The Ivy? Please. This season's crowd is as likely to be seen there as they are in socks and sandals or yesterday's tights. The most fashionable restaurants in the world today are hidden down side streets and serve sharing plates to art students. The model Erin Wasson introduces us to Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn, Rosie Lovell bakes cupcakes in Brixton, and we give you the OFM hip list, from Turkish cafes to Parisian bars.
1 Vinegar Hill House
Vinegar Hill is the new NY neighbourhood - so new that it hasn't been gentrified yet - and Vinegar Hill House is its hottest restaurant. Owned by the people who made Freemans in the Lower East Side one of the most quietly fabulous places in the city, Vinegar Hill House channels a similar spirit of understatement, cosiness and a rough-hewn quality.
72 Hudson Avenue, near Water Street, Brooklyn 11201, 00 1 718 522 1018, vinegarhillhouse.com
2 Noma
A harbourfront warehouse contains this two-Michelin-starred restaurant and its wealthy customers, some of whom have been rumoured to fly in for lunch while their pilots wait in the lounge. Exclusive interview, see page 38.
Strandgade 93, 1401 Copenhagen K, 00 45 3296 3297, noma.dk
3 Cafe Select
A new spot opened by the owners of super-cool pseudo-hidden pseudo dive bar La Esquina. A Swiss restaurant with a truly amazing private bar/den in the back.
212 Lafayette Street, New York 10012, 00 1 212 925 9322, cafeselectnyc.com
4 Cafe Oto
A vast, elegant warehouse space calmly situated in the heart of Dalston - recently tipped by Italian Vogue as the coolest place in Britain. Visit for perfect coffees and cookies in the day, and experimental music in the evenings.
18-22 Ashwin Street, London E8, 020 7923 1231, cafeoto.co.uk
5 Rochelle Canteen
Situated in the old bike shed of the Rochelle School, this feeds the likes of Luella Bartley, Giles Deacon and Marc Jacobs's accessory designer Katie Hillier, who have offices in the converted school building. Chefs Margot (as in Mrs Fergus) Henderson and Melanie Arnold have also catered events for Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, Agent Provocateur and Balenciaga. Good for doorstop sandwiches heavier than this season's Mulberry clutch bag, hearty chops and irresistible puds.
Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2, 020 7729 5677, arnoldandhenderson.com
6 The General Greene
A destination for anyone keen to try what they (you know, them) are calling NBC -New Brooklyn Cuisine - which is, loosely, sophisticated New Yorky scoff (radishes with sea salt and anchovy, for example) realised in an organic/sustainable fashion. Pretentious - clearly. But also delicious.
229 Dekalb Avenue, at Clermont Avenue, Fort Greene, New York, 00 1 718 222 1510
7 Cal Pep
Possibly the best tapas in the world- certainly the most fun, in part because it's always packed with laughing foodies and in part because the genial host, Pep, makes sure that everybody leaves delighted.
Plaça de les Olles 8, 08003 Barcelona, 00 34 93 310 7961, calpep.com
8 Hawke and Hunter
Newest addition to Edinburgh's flourishing high fashion scene, Hawke and Hunter is a five-storey townhouse imbued with a gothic rickety-ness and an innate cool. Its ground-floor restaurant serves excellent grub (which manages to be classic and accomplished while incorporating imaginative flourishes), its beautiful main bar is Edinburgh's current hottest hot spot, and it's got a secret garden and a secret gentlemen's-style members bar tucked away in its depths.
12 Picardy Place, Edinburgh EH1, 0131 557 0952, hawkeandhunter.co.uk
9 Brixton Market
It's the new Borough. Seriously. Under its clattering roof you'll find the best pizza outside of Italy at Franco Manca, its deli Wild Caper, and at Rosie's Deli Cafe the best cupcakes, service and soundtrack in Britain. For an interview with Rosie, see page 43.
Brixton Market, London SW9
10 BEeast
Not a typo, friends - this bar is located under restaurant Broadway East. It's got a secret buzzer-entry system and a sexy hallway, it has a series of cool, gay-ish nights on the go, and is generally very fashionable indeed.
171 East Broadway, New York 10002, 00 1 212 228 3100, broadwayeast.com
11 Mayahuel
Tequila - as you may or may not be aware - is the new vodka; reinvented, super-premium, and trendy as hell. The coolest place to drink it is Mayahuel - a dedicated tequila bar brought to you by the creators of the equally hip, but not quite as new, Death & Co.
304 East 6th Street, New York 10003, mayahuelny.com
12 Petersham Nurseries
For fashionable city folk who fancy a taste of rural every now and again, Petersham offers rusty chairs and seasonal cooking in a flower-filled greenhouse with a mud floor.
Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, 020 8605 3627, petershamnurseries.com
13 Monkey Bar
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the man responsible for the Waverly Inn's massive success, took over the Monkey Bar a couple of years ago and has seen it rise to It-bar status, in part because of its starry New York clientele who revel in its extremely flattering lighting.
60 East 54th Street, New York 10022, 00 1 212 308 2950
14 Charles
It's the new secret super-cool restaurant - this month's Waverly Inn, if you like. It's scaffolding clad, its windows are papered up, it has no listed phone number, and its signage belongs to the previous tenants; its shtick is to look like it's still under construction. But as annoying as all that is (and... it is), it's still very, very good indeed.
234 West 4th Street, Greenwich Village, New York 10014, restaurantcharles.com
15 Castell
Unfeasibly naff steakhouse where the choice of eating is at the bar or on sofas - the steaks are served on a tray. Everything everywhere is covered in padded leather and looks like the perfect restaurant decor for a remake of the video for Wham!'s "Last Christmas". Its steaks, however, are extraordinarily good, and it is much cherished as a place to go after a hard day styling.
Lijnbaansgracht 252-254, Amsterdam (near Leidseplein), 00 31 20 622 8606, castellamsterdam.nl
16 St John Bread and Wine Spitalfields
You can't move in here for powerful art and fashion people. Try. You can't. They eat offal and brownies looking out on to Spitalfields Market, and try not to stare at Tracey Emin in the corner or Gilbert and George shuffling handsomely past.
94-96 Commercial Street, London E1, 020 7247 8924, stjohnrestaurant.co.uk
17 The Rock and Sole Plaice
A chippie bursting with puns and fine battered fish, come summer this old-fashioned cafe lets its well-dressed and tipsy customers eat at picnic tables on the pavement.
47 Endell Street, London WC2, 020 7836 3785
18 The Eldridge
A teeny, tiny hidden private members club in the depths of the Lower East Side. Looks like a bookstore from the outside, tough as hell to get into. But worth it, assuming you do.
247 Eldridge Street, New York 10002, 00 1 212 505 7600, theeldridge.com
19 Momofuku
It calls itself a noodle bar - it's so much more. It's the place where hungry New Yorkers go to admire the line cooks, to eat steamed buns and pig shoulders, and to drink sake to a noisy rock soundtrack.
171 First Avenue, New York 10003, 00 1 212 475 7899, momofuku.com
20 Bistrotheque
The creation of one-time fashion designers Pablo Flack and David Waddington, Bistrotheque is still loved by the fashionistas five years after it opened. Flack and Waddington were the brains behind pop-up Christmas restaurants Reindeer in 2007 and Flash in 2008 (Giles Deacon created tableware for the former; Katie Grand hosted a party at the latter), and they are still London's favourite fashion party organisers.
23-27 Wadeson Street, London E2, 020 8983 7900
21 Que Viet
The poshest Vietnamese restaurant in a long road of canteen-style cafes, this is the black-walled haunt of east London's more discerning diners. Despite the rock-bottom prices, expect to trip over Marc Jacobs handbags on your way to the loo.
104 Kingsland Road, London E2, 020 7033 0588
22 Bob Bob Ricard
This ridiculously over-the-top Soho bistro is full of marble, gold, rococo lamps and leather and very pink uniforms for the waiting staff. It's gawdy but gorgeous - no wonder it appeals to the fashion crowd. Its menu is just as quirky and retro, featuring beef tea and macaroni cheese. Designer Roksanda Illinic swears by their scrumptious afternoon tea.
1 Upper St James Street, London W1, 020 3145 1000, bobbobricard.com
23 Walter Foods
The Brooklyn outpost of Spring Street's fabulous Balthazar. Absolutely bloody brilliant.
2235 Grand Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211, 00 1 718 387 8783, walterfoods.com
24 Santos' Party House
Proper good-time party location; its typical punters are very cool - but still, much more concerned with dancing and the pursuit of fun than they are looking good.
96 Lafayette Street, Manhattan, New York 10013, 00 1 212 714 4646, santospartyhouse.com
25 The Premises
It's a cafe on the side of a recording studio - the cafe offers fabulous Turkish dinners and huge breakfast fry-ups, while the studio hosts musicians such as the Arctic Monkeys and Marianne Faithfull.
209 Hackney Road, London E2, 020 7684 2230
26 Trattoria Sostanza
Tiny, packed, perfect Italian trattoria with walls laden with old photos that makes you want to redo your kitchen as soon as you see the place. It's a total escape for those attending the twice-yearly Pitti fashion shows in the town.
Via Porcellana 25r, 50123 Florence, 00 39 055 212 691 (known locally as Il Troia)
27 Scott's
Located on the same road as Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Christian Louboutin's London flagship stores, Scott's has become the place to go for a soothing half-dozen razor clams at the bar after you've blown your wages on a pair of shoes. The fashion crowd loves it; Kate Moss is a regular.
20 Mount Street, London W1, 020 7495 7309, scotts-restaurant.com
28 Cafe Ruc
Situated near the Carrousel du Louvre shopping centre, this bistro heaves with journalists, make-up artists, models and photographers, who fuel up on cheeseburgers during fashion week. You'd be amazed how many pommes frites litter the tables - even new supermodel Lara Stone's been spotted there with a burger.
159 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, 033 1 4260 9754
29 Brick Lane Beigel Bakery
Come midnight, the queues at this east London institution begin to wind out into the street. A mix of locals - artists, fashion designers, down-and-out drunks, quiet old ladies - and, in 2001, Mariah Carey, visit this 24-hour bakery for still-warm bagels and salt-beef sandwiches.
159 Brick Lane, London E1, 0871 223 6235
30 Cafe Gandolfi
Famous for its laidback service and hip clientele as much as for its delicious food.
64 Albion Street, Glasgow G1, 0141 552 6813, cafegandolfi.com
31 Hotel Amour
Within sniffing distance of the Pigalle red-light district, the restaurant and courtyard of this hotel are the place for cool young Parisians to hang out. The staff of Love magazine uses it as their base when in town. The hotel may be decorated with Terry Richardson photos, Marimekko fabrics and Be@rBrick toys, but the restaurant is renowned in style circles for reasonable prices and the healthy but tasty fare.
8 rue Navarin, 75009 Paris, 00 33 1 4878 3180, hotelamourparis.fr
32 Boundary
This Conran hotel converted from a Victorian warehouse opened in January, and Boundary Rooftop quickly became a favourite for designers. The views are great, and the restaurant serves the sort of roasts and pies that make squeezing into body-con dresses such a chore.
2-4 Boundary Street, London E2, 020 7729 1051, theboundary.co.uk
33 Cafe Charlot
Picture a New York take on a French bistro - with tiled walls, chrome detailing and crowd of semi-intimidating fashion types.
38 rue Charlot, 75013 Paris, 00 33 1 4454 0330
34 Epic Roasthouse
It's right on the water, and sells amazing steaks. Need more? It's the buzziest restaurant in San Francisco at the moment, and the dimly lit cocktail bar upstairs is packed with stylish locals.
389 Embarcadero, San Francisco 94105, 00 1 415 369 9955, epicroasthousesf.com
35 Les Trois Garcons
An oldie but - oh! such a goodie. Madly ornamented restaurant in gentrified-yet-still-urban east London. A total - exquisite, imaginative, exciting - event of a restaurant. Go, if you haven't already.
1 Club Row, London E1, 020 7613 1924, loungelover.co.uk
36 Chez Omar
Hearty couscous house for fashion-week darlings desperate for some comfort food. Tables are tightly packed and the couscous dishes are inevitably sloppy, so don't turn up in your finery.
47 rue Bretagne, 75003 Paris, 00 33 1 4272 3626
37 Beppe
Delicious Italian food in a Tuscan-style farmhouse with your host, Beppe! Enjoy a fun-time atmosphere and a moreish menu, then stumble along the road to Union Square.
45 East 22nd Street, New York 10010, 00 1 212 982 8422, beppenyc.com
38 Porthminster Cafe
Eat and paddle on Porthminster Beach in painters' haven St Ives, where artists devour local seafood and gossip in the sand.
Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26, 01736 795352, porthminstercafe.co.uk
39 Hotel Tresanthon
A destination for anyone. Not just another country hotel, its restaurant overlooks St Mawes harbour and serves candlelit dinners to classy out-of-towners.
St Mawes, Cornwall, 01326 270055, tresanton.com
40 Fanelli's Cafe
Across the road from both the Mercer Hotel and the Rem Koolhaas-designed Prada store, this bar was here before the lot of them, and is one of the last remnants of vieux SoHo. The burgers, fries and beer are unfeasibly good, the conversation real life: very refreshing after fashion-week fluff.
94 Prince Street, New York 10012, 00 1 212 226 9412
41 Tan Dinh
Fashion editors love to be fawned over by anyone, so most flock to a Chinese restaurant called Dave where the owner makes up for the quality of his food by sucking up to anyone who walks in. A few minutes away on the Left Bank, at the Vietnamese Tan Dinh, you get a different sort of attention: the owner tells you what to eat, and what to drink with it, because he knows what's good. On the whole, a much more satisfying type of attention.
60 rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris, 00 33 1 4544 0484
42 L'Eau a la Bouche
Cafe and deli that's recently moved to a bigger premises to serve the Hackney fashion population with its sandwiches, salads, pastries and pies. Eat in on the communal table, outside on the street, or take the food up to London Fields for the unofficial fashion-off that takes place on the grass when the sun comes out.
49 Broadway Market, London E8, 020 7923 0600, labouche.co.uk
43 Brindisa
Wildly successful importer of Spanish food in the belly of Borough Market. The widest range of manchegos north of the Med and a try-before-you-buy ham-slicing counter manned by burly Spanish jamón carvers.
Borough Market, London SE1, 020 8772 1600, brindisa.com
44 Ubiquitous Chip
Expect fairy lights, a glass roof, greenery and gorgeous food in this arty covered garden of a restaurant.
12 Ashton Lane, Glasgow G12, 0141 334 5007, ubiquitouschip.co.uk
45 Cecconi's
Art mavens visit for Sunday lunch before hitting the galleries.
5a Burlington Gardens, London W1, 020 7434 1500, cecconis.co.uk
46 Chez Julien
Belle époque restaurant near the Seine: elegant, very traditionally Parisian and terribly chic.
1 rue du Pont Louis Philippe, 75004 Paris, 00 33 1 4278 3164
47 Trattoria alle Langhe
Candlelit, stuffed to the rafters with pretty vintage furniture, this dark-panelled trattoria is the venue for any fashion house hosting a dinner. During the biannual Milan Fashion weeks - held in March and September - expect to see everyone from Tom Ford to Christopher Bailey.
6 Corso Como, 20124 Milan, 00 39 02 655 4279, trattoriaallelanghe.com
48 Trattoria Bagutta
This grand old restaurant is more than 70 years old, and the beautiful frescos and paintings that decorate the walls make it a national treasure. Giorgio Armani is often seen here enjoying the Tuscan cuisine.
Via Bagutta 14, 20121 Milan, 00 39 02 7600 0902, bagutta.it
49 Trattoria Rondine
So anonymous from the outside it looks like it's always shut, this trattoria has the great advantage of being across the road from Prada's HQ, turning the place into an unofficial canteen. It's a useful pit stop for starving fashion editors on their trail of the showrooms (should the starving fashion editor want to eat rather than be starving out of choice).
Via Spartaco 11, 20135 Milan, 00 39 02 5518 4533
50 Caviar Kaspia
Designers such as Lanvin's Alber Elbaz and Karl Lagerfeld are often to be found in this elegant restaurant known for its caviar and vodkas.