Les Grands Verres restaurant - Paris, France

Turning the museum restaurant on its head, Quixotic Projects, the hospitality group behind some of Paris’ biggest success stories, has come up with a concept that puts the Palais de Tokyo’s new eatery far ahead of the usual soulless outlets pedalling mediocre food. 

Local architecture firm Lina Ghotmeh has used earthy tones and raw materials like wood and stone to highlight the group’s low-waste practices with a bar made from compacted earth and intimate booths and tables all handmade from sustainable materials. Elsewhere, polystyrene tubing pulls double duty as wall lighting and a sound absorber, while a low-hanging sea of light bulbs creates a faux ceiling and a feeling of intimacy. 

The kitchen doles out seasonal Mediterranean-inspired dishes like oven-baked artichoke and tender lamb shoulder with smoked aubergine, but most notable are the cocktails, which is what Quixotic Projects does best.