Destination restaurants worth traveling across the world for

Four Restaurants That Turn the Journey Into Part of the Meal

Sandego.net – The most memorable restaurant reservations can shape an entire itinerary. A meal may require a long drive through dramatic scenery, a crossing by sea or a carefully planned flight, but the reward is more than what arrives on the table. In these places, the surrounding wilderness, coastline or historic setting is as central to the experience as the cooking itself.

From a vast private reserve in New Mexico to Tuscany’s polished seaside and a landmark dining room in London, these restaurants invite travelers to make the restaurant a principal reason for going.

Vermejo, New Mexico

Reaching Vermejo is not a quick detour. The luxury resort occupies the former home of Ted Turner, the late founder of CNN, within his immense private reserve in New Mexico. Unless guests arrive by private plane, access is by road from Albuquerque or Denver. Each drive takes nearly four hours, though the routes pass through striking Southwestern landscapes before reaching the century-old property.

The scale of Vermejo’s surroundings defines its appeal. The resort sits amid 780 square miles of unspoiled wilderness, an area more than 650 times larger than Central Park and notably free of crowds. Its food program makes the most of that setting, shifting dining outdoors whenever possible.

Meals might begin beside a campfire in the morning or unfold beside a lake later in the day. Picnics and fish fries give the dining experience a relaxed, regional character, while ingredients help connect the menu to the reserve itself. Guests may find bison sliders, cornbread, greenhouse-grown salads, freshly caught trout and rich house-made potato chips.

After hours spent hiking, fishing or looking for bison, dessert can be as simple and fitting as s’mores toasted beneath a sky full of stars. At Vermejo, the point is not merely to eat in a beautiful place; it is to let the landscape set the pace and mood of the meal.

Puna at Nekajui, Costa Rica

On Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo, Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is set in an environment where wildlife is a constant presence. Monkeys, sloths and iguanas are among the animals found in this natural setting. Costa Rica, though roughly the size of West Virginia, is home to 10% of the planet’s biodiversity, making a strong sense of place especially relevant here.

The resort contains eight dining venues. Italian and Japanese choices are part of the offering, but Puna focuses on Latin American flavors under acclaimed chef Diego Muñoz. Its menus emphasize ingredients grown or sourced nearby, reinforcing the connection between the kitchen and the peninsula around it.

Sustainability is an important consideration at the resort. Produce is hyperlocal where possible, while sauces, condiments and baked goods are all prepared from scratch. That approach brings greater attention to the details that often sit around a main dish as well as the ingredients at its center.

A roasted-shrimp ceviche is served with leche de tigre, often called “tiger’s milk,” the citrus-and-spice mixture associated with ceviche. Elsewhere, charred baby corn appears in a risotto, and desserts highlight local fruit. The result is a menu designed to feel rooted in Costa Rica rather than simply placed there.

Marias at Principessa Forte dei Marmi, Italy

Forte dei Marmi has long attracted visitors seeking a refined Tuscan summer by the sea. Located about three hours by car from Milan, the coastal town is also accessible to those arriving by yacht at the local marina. Its appeal has made it a favored return destination for families, including restaurateurs Jason and Irha Atherton.

The couple, whose restaurants have earned acclaim and awards in the United Kingdom and Dubai, have brought their approach to hospitality to Principessa Forte dei Marmi, a boutique hotel with 36 suites. Their restaurant, Marias, sits beside the pool with the Tyrrhenian Sea only meters away.

Given that location, seafood naturally leads the menu. Fish and shellfish arrive daily from the market in nearby Livorno and are handled with restraint, allowing the quality of the ingredients to remain clear. Sweet langoustines are cooked over wood and paired with confit garlic and lemon. Handcrafted linguine is served with local clams.

The restaurant’s character lies in that balance: a polished setting, exceptional coastal produce and dishes that do not need elaborate treatment to make an impression. For travelers already drawn to Forte dei Marmi’s beaches and summer atmosphere, Marias offers a culinary reason to linger.

Bonheur by Matt Abé, London

In London’s Mayfair, Bonheur by Matt Abé has quickly become one of the city’s most sought-after reservations. The restaurant received two Michelin stars less than three months after opening, an unusually rapid achievement that has helped make a table particularly difficult to secure.

Australian chef-patron Matt Abé arrived with an accomplished background that includes time at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Bonheur is his first independent restaurant, and its location adds another layer of culinary history. The building previously housed Le Gavroche, a celebrated restaurant known to have welcomed figures including Charlie Chaplin and Queen Elizabeth II.

Guests can select either a tasting menu or dishes from the à la carte selection. One particularly notable choice is Abé’s version of quiche Lorraine, made with smoked pork belly and Gruyère. The menus also place substantial emphasis on British ingredients, including beef from the Lake District in northwestern England.

The restaurant offers a different kind of destination dining from the wilderness and coastal venues elsewhere on this list. Its journey is through a city rather than across open country, yet the draw is similarly specific: an ambitious chef, a historic address and an experience that has rapidly become part of London’s contemporary dining conversation.