A breathtaking opening from Italy’s most exciting chef. In 2022, Riccardo Canella returned to his homeland after seven years at Noma, taking on the Executive Chef role at Belmond’s Hotel Cipriani and promising to “add a bit of zing into the classical mix” and to “craft what I hope will be a new Italian cuisine”. Il Porticciolo, an open-air restaurant and oyster bar with priceless views of the Venetian lagoon, serves the best local produce styled with Canella’s expertise, from raw seafood platters and calamarata pasta with Adriatic red tuna, to risotto with seaweed oil, alongside a selection of vintage champagnes.

Only open a few months, Pharaoh is already a must-visit modern classic in the Greek capital. The chic and spacious natural wine bar serves traditional dishes with contemporary twists to a hip Athenian crowd, such as tomato and manouri cheese salad, chestnut casserole, and stuffed cabbage leaves. The open kitchen features a wood-fire grill turning out wild boar and octopus. Alongside the industrial concrete and steel aesthetic comes a foot-tapping vinyl playlist. Pharoah’s winning blend is thanks to its four owners, the travel and food editor Fotis Vallatos, chef Manolis Papoutsakis, Greek opera singer Dimitris Platanias, and wine expert Perry Panagiotakopoulos. Much has been made of Pharaoh’s strict two-hour dining slots - everyone wants to stay longer, but there’s always someone in line for your table!