10 outdoor dining moments so unique they’re worth traveling across the world to visit

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Bangkok, Thailand

Head to the nearly 100-year-old Victory Monument, where a host of vendors offer their unique takes on traditional Thai boat noodles, a dish prepared with pork and beef, dark soy sauce, pickled bean curd and spices, along the modest canal that snakes around the historic landmark. Known for being served in small portions—according to lore, this helped prevent noodle spillage while trying to eat on a boat—bowls of boat noodles are often eaten by the dozen. Go on a Thai noodle tour with your friends, wandering around the canal while you slurp down the delicious history of the city. Boat Noodle Alley’s Recipe for Magic: Epic canal adventure. Bowls of boat noodles. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

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New York City, USA

Every April, the kaleidoscope of flavors that is the Queens Night Market brings tremendous fanfare to Flushing Meadows Park, where it’s open on Saturdays throughout spring and summer. Take your time when you visit and make the most of the activities that don’t require eating (after you’ve eaten and enjoyed a Coke, of course). In addition to the more than 75 countries whose cuisine is represented via local restaurants and food makers, the market also hosts DJs, live music performances and independent art and retail vendors from around the world. Pile your arms full of food, hit the dance floor, and enjoy the Recipe for Magic at this only-in-New-York microcosm of diversity and creativity. Enjoying the world in your backyard. International bites. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Zanzibar, Tanzania

The Rock, self-styled as “a restaurant on a rock in the ocean” is—luckily for us—exactly as described. Located right off the pristine sand of Michamvi Pingwe beach, its open-air terrace lets you spend the night not just under the stars, but on an in the middle of the sea. With a menu that features seafood harvested from the reefs around the restaurant and caught by local fishermen, this may be the most hyper-local meal of your life. Order the cigal, or slipper lobster (a clawless cousin that’s sweeter, and nearly shrimp-like in texture), for a taste of Zanzibar, and pair it with a Coke to toast to a truly magical meal. Once you’ve found a Recipe for Magic in the middle of the ocean, how will you ever dine on land again? Ocean on all sides. Locally harvested seafood. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This open-air plaza is one of Rio’s most festive places to party, and it’s also home to a plethora of mainly meat-forward cuisines, including churrasco, a traditional Brazilian barbecue. On the steps of the city’s Little Africa neighborhood, it’s also one of the most historic and culturally important places in all of Brazil, which was home to almost half of all of the enslaved Africans who were brought to the Americas through the 1860s. In this plaza, you can pair a Coke with the array of Afro-Brazilian food—which makes use of palm oil, okra and peppers in many traditional dishes—for a meal that’s full of the history of the millions of people who have walked here before you.The Recipe for Magic of Little Africa: Stepping into culture. Caruru stew. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Place your order (note that it’s not unheard of to eat several sandwiches in one sitting), then pull up a plastic stool, grab a Coca-Cola and let the hum of the Old Quarter’s street ballet help you drift away from reality at this beloved local banh mi spot. As you enjoy your banh mi(s) and take in the sights zipping around you, you’ll quickly realize why this Recipe for Magic makes for the perfect Hanoi moment. Lunch with the locals. Crispy banh mi. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Puglia, Italy 

With a terrace located inside a natural cave, this secret grotto has been home to truly fabulous meals since at least the 1700s. (There’s evidence, too, in the form of a watercolor by the French painter Jean Louis Desprez.) Old and new all at once, this one-of-a-kind setting features a craggy cave mouth that frames the breathtaking sea and sky. The prix fixe menus feature blue lobster and cacio e pepe with caviar, which you can eat while hearing the waves of the Adriatic Sea crash against the base of the rock—this Recipe for Magic might just be one of the most romantic moments of your life. Finding a secret grotto. Lobster and caviar. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

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Los Angeles, USA

Cafe on 27 is an enchanting open-air oasis tucked inside the lush and sleepy hills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The cozy and welcoming breakfast and lunch cafe is wildly popular, so you’ll want to book a reservation ahead of time, especially on the weekends. Standout dishes include the tahdig waffle Benedict, a gluten-free take on the classic brunch favorite made with a Persian-style crispy rice cake as the base and topped with shaved pastrami, or the kofta tagine, beef meatballs and sunny-side-up eggs served simmering in a spiced tomato sauce in a clay pot. Brunch here is a quintessential Los Angeles experience, allowing you to find a Recipe for Magic before noon. Early morning hangs. Sunny-side eggs. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

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Delhi, India

With a literal translation of “bylane of the flatbread,” there’s no way to visit the Gali Paranthe Wali without being lured by its namesake deep fried bread, which is the house specialty of most of the vendors that line the historic alleyway. Dating to the 1650s, the area was once the homebase for the area’s silverware shops, but in the 1870s, the parantha shops began moving in. Today, three of those original shops remain open: Pt Kanhaiyalal Durgaprasad Dixit (1875), Pt Dayanand Shivcharan (1882) and Pt Baburam Devidayal Paranthewale (1886). Take a bite out of history and cool off with a Coke while you walk the streets that hold a Recipe for Magic. An alleyway for the ages. Flatbread for your friends. Ice Cold Coca-Cola.

London, U.K.

Nestled in the enchanting gardens of West London along the River Thames is the River Cafe, a nearly 40-year-old neighborhood icon serving up rustic Italian specialties like tagliatelle al ragu, pasta with veal, rabbit, pancetta and radicchio slow-cooked in chianti, and branzino ai ferri, chargrilled wild sea bass with salsa verde, arugula and slow-cooked fennel. While the menu changes seasonally, you can always expect to select from an antipasti list, followed by first and second courses, then a gelato, dessert and/or cheese course. The food is extraordinary, and so is the River Cafe’s Recipe for Magic. Exploring an enchanted garden. Pancetta in chianti. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Madrid, Spain 

Take in one of the very best views of Madrid from the tippy-top of the city at Picos Pardos Sky Lounge, a rooftop bar and restaurant on the Golden Mile. Snack on jamón ibérico, fresh oysters and ceviche as you soak up the sun (and the incredible sights) from your lofty perch. The outdoor terrace features a sparkling pool and luxurious Balinese beds where you can lay back, relax and watch the sunset over the city while sipping a cold glass of Coca-Cola. If you want to take a little snooze before heading back down to the party on the streets, well, that sounds like a Recipe for Magic. Disco nap. Ceviche snack. Ice-cold Coca-Cola.