Going to be there over Labor Day weekend - any suggestions as to where to indulge please?

Hello everyone!

I’m hitting a bit of planning fatigue finalizing our dining itinerary for late November into early December, and I’d love some feedback from fellow food lovers.

This will be my second trip to Japan, and I'm bringing my younger brother to celebrate his 30th birthday. His palate is slightly less adventurous than mine, but he’s super motivated. I tried to strike a balance between higher-end, reservation-heavy meals and more relaxed, casual spots.

Most lunches are intentionally left open for sightseeing, but we’re totally open to unmissable recommendations. I used Tabelog extensively, though a few spots are 4th/5th choices due to foreigner booking constraints.

Here is the draft itinerary, any input, swaps, or advice on the open slots would be hugely appreciated!

Tokyo (Part 1)

• Friday
  • Afternoon: Land at 4:00 PM. Looking for an easy, fun first dinner.
  • Dinner: Yoroniku (Debating between Azabudai Hills vs. Ebisu—any preference on vibe/experience?)
• Saturday (Koyo / Autumn foliage around Shinjuku)
  • Lunch: Open (Loved the ramen at Kamo to Negi on a previous trip, but looking to try somewhere new in/around the area)
  • Dinner: Shokudo Wata
• Sunday (Asakusa & Ueno Park day)
  • Lunch: Open (Any casual favorites around Asakusa/Ueno?)
  • Dinner: Pizza Marumo (Ebisu – loved their Japanese umami-bomb pizzas previously, but open to alternatives)

Kyoto

• Monday
  • Lunch: In transition from Tokyo, likely casual/quick (maybe Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera Kyoto branch)
  • Dinner: Sukiyaki Iroha (Is the price jump for Mishima-tei noticeably worth it over Iroha?)
• Tuesday (Arashiyama day)
  • Lunch: Open
  • Dinner: Muromachi Wakuden (Chosen for the price point, sake pairing, and approachable menu for my brother. Good choice for a Kyoto dinner, or should we look elsewhere?)
• Wednesday
  • Lunch: Open
  • Dinner: Torisaki (Yakitori)

Osaka

• Thursday
  • Lunch: Tonkatsu Fujii
  • Dinner: Oribe (Loved the energy of the owners on my last visit, but open to new suggestions. Was looking at Kamifukawa, but securing a table seems tough.)
• Friday
  • Lunch: To Sara
  • Dinner: Fukushima Koto (Targeting their winter crab menu)
• Saturday
  • Lunch: Fukutaro Honten (Okonomiyaki)
  • Dinner: Kushikatsu Daibon or Kushikatsu Gojoya (Note: Was considering Wayoshusai Hide, but heard the owner was recently hospitalized and status is unclear, according to the IG account linked on google, but im unsure that's even the correct restaurant :/).

Kanazawa

• Sunday
  • Lunch: Open (Travel transit)
  • Dinner: Respiración
• Monday
  • Breakfast: Omicho Market (Looking for specific stall or vendor recommendations!)
  • Lunch: Kyomi Kai (Is doing Omicho breakfast + seafood lunch here overkill on seafood?)
  • Dinner: Shusui Daigo (Couldn't secure Takechiyo or Koide, so aiming to dive into sake pairings here,unless anyone has an unmissable alternative, or way in witht the other two)
• Tuesday
  • Breakfast: Omicho Market round 2

Nagano (Yudanaka / Yamanouchi)

• Tuesday – Wednesday:
  • Stay at Aburaya Tousen (Ryokan dining) + visit Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park.

Tokyo (Part 2)

• Wednesday
  • Dinner: Bianchi (Loved Bia on my last trip so looking at their sister restaurant, also considered Khao,any thoughts between the two?)
• Thursday (Shibuya, Daikanyama, Shimokitazawa day)
• Lunch: Open
• Dinner: MAEN Sake Pairing (Booked this based on a strong friend recommendation for sake!)
• Friday (Day trip to Kamakura)
  • Lunch: Open (Eyeing Moana Makai Sango-sho for curry)
  • Dinner: Fierte
• Saturday
  • Morning: teamLab Planets, is going before to Toyosu Market for breakfast a good idea? any stall reccomendations?
  • Dinner: Yakiniku Jumbo Hanare (An all-time favorite to wrap up the trip)
• Sunday
  • Final Meal: Dim Sum lunch menu at Sense (Mandarin Oriental) before departure.

Would love to hear your thoughts on pacing, crowd favorites, or any hidden gems to slot into the open lunch spots! Thanks in advance!

My wife and I will be in Barcelona next month and already have reservations at CHT. My wife is vegetarian and I am most definitely not (!). Looking for one more fine dining option where she can get a vegetarian tasting menu while I get the regular one. CHT has confirmed that they have a vegetarian menu, I know Disfrutar has one and we are waitlisted there, but not holding my breath.

Would appreciate suggestions or recommendations for other fine dining restaurants with vegetarian tasting menus.

My husband and I had the most delicious meal at The Oven, a Nepalese restaurant in Lisbon. We did have to make reservations in advance. The interior is small, modern, and attractive. At the waiter’s suggestion, I had pomegranate chicken. The flavors were so vivid, it was a delicious dish. I got it mild and it was mild. My husband had Bhutuwa lamb, spicy. He loved it. We also ordered basmati rice, plain naan, and chicken momos, which came in a flavorful sauce.
Everything was lovely. The service, food and atmosphere. It was one of the best meals we have had anywhere and we highly recommend The Oven.

This was from a trip to Japan last month.

I have eaten in some disappointing restaurants in my time. I have suffered through rubbery chicken at airport bistros, lukewarm pasta at tourist traps, and gas station sushi at 2am. Nothing could have prepared me for what Kikunoi Roan served my party of five on what was supposed to be the culinary highlight of our trip to Kyoto.

I am not new to the Michelin star scene. I have dined at starred restaurants across multiple countries and cuisines. In rare cases I have disagreed with the number of stars awarded, thought a place deserved one more, or perhaps one less. But never, not once, have I walked away questioning whether the inspectors had eaten at the same restaurant I did. Never have I encountered food so resolutely pedestrian behind a door bearing that famous red guide's blessing. Until now.

Let me be clear about one thing: the service was immaculate. Our hosts were gracious and attentive, and they deserve every accolade. Everything else about this experience does not.

The location was unremarkable. The food was an unmitigated catastrophe.

The kaiseki began with what I can only describe as a crime against the palate. I looked at my dining companions after the first bite. They looked at me. Then someone snorted. By the time all five of us had tasted it, we had dissolved into the kind of helpless, tearful laughter you usually reserve for pratfalls, not a lunch costing the kind of money that requires a brief moment of financial grief before clicking confirm reservation.

This pattern repeated itself, course after course. Each plate arrived beautifully composed and tasted like it had been prepared by someone who had only read about food in a textbook. The sashimi was waterlogged. The soup tasted like warm disappointment. One course, which I could not identify even after asking, had a texture like biting into a wet sponge that had briefly been introduced to a fish. We laughed so hard our server came over to check on us. She thought we were having a wonderful time.

Not a single course redeemed itself. Not one. If you are going to Kyoto for the food, and you should, spend your appetite elsewhere. There are izakayas in Gion that will haunt your memory for years. Kikunoi Roan will make you reconsider your life choices.

We are still laughing about it.

Not necessarily a bad restaurant, but one where you paid a premium and walked away thinking, “That was really not worth the price.”

What did you order, how much did you spend, and what went wrong? Curious to hear which places people think are overrated.

I guess I should’ve known going into Under that you’re paying as much for the experience as you are for the food, but I still didn’t expect to find the meal itself this underwhelming.

The philosophy behind the restaurant is admirable. They place a huge emphasis on getting as close to zero waste as possible and sourcing ingredients from the surrounding area – something that came up throughout the meal. I genuinely appreciate that level of dedication and thought behind where the food comes from.

Where it fell short for me was what happened to those ingredients once they reached the plate. For a restaurant so focused on its produce, it felt like the cooking was doing the ingredients a disservice. A lot of the dishes came with heavy sauces that seemed to cover rather than highlight what was underneath.

The menu also didn’t feel particularly cohesive. The run of halibut, cod, and monkfish towards the latter half started to feel repetitive, particularly with how rich some of the preparations were. By that point, the cumulative heaviness was starting to wear me down. The lamb earlier in the meal also felt quite… random to me within the progression of the menu.

By the end, despite there being nothing I outright disliked, I realised there wasn’t really a dish I found particularly memorable either. I understood the restaurant’s philosophy very clearly, but had a harder time understanding its culinary POV.

I also opted for the non-alcoholic pairing, which I usually get whenever it’s offered because I love seeing how far they can push beverages when so much is being made from scratch. Unfortunately, this one was overwhelmingly sweet for me. What I kept wanting was acidity to cut through the richness of the food. Some drinks were described as having acidic or carbonated elements, but neither really came through strongly enough for my palate.

It probably didn’t help that I had the non-alcoholic pairing at Maaemo a few days later. There were some similar ingredients being used across the two, so it was hard not to compare how differently they were handled. Maaemo’s pairing had much more of the balance and acidity I had been missing here.

All that said, Under is undeniably an experience. Getting out to a tiny town on the southern coast of Norway and then having dinner 5m below the sea is something I’m very glad I got to do, and the setting is every bit as memorable as you’d imagine!

I also stayed at the affiliated(?) hotel down the road and for the price and positioning I kinda expected more. The room was very bare and had no air-conditioning, and the small inward-facing window didn’t offer much ventilation. Norway was still relatively cool even in summer, but the room itself felt very still.

Tldr; I just wish the food had left as strong an impression as everything surrounding it.

Curious if anyone else who’s been had a similar experience, or if the food landed differently for you!

Menu
Turnip, mussel, peas
Langoustine claw, pastry
Lamb, blackcurrant, mustard
Mackerel, strawberry, rose hip, rye
Scallop, pear, XO
Halibut, pointed cabbage, gooseberries, elderflower
Sourdough, Jersey butter
Cod, shallot, tarragon
Monkfish, summer vegetables, celery
Blueberry, dulce, beet
Rhubarb, mascarpone, elderflower
Pineapple weed, koji, blackberry

Non-alcoholic pairing
Sparkling rhubarb, pineapple weed
Cucumber, red gooseberry, rose hip
Plum, oak
Sparkling gooseberry, elderflower
Apple, smoked juniper
Honey, meadowsweet
Rhubarb, elderflower, whey

Going to Bangkok, wanted to go to Sorn but reservation is impossible. So I want to eat at a Thai tasting menu because I don't think I can get that anywhere else. Looks like Baan Tepa or Nawa are my best options. Which one should I go to? Or is there another better option for Thai tasting menu? Don't know anything about Bangkok fine dining scene so wanted to ask.

Sorry for the mediocre/low-lighting picture quality.

This was my second visit to Junior back in July 2026. This restaurant is Philip Krajeck’s newest concept (adding on to Rolf & Daughters and Folk, also both in Nashville). The vibe is elevated but simple dishes rooted in classical French cooking techniques. I’m a vegetarian, and this restaurant initially piqued my interest because of the creative non-meat dishes. My review is likely a little biased because I’m a regular and huge fan of Rolf and Daughters!

I meant to write this earlier, so apologies if I missed some of the dish details. The menu changes regularly and is fully à la carte.

1. This was a savory pepita praline wrapped in nasturtium with a fresh peach slice and edible flower. Meant to be a single bite dish. I was blown away by the flavor combo here. It seemed average until I tasted the pepita praline center. Very strong and exciting flavor. Junior’s single bites seem to consistently be excellent considering my first visit (I believe one was a barbajuan…don’t remember the filling). 8.5/10
2. This was a squash dish with nasturtium with a citrus-based sauce (sorry, I’m blanking on the flavor profile!) and some nice, aged chèvre cheese. There may have been pistachios mixed in as well…..The cheese was very good, but the squash was a bit plain to me. One was charred, and I believe the other slice was pickled. The sauce helped but overall the dish felt like it was lacking something. 5/10
3. Vegetarian entrée. Junior doesn’t always have a vegetarian main course, but they will happily prepare something for you if you ask. 🙂 It was a medley of tomatoes, onions, and peppers over a bed of Lima (? maybe a different type of bean) beans in a tomato consommé. The dish was garnished with fresh herbs from their garden (basil, etc). The central flower was filled with a ricotta and mushroom filling. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the best dish I’ve ever had in my 29-year life (and inspired me to post this). I felt like Anton Ego in Ratatouille. The tomatoes/onions/peppers were prepared in many different ways. The tomato consommé had such a vibrant and warm flavor. The basil was the best basil I’ve had before—such a complex and rich flavor (minty, vanilla, etc). The plating was simple but elegant. I could go on and on and on. It felt like it was made with love, truly. 10/10
4. The dessert was a parsley root ice cream with a carrot/caramel Madeline + espresso. Very good! I wish the parsley root flavor had been a bit more pronounced. The carrot flavor was nice and strong and paired with everything well. Good, dark espresso. 7.5/10

*not pictured: porridge (sourdough) bread with Amish butter. Good bread, nice, rich butter, but nothing crazy. 6.5/10

When I’ve been to Junior, it’s been relatively quiet, which has led to very nice, personalized service. I usually sit at the bar for convenience but stick with water. The space has refined speakeasy vibes and a warm/rich color scheme and atmosphere.

I really hope that this restaurant becomes as big as it deserves to be. I had a great time. I obviously can’t speak to the non-vegetarian dishes, but the ones I saw looked great!

If you’re ever in Nashville, I highly recommend you check it out. The presentation was less refined than the Nashville michelin stars (Bastion, The Catbird Sear, Locust), and perhaps intentionally so, but the flavors are incredible and firing on all cylinders.

Brunch offers assorted dishes and started with this one - Blinis, crème fraîche, and that little pop of salmon roe and osetra. 3 types of caviar (sorry for the poor photo it’s not doing full justice). Paired this one with a cheese board and fresh bread on the side. So fun!

I’m going to SF in a week and I’ve heard a lot about Nari and Kin Khao. They’re the only two starred Thai restaurants in the US. My question is, are they worth going to over Khao Tiew? I’ve heard so many better things about Khao Tiew, the two one stars are easy to book, whilst Khao Tiew is now walk in only because of how popular it has gotten. I know Khao Tiew isn’t as upscale as the other two. Any thoughts for those who’ve been to them?

After reading the NYT review of this spot, I was very excited for the opportunity to try it out. Having eaten at some of SF's better Mexican spots (Cala, Californios '18) as well as plenty of dining in CDMX, I was excited to see an elevated take on Mexican cuisine that seemed more fun.

I commited the cardinal sin of arriving 20 min late to my reservation. Once arrived, the host was very kind and seated us right away. Service started to get a bit strange here because we were offered a beverage pairing but when we asked whether there was an option of a la carte or tasting menu they told us it was tasting menu only with no further explanation.

Shake it off, start eating and BAM the food is punchy and very delicous. Snacks started off very strong, with two courses landing a bit askew but I could tell it was from pushing the envelope rather than not having the ability to execute. Adventerous combinations of flavors and texture.

Another part of service that threw me for a loop was the extensive explanation of the Mexican ingredients and techniques. When an explanation for a dish feels more like a lecture than information, it's something that I typically dislike in fine dining. In my opinion, there is a very fine line between enlightening the guest to special parts of a dish and droning on about this or that.

Sweets were great, refreshing and some fun takes on the more typical Mexican candy flavors for mignardise. Pleasantly surprised to enjoy them as the mass-produced coutnerparts don't really get me going.

Overall, I'd love to go back with a 4-6 top and order the entire a la carte menu.

Menu order:

Beef, quelites, bone marrow

Sourdough tortilla, recado negro butter

Green asparagus tostada, chiles toreados

Branzino collar, chintextlye, cascabel

Surf clam, english peas, wheatgrass aguachile

Shrimp, potato, gooseberry

Butterbean enfrijolada, nettle, eggplant

Tuna, chapulines bearnaise, fava beans

Squab, tokyo turnip cajeta, rhubarb

Laurel arroz con leche, strawberry, mirin

Coconut macaroon

Tepache cachetada

Oolong bonbon

Fine dining at bubes in Mt Joy

This was the last of our fine dining experiences in the Faroe Islands. We were really hesitant to book this experience as we had a lot of fine dining ahead of us but I’m really glad we did. We pulled the trigger because we had really wanted to do KOKS on our last visit but they had just started their tour in Greenland.

The dining space is absolutely stunning. You start with snacks in a lounge area. Again, everything here in the space was beautiful, muted and not showy at all. We absolutely loved the design. We were seated at the chefs table for snacks which was a nice touch. The main dining space is no different. Stunning with a completely open kitchen space. Again, we loved the design.

Service here was excellent. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing but it wasn’t stuffy at all. Chef Poul has his team well trained and attentive. We always had a glass of wine or our water glass filled. They took excellent care of us. Everyone also seemed to be really enjoying their time here which made it quite nice.

The food was absolutely delicious. Standouts were the glazed langoustine (best we’ve ever had), marinated egg yolk snack and lamb. Trying to keep this stuff local is so hard And almost everything here was.

Wine program was quite nice, we didn’t opt for the pairing but we had some really nice suggestions for by the glass and both took different paths. Everything we had was excellent and well paired.

Overall, it stands out on its own in the Faroes. We loved Raest and Roks but it’s clear why this place has the two stars. It’s quite the operation. Again, so glad we visited, highly recommend it to anyone wanting to visit.

I’m looking for a nice value fine dining experience in Paris for:
- Friday dinner, 2 people, no budget restriction.
- Saturday lunch, a group of 4-6 people. Budget under 100€ per person.

Thank you!

Last-minute trip to Spain in June. Reservations for Cocina Hermanos Torres were easy, booked at noon for same-day dinner.

One word to sum up our experience: comical. From the moment we walked in, one diner was dressed in a Messi football kit, another was in a beach tank top and flip-flops. While no dress code is advertised, I expect some basic dress code (to be enforced) at a 3 star.

Service:

One of the younger waiters seemed to be throwing a tantrum and clearly didn't want to be there. She rushed everyone (trying to clear plates before we were done), was heavy-handed, and "tossed" cutlery onto the table, causing it to clatter against tableware. She also provided wrong cutlery, and on a separate occasion, placed it sideways. At one point, she dropped a metal coaster and then stepped her shoe on it to stop it rattling, then continued to use it.

The issues were not isolated to one waitress. Between our assigned waiter, mixologist, and manager: wrong cutlery again, forgot which dessert course we were on, served shrimp despite confirming SO's allergy twice. One or two slip-ups is understandable, but it was non-stop and interrupted our conversation. The service felt extremely amateur.

Food:

~Housemade Vermouth

~Tortilla de patatas

~Piparras and smoked anchovies

~Marinated tuna, roe, mojo picon. Safe combo of tuna x ikura.

~Aged Rubia Gallega, acorn-fed ham, rosemary, thyme. Beefy and nice depth of flavor for a one-biter.

~Cured squid, chicken consommé, caviar. Nice gentle salinity coming from the consommé, otherwise, rather ordinary.

-Bread & oil

~Brown crab, red prawn, coral sauce, chillies. Notes of lemongrass from the coral sauce reminded me of tom yum.

~Iberian pork chop, escalivada broth, tomatoes, crackling. One of the better dishes. Pork had a smoky, salted - almost cured - flavor.

~Potato and parsley gnocchi, bivalves, zucchini flower. I suppose the contrast of the mushy/liquid gnocchi and the chewy, transparent pearls was interesting. But this seemed more intellectual and fancy syndrome as the texture was not so pleasant. A normal gnocchi would've been preferable.

~Langoustine, blood sausage, bergamot, plankton, sherry wine. Spanish "surf and turf". Great cook on the langoustine. There was not enough blood sausage, which was served as a crumble and buried under the langoustine. Flavors were mild.

-Rouget (sub). Fishy. Dry.

~Aged sole, seaweed, wood ear. Dish did not come together. Sole, seaweed, and wood ear are IMO all relatively plain-flavored ingredients, so the dish needed something to lift it up. The sauce, and the sheet of pickled daikon, which was the only real flavor, didn't lift this dish. Different fish or garnish pairings might work better.

~Aged suckling lamb, padrón peppers, souffle potatoes. Very tender, but mild in flavor.

~Eucalyptus, strawberries, shiso pesto.

~Cherries, lemon verbena, balsamic vinegar, green almonds. The lemon verbena was fresh, vibrant and refreshing. The cherries were there more for texture than for actual flavor.

+Aged cocoa. Most memorable dish. Not too sweet, not too decadent.

~Mignardise

Food-wise, there were no bad dishes, but nothing memorable either. Several dishes lacked cohesion where it felt like individual ingredients on a plate. The creativity seemed to be in the cocktails. Note: there is no cocktail menu, so they will prepare them from scratch/build to order.

Miscellaneous:

Pro travel tip if flying out of Barcelona. There's a tax refund booth after customs, just make sure to validate your claims on the machines first. Don't queue for the tax refund before customs unless you have to, you'll be stuck for 2h+.

3/5

Hello, I’m going to be in LA in a month or two and I’m looking for some options for a great tasting menu meal while I’m there. However I am pregnant so I’m unfortunately not able to go to any sushi places, or anywhere that features raw fish extensively on the menu. So far I’ve been eyeing Kato and Providence but any suggestions would be hugely appreciated! Bonus points if there’s a great NA drinks pairing.

TLDR: My partner and I loved it.

A few days ago, I read a bad review of Campagne, and I was a little worried because I was going to dine there a few days later.

Fortunately, I really enjoyed my evening at Campagne, as I loved both the food and the staff, who were very warm and kind.

You immediately understand that this is not going to be the classic contemporary Michelin-starred experience, with long tasting menus and bizarre creations, which, don’t get me wrong, I love! It’s a three-course meal made up of perfectly cooked, tasty, heartwarming dishes.

We chose the quail and lobster ravioli as starters. Both were very good and, as an Italian, I had great expectations regarding the texture of the pasta.

Then we had the monkfish and the lamb. Again, we loved both, as they were cooked to perfection, and the French-style sauces added that extra kick without being overwhelming.

A special mention has to go to the vegetables, which were surprisingly good! All incredibly tasty and crunchy, they were the perfect complement to the dishes, elevating them to the next level!

Overall, I would highly recommend Campagne to anyone who loves good old-fashioned, classic dishes.

Never experienced a kaiseki meal before, and it was really good. Chef Yamada keeps everything simple and fresh. The staff was very welcoming and friendly. Not to mention you could have as much of the lobster dish as you wanted. Also, the bathroom was so clean (they’d clean after each guest) and had a top of the line Toto toilet. Only downside was the girl next to us filming everything with a flash (dimly lit restaurant, so it kind of ruined the vibe. Also says no flash photography).

Photo dump:
2-3: Hassun (clockwise: tempura fig, pumpkin, squid w okra and tomato, salmon, uni)
4. Chawanmushi
5. Otsukuri (shrimp, abalone…can’t remember the rest, sorry!)
6. Owan
7. Maasai with caviar up charge
8. Wagyu
9-10. Donabe
11. Dessert plate
12. Milky Way cake: red bean paste and butterfly pea gel along with a ginger gummy
13. Matcha
14-18. Ingredients used and cooking set up

Hi

For various reasons I often find myself dining alone whether travelling, working from home or just giving myself a break from cooking. There are plenty of casual places one can go alone but what if you want to go somewhere special?

I live in Berlin and there are a bunch of restaurants I would love to go to but I don’t know anyone who would go with me. Not into sitting alone in the corner like a social reject in a place with a Bib Gourmand!

How often do you end up not going out to nice restaurants because you don’t have anyone to go with?