When traveling, you often seek out eateries offering exceptional food you can’t find elsewhere. As certain name-brand chains become ubiquitous all around the world and certain celebrity chefs continue to build gourmet-ish franchise empires, it might seem harder these days to find truly unique restaurants.
However, if you know where to look, you can find delightfully delicious dishes that you can’t get anywhere else. On that note, let’s take a trip around the world to discover a collection of restaurants with specific menu items that deliver unforgettable flavors.
1. Breton Lobster at The Japanese at The Chedi in Andermatt, Switzerland
If you’re fortunate enough to stay at the fabulous five-star The Chedi in the Swiss ski town of Andermatt, you might as well go all in on an incredibly luxurious stay by booking dinner at their Michelin two-star restaurant, The Japanese.
While here, you may want to save room for the Breton Lobster, should it surface on the restaurant’s seasonal menu. The lobster itself is cooked perfectly, and it’s paired with a tomato-based sauce that tastes decadently rich without feeling too heavy.
2. Scallop Risotto at Oystera in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Though Cabo San Lucas is chock full of flashy celebrity chef establishments and other rock star-themed eateries, some of the region’s best seafood restaurants can be found about an hour and a half north in Todos Santos. Oystera may be Todos Santos’ finest example of local farm-to-table culinary culture.
While the oysters here are spectacular, the scallop risotto is a heftier dish worth trying. The combination of black risotto (made with calamari ink), fresh seasonal oysters, and grana padano and goat cheeses might seem odd, but it’s a stroke of culinary genius.
3. Seafood al Pastor Tacos at NEMI in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Tucked away in the historic center of Baja California Sur’s state capital of La Paz, NEMI is where you can enjoy the unique edible art of Chef Alejandro Villagomez in a venue lovingly watched over by COO Andrés Sánchez. The menu is constantly changing as an avant-garde eatery dedicated to showcasing the freshest ingredients in the most creative ways possible.
But if you dine here on a night when the seafood tacos are available, try them. They’re made al pastor style, and the flavors are so out of this world that you may wonder whether you’ve ascended into heaven.
4. Spaghetti Alla Nerano at theà at The Global Ambassador Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
What’s the big deal about spaghetti? If you find yourself at theà at the new Global Ambassador in Phoenix, the spaghetti is downright life-changing. Topped with parmesan cheese and studded with crispy sauteed zucchini slices, this spaghetti comes in a creamy beurre monté (or melted yet emulsified butter) sauce that is so wildly delicious that it makes the entire dish dangerously addictive.
The only thing that can possibly make this better is a side order of theà’s Moroccan-style roasted carrots and perhaps a view of a perfectly scenic Sonoran Desert sunset over Camelback Mountain outside.
5. Caribbean Lobster Tail at Ave at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa in West Bay, Cayman Islands (U.K.)
At Kimpton Seafire’s flagship restaurant, Ave, the menu appears deceptively simple. This isn’t the only place to eat lobster drenched in (herb or truffle) butter. But of all the places to enjoy lobster in the Cayman Islands, Ave stands out for its version.
The lobster is cooked exquisitely. And if you opt for the truffle butter, this dish doesn’t taste as gimmicky as many other truffle-enhanced dishes. Instead, the flavors all work together in the most pleasantly surprising way.
6. Hainan Burrata at Reyna in Paris, France
Yes, we get it: Burrata dishes have become so ubiquitous that it’s become hard to differentiate all the burrata you see at restaurants around the world. Yet Filipino restaurant Reyna in Paris serves a new and refreshing twist on this soft cheese.
If you spot the Hainan Burrata on Reyna’s seasonal and constantly changing menu, you’ll be treated to Chef Erica Paredes’ fun combination of burrata with kecap manis (or sweet soy sauce), ginger, chili oil, and scallions. Suddenly, the “boring” burrata becomes a new, fascinating, and incredibly satisfying blend of remarkable flavors.
7. Khao Man Gai at Nong’s in Portland, Oregon, USA
In Thailand, it’s commonplace for restaurants to focus on one specialty dish. When Thai-American chef Nong Poonsukwattana opened her namesake restaurant in Portland, she focused on Khao Man Gai, or chicken and rice.
This combination might seem boring to folks unfamiliar with Thai cuisine. But when you taste Nong’s take on this classic Thai dish, you suddenly realize how even the most seemingly lowly of dishes can become incredibly special with the right flavor enhancement (such as Nong’s peanut sauce or Thai chili sauce).
8. Veggie Khao Soi at Uncle in Denver, Colorado, USA
All too often, when you want to try some exciting new Southeast Asian restaurant, you have a hard time finding decent plant-based options. Fortunately, at Denver’s Uncle, their vegan khao soi is so good even hard-core carnivores might not miss the meat when they try this ramen dish.
Uncle utilizes northern Thai yellow curry to make their delectable golden-hued broth, and they pair it with king trumpet mushrooms, perfectly springy ramen noodles, pickled mustard greens, and a rich chili jam that combine for an astoundingly satisfying experience.
9. Ceviche Verde at Masala y Maíz in Mexico City, Mexico
Ceviche is another dish that is increasingly omnipresent, so we can forgive your initial eye roll over our praise for this ceviche at Mexico City’s Masala y Maíz. But hear us out: Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval have created a ceviche verde that’s truly astounding.
Think tender citrus-cured fish, crisp fried chickpeas, and a puréed serrano chile and lime sauce that invites you to load up wafer-thin tostadas with all this savory goodness that must be tasted to be believed.
10. Shredded Chilly Venison at Fatt Pundit in London, England, U.K.
Based on the Hakka cuisine of Cantonese immigrants who settled in Kolkata, India, Fatt Pundit offers some fascinatingly delicious Indo-Chinese fusion food. If you want to try some meat, Fatt Pundit’s shredded chilly venison will likely blow you away with its subtle yet clever juxtaposition of tender, chewy meat and sweet yet smoky hot chili reduction.
Even if you’re not down for some venison, you can also taste Fatt Pundit’s smokin’ hot chili magic with red chilly ribeye (beef), chilly prawns, and Bombay chili (vegan) mock chicken dishes.
11. Fried Apples at Audrey in Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Apples? Really, what’s so special about apples? If you make it to Chef Sean Brock’s Audrey in Nashville, you can discover the deeper meaning of his fried apples. Basically, this humble side dish or bar food is a low-key powerhouse dish that showcases Appalachian cuisine. The apples are cooked in foie gras fat for richness, yet they come with sorrel for a fresh, green twist. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, making these apples a great way to start your meal.
12. Bun Dau Mam Tom at Hu Tieu Mi Lacay Cho Lon in Falls Church, Virginia, USA
Tucked within the suburban Eden Center mall in the D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Hu Tieu Mi Lacay Cho Lon specializes in the Saigon-style noodle dish hu tieu. While their namesake hu tieu is wonderful, don’t skip the bun dau mam tom if you spot it on their menu. This Hanoi-based dish features rice vermicelli, tofu, fermented shrimp paste (or mam tom), and pork belly.
The combination might seem odd, and the or mam tom might have a very pungent scent, but this dish breaks through with its unique yet delectable flavors.
13. Koji-Rubbed Lamb Chop at Beast Pizza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Why order lamb chop at a pizza place? If you make it to Beast Pizza in Toronto, you discover that while Chef Nathan Middleton makes some wildly creative pizzas, his whole animal dinners are next-level genius. You’ll need to make reservations and put in a request at least one week in advance if you want the whole animal dinner. If you opt for a lamb dinner, you may be treated to koji-marinated lamb that’s perfectly soft and expertly flavorful.
14. Cuban Sandwich Empanadas at Cafe La Trova in Miami, Florida, USA
Sandwich or empanadas? Why not both? Cafe La Trova in Miami’s Little Havana has cooked up these yummy empanadas that magically house all your favorite flavors from the Cuban Sandwich. Here, the James Beard Award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein expertly packs slow-roasted lechon (pork), Swiss cheese, and mustard into fried pastry shells that somehow make the classic Cuban sandwich taste better than ever.
15. La Fameuse Pâte Á La Truffe at Ober Mamma in Paris, France
If you make it to Ober Mamma in Paris, order their famed Pâte À La Truffe, or truffle pasta. And you’ll see why we suggest this Italian eatery in the French capital. Though truffle is another ingredient that gets misused to the point where it comes across as “stunt food,” this truffle pasta is anything but.
Rather, you get beautifully cooked mafaldine (or ribbon-shaped pasta) with crispy mushrooms, fragrant truffles, rich black truffle cream, and creamy mascarpone cheese. For some reason, when all of these come together, they make for the ultimate pasta party in your mouth.
16. Wood-fired Shawarma At Saffy’s in Los Angeles, California, USA
Nestled between Hollywood and Silver Lake in the heart of LA, Saffy’s serves shawarma that instantly transports you to the Levant. Their thinly cut and slow-roasted beef and lamb are plenty tasty on their own, but their pairing with tomatoes, sumac onions, tahini, and additional spices only make the meat taste better.
Saffy’s shawarma platter is more than large enough to share with family and friends, but we won’t judge if you have difficulty pulling yourself away from it.