Want to know the best way to get to know a city? Eat your way through it. If you’re looking for your next unforgettable meal, Europe is the place to be.
Locals Insider rounded up some of the best food cities in Europe and the new restaurants that make them worth the trip. These places are foodie-approved, rated highly online, and have been spotlighted by some prestigious names.
Our Favorite Food Cities in Europe and New Restaurants
San Sebastián
Spain’s Basque Country is full of Michelin-starred restaurants; in fact, San Sebastián has more stars per square meter than nearly any other city in the world.
Beyond the stars, San Sebastián is full of hidden places to eat nice, cozy food, like the no-frills spots that are just as memorable and the high-end restaurants with tasting menus.
Sa Taula
Opened in 2023, Sa Taula has already been recognized by the Michelin Guide, which branded it ideal for solo dining. The restaurant is tiny, and Sa Taula translates to The Table, precisely what you’ll find when you walk inside: a large wooden table.
It’s so understated that it lacks signage to find the restaurant and doesn’t yet have a website, so you’ll have to check out its Instagram page for a glimpse of what’s on the menu.
Each meal is created using small-scale producers. It scores a near-perfect score on Google by visitors, and Condé Nast put it at the top of its list for best restaurants in San Sebastián.
Restaurante Akelare
It’s not new, but it’s legendary in San Sebastián and deserves a shoutout. Restaurante Akelaŕe has been sitting on the slopes of Mount Igeldo, welcoming visitors since 1970. It’s held three Michelin stars for nearly 20 years, following an impressive 25 years prior with two stars.
In 2017, it became a hotel and spa, but it’s safe to say that travelers come far and wide for the food. And to top it off, you really do get dinner with a view. The Times recently praised the restaurant and said, ‘the views match the excellence of the food’. While the menu changes regularly, you can expect top-tier tapas for $431.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is a vibe, and is home to some of Europe’s most celebrated restaurants, but don’t expect pretentious service. The city’s best spots are quietly confident, pushing the boundaries of Nordic cuisine. They focus on innovation and sustainability in the coolest way possible.
Abigail & Co
Abigail & Co. started as a pop-up shop in 2024 and became a permanent fixture in March 2025. It’s now made itself at home in a former hat shop, and is easy to stroll straight past, given the hats in the shop window. It’s intimate but won’t be kept a secret for long; it’s already made it into the Michelin Guide.
The menus blend Nordic roots, global inspiration, and sustainable, seasonal ingredients. Dishes like Mediterranean tuna, oysters, and lobster claw have been seen on the menu, but these change seasonally, and prices start at $148 per person.
Akmē
Akme is another top contender for the best new restaurants in the city. It’s intimate and only seats 16 guests, including counter seating where you can watch the dishes come to life. Like Abigale & Co, it’s already made it into the Michelin Guide since opening in early 2025, which praised it for its Japanese-French fusion cuisine.
Tasting menus here cost $203 per person, with dishes like Danish red mullet in a bouillabaisse sauce. For wine pairing, it’s an additional $125.
Milan
Milan knows how to do fashion, design, and food well, and the fine dining is just as stylish as the runways. These chefs know how to balance tradition with creativity, and you’ll find plenty of risotto, buttery sauces, and slow-cooked meats on the menu. It’s Italian cuisine, with a Milanese edge, and it’s pretty darn tasty.
DaV by Da Vittorio Louis Vuitton
Tucked away amongst Milan’s most luxurious storefronts is DaV by Da Vittorio Louis Vuitton, which, you guessed it, is next to Louis Vuitton’s showroom. It welcomed its first guests in April 2025, following an extensive renovation of Palazzo Taverna. It comes as no surprise that the Michelin Guide has already covered it, celebrating the food and the staff.
The seasonal menu features Italian cuisine, infused with the flair you’d expect from Louis Vuitton, like the monogram flower-shaped Milanese risotto with osso buco.
Ristorante Don Carlos
Ristorante Don Carlos is located in the five-star Grand Hotel et de Milan. The legendary hotel has been running since 1863; composer Giuseppe Verdi even called it home for 23 years. Don Carlos underwent major changes and had a grand reopening in late 2021, redefining its opera-themed dining and Italian cuisine, paying tribute to Verdi.
The Times recently reviewed the hotel, mentioning Don Carlos’s cuisine and atmosphere. The menu is broken down into acts, another opera nod, and you can expect dishes like oyster, caviar, and champagne risotto for $42.
Paris
You didn’t think we would miss Paris off this list, did you? The city’s food scene is iconic, but it’s not all old-school bistros anymore. You’ll find delicious food for reasonable prices in vibrant neighborhoods, and young chefs experimenting with bold new flavors in historic buildings. With plenty of Michelin-starred restaurants, Paris is still one of the best places to eat.
19 Saint Roch
In late 2024, 19 Saint Roch opened its doors to hungry foodies. It’s perfectly placed in Paris’ 1st arrondissement, right by the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden. Chef Pierre Touitou has already made a name for himself with other projects, and he’s doing the same with this one.
It appeared and came first in Condé Nast’s 2025 Best New Restaurants in the World article. The menus here change daily and include seasonal French produce, but Condé Nast says it has included the likes of braised beef with savoy cabbage, candied oranges, and almonds.
Kalank
In a lively neighborhood in Paris’ 20th arrondissement, is Kalank. It opened in 2021 and offers Southern French flavours. It’s a firm favorite amongst online reviewers, praising the food and the friendly service. It’s been featured in the Michelin Guide, which said the ‘value for money is unbeatable’.
The menu never stays the same, but you’ll undoubtedly taste the Provence influences with dishes like summer vegetable millefeuille for $31 and panisses from Marseille for $10. If you’re struggling to part with the flavors of this restaurant, you’ll be pleased to hear that it has its own store, where you can purchase drinks and sweet and savory groceries.
More Cities for a European Gastro-Tour: New Restaurants in Barcelona, Lisbon, and Berlin
Barcelona’s dining scene is on fire in 2025, with four new Michelin stars.
Fishølogy has become one of the city’s most original restaurants, creating “charcuterie of the sea” by curing and maturing fish like fine meat. You can choose between the Benthos (€115) or Abysmal (€140) tasting menus, each themed around the ocean’s depths, with plates like scallops, sting ray, and eel reimagined as delicacies.
Prodigi, led by Chef Jordi Tarré, was also awarded its first star for bold modern Catalan dishes with an artistic flourish. Meanwhile, Mae Barcelona and Teatro Kitchen & Bar complete the quartet, showcasing inventive seasonal menus and proving Barcelona remains Europe’s creative food capital.
Berlin also added three new stars this year. Loumi in Kreuzberg, helmed by self-taught chef Karl-Louis Kömmler, pairs Japanese-Asian precision with French technique in eight-course menus featuring quail with Kampot pepper jus or asparagus with anchovy and salted lemon.
The more intimate Matthias in Prenzlauer Berg focuses on seasonal cooking in a minimalist dining room, while Pars in Charlottenburg has won fans with polished service and a cosmopolitan menu rooted in modern European flavors.
Lisbon isn’t far behind either, with four restaurants newly starred in 2025, reflecting a surge of innovation in Portuguese fine dining that mixes Atlantic ingredients with contemporary flair.
Arkhe, by João Ricardo Alves, is a vegetarian restaurant where the minimalist space and wine cellar complement tasting menus like “Lunch,” “Discovery,” and “Carte Blanche”—each built around seasonal vegetables and thoughtful presentation.
Grenache, in the Alfama quarter under Chef Philippe Gelfi, offers two tasting menus (“Grenache” and “Experience”) rooted in elegant contemporary cuisine with French flavour notes, far from the tourist crowds. YŌSO by Habner Gomes brings a Japanese touch to the Lisbon Michelin scene: its omakase-style menu, using seasonal ingredients, is delivered across three dining rooms and occasionally at the sushi bar.
Marlene, led by chef Marlene Vieira, became the first female chef in decades in Portugal to receive a Michelin star; here, signature dishes combine Portuguese tradition with flair from other culinary influences, and guests often highlight the open kitchen and the balance between boldness and harmony in each course.
Some people travel for the sights, others for the shopping. But if you’re anything like us, nothing beats a trip planned around delicious cuisine. And in Europe, you’re spoiled for choice. Whether it’s a hidden wooden table in San Sebastián, Nordic cuisine in Copenhagen, or Parisian flavors just steps from the Louvre, we’ve got you covered with this list.
