No frills at all, but sitting outside under an umbrella in this beloved Lisbon restaurant known as "The Chicken King" allows you to eat the best roast chicken and fried potatoes in Portugal while hobnobbing with the Lisboans who have packed this place for generations.

Located on the Asian side of the Bosporus and accessed by a hotel ferry, Ajia is a marvelous renovation of an old palace, and it has drawn a slew of fashion clients and corporations who hold meetings in this little oasis of calm. The terrace offers a grand view of the city, and the Italian cuisine is both unusual in Istanbul and very refined too. Great risottos and pasta with spicy seafood.

For more information: Ajia Hotel

© Harvey Nichols

OXO Tower Restaurant & Brasserie, London

Located on the eighth floor of OXO Tower on Southbank and run by Harvey Nichols, the outdoor terrace here affords a vast view of the Thames from St. Paul's to the Tate Museum. There's an excellent 3-course lunch, a wine cache of 800 labels, and dishes that range from old-fashioned shepherd's pie to roast halibut in red wine with Jerusalem artichokes. In the evening there is live jazz.

For more information: Harvey Nichols

© Can Majó

Can Majó, Barcelona

Barceloneta (little Barcelona) is the fishing area at the city's harbor and it's packed with seafood restaurants. Can Majó is considered one of the best, not least for its lovely prospect on the water and its very reasonable prices as well as for wonderful local specials like bacalao, rice with squid, and impeccably grilled fish. Try the local wines too.

For more information: Can Majó

© Eye Ubiquitous / Alamy

Pražské Selàtko, Prague

"Prague Piglet" is well named for its extraordinary pit-roasted suckling pig, its skin crisp, accompanied by fresh, hot potato chips, lettuce and tomato, along with items like grilled duck liver, breast of duck with thyme sauce, and filet of pike with spinach sauce. The Czech, Bohemian, and Moravian wines offered here are getting better every year too. The hilltop outdoor setting, near the Castle, provides an enchanting view of the city.

© INTERFOTO Pressebildagentur / Alamy

Chinesischen Turm, Germany

Europe's largest beergarden and Munich's most famous, this is the place for huge steins of Bavarian beer, Wiener Schnitzel, plump German dumplings, and the fat, salty pretzels that make you thirstier and thirstier. The oompah bands are both loud and lots of fun.

For more information: Chinesischen Turm

© Rhys Stacker / Alamy

La Rotonde, Paris

This Paris classic is set on a nexus of the Boulevard St. Germain and Boulevard Raspail, across from the equally delightful Le Dôme. Since 1903, La Rotonde has been as famous for its literary and artistic patrons, from Hemingway to Picasso, as for the bonhomie of its good brasserie fare of onion soup gratinée, beef tartare, and steak au poivre

For more information: La Rotonde

© Le Bristol Hotel

The Summer Restaurant at Le Bristol Hotel, Paris

With two Michelin stars, this shimmering outdoor restaurant (in winter dining moves inside) has one of Paris' brightest toques, Chef Eric Fréchon, who serves both classic and modern haute cuisine like King crab with mashed tomato and avocado scented with curry and a mousse of green apple juice, as well as tiny delicate eels from the Sargasso Sea, pan-fried meunière-style.

For more information: Le Bristol Hotel

At the Nova Scotia Seafood Cooking School, hosted by the eco-friendly Trout Point Lodge, guests learn about preparing seafood in the French New World and Creole style. It's a desk-to-sea-to-table learning experience. First, you'll be taught how to cook the seafood, then you'll visit the area's esteemed seafood destinations, where you choose from fresh oysters, mussels and fish. Finally, it's time to cook—and, of course, dig in.

West of New Orleans, the spirited town of Lafayette sits in the heart of Louisiana's Cajun Country. You're just as likely to hear Cajun French as English in these part. It's also the place for robust dishes like jambalaya, boudin and gumbo. After dancing all night to Zydeco and Cajun music, guests collapse in a historic bed and breakfast. Cooking lessons are taught by Patrick Mould, an award-winning chef and cookbook author, and a leading authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine.

China Sports and Travel offers several cooking trips, including this 11-day tour that focuses on regional cuisine from Beijing, Suzhou and Shanghai. Expect in-depth instruction; one morning is dedicated to Peking duck, the national dish that dates back to either the Yuan and Ming dynasties, depending on whom you ask. On another tour, chefs have the rare opportunity to cook at one of the country's finest institutions, Beijing New East Cuisine School. Full-time students study for three years just to be admitted into the program, but you will be an honored guest.

Place yourself in the hands of the professionals at Viking (yes, the appliance people) and hone your skills with hands-on cooking lessons at the world-class Four Seasons Chiang Mai Cooking School and the Suan Dusit Cooking School in Bangkok. Prik bai horapa (fried fish with chili and basil), Buddhist temples and boat rides make this culinary voyage unique. Pad Thai on your lunch break will never be the same.