Hotels once regarded their restaurants as an afterthought. No longer. Nowadays, meals in hotel restaurants can provide the top gastronomic highlights of a trip. It’s notable that three of our winners from this past year are located in countries that were culinary backwaters just a few decades ago: England, Ireland and Canada. Mexico also made the list, along with more-obvious gourmet destinations like Italy, Spain and New Orleans. The rise of hotel-restaurant standards around the world continues unabated.

Chez Muffy

Auberge Saint-Antoine, Québec City, Canada

Situated in the exquisitely preserved Vieux-Québec, Auberge Saint-Antoine is a sophisticated hotel that showcases more than 5,000 artifacts, including glazed ceramics, glassware and porcelain, unearthed during the construction of the property. The hotel’s exceptional restaurant is housed within a riverside warehouse dating to 1822. The rustically elegant dining room features thick beams, natural stone walls, a massive woodburning fireplace and a wrought-iron spiral staircase leading to an upper loft. The refined French-Canadian fare employs seasonal ingredients sourced from the hotel’s garden on Île d’Orléans. The fine balance of history and modernity at this museumlike property provides an enriching cultural immersion, and Chez Muffy serves creative cuisine that heightens the experience of a stay.