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Wondering why you would hang out in a workplace on your vacation? For starters, glitzy new corporate headquarters often have some of the best views in town

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Yeo Valley Canteen in Blagdon, North Somerset, is a family-owned dairy farm that’s been around since the early sixties.Yeo Valley/Yeo Valley

Staff canteens traditionally conjure up images of grey meat lunches and soulless dining rooms with sticky Formica tabletops. But their reputation has changed lately on both the design and food fronts.

At Olafur Eliasson, the Danish/ Icelandic artist’s staff lunchroom is so gorgeous it has its own instagram account. Deloitte just opened a cool cafeteria in its downtown Toronto office, in plain view of passersby. Too bad you’ll have to be an employee to enjoy it.

Fortunately, quite a few corporate and government dining rooms welcome patrons off the street. And if you need more reasons why you’d want to spend precious holiday time eating in a staff cafeteria – beyond the chic space and good food at budget prices, then how about this: They often have the best views in town. For experiential-minded explorers they are the ultimate insider secret, an off-the-guide-books, totally authentic way to experience the culture. Not to mention they offer prime prying possibilities for local office gossip.

Here are some of the best places to pick up a tray and get in line:

Germany and Austria

Staff cafeterias in Germany and Austria can be pretty grand, and ones in government or other public buildings often have the best views.

Chipperfield Kantine, Berlin

This looks like a restaurant that was designed by a modern architecture firm. And it was. For the firm. Chipperfield Architects’ office opened to the public after word got out about its delicious, locally sourced food, from the team behind the popular Das Lokal restaurant, and its sleek minimalist interior, in the architects’ office in Berlin’s hip Mitte neighbourhood. It became so popular that the company employees for whom it was created found they had to reserve a seat at lunchtime. (For a while it also hosted a night time supper club.) Now a certain number of tables are blocked for them, and the are rest for visitors. The Kantine is divided into three parts: a buzzy main floor, a chic and quieter upstairs, and in warmer weather, a patio area.

What’s on the menu: Daily soups and salads, vegetarian dishes, and entrees such as fish stew; Beef Stroganoff or frittata; fresh baked bread. Marblekuchen or brownies for desert.

Joachimstraße 11; facebook.com/Chipperfield-Kantine

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In 2014, Paul Collins joined Yeo Valley Canteen as head chef, turning out great organic dishes.Yeo Valley

Cafeteria Skyline TU, Berlin

Visitors passing in front of the Telefunkenhochhaus at Ernst-Reuter-Plat, in Berlin would not think of any reason to go in. Yes, it was the tallest building in West Berlin until the mid-1960s, at 22 storeys, but otherwise it’s just a nice mid-century office building. The building is used for offices and also by Berlin’s Technical University. The TU’s Skyline Cafeteria, or “Mensa” is an open secret among Berliners offering fantastic views from its 20th-floor location. It’s open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., transitioning from an early morning coffee spot where you can sit with a coffee and pastry or full-on breakfast, while looking out over the city. From 11.30 a.m., there’s lunch with a daily menu. And in the afternoon, indulge in an impressive range of homemade pastries and cakes. With seating for 830 there’s lots of space. But you’ll still want to snag a table by the window.

What’s on the menu: Roulade; vegetarian pasta; Königsberger Klopse with mashed potatoes and salad.

Ernst-Reuter-Platz, 7; www.visitberlin.de

Justice Ministry Canteen, Vienna

The great worker’s canteen has a long history in Vienna. The one in the Justice Ministry (the Supreme Court building) in central Vienna is the best bet to get an idea. Enter the sumptuous building, located not far from the Ringstraasse, and the grand Kunsthistorisches Museum, and, once through security in the foyer, take the grand staircase to the second floor while taking in the magnificent interior architecture. From there take the elevator to the fifth-floor canteen, one of the locals’ favourite places to eat. Open from early morning to late afternoon, the food on offer is of Viennese specialties, with a weekly changing menu designed by a chef who has a distinguished career in canteen cuisine. ( He used to work at the Burgtheater Kantine where he once cooked for Charles and Di). The design of this Mensa is simple and neat, but all the better to see the epic city views from its floor-to-ceiling windows, and roof-top patio.

What’s on the menu: Krautfleckerl with green salad; Tyrolean Grostl with fried egg and coleslaw; baked schnitzel with potato salad.

Schmerlingplatz 10; justizcafe.at

United Kingdom

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The views over the nearby lake at Yeo Valley Canteen are quite lovely.Yeo Valley

Yeo Valley Canteen, Blagdon, North Somerset

Yeo Valley is a family-owned dairy farm that’s been around since the early sixties. In 2012, its staff canteen underwent a renovation resulting in an eclectic décor of upcycled and recycled parts from the farm. The bar is part of a former barn: there are kitchen utensils masquerading as lamp shades. In 2014, Paul Collins joined as head chef, turning out great organic dishes. Word about his local, seasonal food spread throughout the valley and beyond. The farm decided to open all of the spare seats in the Canteen to the public. The views over the nearby lake are also pretty lovely.

What’s on the menu: Holt Farms beef, fresh seasonal soups with homemade sourdough bread and Yeo Valley butter; smoked trout from the lake. A cake trolley.

Yeo Valley HQ, Rhodyate, Blagdon, North Somerset; yeovalley.co.uk

Finland

Finland seems to be really proud of its cafeteria culture (with reason: they invented the healthy subsidized school lunch and use it as a prime reason for their consistent high-ranking test scores. Last year Finnair served cafeteria school lunches on their planes in homage to the Finnish school lunch cafeteria). Cafeterias for bureaucrats and employees are also innovative and a great way to sample the city’s great food, for cheap, and design for free.

Helsinki City Hall Staff Cafeteria

Helsinki’s City Hall is located in the heart of Helsinki’s Old Town, near the beautiful Senate Square. Its staff cafeteria was recently refurbished and is open to all, even on weekends. (Though a weekday visit and lunch with the bureaucrats is a more authentic cultural deep dive). The design is classic Scandinavian canteen (light wood chairs and hanging lamps) and market-fresh Finnish specialties and international dishes are served.

What’s on the menu: Karelian pie; Scandinavian salmon sashimi; homemade sausage with Finnish berries and cream sauce; City Hall Chicken Caesar sandwich. Wine. Beer.

City Hall canteen entrance is at Sofiankatu 1

Maritori, Marimekko Headquarters, Helsinki

Lifestyle and fashion brand Marimekko’s cafeteria is right out in the open at the company’s headquarters in a Helsinki suburb. You can spot it to the right of reception: Employees and visitors sit at long tables covered in the company’s signature cheery graphic-print table clothes, and eat off plates with the company’s equally colourful designs. Marimekko’s canteen is run by lauded Helsinki restaurant Juuri, known for its modern takes on traditional Finnish food.

What’s on the menu: Salmon soup; fresh baked rye bread; vegan loaf and salad; scallops, with Dijon mustard, onions and roasted potatoes.

Puusepånkatu, 4 Herttoniemi, Helsinki; instagram.com

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Yeo Valley farm decided to open all of the spare seats in the Canteen to the public.Yeo Valley

Tokyo

Like the Finnish, the Japanese pride themselves on their company cafeterias or Shokudos.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Cafeteria 1

A visit to Tokyo often includes a stop at the observation deck at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. But visitors can get the same view with lunch, and with an iconic Japanese salary man, at that. TMG Building 1’s 32nd-floor cafe is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and to the public. Japanese dishes with weekly guest chefs are on offer. A couple hundred yen lunch with a five-star view! Best deal in town.

What’s on the menu: The popular Tocho lunch box, with takikomi gohan (rice cooked in a dash stock), grilled fish and an assortment of side dishes. A limited number of these are made each day; Tokyo double soup ramen; Udon or Soba Noodles.

Nishi Shinjuku 2-8-1, Shinjuku – Note the cafeteria is closed until the end of summer 2018; tokyo-jinzai.or.jp

Tanita Corp., Marunouchi, Japan

Digitial bathroom-scale manufacturer Tanita Corp.’s shokudo is located in an office building in Marunouchi. The staff cafeteria has been reviewed on Trip Advisor ( 39 ratings; Average: 4 stars). As you might expect of a company that pioneered scales that can also measure body fat, the menu here is a health conscious one. The cafeteria is so popular, the company published a cookbook based on some of its dishes.

What’s on the menu: A changing weekly menu is posted on its website. A browse through the April 4 showing included some yummy visuals and a vague idea (thanks Google Translate) of dishes: “Vegetables kneaded in surimi, wrapped in a large leaf and baked.”; “You can enjoy the two textures of plump crispy and yam crispy feeling, and the fragrance of plenty used condiments. Please relish!”

tanita.co.jp/shokudo

Singapore

Staff Canteens Changi Airport, Singapore

In-the-know foodies visiting Singapore always save room for one big meal before they board the plane. Really right before. The staff canteens at Changi airport are the ultimate Singapore food score. Once you find them. The cafeterias are not listed among the airport’s restaurant offerings and not easy to find, but look for staff canteen signs in Terminals 1 and 2, or follow a salivating employee and they’ll lead you to authentic, affordable hawker market style dining.

What’s on the menu: Roti prata; nasi padang; Taiwanese hot pot mackerel; and more including halal, vegetarian Vietnamese and, of course, Singaporean dishes and array of other global food offerings

Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 2, Singapore; changiairport.com

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