The world's ten most spectacular views from a restaurant and bar

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This was published 6 years ago

The world's ten most spectacular views from a restaurant and bar

By Andrew Conway
Updated
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Every global traveller loves an iconic view, especially if it comes with an equally spectacular cocktail and gourmet dining experience. Here are 10 of the world's best restaurants and bars with picture-perfect panoramas.

1. NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA

You will need to travel almost to the end of the earth to dine at Fogo Island Inn but the effort will be rewarded in spades. The light-filled dining room of this remarkable hotel has a vaulted ceiling and oversize windows framing breathtaking views of wild ocean and rugged offshore islands. Depending on the season, diners can watch whales breaching, a fierce North Atlantic storm and the occasional iceberg floating by. Dining out will never be the same again. See fogoislandinn.ca

Aer bar and lounge at the Four Seasons in Mumbai.

Aer bar and lounge at the Four Seasons in Mumbai.

2. PARIS, FRANCE

Ah, Paris. The City of Light – not to mention love – has more romantic restaurants than calories in a chocolate eclair, and none more amorous than Maison Blanche. This impossibly chic dining room on the rooftop of the Theatre des Champs-Elysees, located on Avenue Montaigne in the fashionable eighth arrondissement, is designed with floor-to-ceiling windows and dual terraces delivering unrivalled views of the Eiffel Tower, the elegant dome of Les Invalides and the River Seine. Gallic glamour at its finest. See maison-blanche.fr

3. ATHENS, GREECE

Book a table for lunch at GB Roof Garden Restaurant & Bar in Athens and I'll wager the Elgin Marbles you will still be sitting there when dinner is served. The panoramic views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the Greek Parliament from the outdoor terrace are spectacular by day but shimmer once the sun sets and the ancient Acropolis is bathed in the golden glow of floodlights. Enjoy New Mediterranean menus and sweet treats by French chef Arnaud Larher. See gbroofgarden.gr

4. TANZANIA, AFRICA

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Had Ngorongoro Crater Lodge been operating at the time, it is the sort of place Denys Finch Hatton would have brought Karen Blixen for a hugely romantic Out of Africa experience. Set on the rim of the ancient volcanic crater and designed along traditional Maasai manyatta (homestead) lines, this classic safari lodge features a dining room and terrace overlooking an extraordinary natural landscape teeming with wildlife. Tip: Make sure to bring your binoculars to lunch for game spotting between courses. See craterlodge.com

5. BALI, INDONESIA

Prepare to rock – quite literally – at Rock Bar Bali at Ayana Resort and Spa, without doubt one of the world's most spectacular sunset cocktail bars. Perched atop dramatic rock formations just south of Jimbaran Bay and set 14 metres above the rolling waves of the Indian Ocean, Rock Bar is the place to relax with an equally chilled sundowner cocktail in hand. International DJs spin contemporary music to heighten the sensory experience and create a seductive after-dark vibe. See ayana.com

6. NEW YORK, U.S.

Gourmet dining reaches dizzying new heights at Asiate, the culinary centrepiece of the Mandarin Oriental, New York. A window table at this classy Asian-inspired restaurant on the hotel's 35th floor is one of the most coveted in the Big Apple, serving up exquisite food and vertiginous vistas of Manhattan skyscrapers and the green expanse of Central Park. Executive chef Cyril Renaud does his absolute best to divert diners' attention back to their plates but the views usually win out. See mandarinoriental.com

7. HONG KONG, CHINA

From its aerie on the 28th floor of the illustrious Peninsula Hotel, Felix gives fortunate diners a dramatic bird's-eye view of Hong Kong's soaring skyline, the ships and boats plying Victoria Harbour and Kowloon's busy shopping district. By day, it is a wide-frame living canvas that is constantly on the move. After dark, not even the restaurant's idiosyncratic Philippe Starck design, East-West menus and high-octane cocktails can compete with the radiant neon lights that illuminate the city all night long. See peninsula.com

8. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Sydney Harbour is blessed with picture-postcard panoramas but few are more alluring than those from the multi-award-winning Quay Restaurant. The Sydney Morning Herald's 2017 Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year is located on the upper level of the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay, delivering head-turning views of the iconic harbour bridge, Sydney Opera House, ferries and pleasure boats. Executive chef Peter Gilmore creates nature-based menus that captivate critics and diners as much as the surrounding scenery. See quay.com.au

9. MUMBAI, INDIA

You will need a head for heights at the aptly named Aer Bar and Lounge, Mumbai's highest rooftop bar on the 34th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. This open-air cocktail venue is a fabulous spot for pre- and post-dinner drinks with views of the surrounding city and Arabian Sea as far as the eye can see. Like many rooftop lounges in Mumbai, Aer's circular bar is alcohol-free but clever mixologists create delicious mocktails that won't blur the views. See fourseasons.com

10. LONDON, ENGLAND

British weather being what it is, you take your chances of seeing anything from Aqua Shard, perched on level 31 of The Shard, an iconic glass tower on London Bridge Street. But on a clear, cloudless day or night, the views of the city skyline – including St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the River Thames – from this sleek restaurant and three-storey atrium bar, will take your breath away. Innovative cuisine and cocktails are served with a cosmopolitan British twist. See aquashard.co.uk

Andrew Conway travelled at his own expense.

See also: Which Asian country has the best food? We rank the top ten

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