5 restaurants where the views are as amazing as the food

st. lucia ladera
Dasheene, St. Lucia. Ladera Resort/Facebook

Michelin-starred chefs, standout tasting menus, and extensive wine lists can only get you so far. When it comes to the world’s greatest meals — ambience is as big a factor as any. That's why we're all about these 10 next-level restaurants where mouthwatering plates are met with jaw-dropping scenery.

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Sierra Mar, Big Sur, CA

big sur post ranch inn
Post Ranch Inn/Facebook

Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn has built up a high-profile clientele list thanks—in part—to its more than enviable locale: on a 1,200-foot ridge overlooking the Pacific. Those who don’t have time for a stay would do just as well with a four-course prix fixe dinner at the spot’s elegant restaurant, Sierra Mar

Sierra Mar menu
Sierra Mar/Facebook

The innovative menu revolves daily, but you’ll find options like Morro Bay oysters with black garlic and horseradish hollandaise, pot au feu-style beef tenderloin and Wagyu short rib, and honey glazed ricotta fritters. No matter your choice, don’t sleep on the drink list—Sierra Mar’s award-winning wine cellar has more than 14,000 bottles from producers around the globe.

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Le Jules Verne, Paris

Le Jules Verne
TripAdvisor/Le Jules Verne

Having a view of the Eiffel Tower from your seat at the dinner table is pretty killer, right? But what if you flipped that thought on its head, and dined inside the monument itself. Beyond taking in 360 degree City of Light panoramas from behind the iconic structure’s wrought iron lattice, diners at Alain Ducasse’s Michelin-starred Le Jules Verne are treated to modern sensual design (think: low-lit, all-white tables and chairs by the same company behind Ferrari's interiors) a la Patrick Jouin, and ambitious, contemporary French cuisine from executive chef Pascal Feraud.

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le jules verne
Pierre Monetta/Facebook

Come for the venue, but stay for the food: five- and six-course menus (with optional wine pairings) feature elegant dishes like blue lobster with tender baby leeks and truffled vinaigrette, cocotte-cooked free-range chicken with lemon confit, and vacherin cheese with peach currant.

RELATED10 Killer Restaurants to Try On Your Next Trip to Paris

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andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania

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andBeyond Travel/Facebook

Situated on the rim of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater (a former volcano turned caldera)—this lodge isn’t easily reached. But should you find your way in via game vehicle, you’ll be treated to decadent baroque decor (see: brocade sofas, gilt mirrors, and beaded chandeliers) and alfresco dining areas—split between three camps—that give way to the dramatic African landscape. 

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge/Facebook

Despite the outdoorsy nature of the lodge, dinner here is no picnic basket affair; intimate Pan-African meals are complemented by personal butler service and a table done up in glittering silver and crystal.

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Sirocco, Bangkok, Thailand

sirocco
lebua at State Tower/Facebook

Lebua at State Tower's rooftop Sirocco holds a pretty cool title: the world’s highest alfresco restaurant. Hovering 820 feet over Bangkok’s lively streets, it’s no surprise that celebs and A-listers crowd the hotel’s vertigo-inducing Sky Bar and open-air dining room.

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lebua oyster
lebua/Facebook

Go for a boozy mango Ice Poptail and catch the sunset before going for dinner; Chef de Cuisine Gabriele Castellanza’s six-course tasting menu is a more-than-worthwhile splurge with plates of yellowfin tuna tartare, foie gras, and poached salmon, or you can go for Sirrocco’s signature steak served with chanterelle mushrooms, potato fondant, and natural jus.

RELATEDWhat to Do in Bangkok: Your Ultimate 7-Day Itinerary

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Dasheene, St. Lucia

st. lucia ladera
Dasheene, St. Lucia. Ladera Resort/Facebook

On a cliffside fronting the famous Piton Mountains with the Caribbean Sea lapping the shore a thousand feet below, Ladera Resort is as romantic as St. Lucian hideaways come. Like the rest of the hotel, on-site restaurant Dasheene takes full advantage of its verdant tropical surroundings with open walls that provide unobstructed views. 

ladera resort
Ladera Resort/Facebook

Diners are in for a Caribbean/Cajun/Creole treat as Executive Chef Nigel Mitchel spins sophisticated twists on regional dishes using fresh native ingredients from local island farmers and nearby plantations. Keep it traditional with sweet potato and coconut soup, roast conch with pickled veggies, jerk chicken sausage, and plantain gratin with coconut rum sauce.

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