Travel
From New York to Paris and LA, the world's 10 best hotel restaurants
By Stylist Team
Updated 8 years ago
Gone are the days of substandard hotel restaurants with microwaved macaroni cheese, warm wine and a limp excuse of a salad - not to mention the dingy decor.
While these places do still exist, their days are numbered. The discerning traveller knows to make a beeline for the many fabulous hot spots which combine world-class cuisine with a (luxury Egyptian cotton) bed for the night.
The world of travel is now suffuse with this kind of place, so much so that respected foodie publication The Daily Meal has felt compelled to whittle down the competition to its 101 best hotel restaurants.
Here are its freshly announced top 10 for 2014, from the Michelin-starred Epicure at Le Bristol in Paris to the ever-elegant Palagio at Four Seasons Hotel, Florence and New York City's Jean-Georges restaurant at the Trump International Hotel & Tower.
Read on and never eat a bad hotel meal again. You can also check out The Daily Meal's list in full here, featuring restaurants in places as far-flung as Nairobi and Ho Chi Minh city.
Please note: average meal prices quoted are based on independent traveller reviews and not from The Daily Meal
1. Paris: Epicure at Le Bristol
"At the three-Michelin-starred Epicure, chef Eric Fréchon lives up to his reputation as one of the best chefs in town with dishes like large langoustines and caviar, served cold, with fresh celeriac and Japanese lemon; blue lobster roasted in its shell with grilled chestnuts, sautéed celeriac, and juice of pressed heads; and milk-fed saddle of lamb cooked from head to trotter flavored with harissa, and zucchini semolina perfumed with argan oil."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £220
2. London: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
"The concept of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is to reproduce recipes from his country's surprisingly rich culinary past. The oldest example on the current menu is Rice & Flesh (rice with saffron, red wine, and calf's tail, from circa 1390). The most famous dish is Meat Fruit (circa 1500), a chicken liver parfait coated with, and resembling, mandarin orange."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £190
3. Monte Carlo: Le Louis XV at Hôtel de Paris
"Some notable dishes at Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV restaurant include Mediterranean sea bass stuffed with olives, tender fennel, and spring onions; chestnut broth with game bird stock, simmered garnish, and ewe’s milk cheese; and a selection of "perfectly matured" cheeses."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £250
4. Florence: Il Palagio at Four Seasons Hotel
"This award-winning restaurant is loved by both locals and tourists alike... guests can dine indoors under the building’s original high vaulted ceilings or al fresco in the hotel gardens."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £250
5. Los Angeles: The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Hotel
"The Bazaar is a gastronomic journey through chef Andrés' celebrated culinary styles. It is composed of four adjoining bars and eateries: Bar Centro, Rojo y Blanca, Patisserie, and SAAM... the Patisserie serves pastries and sweet treats like cookies, cakes, and candies."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £140
6. New York City: Jean Georges at the Trump International Hotel & Tower
"Led by renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten... this restaurant overlooking Central Park features the flavors of French, American, and Southeast Asian cuisine. Among the notable dishes here are Vongerichten's signature egg caviar; a young garlic soup with thyme and sautéed frog legs; and steamed cod with potato-leek purée and clams with green chile."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £250
6. Grand Cayman: Blue by Eric Ripert at The Ritz-Carlton
"Blue serves such specialties as crab with salad, fresh herbs, avocado, and green apple-lemongrass; tuna with mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and preserved lemon vierge; and also a seared natural beef tenderloin with potato mousseline, and armagnac black pepper sauce."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £250
7. Oxfordshire: Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons Restaurant
"The restaurant offers a fusion of classic British and French cuisine... guests can choose from an array of gourmet menus ranging from five to seven courses, including the notre menu d’automne, a five-course culinary experience that features dishes such chilled tomato gazpacho with olive and basil; and lamb, coco beans, artichokes, fennel."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £450
9. Las Vegas: é by José Andrés at The Cosmopolitan
"é by José Andrés, from the multi-award-winning chef, is an exclusive eight-seat bar tucked away within chef Andrés' Jaleo restaurant in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. If they're lucky enough to snag a reservation, guests sit around a small kitchen table set against a dramatic décor that includes a red glass wall and red velvet curtain. In an interactive dining experience, a team of chefs prepares a "secret" multicourse tasting menu for guests."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £220
10. Figueres: El Motel Restaurant at Hotel Empordà
"Unfailingly delicious regional cuisine has characterized the place for more than 50 years. A tasting menu, market menu, and à la carte options are all available, with dishes including cod grilled with Swiss chard and garlic mousseline and pork’s trotters with pine nuts served Catalan style. Regulars always ask for an hors d'oeuvre of deep-fried anchovy spines."
Average meal price for two, including wine and service: £130
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