World's Best Restaurant Views

By Food & Wine
Updated June 15, 2016
Credit: Photo courtesy of Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid, NY
Beautiful restaurants overlooking Mediterranean cliffs, revolving restaurants and the best places to view urban sprawls.
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Kauai Grill; The St. Regis Princeville, Hawaii

Credit: Photo © Courtesy of The St. Regis Princeville Resort

In addition to panoramic views of Hanalei Bay and Bali Hai, this gorgeous restaurant offers incredible dishes from star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, such as crispy herbed Kauai shrimp and soy glazed short ribs.

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Wildman Wilderness Lodge; Northern Territory, Australia

Credit: Photo courtesy of Wildman Wilderness Lodge

At this eco-retreat in Mary River National Park, guests sleep in cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows or in safari tents. Surrounded by twisting Pandanus trees, the outdoor restaurant has incredible views of the Mary River floodplains, as well as dishes like pan-fried barramundi (a white, flaky fish) and tomato-braised lamb shanks. wildmanwildernesslodge.com

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Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn; Big Sur, California

Credit: Photo © Kodiak Greenwood

At this restaurant set on a cliff rising above the Pacific, chef John Cox combines Asian, French and Mediterranean influences with dishes like Moroccan carrot soup and rose-geranium roast quail. Some of the ultrafresh ingredients come from the garden on the property. postranchinn.com

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101 at One&Only The Palm; Dubai

Credit: Photo courtesy of 101 Restaurant Bar & Lounge at One&Only The Palm

At one of Dubai’s grandest resorts, the Michelin-starred French chef Yannick Alléno oversees three restaurants. Among them is 101, which has tapas such as baby squid with mini bell peppers, and panoramic views of the Dubai skyline. thepalm.oneandonlyresorts.com

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La Chèvre d’Or; Eze, France

Credit: Photo courtesy of Le Chateau de la Chevre d'Or

This luxurious Côte d’Azur property in the medieval village of Eze recently renovated its restaurant, La Chèvre d’Or, and hired Ronan Kervarrec to oversee the Mediterranean menu. A finalist of the prestigious Bocuse d’Or in France, Kervarrec crafts dishes like grilled red mullet with a Domaine Lessatini olive oil purée. chevredor.com

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Hotel Caruso; Ravello, Italy

Credit: Photo © Genvis Loci

Built in the 19th-century and frequented over the years by writers such as Virginia Woolf and Graham Greene, the Caruso still lures travelers to its location 1,000 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. Following stints in Milan and Rome, the Caruso’s chef Mimmo di Raffaele now offers homemade ravioli with red prawns and a simple but perfect spaghetti with pomodoro sauce and basil. hotelcaruso.com

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The Sun Dial; Atlanta

Credit: Photo courtesy of The Westin Peachtree Plaza

One of a dwindling number of revolving restaurants in the US, the Sun Dial benefits from a lounge and live jazz on Wednesday and Thursday nights—for view seekers looking to skip jazzed up American food like citrus cured salmon with pickled radishes. sundialrestaurant.com

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El Tovar Dining Room; Grand Canyon Village, AZ

Credit: Photo courtesy of El Tovar

In the Canyon Room at the El Tovar Hotel’s restaurant, diners can gaze at the vast beauty of the Grand Canyon over crab cakes and pork chops. Make reservations early to ensure that you snag a canyon-view table. There are also canyon-view tables on the lounge’s veranda, which offers drinks and light meals. grandcanyonlodges.com

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Felix; Hong Kong

Credit: Photo courtesy of Felix

Global design guru Philippe Starck conceived the mod interior at this Asian-European fusion restaurant on top of the Peninsula hotel. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the city skyline and boats in the harbor. peninsula.com

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360 Istanbul; Istanbul

Credit: Photo © Sashah Anton Khan

At this impossibly sleek Beyoglu restaurant, South African–born chef Mike Norman’s global dishes—from Lebanese kibbe to delicious thin-crusted pizzas—are fun, but the scene and the views are the real reasons to come. 360istanbul.com

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Perlan; Reykjavik, Iceland

Credit: Photo © Thorlakur Ludviksson-Hringbrot

Nicknamed the Eiffel Tower of Reykjavik, the Perlan complex features a revolving restaurant where guests can dine on warm whale steak and foie gras homemade sausage as the restaurant offers views of the skyline, surrounding islets, mini peninsulas and extinct volcanoes. perlan.is

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The Encounter; Los Angeles

Credit: Photo © Mark Luethi

At the center of LAX airport is the 1961-vintage Theme Building, a freestanding structure designed to look like a flying saucer. It’s home to this space-age restaurant, known for its 360-degree views, an interior stolen from the Jetsons, and California-style dishes including organic salads and mushroom ravioli with grilled asparagus. encounterlax.com

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Tapasake, One&Only Reethi Rah; Maldives

Credit: Photo © Courtesy of One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives

Despite the resort’s remote location on the private island of North Male, its Japanese restaurant Tapasake gets regular shipments of sushi-grade fish from Tokyo to complement organic ingredients from Reethi Rah’s garden. reethirah.oneandonlyresorts.com

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Notios at Almyra; Paphos, Cyprus

Credit: Photo courtesy of Thanos Hotels

Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, this hotel from the Thanos group was designed by Tristan Auer and Joelle Pleot, who created Coco Chanel’s Paris boutique. The restaurant Notios fuses Asian and Mediterranean flavors in dishes like salmon sashimi with gremolata and truffle oil. almyra.com

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The Yeatman; Oporto, Portugal

Credit: Photo courtesy of The Yeatman

Owned by the company behind the Taylor’s port brand, the Yeatman has Douro River views and a modern Portuguese restaurant by the Michelin-starred chef Ricardo Costa, who creates dishes like roast capon with langoustines. the-yeatman-hotel.com

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La Foresteria at Planeta Estate; Sicily, Italy

Credit: Photo courtesy of La Foresteria

On Sicily’s southern coast—not far from archaeological sites and the city of Agrigento–this inn from the local Planeta wine family looks out over its vineyards. Family-style dinners include regional Sicilian dishes like saber fish with marjoram and mint. planetaestate.it

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On the Rocks at Eden Rock; St. Bart’s

Credit: Photo courtesy of Eden Rock, St. Bart's

In the open kitchen at On the Rocks restaurant, star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten prepares St. Bart’s lobster with Thai coleslaw and lamb chops with smoked chile glaze—served in a three-story dining room with terraces overlooking the sea. edenrockhotel.com

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WP24; Los Angeles

Credit: Photo © Ron Starr

Wolfgang Puck was flirting with Asian flavors—at Spago, then at Chinois on Main—long before most other chefs had ever heard of Sichuan peppercorns. His glamorous outpost at the top of the Ritz-Carlton pairs modern Chinese cuisine with stellar skyline views. wolfgangpuck.com

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Asiate; New York City

Credit: Photo courtesy of Asiate

On the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel at the Time Warner Center, chef de cuisine Angie Berry prepares luxe Asian food like hamachi with preserved cherry blossom and Wagyu beef tenderloin over smoked potato. mandarinoriental.com

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Mamilla Hotel; Jerusalem

Credit: Photo courtesy of Mamilla Hotel

The wine bar at this chic new hotel stocks nearly 300 Israeli labels, while the rooftop brasserie has what are arguably the most spectacular views of the Old City. mamillahotel.com

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Ambrosia; Santorini, Greece

Credit: Photo courtesy of Ambrosia

The Greek seafood menu—like baby calamari with ouzo and red mullet with grape leaves—stays true to the scenery: The terrace overlooks a panorama of the deep blue Aegean Sea, framed by volcanic islands and caldera cliffs. restaurant-ambrosia.com

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Ngorongoro Crater Lodge; Tanzania

Credit: Photo courtesy of Andbeyond

From the resort and restaurant, guests can admire Tanzania’s natural wonder: the world’s largest unflooded volcanic crater, and its lush landscape for African wildlife. craterlodge.com

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Faventia at Terre Blanche; Tourrettes, France

Credit: Photo courtesy of Four Seasons

The country retreat combines Côte d’Azur style—villa suites with terra cotta–tiled roofs and heavy stone walls; a lavender-filled garden—with excellent service. The restaurant overlooks the neighboring French villages of Callian and Montaurou, and has a Provençal menu, with dishes like blue lobster with warm asparagus and ravioli with a Grenoble-style nut-brown butter. en.terre-blanche.com

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George’s at the Cove; La Jolla, CA

Credit: Photo courtesy of George's at the Cove, La Jolla

Food & Wine’s Kate Krader considers this San Diego County restaurant “one of the really great ocean views in Southern California.” Chef Trey Foshee, a 1998 F&W Best New Chef, prepares grilled fish tacos and Pacific yellowtail with pancetta to go with the coastal setting. georgesatthecove.com

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The View Restaurant, Mirror Lake Inn; Lake Placid, NY

Credit: Photo courtesy of Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid, NY

Adirondack peaks frame the lake and this inn, which serves dishes made with local and regional ingredients such as house-smoked rainbow trout and roasted lamb loin with ratatouille. mirrorlakeinn.com

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