical Irish pubs you'll often find on your travels. With friendly bilingual staff and a mainly local clientele the atmosphere, whilst differing from that of a traditional Seville bar, is welcoming and hospitable. Excellent food ranging from local dishes to a wide selection of international meals. Also serves an excellent pint and has a huge choice of whiskies. Right in the centre of the city.
C/ Canalejas 12; tel: 954 214 500;
www.merchantpub.com
On top of "Plabutsch" (the high hill behind Eggenberg Palace) on the western edge of city. From snacks to a full blown meals, all food and drink is locally sourced or homemade (including homegrown Venison!) Not easy to find but has the best views over the whole of Graz. The centre of Graz has a market town feel, so guests are always surprised to see that it is much bigger than it seems, especially after dark when the green suburbs light up and visitors look down on a sparkling sea of lights... There is a viewing platform above the restaurant.
8051 Graz, Fürstenstandweg 100; tel: 585 700;
Open: Wedneday-Sunday 11am-11pm (but closed in winter as the road is very steep!);
Access: It is a lovely but tiring walk to the top of the Plabutsch. (take a map!)
Car/Taxi: Only way up is a minor road (Fürstenstandweg) branching off from the Steinbergstrasse, if driving yourself you will need a city map.
Google map: tinyurl.com/o9f2ys
I recommend not eating oranges from trees in the city. They look nice but taste downright nasty. Rather, oranges fallen on the street can be used to play impromptu games of football with fellow alcohol fans and other scallywags. Also, the city smells great around April from the orange blossoms on the trees.
All over Centro Historico and elsewhere
Dont eat out before 11, eat late with the locals. You'll get better food, atmposhere and you wont be surrounded by fellow tourists! Take some drinks and tapas early evening then go for the meal.
There are those, guide books included, who sneer unjustifiably at the local cuisine, but to be fair the restaurant of Don Alfonso in Sant Agata should be sampled. But take care, rated in the top five restaurants in Italy with three Michelin stars does not come cheap!
Especially with such dishes as a souffle of marrow with mozzarella and anchovy sauce, pheasant with pistachio nuts, or bream cooked inside lemon leaves. All the produce comes from the family’s organic farm. It is possible to stay in one of his five apartments where he will also cook breakfast. Take out a mortgage first!
Outside Sorrento
Bar/restaurant in a lovely converted 1920's French colonial house, with a balcony overlooking the street where you can watch the world go by.
Serves European dishes and a selection of cocktails as well as local beer.
One of the few late-night bars in Hoi An, with good music and pool table, darts, board games and book exchange.
Open 10am–1am.
110 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An
Tel: (0510) 862212
NZ does a fine trade in 'shark and taties', but this shop, on the main road, right beside the supermarket is a cut above the rest (or was a year ago) - fresh, cooked to order, tasty fish... a great stop off on your way up or down the Coromandel Peninsula.
Main street of Tairua (which isn't hard to find as it's the only main street), right by the supermarket - well, mini-market, really.
Microbrewery and bar in a huge converted boat shed on the Fishing Boat Harbour in Fremantle – you can sit and drink their Pale Ale while you watch it being made. Also has a restaurant and a harbourside terrace.
40 Mews Road, Fremantle;
tel: (618) 9430 5555;
open: 10am–midnight every day;
www.littlecreatures.com.au
Google map: tinyurl.com/knsn6j
A cafe half way up the hills if you are walking from the town. It is in a beautiful Victorian building with a spring still flowing into a fountain inside. A great place to stop for generously portioned food - on the hippy side, but very tasty.
You can eat inside, or on the terraces outside.
www.hillsarts.co.uk/stannswell/
or telephone: 01684 560285
Variable opening hours, but sometimes open on Christmas day.
Great restaurant - better to go here and sit in the tiled dining room, with Iberian hams hanging up and lobsters and fish on ice, than to take your chances out on a terrace where you never really know what you're going to get. The fish soup was the best I have tasted, and the grilled fish was fresh and succulent.
Rua Primeiro de Dezembro 103/107
Beautiful Brazilian restaurant in Dublin's south city centre. If you've never had a Brazilian meal, try the BBQ. Some of the nicest meat to be found in Ireland (apparently straight from Brazil though!). Have a light lunch as you get loads of food, and don't forget to try one or two caipirinhas!
17 Upper Stephen Street, Dublin 2;
tel: 01-4053854
The stretch at the bottom of the hill that runs towards the man-made lake is where it all happens in Reykjavik. A couple of doors down from Café Rosenberg you can check your email at an old fashioned cyber café, and five doors further down is a great fish bar, where you can eat as much as you want for 2,400 knr (about £20) – the best deal in town. We found it cheaper to have a large meal rather than snacking.
Apart from the pay phone opposite Cafe Rosenberg there are no street pay phones. Daytime public phones can be found in the banks and post office when you turn left out of the cafe.
The café is just down from the tourist information office, near the S1 bus service. While at the tourist information office get your self a tourist pass, which gives you loads of benefits like free bus rides and free access to musuems etc.
Café Rosenberg: Laekjargata 2, 101;
tel: +534 551 8008;
www.visitreykjavik.is/yellowpages.asp?element_id=863
This is a restaurant in the Ribeira district of Porto. There are many similar looking restaurants on this waterfront however we believe that this one stands head & shoulders over the others. The menu range, quality of the food, friendliness of staff & the superb value all contribute to make this our top restaurant recommendation for Porto.
We had some bread/cheese, two very large mains, a bottle of wine & coffee & it set us back only €34.
We loved it so much we went back twice more. The view from the top window was amazing - looking over the Douro at the port lodges. For that alone the €34 would have been paid!
Cais da Ribeira, 37, halfway down the Ribeira waterfront in Porto.
This is a bar at the approach to the castle that is simply wonderful. We passed this place on our way down from the castle & the 80s music playing on VH1 drew us in.
The owner said he plays the music he grew up with/likes so expect an ecletic mix, from Peter Gabriel to the Corrs. Irrespective of your age just go in & savour the atmosphere.
We ordered food and were not disappointed. The chef (a guy with a large moustache) was German and served us two great plates. Two large mains & two large jugs of freshly made sangria set us back only €36.
We really recommend this place - so much so that we went back again towards the end of our time in Lisbon.
11-13 Rua Bartolomeu de Gusmao - if you come out of the castle, turn right and it's on your right, just down the hill.
Neu-Isenburg is at the end of the Streetcar/Tram line 14, which passes through the city forest (Stadtwald) on the south side of Frankfurt. Well worth the ride in itself. Then it's a 10 minute walk to the old Market Square.
The quality of the German menu items is A1 and the green sauce is perhaps the best in the whole area. The staff are friendly: not the typical apple-wine pub bruskness.
Book in advance as it's always busy, though I have always found a table during a walk-in in the early evening. And for families with children, they actually like them here.
Marktplatz 1, 63263 Neu-Isenburg;
tel (0 61 02) 3 96 69
I had a superb lamb korma that bore no relation to the sludge you get in Europe. It was being kept warm underneath an old newspaper, which unleashed a few flies when he lifted it up to reveal the korma below. Be brave and you will eat Indian food the way it should be. Fantastic experience for a few ringit.
Walking distance from the Komtar.
This is a restaurant with a modern take on Spanish food. Ideal if you are getting a little bored of the standard tapas of jamon and tortilla.
Great value and exceptional food. Relaxed cafe type setting
Plaza Puerta Real 6 (just down from the NH Hotel on the river);
tel: 954 909 720
A 'modern' styled Italian restaurant serving very good old style Italian food. Good wine list too. And something unusual ... the restaurant is situated in what was the old Jack Lilley Triumph motorcycle building.
109 High Street, Shepperton TW17 9BL
Tel: (01932) 269006
A short walk up the high street from Shepperton station.
This brasserie is built in the art nouveau style and has a great tavern atmosphere with brown paper place mats and candles in bottles. It serves staple Belgian fare like moules-mariniere. The carbonnads flamandes and the stoemp are glorious!
17-21, Rue Henri Maus;
tel: 02 511 8789