One weekend afternoon when we were kids, our family was having lunch at a Mediterranean spot we loved, eating in our usual way. Mid-meal, a woman came up to us, “wow, I just love watching you guys eat. You look like you’re having the time of your life.” She was right.

 

The greatest memories of our lives have largely been around food and drink. We were raised in a home where the kitchen was always the center of activity. Where cooking was inspired - where no meal, even a breakfast amidst a frantic weekday morning sending 3 little kids to school - was served that didn’t have heart and soul put into it. Where preparation of food wasn’t delegated to one person - it was a full on family affair. Where by 8am on weekends there were several dishes already made and many more bits and pieces in process. Where trips were anchored around food and the next meal was discussed before the first eaten. 

 

We have been so lucky to be able to immerse ourselves in many different worlds at an early age - to experience true diversity of thought. And, what we always come back to as a common thread, really is food. The joy of a damn good meal. 

 

Now, onto the real question. Do we really need another one of these restaurant recommendation sites??? We were the most skeptical. The only reason to do anything is if it can add incremental value. Rove Around was born out of a real use case. Over the years, we have become the dining go-to; dozens and dozens of friends, colleagues, distant relatives reach out almost weekly to ask for food recommendations anytime visiting a new city. 

 

So - what’s really the gap?

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• Information Paralysis: We live in an era of excess; there are too many inputs in our world to ever make sense of. No one wants 31 restaurant recommendations for Paris. And no one wants to read 9 lines about each restaurant. Here at Rove Around, we operate on the rule of 12 - no more than 12 recommendations per city;  just enough to inspire and offer diversity but not overwhelm. 

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• Insider Scoop: Small things have the power to transform a dining experience. Where in the restaurant you sit, what you order, who you go with, when you go. The things the regulars know; what if you could know those at the first get go?

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• Most importantly, Trust: the most elusive of all, how to trust the recommender. When embarking on booking restaurants for upcoming travel, you usually first resort to Google and read 4-10 articles, before realizing you don’t really trust any of them. Then, you text 3 friends who you think might have visited and can trust. Enter Rove Around - born to expedite that process. As twins, we’ve had many touchpoints in the restaurant world - worked at a 3 Michelin Restaurant Group, been to cooking school in France and Tuscany, and eaten at dozens of Michelin star restaurants in some of the greatest cities in the world. But, we weren’t raised around Michelin stars - we were raised in a home where food was love, where celebration and challenges alike were met with the simplicity of a delicious meal. On the belief that good people around a table will always be one of life’s greatest little pleasures. 

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What follows is a collection of dining destinations that are sure to delight. The fullest spectrum of fine dining and shacks, hot spots and what no one’s ever heard of; where chefs eat, where influencers eat and where your grandmother eats. Food always comes first - but drinks spots thrown in where they really left an impression. 

 

The uniting thread? Where memories are made. It’s that simple and that difficult - but it’s definitely not complicated. 

 

P.S., Here at Rove Around, we don’t believe in rankings. We genuinely believe each of the recommended spots are created equal; designed for different moments, but equally memorable. Individually, each of these spots is a precious gem - but what’s more powerful is what they become together. When assembled as a puzzle, they represent the soul of a city, a window into the beating heart of a culture. What it is today and what it might become…