Making love, watching late night television and long strolls under the stars tend to make one hungry and there are few experiences more sensual or more socially pleasing than dining, even formally, in the small hours of the morning. Most European and American restaurants close their doors long before midnight. There are, however, a host of truly good restaurants where one can feast even at the most odd hours of the morning. Each of the following restaurants is one of my favorites. Each is open at least until four in the morning, and unless otherwise noted, each is reasonably priced. Note that I have broken the list into two parts - full meals and snacks.

Full Meals

Buckhead Diner, 3073 Piedmont Road. Atlanta, Georgia, USA: This place may call itself a diner but it is one of the most postmodern and "in" places in the USA and the food is superb. Try the sandwich of smoked goose breast and gorgonzola cheese, the chilled lobster gazpacho, the outstanding corned-beef hash, and the peach and bread pudding.

Bratwurstglockle, Steinstrasse 7, Baden-Baden, Germany: Traditional Black Forest cuisine. Try the chicken with cherries, the goose with onions, apples and celery and any of the dishes based on venison or wild boar.

Costoyannis, 37 Zaimi, Athens: The ideal tavernna, with great shrimp, calamari and lamb dishes. Don't miss the tzadziki and taramasalata as first courses.

Stendahl, via San Marco at the corner of via Ancona, Milan: Especially for the "frito misto" of mixed fried meats and the minestrone soup.

Au Pied de Cochon, 6 rue Coquilliere, Paris 1: If not for the grilled meats Saint-Antoine and the choucroute garni , this place is worth visiting if only for the nostalgia that it evokes.

Cafe de Paris, Place du Casino, Monte Carlo: Traditional French brasserie cuisine in an absolutely charming setting. The oysters, cassoulet, boeuf burguignonne and chicken in tarragon must be tried. A truly great wine list.

Dixie Grill Bar, Rehov Igal Alon 120 (on the corner of Rehov Totserit HaAretz), Tel Aviv: In addition to excellent steaks, chops and burgers, the restaurant serves Eggs Benedict with the best home-fried potatoes you will find. Also try the spicy sausages that are offered.

Vino Vino, calle delle Veste 16, Venice: Excellent antipasto and pasta to go with the 300 different wines that can be ordered by the glass.

Gastatte Fruh am Dom, Am Hof 12 - 14, Koln: A former brewery at which the potato pancakes, rabbit casserole, wild duck with pears and chicken with cherries are all worth trying.

Bombay Brasserie, 149 Gloucester Road, London SW7: One of the best and most chic Indian restaurants in London. Lamb with onions, scrambled eggs seasoned with hot chili peppers, shrimps and mushrooms cooked with garlic and ginger. Expensive.

Lonja del Pscado, Muelle Viejo (in the port), Majorca, Spain: The best place in all of Spain to feast on zarzuela (the Spanish version of bouillabaisse.

India Quality Restaurant, 536 Commonwealth Ave, Boston: Indian food at its best. Many vegetarian specialties.

Legal Sea Foods, many locations in Boston open until 2 a.m., branch at Logan Airport open all night. Great oysters, lobsters and mussels at reasonable prices.

Haci Baba Restaurant, Istikal Caddesi Ggrisi 49 (near Taksim square), Istanbul: Excellent traditional Turkish food in an unpretentious and fun setting.

Gotham Bar and Grill, 12 East 12th St, New York: A very in but not outrageously expensive place where the bouillabaisse is always exquisite and the goat-cheese raviolis and seafood salad are as good as you will find anywhere. An excellent wine list.

Late Night Snacks

American author Henry Miller once observed that his passion for snacking was at its height when his other "more base" passions had been frustrated. Regardless of whether one has failed or succeeded in satisfying other passions, any of the following eateries will provide late night or early morning snacks of the highest quality. All are open twenty-four hours daily.

Cannes, 4 Doctor Joaquin Pou, Barcelona: One of the great places in the world to dine on tapas and sip sherry.

Zonar, 6 Panepistimou Avenue, Athens. Viennese, French, Greek or Turkish coffee with excellent sandwiches and even better cakes.

Harry's All-Night Cafe, 19 Kingly Street (near the Picadilly Underground station), Soho, London: A true hole in the wall but the English, French and American breakfasts are always delicious and the crowd is always sophisticated.

Pizzeria Alle Oche, calle de Tentor 1552-B (campo San Giocomo dell'Orio), Venice: You will not find better pizza anywhere in the world.

Heuriger Welser Werner, Heiligenstadt Probusgasse 12, Vienna 19: Full meals served until two a.m. and then, until six in the morning you will get the most exquisite fried ham and sausages alongside garlic-rich fried eggs.

Brasserie Flo, 7 cour Petites-Ecuries, Paris 10: You may have to struggle a bit to find this street, but the search will be well worth while, for once you have made it through the narrow passageways and garbage littered streets you will have discovered the kind of place for which Paris was renowned a century ago. After your onion soup try the roast pigeon or veal with sorrel. Moderate to high prices.

La Boutique a Sandwiche, 12 rue du Colisee, Paris 8: Try the raclette (a Swiss dish in which a large slab of cheese is melted and scraped right onto your sliced potatoes on your plate. Served with pickles and boiled potatoes. Also try the Alsation corned beef sandwich.

L'Orso Ottanta, via dell'Orso (near Piazza Navona), Rome: One of the greatest antipasto tables in the city. If you want to be outrageous, follow your antipasto with a pizza.

Chez Jacky, 9 rue Necker, Geneva: Along with what may be the best hamburgers in the world, this charming and sophisticated late-night club has an excellent wine list.

Chesa Veglia, via Veglia 2, St. Moritz: The cheese fondue is always fun here but seems to taste best at 4 in the morning, especially accompanied by a crisply dry Chablis or Fendant wine.

Chez Loury, 3 rue Fortia, Marseilles 1: In the old part, this simple but lively place offers two versions of bouillabaisse, one of which is standard, the other of which is chilled, and both of which are exquisite.

© Daniel Rogov