Forget what you thought you knew about hotel restaurants. Pioneering boutique hotel founders like Bill Kimpton believed, even 40+ years ago, that exceptionally good food and drink should be standard at any great hotel. So, he began creating unique, award-winning restaurants and bars inside (or atop) each Kimpton hotel.
Cheers to traveling for fabulous meals. (Photo Credit: @seafireresort)
Because great cuisine is the best part of vacation, is it not? (Photo Credit: @seafireresort)
Since then, we’ve been serving up beloved, locally-loved and nationally recognized restaurant concepts in many of the cities we call home. Other hotels and resorts are all in on food-forward travel, too, and now there are some spectacular hotel restaurants that are completely worth planning an entire trip around.
Here are some of our favorites.
Avecita — Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Avecita, Kimpton Seafire Resort’s signature dinner-only venue, offers a theatrical culinary experience showcasing Spanish tapas-inspired dishes. A few favorites include the Gambas al Ajillo, the simple-yet-perfect Tortilla (a take on Tortilla Espanola), and slow-cooked fish or meat off the red oak wood grill.
An inventive beverage-pairing program also features rare and iconic Spanish wines along with handmade cocktails that blend in local produce.
Welcome to the Cayman Islands. (Photo Credit: @whenbaesfly)
Experience a meal unlike any other at Avecita. (Photo Credit: @island_epicurean)
At times throughout the year, guests can enjoy a front row seat to the culinary show by sitting counter-side by the open kitchen as Chef Massimo and the Avecita culinary team work their magic preparing a five-course menu complete with beverage pairings. The experience is interactive, and features storytelling, notes on ingredients and terroir, and unforgettable connections made with staff.
It’s bound to be a memory that you’ll take home as your favorite souvenir from the island.
Where to stay: Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa
Skirt Steak — New York, New York
Fair warning, this restaurant went viral on social media, and the hype is real — people love it. Skirt Steak’s menu is simple: Skirt steak with greens, veggie sides, and fries galore.
Fries, veggies, and steak? Yes, please. (Photo Credit: @c3creative.nyc)
In New York, Kimpton Hotel Eventi is home to Skirt Steak. (Photo Credit: @c3creative.nyc)
The line to enter wrapped around the corner for months upon opening — and still today, people can’t get enough of the perfectly-cooked steak with Béarnaise sauce, crispy fries, and the dessert cart that comes around from table to table (do not miss the cheesecake).
Renowned French Chef Laurent Tourondel, who has created some of the world’s most successful culinary concepts, hit this unique no-reservations concept out of the ballpark. Visit Kimpton Hotel Eventi in Midtown NYC to dine at Skirt Steak, and while you’re there, be sure to swing by his other highly-lauded Italian restaurant on site — L’Amico.
Where to stay: Kimpton Hotel Eventi
SingleThread Farm — Healdsburg, California
A singularly life-changing experience, this Michelin 3-Star restaurant and inn has just five stunning guest rooms. It’s the sort of experience that is precisely what Michelin is describing when they award a coveted three stars — “worth a special journey.”
For a Michelin-star-worthy meal, head to Healdsburg. (Photo Credit: Manek Singh)
SingleThread Farm is nestled in the Dry Creek Valley of Northern California’s wine country. Its farmers and biodiverse practices respect the land and produce hundreds of different varieties of culinary crops that are incorporated seasonally into menus with mind-bending creativity and impeccable technique.
Guests of the restaurant are treated to a ten-course tasting menu with beverage pairings from their 174-page wine list. You read that right.
Where to stay: SingleThread Farm
Luke’s Kitchen — Sydney, Australia
One major highlight of visiting the stunning Kimpton Margot Hotel in Sydney is dining at Luke’s Kitchen from celebrated Australian chef Luke Mangan. Here, dinner is viewed as an event amid old-world glamour. The restaurant is open morning to evening, and shape-shifts throughout the day as it welcomes guests for everything from drawn-out celebrations to pre-theatre feasts.
As if you needed another reason to go to Australia. (Photo Credit: Annie Spratt)
No matter the time of day, Australian cuisine will delight. (Photo Credit: Matheus Frade)
Whatever the hour, superb seasonal produce steals the spotlight on this modern Australian menu. When the occasion calls, hail down the caviar trolley to level-up your dining experience to a new echelon of indulgence. French and Australian vintages pour from the extensive cellar for a seamless dining experience.
We recommend the Tasting Menu, which includes inventive dishes like Sashimi of Spencer Gulf Kingfish, Grilled Marinated Quail, Tempura Coral Trout, and a Seared and Poached Filet of Beef. For vegetarian options, the Soft Polenta and Blue Cheese Tart and the Butternut Pumpkin Ravioli are *chef’s kiss.*
Where to stay: Kimpton Margot Sydney
Ladyhawk — West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
One of the hottest restaurants in Los Angeles, Ladyhawk is helmed by Chef Charbel Hayek — a winner of Top Chef Middle East. It’s a modern Lebanese restaurant with mezze platters that, according to the Los Angeles Times, are “an armful for staff, an eyeful for customers, and the swiftest, most celebratory introduction to the restaurant’s elegant Lebanese cooking.”
The best food pairs with the best cocktails. (Photo Credit: @lapeerhotel)
Any time is a good time to visit LA. (Photo Credit: @lapeerhotel)
Beirut-born Chef Hayek is only 26 years old, yet he melds tradition and imagination in his acclaimed approach to the cuisine. Menu favorites include various homemade dips, veggie-centric plates like Roasted Carrots on Creamy Labneh, Dry-Aged Rohan Duck or Whole Daurade from the wood grill, and just-out-of-the-oven Za’atar Man’oushe — 48 hour fermented dough served with wild thyme, olive oil, tomatoes, herbs, and labneh.
It’s no wonder restaurant critic Bill Addison refers to Ladyhawk as “the most compelling Lebanese restaurant in Los Angeles right now.”
Where to stay: Kimpton La Peer Hotel
Refuge — Manchester, United Kingdom
While the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester is located just a short walk way from a myriad of great restaurants and bars on Canal Street, its in-house restaurant Refuge is one of the best in town.
Manchester is renowned for its English culinary heritage. (Photo Credit: @gillochops)
Refuge offers a locally-loved menu that takes inspiration from the culinary heritage of Manchester’s multi-cultural population. From eclectic small plates to all-day Sunday Roasts, the food here is exceptional. Patrons rave about the service, too. Many of them are sampling small plates ahead of a show at Manchester’s famous Palace Theatre across the street, yet others are lingering and savoring for hours during Sunday Roast.
Either way, the plates will keep coming, the service will be warm, and the drinks will be flowing — the cocktail program at Refuge is among the best in the region.
Where to stay: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
Valle — Oceanside, San Diego, California
Michelin-starred Mexican cuisine, a rooftop bar, and stunning oceanfront views. This restaurant is dazzling, and oh-so-worth the trip.
When in San Diego, opt for Mexican food — trust us. (Photo Credit: @bakdrawbykarolinbaitinger)
At Valle, one of Baja’s most renowned chefs, Roberto Alcocer, pairs authentic dishes from Mexico’s celebrated Guadalupe Valley with an array of wines from northern Mexico’s wine region. The menu features an eight-course tasting menu, presented in a very cool, very elevated (yet totally approachable) atmosphere.
Where to stay: Mission Pacific Beach Resort
Boleo — Chicago, Illinois
Soaring high above Chicago’s West Loop and named for a move in the Argentinian Tango, Boleo is grounded in vibrant, South American food. Locals and visitors to Chicago love gathering on the rooftop, amongst tropical plants and a very cool retractable glass roof.
Menu favorites include the Empanadas, the Crispy Yucca Fries, and the Arroz Chaufa — fried rice with shrimp, mushrooms, sweet potato, peppers and scallion.
Kimpton Gray Hotel’s rooftop bar is an experience unto itself. (Photo Credit: @laurametzlerphoto)
The cocktail program at Boleo is also exceptional. Twelve signature cocktails like the Capybara and the Hey, Hey Johhnie!, as well as actually-great spirit free options like the Amalfi Spritz, add to Boleo’s sense of place, and make for a Chicago night out to remember.
Where to stay: Kimpton Gray Hotel
La Caña Rooftop Bar & Restaurant — Mexico City, Mexico
The elevator doors open, and this lush rooftop bar atop Kimpton Virgilio Hotel in the posh Polanco district welcomes you to sun and a symphony of cheers. Indulge in Latin-inspired bites and sip Palomas under a cabana while you marvel at the panoramic views of Mexico’s most sprawling metropolis.
In Mexico City, seafood classics are not to be missed. (Photo Credit: Racha Debbech)
Sunshine and blue skies pair perfectly with great cuisine. (Photo Credit: Diego Lozano)
As the sun begins to set, Salsa dancing often happens naturally. The menu includes innovative twists on classics like ceviche and octopus, and the tacos (ribeye, shrimp, and jicama) are not to be missed. Come for the food, stay — and trust us, you’ll want to hang around — for the vibe.
Where to stay: Kimpton Virgilio Hotel
Cavalier — San Antonio, Texas
A bold American brasserie in the heart of San Antonio’s famed Riverwalk district, this restaurant serves supremely unique dishes — from a picture-perfect Tarte Flambee with figs and goat cheese to a show-stopping tomahawk steak.
Tucked into a smooth leather banquette or bellied up to the beautiful bar, guests enjoy creative yet sophisticated dishes in a part of the city that was previously lacking such an exceptional restaurant.
Even the meals are bigger in Texas. (Photo Credit: Bao Menglong)
The Wagyu Coulette served with parmesan fries and Café de Paris butter might bring a joyful tear to your eye, and you won’t be able to help pulling your phone out to snap a picture of the soaring oyster and seafood tower — three tiers of fruit de mar fabulousness.
Where to stay: InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk
