This is my favorite restaurant design yet. A little renaissance, a little steampunk, and a little hipster create this unique restaurant in London.  The decor allows this space to work well as a place to hang out and enjoy drinks with friends and also to have a nice quiet meal with family. And there won’t be a lot of quiet time at the table since there looks to be a conversation starter everywhere you look. On top of the top notch decor they also have spectacular food and drinks and there is little doubt that this restaurant and bar will be doing well for years to come.

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Korean food is not well known within the West, but Mr. Kim at Kimchee in London is hoping to change that. Kimchee is the national dish of Korea and is a combination of fermented vegetables and spices. It also happens to be very good for you and is great along with some great Korean barbecue which there seems to be no lack of at Kimchee restaurant.

The first thing I noticed is the clean simplicity of the restaurant design and those great looking lights. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the waiting area/garden area since it just looks a little fake, but it might be better in person. The uniforms for both the kitchen and service staff are very nice and fit the look and feel of the space well. The open kitchen is fantastically well integrated and the open view of the barbecue station has me hungry already. If the food tastes as good as it looks I would expect more Korean restaurants to be opening soon.

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On of the best patios I have seen at a restaurant. The inspiration for the design of this space comes from the long history of the Phoenix Hotel which was a hang out for indie and rock legends like Pearl Jam and the Chili Peppers. Sean and Isabel Manchester, along with Chip Conley (the innovative hotel chain owner, TED presenter, and author), created a cool and relaxing space that has lots of rock and roll peppered throughout – like the 10,000 albums along the walls. The poolside patio looks to be a perfect place to relax on a sunny day and catch up with friends around drinks. The modern touches and the polish on the space help to create a restaurant that is very cool and a place to check out while in San Francisco. I am currently planning a road trip honeymoon for September and this place will be on my list of places to go to – plus I need to find out what those orbs are around the pool.

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Considered one of the most romantic restaurants in New York City. It can be difficult to make an large open space feel cosy, but they do an amazing job. I love all of the details in the restaurant, like the amazing chandeliers, the painting behind the bar, and the perfectly spaced tables – close enough to make things cozy, but not so close that you feel like you are dining with other people. Unfortunately it seems that the attention paid to making the space look amazing isn’t paid to the service or the food. Frank Bruni from the NY Times was quite underwhelmed with the slow service and mediocre food.

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Good old fashioned burger joints have been making a comeback recently (if you happen to live near an In-n-Out, it hasn’t really been missing for you) and it seems to have spread all the way to Lebanon at the Classic Burger Joint. Their branding and restaurant design feels like what you would expect at an old American burger joint with very simple and clean looks. The owners seem to be doing a great job at spreading their brand and creating a positive culture within and around the restaurant. They have an iPad at the restaurant entrance to allow people to “like” them on Facebook and to leave comments on their wall – a great way to capture positive comments quickly and to build brand momentum. If you happen to be in Beirut, let me know how the burgers are because they look mouthwatering.

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