We ate a ton of amazing food in 2022, and it was really hard to narrow down the top five restaurants for the year. A few choices were easy, but there was so much deliciousness this year, it was tough to pick just five, but it had to be done! Below is my countdown of the top five restaurants I ate at in 2022!

5. Roister, Chicago, USA

The fifth spot on the list was actually the most difficult to choose, because that meant that a whole bunch of other amazing places didn’t make the cut – but if you click on my “Restaurants” category, you can check out all of the other amazing restaurants where we ate in 2022 all over the world. For the fifth spot of 2022, I chose Roister, where I took my brother for his birthday when he was in town in July. Roister has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, and the most approachable and chill of Grant Achatz’s joints here in town. I have eaten here, I think, about four or five times now, and we’ve never had a bad, or even uninteresting dish. The service has also always been stellar here. Roister lost its Michelin star a few years back to another Achatz restaurant – Next – which I don’t think is nearly as good, and I think the folks at Michelin should give Roister its star back, for what it’s worth. Please check out my overview of our delicious dinner at Roister here, and don’t hesitate to book a meal here – you absolutely will not regret it.

4. Delahunt, Dublin, Ireland

Delahunt in Dublin was the big surprise of the year. I had read great reviews, and the chef is known for hyper-local food and does some of his own foraging for the restaurant, however we never thought our experience would be one of the best of the year. The venue itself was super cozy and had a welcoming vibe. The service was spot on, and the food was some of the best we had this year, not only in Dublin, but the world! The extra bonus is their sitting room upstairs, where you can enjoy a delicious cocktail either before or after your reservation. The sitting room is super cute, and it was a great place to relax after our delicious meal. I proclaim in my review, here, that Delahunt deserves a Michelin star, and I hope it does get one soon! Definitely check out Delahunt in Dublin when you are there!

3. Noni, Valletta, Malta

Noni is a one-star Michelin rated restaurant in Valletta, and I was excited to take our oldest to her first Michelin-starred experience, and this place did not disappoint. Noni is celebrating five years of delicious food and excellent service, and they are very proud, with justification. The restaurant space is underground, but the high, vaulted ceilings and light colored bricks and table linens give it an airy feeling. The plating of the food was spectacular here, and I loved their ceramics and other food presentation items that they used. The food itself was also super great, as were the wine pairings. Service was unpretentious and perfectly paced. This restaurant was a no-brainer for the Top Five list this year! Check out my full review here!

2. Oriole, Chicago, USA

Easily one of the best restaurants in Chicago, and therefore, the world, Oriole was a delight for the senses. Oriole is a two-star Michelin rated restaurant, and the stars are well deserved. Moving around to different spaces in the restaurant provided a feeling of adventure and entertainment! I didn’t do a formal review of this restaurant, because I came here for my birthday, but I do have a full overview of the food with lots of photos on the blog, which you can check out here. Come for the beautiful and chill atmosphere, the cool and chatty servers, but mainly come for the most gorgeous food decorated with all of the cutest, tiniest flowers! You will love it!

1. Cocina Hermanos Torres, Barcelona, Spain

I didn’t have to think too hard about which restaurant this year would be ChiLuxe Travel’s Number One. I booked a table at Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona, not knowing too much about the restaurant, except that they had room for four of us (we brought our two youngest here), at a not- particularly-ridiculously-late hour in Barcelona, as well as the fact that they had two Michelin stars, and it wasn’t horrendously expensive. We came to this restaurant with a sense of the unknown, and stayed here for over three hours of food and entertainment.

The kids were treated just as adults would be, their sparkling grape juice kept cool away from the table, and passionately refilled as though it was real wine. The Hermanos Torres themselves came to our table to thank us and make sure we were having a good time and enjoying everything. The service here was choreographed and impeccable.

The highlight, though, as it should be, was the food. Each course was weird, delicious, innovative and exciting. Each wine pairing was perfectly complimentary. When we learned recently that the restaurant had earned a third Michelin star, we all cheered, knowing that it is well deserved, and we definitely knew that we had eaten at one of the best restaurants in the world. Check out my full overview of our experience here, and don’t hesitate to book a table when you’re in Barcelona!