It’s not difficult to find a good place for dinner in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv. But if you want a place that’s not too crowded and noisy, you should go to Catit, located in a villa away just a short walk from the bars, cafes and restaurants of Neve Tzedek.

Catit serves Mediterranean cuisine with a Middle Eastern touch. It’s perfect for a quiet romantic evening.

• Vibe: elegant dining room with black and white tiled floors, tables are far enough that you can carry on a civilized conversation.

• Pros: excellent French and Italian dishes from the Med, good wine list; Neve Tzedek location is a big plus because it’s close to a lot of good bars and cafes, good service.

• Cons: None really.

Catit Restaurant
4 Heihal hatalmud Street
Tel Aviv (Neveh Tzedek)
Israel
www.catit.co.il
+972 3 510 7001

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Other Tel Aviv favorites:

Food in Tel Aviv: Tapas at Herbert Samuel

Orna and Ella serves up delicious salads

Superb fish and pasta at Orca

Fabulous boutique hotel: Nina Cafe Suites Hotel

Dining out in Neve Tzedek: Dalal and Nana Bar

Café Mia: chocolate decadence in Neve Tzedek

Berlin has become one of my favorite cities because there’s so much to do and compared to other European cities like Paris, Amsterdam and London, it’s affordable. In the past ten years, old buildings have been renovated, but it has not been turned into a museum. Architects such as Normal Foster (Reichstag dome) and Daniel Libeskind (Jewish Museum) have been commissioned to design edifices in Berlin, and even the ones that seem a bit kitschy such as the Sony Building, work very well in the end.

Berlin has attracted many young designers and artists from around the world because they can still find apartments and atelier space that don’t require bankers’ salaries. Result: a vibrant arts scene, lots of cool bars and restaurants, fabulous boutiques and bookstores.

If you are going to Berlin, I recommend staying for several days to enjoy the city. To help you find a hotel, here are my favorites. I’ve already posted one review for Miniloft Mitte, where I stayed, but I also checked out a few more for you categorized by district (Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain). At the end of this post, you will find a Google map that also lists my favorite restaurants and bars.

(1) Mitte: The old historical center of Berlin.  I like the north and northeast of Mitte.

Arte Luise Kunsthotel
Luisenstrasse 19
Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 30 284 480
www.luise-berlin.com

Lux 11
Rosa Luxemburg Strasse 9-13
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 936 2800
www.lux-eleven.com

Honigmond Restaurant Hotel
Borsigstrasse 28 (corner Tieckstrasse 12)
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 284 4550
www.honigmond-berlin.de

Honigmond Garden Hotel‎
Invalidenstrasse 122
10115 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 284 45577
www.honigmond-berlin.de

art’otel berlin mitte
Wallstrasse 70-73
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 240 620
www.artotel.de

Hotel mitArt
Linienstrasse 139-140
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 28390430
www.mitart.de

The Circus Hostel
Weinbergsweg 1a
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 283 914 33
www.circus-berlin.de

And of course, my favorite apartment (see our review):

Miniloft Mitte
Hessische Strasse 5
10115 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 847 1090
www.miniloft.com

(2) Prenzlauer Berg: this district is northeast of Mitte. It is a residential beautiful district with terrific restaurants and night life.

ackselhaus & bluehome
Belforter Strasse 21
10405 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 443 37633
www.ackselhaus.de

Hotel Greifswald
Greifswalder Strasse 211
10405 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 4427888
www.hotel-greifswald.de

(3) Friedrichshain: Berlin’s up and coming district with lots of funky cafes and restaurants.

Eastern Comfort hostelboat Berlin
Mühlenstrasse 73-77
10243 Berlin, Germany
+ 49 30 667 638 06
www.eastern-comfort.com

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Here is a Google map of my favorite hotels, restaurants and bars in Berlin.

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It’s nearly impossible to create a list of favorite restaurants in a city as large as New York. What one usually gets is a list in a particular area and in our case, most of our favorites are south of 23rd Street (in the Greenwich Village and Soho neighborhoods). Our friend, Moran Bar-Kochva, who lives in New York and goes out often, came up with most of the entries. In future posts, we will add restaurants and cafes in other neighborhoods.

Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizza
1 5th Ave
New York, NY 10003
+1 212 995 9559
www.ottopizzeria.com

Boqueria Bar De Tapas
53 W 19th St
New York, NY 10011
+1 212 727 1548
www.boquerianyc.com

Alta Restaurant‎
64 W 10th St
New York, NY 10011
+1 212 505 7777
www.altarestaurant.com
Tapas

Tia Pol
205 10th Ave
New York, NY 10011
+1 212 675 8805
www.tiapol.com
Tapas

Frankie’s
17 Clinton St
New York, NY 10002
+1 212 253 2303
www.frankiesspuntino.com
Italian

Bobo
181 W 10th St
New York, NY
+1 212 488 2626
www.bobonyc.com
Outdoor seating

Caffe Falai
265 Lafayette St
New York, NY
+1 917 338 6207
www.falainyc.com
Italian

Perry Street
176 Perry St
New York, NY 10014
+1 212 352 1900

www.jean-georges.com

Mizu Sushi
29 E 20th St
New York, NY 10003
+1 212 505 6688

Tomoe Sushi
172 Thompson St # A
New York, NY 10012
+1 212 777 9346

Sushi Sasabune
401 E 73rd St
New York, NY 10021
+1 212 249 8583

Peep
177 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
+1 212 254 7337
www.peepsoho.net
Thai

Inoteca
98 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
+1 212 614 0473
www.inotecanyc.com
Italian

Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St # 1
New York, NY 10014
+1 212 620 0393
www.thespottedpig.com
American

Allen and Delancey
115 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
+1 212 253 5400
www.allenanddelancey.net

Extra Virgin
259 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
+1 212 691 9359
www.extravirginrestaurant.com
Mediterranean

Market Table
54 Carmine St
New York, NY 10014
+1 212 255 2100
www.markettablenyc.com

Momofuku
207 2nd Avenue
New York NY 10003
+1 212 254 3500
www.momofuku.com

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Here’s a Google map of our favorite places in New York City.

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Berlin has become one of the most fascinating cities to visit in Europe. There is a lot of edgy new architecture amidst so much history. Better yet, it is a very lively place because a lot of young people came to the city and opened clothing and design boutiques, bars, and restaurants.

Berlin has always attracted a young, alternative, creative crowd of artists and designers. Now that more visitors are coming to the city to enjoy, boutique hotels and chic B&Bs have been popping up in various districts.My favorite has to be the Miniloft Mitte in central Berlin, only a 10-minute walk from the new Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), which itself merits a visit because it is a stunning glass structure that looms over the empty space stretching between Mitte and Tiergarten.

Miniloft Mitte consists of four apartments, two of which are in the new building, which recently garnered several architectural awards. The extrovert is the larger of the two loft apartments in the new building. The owners of Miniloft are founders of the architectural firm called Deadline.

• Vibe: modern industrial chic, minimalist interior filled with light and stylish furniture.

• Pros: located in the Mitte district of Berlin, it is close to public transport and within walking distance of a lot of cool shops, restaurants, bars, museums and galleries. Mitte and the neighboring district of Prenzlauer Berg are the best places to stay in Berlin. The owners are architects and their work is stunning. The apartment is large and has everything you need, including fast Internet access (wired). Prices are reasonable. You would pay far more in a standard chain hotel room with much less space.

• Cons: nothing really unless you expect room service.

Another thing: the owners pay a lot of attention to detail to make your stay enjoyable. They have a little book in the apartment where they list their favorite cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood, interesting walking tours that include architectural gems of Berlin (with an excellent map), as well as practical places like grocery stores to fill your fridge.

Miniloft Mitte
Hessische Strasse 5
10115 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 847 1090
www.miniloft.com

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Here is a Google map of my favorite hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and shops in Berlin.

View Larger Map

Honolulu has some of the best restaurants in the Pacific, thanks to the city’s multicultural mix (Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiians, among others). Although visitors prefer to stay in resorts on other islands, I’d rather be in the city where you have the best of both: city life and the beach. Honolulu has its share of tourist traps - dreadful eateries that cater to visitors who don’t seem to have taste buds - but you don’t need to worry about that with our list of favorites. If you find good places to eat in Honolulu, let us know by posting a comment below.

Here are Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in Honolulu.

12th Avenue Grill
1145C 12th Ave.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 732 9469
www.12thavegrill.com
American Bistro

Alan Wong’s
1857 S. King St., 3rd Fl.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 949 2526
www.alanwongs.com
Hawaiian food

Chef Mavro
1969 S. King St.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 944 4714
www.chefmavro.com
French

Downtown
Hawai’i State Art Museum
250 S. Hotel St.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 536 5900
Mediterranean

Kaiwa
Waikiki Beach Walk
226 Lewers St., 2nd Fl.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 924 1555
Japanese

Vino
Restaurant Row
500 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii
+1 808 524 8466
Italian

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Here is a Google map of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu.

View Larger Map