Life just wouldn’t be as good without our favourite neighbourhood joints. You know the kind: hole-in-the-wall, family-run places, or the local pub with the excellent burgers. At the end of the day, this is where you go to relax, eat well and forget your stresses. As it turns out, the chefs who work in the busiest kitchens are no different. When they’re in search of pure eating pleasure, instead of seeking the finessed food they produce for a living, they often head to less well-known local stalwarts that produce no-frills dishes that deliver on consistency and flavour.

From the noodle café with Michelin-starred clientele in Hong Kong to the lasagne that feels like the embrace of an Italian matriarch in Sydney, we asked 21 of our favourite chefs in seven cities to reveal their go-to dishes and hidden-gem restaurants in the places they call home.

Where: Osteria Centrale

_The dish: osso buco  _

“I come here every Monday on my day off for cooking that tastes like Nonna made it. Roberto the chef is actually a sommelier, so my meal is always accompanied by a few special bottles from his cellar. The osso buco is rich, tender and hearty, but don’t miss the vitello tonnato with a very elegant sauce or the tomato salad, which is made from the ripest tomatoes you could ever imagine.”

Bleibtreustraße 51, 10623 Berlin

Where: Lon Men’s Noodle House

_The dish: chilli wontons  _

“The restaurant is sort of ugly, with harsh lighting, and the hospitality leaves a lot to be desired, but the Taiwanese food here is unpretentious and tasty. I am addicted to the delicate wontons served with lashings of homemade chilli oil. You’ll find yourself licking the bowl.”

Kantstraße 33, 10625 Berlin; lon-mens-noodle-house.business.site

Where:_ Chung King Noodles _

The dish:_ cold noodles with extra cabbage _

“Few things are more pleasurable than eating spicy noodles in this salmon-pink-tiled cubbyhole when the temperature drops. The flavours are complex and tongue-numbingly spicy. I take a voyeuristic pleasure in watching the uninitiated sweat and weep, especially if they ask for the extra spicy noodles.”

Reichenberger Str. 35, 10999 Berlin; chungkingnoodles.berlin

Where:_ Dakshinayan _

The dish:_ gunpowder idli_

“The outlets are never fancy and the wait is usually long, but it is always worth it. The food is comforting, no frills and on par with the best the country has to offer. My wife refuses to share her gunpowder mini idlis soaked in ghee, so we always order three. One for her, one for me and one to take home.”

Gandhigram Road, near Hare Krishna Temple, Maharashtra 400049

_Where: _Cafe Madras

_The dish: _rava masala dosa

“You can forget about all your troubles with a rava dosa at this 1940s family-run south Indian café. It’s crispy, spicy and full of deliciously burnt onion bits. It’s always busy and has such great energy. Everyone is there for the food.”

Kamakshi Building No. 391/B, Bhaudaji Road, Maharashtra 400019

Where:_ Jai Jawaan_

The dish:_ tandoori chicken _

“The tandoori chicken here never disappoints. It’s cooked on the bone, which means it’s tender and juicy. The spicing is completely balanced and what’s important to me as a chef is consistency – I’ve never had a single dud order. I long to eat it smeared with coriander chutney and onions, and puffs of bread straight out of the tandoor oven.”

_Where: Cheng Mun Chee Kee _

_The dish: pig-organ soup with Chinese celery, rice and chilli sauce  _

“The broth is clean, sweet, flavourful and together with the rice makes a really nourishing and satisfying meal. It contains tender slices of pork belly and meat balls made up from the offal – liver, intestines and kidney – which take great skill to prepare, to taste delicious and, importantly, mean that nothing goes to waste.”

24 Foch Rd, Singapore 209263

Where:_ Tanjong Rhu Pau_

The dish:_ pau _

“Pau is a traditional soft steamed bun filled with different ingredients from roasted meat to salted egg yolk to sweet lotus-seed paste. The paus have the perfect ratio of dough to filling, the flavours are very well-balanced and, most of all, they’re consistent. You know what to expect every single time. It’s become one of my favourite comfort foods.”

389 Guillemard Rd, Singapore 399788

Where:_ Podi and Poriyal _

The dish:_ chef’s plate _

“It’s tough to find Sri Lankan food – my idea of comfort food – in Singapore, but this little vegetarian restaurant always hits the spot. The lunchtime chef’s platter is made up of super fresh daily-changing dishes, all cooked by an elderly lady so everything has a maternal, home-cooked touch.”

486 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218151; podiandporiyal.com

_Where: __Fratelli Paradiso _

_The dish: _lasagnetta bolognese

“Fratelli Paradiso captures the atmosphere of one of those tiny restaurants in Rome and the pasta is exceptional. I always have a negroni on arrival and you can’t go wrong with the lasagna. Friends I have taken there swear it’s the best they’ve ever had. Going there is like embracing the Italian mama you never had.”

_12-16 Challis Ave, Potts Point NSW 2011; _fratelliparadiso.com

Where: Jasmin 1 Auburn

_The dish: ful _

“Living in the suburbs is a great opportunity to eat across the globe – everything from Afghani to Korean food. But I often find myself craving ful, fava beans and chickpeas that are slow-cooked for many hours and finished with lemon, garlic and parsley. It’s a peasant dish, but it takes me back to Lebanon, where my family is originally from.”

22 Civic Rd, Auburn NSW 2144; jasminauburn.com.au

Where:_ Sean’s_

The dish:_ roast chook and bread sauce_

“The delicious dishes here change daily based on the season or what is ready on their farm in the Blue Mountains. Think roast chook and bread sauce or pipis popped open very quickly then seasoned with fennel and finger lime. Simple techniques and clean flavours. Plus, all the food comes with a picturesque view of the whole beach at Bondi.”

270 Campbell Parade, North Bondi NSW 2026; seansbondi.com

Where:_ Pearl Oyster Bar _

The dish:_ fried shrimp, oysters and a lobster roll_

“This is a weekly pit stop for me because there are few things lovelier than a tower of shellfish and a beautiful bottle of burgundy. I’ve always hated large institutions; there’s no soul. Pearl Oyster Bar is family-owned and run. Rebecca, the owner, is one of the most genuinely wonderful people in the business.”

18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014; pearloysterbar.com

Where:_ Mama’s Too! _

The dish:_ square pepperoni pie _

“This is a true Harlem neighbourhood staple. Frank and his relatives have owned Mama’s in Harlem for more than 30 years. I love that the crust on the pie is crunchy and a bite makes just enough sauce to fall in your hands to lick off, and the cheese pulls away just the perfect amount. My son loves their pizza, too, so trips there are always a family affair.”

2750 Broadway, New York, NY 10025**; **mamastoo.com

Where:_ White Tiger_

The dish:_ jaeyook gnocchi and sesame gnocchi _

“My friend told me about this dish of Korean rice cakes that are like gnocchi. The whole dish is delightful texturally and I love how spicy it is. My kid loves this dish, too, so it’s now our favourite restaurant. There are so many places to try, but I keep coming back here.”

_601 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238; _whitetiger.nyc

Where:_ Chuen Koon _

The dish:_ hot and sour potato starch noodles_

“I’m vegetarian and am intolerant to alliums, but the owners have always been super accommodating. They manage this by substituting meat or scallions with their homemade chilli sauce and pickles. Growing up, I would spend summers in Chengdu, where my father worked, so street side-style noodles like these are nostalgic. The delicate layers of spices such as Szechuan peppercorn, cumin, five spice and Szechuan chillies make the entire experience addictive.”

17A Tit Shu St, Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong

Where:_ Mak Ming Noodles _

The dish:_ sui gao dumplings_

“This is my favourite go-to place for sui gao, a quintessential Hong Kong dumpling filled with shrimp, pork, bamboo and wood ear fungus. They are served in a clear pork, dried fish and shrimp broth, along with silky and chewy egg noodles. They’re so soothing. I swear they cure a hangover.”

_6 Mercury St, North Point, Hong Kong; _restaurant-44686.business.site

Where:_ Juxing Home _

The dish:_ supreme soy sauce fried noodles _

“This classic late-night or breakfast dish needs to have ‘wok hei’, just the right amount of oil to stir fry. The noodles need to be bouncy and slightly charred, perfectly laced with soy sauce, and the vegetables need to be just cooked, but still crisp. The restaurant is warm and hectic. You’re likely to bump into food writers, celebs and Michelin-starred master chefs, yet the restaurant still manages to feel like a well-kept secret.”

_Juxing Home 418 Portland St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong; _juxinghome.com

Where: Junior’s Caribbean Cuisine

The dish: braised oxtail with rice and peas

“The place isn’t exactly a looker, but it’s full of regulars because of the excellent food. For me, it’s all about the Bajan home cooking. Rich braised oxtail or curry goat are always served with a starch such as rice and peas, macaroni pie or hard food. Come with an elastic waistband. The portions are belly-busting and affordable, too – you’d be hard pushed to spend more than a tenner.”

63 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8SW

Where:_ Juma Kitchen _

The dish:_ potato chap _

“I always get a potato chap – a torpedo-shaped potato crust encasing minced lamb and parsley – which might sound unremarkable, but the spicing makes it next-level good. You can tell the food here is made with love and passion by chef Philip Juma because it’s the food of his homeland Iraq. Also, save room for the blossom knafa cones. You’re welcome.”

Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL; jumakitchen.com

Where:_ Smoking Goat _

The dish:_ chilli fish sauce wings  _

“If there’s a chicken wing on a menu, it’s got my name on it, but these ones are sensational. The batter is light and perfectly crisp. The sauce is beautifully caramelised and a final flourish of a filthy amount of fish sauce and shallots is the icing on the cake.”

64 Shoreditch High St, Hackney, E1 6JJ; smokinggoatbar.com