Restaurants in Europe
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Indian Mango
Indian Mango specialises in Goan food, serving beef, duck, fish and some vegie mains. Its chef – poached from a five-star restaurant – makes up light, spicy, delicious dishes. Its bestselling (seasonal) creation is an Icelandic-Indian hybrid completely unique to this restaurant – svartfugl (guillemot) marinaded in Indian spices.
reviewed
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Aşşk Kahve
The city's glamour set loves this garden cafe to bits, and its weekend brunches are an institution. Go early to snaffle a table by the water and don't forget to have a Botox shot before you go – that way you'll fit in nicely. It's accessed via the stairs behind the Macrocenter.
reviewed
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Menza
This stylish Hungarian restaurant on Budapest’s most lively square takes its name from the Hungarian for a drab school canteen – something it is anything but. Book a table if you can; it’s always packed with diners who come for its simply but perfectly cooked Hungarian classics with a modern twist and chilled atmosphere. Weekday two-course set lunches are a mere 890Ft.
reviewed
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Pastéis de Belém
Sublime, divine traditional pastéis de Belém custard tarts, with the eggiest, lightest, crispiest tarts, served warm with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. The recipe is secret, but these tarts taste like they've been made by angels. Founded in 1837, the traditional tiled tearoom is pretty.
reviewed
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Ex Mauri
Go to this contemporary, stylish Venetian bacaro (bar) on Milan’s urban island when you need a little Lombard-free time. Pull up a school chair at a lovingly scuffed table for imaginative seafood cicheti (Venetian-style tapas) : baccalà fritters, sardines in saôr (sweet-and-sour onion jam) and braised baby octopus. Smart but hearty mains take their cues from both Venice and further afield, while the gelati and cakes are house-made.
reviewed
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Spoon
If you like the idea of dining on the high waters but still remaining tethered to the bank (just in case), Spoon’s for you. It serves international fusion cuisine amid bright and breezy surrounds and the choices for vegetarians are great. You can’t beat the views of the castle and Chain Bridge.
reviewed
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Galata House
This would have to be one of the most eccentric restaurants in town. Run by the charming husband-and-wife team of Nadire and Mete Göktuğ, it is housed in the Old British Jail, just down from Galata Tower. Nadire uses recipes handed down from her Georgian mother to concoct simple comfort food and also plays the piano and sings for guests.
The jail functioned from 1904 to 1919, and has been sympathetically but comfortably restored by Mete, who is one of İstanbul's most prominent heritage architects.
reviewed
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Babalú
More inviting than your own living room, this first-floor cafe is ubercute. It only sells tea, coffee, hot chocolate and the odd crêpe, but once you’ve settled into one of its snug corners you won’t want to move. A teeny wooden balcony gives you a great vantage point over Skólavörðustígur, and in summer there’s occasional live music.
reviewed
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Buhara Restaurant & Ocakbaşi
If you’re craving a kebab, this unassuming eatery might be the solution. Management can be gruff and the servings are on the small side, but the quality of the meat is good. You can order an Efes to accompany your meal.
reviewed
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Cafè Zurich
It doesn’t have the atmosphere of the cafe of the same name that once occupied this prime spot, but not even the hardest of hearts can deny the location is impeccable. Pull up an outdoor pew for the human circus that is Plaça de Catalunya, or huddle over a paper on the mezzanine on a winter’s day. In summer it stays open as late as 1am.
reviewed
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Cantina
This homely hacienda, decked out in bleached pine and Brazilian coffee sacks, serves up the most authentic margaritas in Prague – perhaps a little light on the tequila, but nicely iced and with a good zing of fresh lime. The menu is as good as Tex-Mex gets in this town, with big portions of burrito, chimichanga, quesadilla and fajitas with both meat and vegetarian fillings; if the salsa isn’t hot enough for you, there are bottles of chilli sauce on the table to add a bit of bite. This place is popular, so get there early, book a table, or be prepared to wait.
reviewed
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Sixty6
This swanky New York–style brasserie is one of the most popular party-dinner spots in town – the kind of place at which you’d want to celebrate your birthday with friends. It does a mean rotisserie chicken, four different ways at any given time. Besides its signature dish, the meat-heavy menu features things like lamb shank and a particularly good bit of liver. For that special occasion, there’s a whole roast pig, but you need to order seven days in advance and be in a group of eight.
reviewed
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Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta
This is one of the most famous eateries in the city, and to be frank, we’re at a total loss to understand why. The ever-present queues of locals obviously adore its rubbery ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) served with bread, white beans, salad and pickled chillies, but we have always been underwhelmed. Why not try it yourself, though? The place has been serving since 1920 and is certainly clean, cheap and cheerful.
reviewed
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Maschu Maschu
Zippy service, a relaxed atmosphere, and delicious felafels, hummus and salads are the keys to Maschu Maschu’s success. This branch on Rabensteig, with its meagre number of tables, is better used as a takeaway joint, while another branch in Neubau is best for sit-down meals.
reviewed
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Bagels & Beans
Join the crowds for bagels with all the usual toppings, plus some new-fangled ones (smoked chicken with avocado and pesto). Top it all off with a slice of dense fig cake; it goes exceedingly well with coffee. It has another branch in De Pijp (Ferdinand Bolstraat 70).
reviewed
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Auguszt Cukrászda
Tucked away behind the Fény utca market and Mammut shopping mall, this is the original Auguszt cafe (there are newer branches) and only sells its own shop-made cakes (200Ft to 500Ft), pastries and biscuits. There’s limited seating on the 1st floor.
reviewed
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Ejder Restaurant
Roughly opposite the Byzantine aqueduct, this tiny but time-tested local favourite serves delicious Turkish dishes – if you can't decide, take the whole sizzling Anatolian meat platter. The kind owners, Mehmet and his wife Rahime, are proud to show off the guest books and memorabilia, which include photos from the Clinton family's visit and a touching guest entry from the late, great Steve Irwin.
reviewed
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Burgermeister
It's green, ornate, a century old and… it used to be a toilet. Now it's a burger joint on a traffic island beneath the elevated U-Bahn tracks. Don’t fret, don’t shudder: the plump all-beef patties are top-notch and best paired with fries and home-made dips such as peanut and mango curry.
reviewed
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Kebab House Mehmet & Alibaba
Covered in testimonials from contented customers, this friendly and informal joint dishes out tasty Turkish fare. The smiley owners are eager to please and are happy to educate the uninitiated palate with a variety of local treats such as Adana kebap. Complimentary coffee and yoghurt sides are the norm.
reviewed
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Hatzis
In operation since 1908, when Thessaloniki was still an Ottoman city, this local legend brings the tastes of old Constantinople to you. After Hatzis, you'll never ask for a simple 'baklava' again.
The veritable symphony of sweets served at Hatzis includes vezir parmak (politika syrup cake with cream filling), hanoum bourek (hand-made pastry with raisins, peanuts and cream) and a dish of malempi mastiha (cream from milk and rice porridge, flavoured with mastiha from Chios and served with rose syrup).
reviewed
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Shinok
In case you didn’t think Moscow’s themed dining was over the top, this restaurant has re-created a Ukrainian peasant farm in central Moscow. Servers wear colourfully embroidered shirts and speak with Ukrainian accents (probably lost on most tourists). The house speciality is vareniki (the Ukrainian version of pelmeni ). As you dine, you can look out the window at a cheerful babushka while she tends the farmyard animals (very well taken care of, we’re assured).
reviewed
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Aux Trois Éléphants
In a street where each restaurant is more original than the next, ‘At the Three Elephants’ takes the tart. Customers – a very mixed bag – are plunged into a highly exotic world where the extravagant ‘hostesses’ are equal to the dishes on offer. The subtle flavours of the yum plameuk (squid salad) and the homok pla (steamed fish served in a banana leaf; €10) are both excellent choices.
reviewed
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Van Dobben
It has been open since the 1940s, the venerable Van Dobben has white tiled walls and white-coated counter men who specialise in snappy banter. Traditional meaty Dutch fare is the forte: try the pekelvlees (something close to corned beef), or make it a halfom, if you’re keen on that being mixed with liver. The kroketten (croquettes) are the best in town and compulsory after a late-night Rembrandtplein booze-up.
reviewed
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Mum’s
After a change of name due to management fall-outs, the original founder of Monster Mash has reopened with a new name. This nostalgia-fuelled cafe continues to serve up classic British comfort food of the 1950s – bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips. But there’s a twist – the food is all top-quality nosh freshly prepared from local produce, including Crombie’s gourmet sausages. And there’s even a wine list!
reviewed
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Seafood Temple
Locally sourced seafood is the god that’s worshipped at this tiny temple – a former park pavilion with glorious views over the bay. Oban’s smallest restaurant serves up whole lobster cooked to order, baked crab with cheese and herb crust, plump langoustines, and the ‘Taste of Argyll’ seafood platter (£70 for two people), which offers a taste of everything. Dinner is in two sittings, at 6.15pm and 8.30pm; bookings essential.
reviewed