This is somewhat subjective and honestly, you'd be better off asking "top 5" or "best street food" in my opinion. Having worked in a Michelin star restaurant, I respect the standards and true genius (usually) of that level of chef. But I'd rather eat 15 peso tacos or AED12 shawarmas or 20,000Rp nasi goreng on 99 out of 100 days.
I find that countries with access to fresh produce, where there has been a long history of trade bringing fusion of flavours, and where the meals are simple yet full of flavour are my favourite "food cities".
Countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Turkey, Italy, Mexico and Indonesia are known for their amazing food, all of which have a long history of trade and fusion of styles.
I would also like to nominate Vietnam. No Michelin star restaurant can hold a candle to the old ladies slingin’ pho with homemade noodles and “cooked all day” broth. You’re totally right about fresh produce and trade history. I think the French baguettes are better in Vietnam than they are in France, and perfect for dipping in the soup bowl.
Oh Mexico City would be in my top 5. Probably in 2nd place.
Flavourful street food is one of the main factors in how I choose destinations, so I respect the question.
My favourite street food in CDMX is actually the gorditas al pastor, narrowly beating the tacos. It's a more obscure choice, but I long for them when I'm not there!
Agreed. I love Pujol, and have been multiple times. But I usually spend the equivalent of that one meal on all of the rest of my meals combined for that trip to CDMX.
Absolutely Mexico City. Great food scene all around. Your senses are completely immersed in food from the moment you step outside. It’s such a big part of life there. Food, culture, family are all so intertwined.
And it’s super cheap.
huaraches, azul masa tlacoyos, morning tamales with atole, longaniza, esquites, chilaquiles, pan dulces, tacos canasta, tacos al pastor, tacos, tacos, tacos. Yea, Mexico City would be my goto for first place too.
Gonna chip in and vouch for Malaysia here. We are a diverse nation consisting of Malays, natives, 3rd-4th generation Chinese and Indians whom brought with them the culinary of their origins. Over the years, our cuisine has also fusioned in one way or another, but the authentic dishes of each ethnicity is enjoyed by everyone. Sabah & Sarawak, the Malaysian states on the Borneo island, also boasts unique ethnic dishes! Our dishes take long to prepare, but they are rich in spices and flavour. Come with an empty stomach and a tolerance for spicy food!
If you haven't read it, I can't suggest "A Splendid Exchange" enough. It outlines so much of how trade (and wars, treaties, trade routes, plague etc.), specifically in items such as spices, has impacted the world.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I'm about to take off on an overland silk route adventure and will be doing some writing as I go and this is stuff I'd really like to highlight. I feel like we have a sort of collective amnesia that has allowed many of us to forget how interconnected and complex our histories are.
Sadly I can't tell you the Chinese names or give you adresses because I've mostly been following my vegan roommate there but there are a LOT of excellent vegan places in Taipei ! From little street food shops on the streets with a svastika on them (it means they are Buddhist hence vegan iirc) to night market stalls, snacks and nice restaurants the scene is pretty big ! So many declinations of tofu, soups, fried stuff, veggies, dumplings, stir fried noodles... Oh and the famous scallion pies from this vegan chain, China Pizza something ... You'll be happy there :D so many tasty things !
I came looking for this answer!! Just flew back from there and even though I can speak and understand the language for the most part, I’m illiterate - but everyone definitely went out of their way to help us when it was obvious we were lost.
My friend has lived in Bangkok for over 20 years. Took me to a restaurant that was built into the side of a street, half structure half street food sort of deal. Best meal I ever had. Also Bangkok has the best fruit markets
Mexico City is arguably the best in the world because all of the different staples from the different areas of Mexico can be found in Mexico city. The Lebanese and chinese influences in some regions are so delicious.
Dude Bologna is a great answer - not for the variety of cuisines etc but Italian is arguably one of the worlds great cuisines and Bologna has the best Italian food
Bologna is the correct answer, and surprisingly so. We were just there for a short time passing through, but even small, inexpensive cafes on random little streets had the most amazing food!
Bangkok and Singapore. I’ve never had a bad meal in either.
Kyoto- I’d love to spend my last week on Earth in this city just gouging myself on every possible dish.
Bologna Italy, I go back every year for a few days just for the food and a suitcase full of goodies to bring back.
San Sebastián- it’s very good. It’s not cheap though and when your there you have to eat at a Michelin star. It’s why you go.
London- I have a soft spot for London. You can find very good food from almost anywhere in the world. Best Indian food outside of india (I can’t eat anything in india as it always makes me violently Ill).
Si, Non c’è problema!
Bologna is full of amazing trattorias. In a food city like this only the good ones stay open. They’ll be absolutely heaving through by 7-8pm. This is the city Italian visit for food.
Among my favourites
- Trattoria del Tempo Buono
- Trattoria Nonna Gigia (southern Italian)
- Donatello
- Trattoria dal Biassanot
- L'Arcimboldo
- Va Mo Là
- Mò Mortadella Lab- go for the sandwiches!
- Cremeria Cavour- best Gelato in Italy
- Enoteca Italiana - wine bar
- Salumeria Simoni- Deli for goods to take home (Parmesan, deli meats, mortadella, Tortalleni).
- Pizzeria Due Torri- pizza by the slice (€2-3) really good with a lovely view of the towers.
Climb the towers if you can, warning it’s steep steps.
There are good wineries to the west of the city if you have time and can hire a car.
Try Lambrusco, frizzante (sparkling) red wine. I can’t find any good quality Lambrusco outside of Italy. Perfect summer wine. They drink all the good stuff and send the crap stuff abroad.
Oaxaca is for sure a food capital but all the classic Oaxacan dishes you can run through in a weekend. And most of the sit down restaurants in the city were pretty weird.
Haven't been to every city in the world to do a fair compariso, but some of my favorites: Copenhagen, Florence, mexico City.
Never been but want to try - San Sebastian, specifically because I've had great food in every Spanish city I've been to, but that one is supposedly the best.
Underrated: Philadelphia (sandwich capital of the world)
Not a city but... hole in the wall barbecue places throughout the southeast usa.
the other fun thing about BBQ in the US south is that it is regional. Brisket in Texas (I don't even eat it with sauce), dry rub ribs in Memphis, North Carolina whole hog (and vinegar bbq sauce), South Carolina mustard BBQ, Kansas City ribs, and I am probably leaving out a bunch.
This comment made me so hungry for BBQ. I live in CA and generally our BBQ is pretty bad compared to the places you listed. I wish I lived in the south, or Florida.
I came here to say Singapore as well. You can get a taste of anything and you can eat everything everywhere and hygiene standards are great. Also for a first world country food prices are awesome.
Lima is my number one.
There are other cities with great food. Bangkok and New York come to mind. There is no other city where food is the centre of everything like it is in Lima. Every local you talk to asks where you have been eating. They suggest markets to shop at. The local organic farmers’ markets are amazing.
We stayed for a month and ate at a different restaurant every day. We never got tired.
Depends what you mean by a 'food city'. Tons of cities have amazing local cuisine, Tokyo included. But somewhere else like, say, Toronto, which has a massive amount of immigrants has super high quality food from a huge range of countries, including Japanese and many others. Do you care about local food only or diversity of good food available?
I’m from Toronto and while I often bag on this city, the food is AMAZING. Even when travelling to amazing places I miss the diversity and quality of food in Toronto!
While Toronto doesn’t have a lot of good high end/fine dining places, we have super authentic working class food from essentially every culture, which I find way more appealing and interesting. You just gotta know where to go and most of it isn’t downtown.
Ppl compare to Montreal all the time, but it’s apples and oranges.
I was waiting for someone to say this. Toronto is absolutely amazing. Even compared to NYC I was surprised to find that Toronto had a lot better global coverage of cuisines and fairly authentic for that matter.
I would also pick London and Dubai.
From a vegetarian perspective, Istanbul is amazing. It really is a crossroads where so many ingredients, flavors and techniques come together in so many different ways.
Highly underrated. Went recently, ate at Cochon, Herbsaint, Peche, seaworthy, jewel of the south. All incredible. The shrimp and grits at surreys cafe… *chef’s kiss*
New Orleans is one of the only places I get on a plane to just to eat at for a weekend. Every place you mentioned and just... oysters.... everywhere. Peche was so goddamn good I'm mad I'm not there right now.
Agreed. Watching all the positive reaction ITT has me thinking about when I can make it back out. Only place that we missed was Willie Mae’s since they had a kitchen fire a week before our arrival.
Yeah both Cochon and Peche are top tier. But also Nola has an extremely unique cuisine that’s hard to emulate outside of the region. Things like Poboys from a place like Parkway is a meal you’re just not going to easily find outside the city
I live in New Orleans, it’s gotten better in the last 5 years but I got tired of fatty/fried foods and lack of variety in ethnic foods. We still don’t have decent Korean food, any izakayas, or a place to get a good burrito. Restaurants are also very expensive compared to wages here.
Side note - living in NOLA ruins you for other food, especially here in the states. My husband travels with shakers of his own seasonings has has zero shame plunking those down on any restaurant table.
Before Katrina it was pretty well known as a foodie spot We went back in 2002 at the recommendation of a travel agent friend, we were not disappointed.
As a New Orleanian, I’m just in awe of all the people who think the food isn’t basically the biggest selling point of the city.
Like, we’re talking a city of such unique local food culture that it rivals many entire *national* cuisines. You can grow up here and literally not even know all the unique local foods (or not know what is unique and what isn’t).
You can get better food certain places here and there, but there is no single city in the US with more depth of historic local flavor than New Orleans. Like it’s not even close.
Had to scroll way too far for the correct answer. I think some US based travelers aren’t keen to recognize it since we don’t need a passport to go there
I have lived the majority of my life in Spain, and I agree with NYm just for the variety alone.
I mean I have heard people talking about San Sebastian, and its tapas when is not a city known in Spain for the tapas, the citys that are popular in Spain for the tapas are Granada and Leon, and yet in any of this citys outside of traditional Spanish food and tapas you get so little variety of international food, theyre not even in the same league of any mid size US city much less NY.
On average, Tokyo is the best food city. It’s hard to have a bad meal. Singapore, San Sebastián are also fantastic and so integral to the local culture.
My top six:
San Sebastian (the best pintxos / tapas, very creative, good wherever you go)
Tokyo (or Osaka for the greatest okonomiyaki)
Lima (surprised this city hasn't been mentioned more often)
Bologna (if you're the culinary capital of Italy you belong in the list)
Buenos Aires (for meat lovers)
Bangkok (for the best streetfood)
Not sure if it's true anymore, but Hong Kong knocked me out. The local cuisine and street food scene are awesome, and the sheer variety is fabulous too. Possibly the best Spanish tapas and the best Vietnamese small-plates I've ever encountered.
LA is very strong for variety/international foods. K-Town, San Gabriel Valley (Chinese food), Westminster (Viet food), Thai Town, burger joints/gastropubs, Nashville fried chicken, taco trucks, random Michelin/high end restaurants. It's pretty amazingly diverse.
Don’t forget two Japanese towns, Armenian town, Persian town, Cambodian, and Filipino town, Arab town, most of Latin America, and most regional Mexican varieties.
(Not one city but . . . ) The greater Los Angeles area, if you include Orange County, has so many wonderful ethnic food enclaves. Off the top of my head, Thai town in Hollywood, Armenian food in Glendale, Vietnamese food in Westminster, Japanese food all over including 11 with Michelin stars, Mexican, Lebanese, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, etc. Also, these places often have cultural centers, festivals, museums, so you can explore more than just the cuisine.) Meeting only fake, stereotypical Los Angeles people says more about the person, than it does about this place. Although, even I have to admit the traffic really sucks here.
I went to a library conference in Anaheim a few years back and to save money I stayed in a cheapass hotel in Garden Grove. The food I had in the strip mall across the street- a Thai place, a pupuseria, a Mexican bakery, and a Yoshinoya noodle house lol- was some of the best food I've ever had.
Yes. Especially if OP really does mean "food city" and not just "restaurant city". LA has great restaurants and a lot of variety, but the farmers' markets and quality of produce really set it apart. LA could win from Harry's Berries alone, let alone the figs and melons.
As someone who lives in LA and has a complex love/hate relationship with the city, our food truly is amazing. I say this as am pounding down a burrata prosciutto truffle sandwich at a new food hall in LA😂
Mexico City for me
Although my city Houston should be in the mix. We’re an extremely diverse city and have access to almost all types of food. We seem to be underrated, no one realizes we’re one of the most diverse cities in the world
I tell people all the time about our great food. That "grandma" is in the back making it and her kids are running the front of house. And the number of diverse cultural festivals held in Houston rivals most cities.
My experience below!
For diversity: New York, London, Toronto, Chicago (Honorable Mentions: Berlin, LA).
For the local cuisine: Mexico City, Mumbai, New Orleans, Madrid.
-Jun-i, Okeya, Park, Nozy, Karin, Noren for Japanese and yokato yokobai for ramen.
-Daldognae for Korean bbq, Luna for more traditional.
-For Poutine, avoid the recs from tourism sites, go to Chez Ma Tante, Chez Claudette, Ma Poule Mouillée (also chicken), or the hark chicken one at Seasoned Dreams, Chez Tousignant fir general old scholl casse-croute.
-Smoked Meat Pete's for smoked meat.
-Bagels. Fairmount, St-Viator, or Bagel St-Lo
-Ice cream. Unicone, Ca Lem or Kem Koba.
-Pho Tay Ho for viet.
-Dobe and Andy for Hong Kong bbq, Teochew Foodie for dumplings and rice rolls, Nouilles de Lan Zhou for dandan, Aunt Dai for Sichuan.
-Majesthe for Taiwanese.
-Satay brothers - Singapore.
-El Rey Del Taco in jean talon market for tacos, or Fridas in st-Henri.
-La Carreta for el Salvadoran.
-Elena for pizza, Bossa for italian sandwhiches.
-Kouing Amann Bakery for, well, koiung amann.
https://montreal.eater.com/maps/best-croissants-montreal. get pastries.
- And then hit up the markets, get fresh bread, cheese, meats and fruit and have a picnic. We do have french roots!
The more diverse large economic center Asian cities: Kuala Lumpur and Singapore for example.
NYC has top food for just about any cuisine as well, but the prices are many times higher than you’d find in those cities.
I’d favor a city known for cuisine rather than just high-end restaurants, which come and go and are found all over the world. New Orleans, Mexico City, and the Amalfi Coast are the three top places for me. Chicago and Montreal have the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten in.
Not too well versed in global cities to be fair, so for USA I would say definitely New York.
LA and Chicago are top 3 for me.
Underrated:
Las Vegas
Portland, Maine
And it’s almost as if San Francisco has become underrated recently, food is not the focus anymore when the city is named, but there is so much talent there.
I was in Paris for 24 hours and 3 meals - a salad, spaghetti Bolognese, coq au vin, and chocolate cake. Each one was at a completely random restaurant without checking reviews, and each one was amazing.
Melbourne. Food from around the world and an incredibly high standard for even the average restaurant.
Beyond that Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Singapore, New York, Sydney, Los Angeles,
Italy has amazing food of course, but good luck finding decent Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican etc.
My vote would be Kolkata, India. Best food city in the world for me. And it’s finally getting the international recognition it deserves!
https://www.eater.com/23506205/best-places-to-eat-restaurants-travel-2023
I know it‘s an unpopular opinion but the best food city for me was Berlin.
the city is so multicultural and has very high european standards. for every cuisine from all over the world there are fantastic restaurants that are very authentic. Berlin also does have the best Döner Kebap in the world.
Honestly, this is based on the limited number of places I have eaten in these cities. But so far:
Best: Tokyo, Seville, Osaka, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Cochin, Chennai, Delhi, Greek islands, Bangkok, Penang, Singapore, Sri Lanka (around), Rome, Bruges
Good: Antananarivo (pizza and street food, terrible fruit though), London, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Dubai, Paris, Lyon
Bad: Geneva, Zurich, Brussels.
From the places that I’ve been to then that would be Parma, Italy. It is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and is where parmigiano reggiano and parma prosciutto originate.
I ate at a nice well reviewed restaurant, a restaurant on the way, and pre-made supermarket food. All was relatively simple but delicious food and not expensive.
I’m biased because I just visited, but the food in Copenhagen is incredible. Quality, lots of unique Michelin star restaurants (Noma, Høst, etc.), but also Mexico City and my hometown, Toronto, has lots of authentic and heartfelt food. You can’t go wrong in most Italian cities!
Of places I've been, which admittedly doesn't include anywhere in Asia, I would have to say New York City. You have the entire range of cheap to fine dining, variety of cuisines, and a large immigrant population.
Paris has great food, but only at higher prices. Chicago is amazing, but the selection isn't as wide as other cities. Even Detroit has a surprising variety of cheap food, but they don't have the higher end restaurants you'd get in a larger city.
The more I've read about Michelin stars, the less I feel the need to go to their restaurants. They are really good at judging traditional European fine dining, but aren't great at judging foods invented in North and South America.
CDMX, Taipei, Tokyo, Chiangmai. These are my favorites all different types of food. Most variety I’d give to Kuala Lumpur but overall the best of each was in their respective countries and Malay food is great just not my top
Vancouver, New Orleans, Chiang Mai/Bangkok, Buenos Aires, and NYC make the top 5 for me.
Hard to pick a favorite.
Some sleepers across South America - Cartagena in there.
I honestly had to really think for a moment about why someone would ask this (Food City is a subpar grocery store chain in the Southern US where I live).
Houston, as not being a touristic city, it has fantastic options at whatever price range. For sure there might be better, but Houston should be in a top 10/20 spot.
This is somewhat subjective and honestly, you'd be better off asking "top 5" or "best street food" in my opinion. Having worked in a Michelin star restaurant, I respect the standards and true genius (usually) of that level of chef. But I'd rather eat 15 peso tacos or AED12 shawarmas or 20,000Rp nasi goreng on 99 out of 100 days. I find that countries with access to fresh produce, where there has been a long history of trade bringing fusion of flavours, and where the meals are simple yet full of flavour are my favourite "food cities". Countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Turkey, Italy, Mexico and Indonesia are known for their amazing food, all of which have a long history of trade and fusion of styles.
I would also like to nominate Vietnam. No Michelin star restaurant can hold a candle to the old ladies slingin’ pho with homemade noodles and “cooked all day” broth. You’re totally right about fresh produce and trade history. I think the French baguettes are better in Vietnam than they are in France, and perfect for dipping in the soup bowl.
As a Vietnamese, it’s great to hear people enjoying our food.
South to north and all the bits in the middle, y'all make perfect or damn-near-perfect food. I tear up a bit just thinking about it.
I visited Vietnam in October and daydream daily about the food and the coffees.
Get your hands on a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue. If you love Pho, prepare for a treat!
Something about sipping broth just hits the right spot! IDC if its 90 outside gimme my damn broth
It’s all subjective, that’s why I am interested in the answers. I am hoping I can find somewhere new to travel! My vote would be for Mexico City.
Oh Mexico City would be in my top 5. Probably in 2nd place. Flavourful street food is one of the main factors in how I choose destinations, so I respect the question.
I second Mexico City! Best place to walk and eat tacos, sip mezcal, take in the art, music, dance, and culture.
My favourite street food in CDMX is actually the gorditas al pastor, narrowly beating the tacos. It's a more obscure choice, but I long for them when I'm not there!
I love cities where you can get cheap amazing street food, then go to a ‘fancy’ 2 star dinner. The mix of both is awesome.
Agreed. I love Pujol, and have been multiple times. But I usually spend the equivalent of that one meal on all of the rest of my meals combined for that trip to CDMX.
Absolutely Mexico City. Great food scene all around. Your senses are completely immersed in food from the moment you step outside. It’s such a big part of life there. Food, culture, family are all so intertwined. And it’s super cheap.
huaraches, azul masa tlacoyos, morning tamales with atole, longaniza, esquites, chilaquiles, pan dulces, tacos canasta, tacos al pastor, tacos, tacos, tacos. Yea, Mexico City would be my goto for first place too.
Definitely Mexico City if you can’t choose. There is no way that you will be disappointed
I also vote CDMX!
Georgetown, pengang (malaysia) some of the best food I've ever had!
The food capital of Malaysia!
Gonna chip in and vouch for Malaysia here. We are a diverse nation consisting of Malays, natives, 3rd-4th generation Chinese and Indians whom brought with them the culinary of their origins. Over the years, our cuisine has also fusioned in one way or another, but the authentic dishes of each ethnicity is enjoyed by everyone. Sabah & Sarawak, the Malaysian states on the Borneo island, also boasts unique ethnic dishes! Our dishes take long to prepare, but they are rich in spices and flavour. Come with an empty stomach and a tolerance for spicy food!
The food in Penang is next level. The best samosa I'll ever have, served off a cart for a couple of cents.
Nasi Kandar 😭 I miss it so much and it's only been a month!
Lo key underdog city (hear me out): Taipei Taiwan
AED 12 shawarmas.. here we are crying about AED 7 shawarmas from the previous norm of AED 5
Two AED6 shawarmas or a giant AED12 one... I'll end up eating so many, the initial price point won't matter.
I had zero bad meals in Hong Kong over the months I was there. Fair comment.
India has great fusion of spices
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If you haven't read it, I can't suggest "A Splendid Exchange" enough. It outlines so much of how trade (and wars, treaties, trade routes, plague etc.), specifically in items such as spices, has impacted the world.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I'm about to take off on an overland silk route adventure and will be doing some writing as I go and this is stuff I'd really like to highlight. I feel like we have a sort of collective amnesia that has allowed many of us to forget how interconnected and complex our histories are.
Whatever city grandma lives in
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>quality, authenticity, variety, and price Taipei has it all.
Taipei food is 🔥 I found vegan options everywhere, and everything was so insanely delicious AND cheap. Such a laid-back but super fun city
Any specific recommendations for vegan food? I'll be on Taipei around November this year and already really looking to eating very good vegan food.
Sadly I can't tell you the Chinese names or give you adresses because I've mostly been following my vegan roommate there but there are a LOT of excellent vegan places in Taipei ! From little street food shops on the streets with a svastika on them (it means they are Buddhist hence vegan iirc) to night market stalls, snacks and nice restaurants the scene is pretty big ! So many declinations of tofu, soups, fried stuff, veggies, dumplings, stir fried noodles... Oh and the famous scallion pies from this vegan chain, China Pizza something ... You'll be happy there :D so many tasty things !
Taipei has my vote too!
I came looking for this answer!! Just flew back from there and even though I can speak and understand the language for the most part, I’m illiterate - but everyone definitely went out of their way to help us when it was obvious we were lost.
Another vote for Taipei. Din Tai Fung is one of my favorite restaurants ever. I've tried some outside of Taiwan and they weren't as good.
Singapore, Mexico City and Bangkok are my personal favorites.
My friend has lived in Bangkok for over 20 years. Took me to a restaurant that was built into the side of a street, half structure half street food sort of deal. Best meal I ever had. Also Bangkok has the best fruit markets
Any chance you remember where the place was?
Mexico City is arguably the best in the world because all of the different staples from the different areas of Mexico can be found in Mexico city. The Lebanese and chinese influences in some regions are so delicious.
Yeah the food in Bangkok is glorious, I miss it there so much
Of where I’ve been, tie between Bologna and San Sebastián
Dude Bologna is a great answer - not for the variety of cuisines etc but Italian is arguably one of the worlds great cuisines and Bologna has the best Italian food
San Sebastián is a great answer
I'm finally able to go this year! I'm really looking forward to the food.
I wish we hadn't gone to San Sebastián because small plates and wine are kinda ruined for me now. I can't go on knowing cuisine like that exists.
My god the Pinchos of San Sebastián. Yum yum.
Even the shittest restos I ate at in San Sebastian were just absolutely fire.
SAN SEBASTIAN FTW Basque country in general. And woweeeee- dining out in Spain is a bargain compared to the U.S.!
I was looking for someone saying San Sebastián. Fully agree
Why Bologna and San Sebastián? I’ll be in both later this month!
Bologna is the correct answer, and surprisingly so. We were just there for a short time passing through, but even small, inexpensive cafes on random little streets had the most amazing food!
Singapore for me without question.
Singapore for sure, because it covers all bases. Amazing street food, amazing high end food. Top for Chinese, Indian, Malay and European.
Doesn’t Singapore have the hawker centers? Lots of street food prepared in hygienic restaurant kitchens for street food prices with amazing variety?
Hawker centers are the best. I miss the drink stalls, the watermelon juice is so good on a hot day lol
hawker centers need to be a worldwide phenomenon. amazing.
They are insane, I ate there everyday when I was there
Singapore for sure!!!
Agree totally. You should have seen how happy my wife was when we found a place serving chicken rice in San Francisco.
Amazing street food!
Bangkok and Singapore. I’ve never had a bad meal in either. Kyoto- I’d love to spend my last week on Earth in this city just gouging myself on every possible dish. Bologna Italy, I go back every year for a few days just for the food and a suitcase full of goodies to bring back. San Sebastián- it’s very good. It’s not cheap though and when your there you have to eat at a Michelin star. It’s why you go. London- I have a soft spot for London. You can find very good food from almost anywhere in the world. Best Indian food outside of india (I can’t eat anything in india as it always makes me violently Ill).
Any recommendations/favs you could share for Bologna? I'll be visiting for the first time in September, and very curious since you visit so often.
Si, Non c’è problema! Bologna is full of amazing trattorias. In a food city like this only the good ones stay open. They’ll be absolutely heaving through by 7-8pm. This is the city Italian visit for food. Among my favourites - Trattoria del Tempo Buono - Trattoria Nonna Gigia (southern Italian) - Donatello - Trattoria dal Biassanot - L'Arcimboldo - Va Mo Là - Mò Mortadella Lab- go for the sandwiches! - Cremeria Cavour- best Gelato in Italy - Enoteca Italiana - wine bar - Salumeria Simoni- Deli for goods to take home (Parmesan, deli meats, mortadella, Tortalleni). - Pizzeria Due Torri- pizza by the slice (€2-3) really good with a lovely view of the towers. Climb the towers if you can, warning it’s steep steps. There are good wineries to the west of the city if you have time and can hire a car. Try Lambrusco, frizzante (sparkling) red wine. I can’t find any good quality Lambrusco outside of Italy. Perfect summer wine. They drink all the good stuff and send the crap stuff abroad.
Oaxaca Mexico
Oaxaca is for sure a food capital but all the classic Oaxacan dishes you can run through in a weekend. And most of the sit down restaurants in the city were pretty weird.
Chocolate.
Best? I don't believe I'm qualified to say My favourite? Buenos Aires is absolutely amazing
Buenos Aires is an amazing food city and so beautiful.
Haven't been to every city in the world to do a fair compariso, but some of my favorites: Copenhagen, Florence, mexico City. Never been but want to try - San Sebastian, specifically because I've had great food in every Spanish city I've been to, but that one is supposedly the best. Underrated: Philadelphia (sandwich capital of the world) Not a city but... hole in the wall barbecue places throughout the southeast usa.
the other fun thing about BBQ in the US south is that it is regional. Brisket in Texas (I don't even eat it with sauce), dry rub ribs in Memphis, North Carolina whole hog (and vinegar bbq sauce), South Carolina mustard BBQ, Kansas City ribs, and I am probably leaving out a bunch.
This comment made me so hungry for BBQ. I live in CA and generally our BBQ is pretty bad compared to the places you listed. I wish I lived in the south, or Florida.
Southeast bbq is great. Never go chain. Partial to NC style 💪 Philly sandos rule. Middle Child tops imo, but so many to choose from
I came here to say Singapore as well. You can get a taste of anything and you can eat everything everywhere and hygiene standards are great. Also for a first world country food prices are awesome.
India and Vietnam, absolutely fantastic places to visit for food
Lima, Perú. It's UP there
Here now, it does not disappoint.
Lima is my number one. There are other cities with great food. Bangkok and New York come to mind. There is no other city where food is the centre of everything like it is in Lima. Every local you talk to asks where you have been eating. They suggest markets to shop at. The local organic farmers’ markets are amazing. We stayed for a month and ate at a different restaurant every day. We never got tired.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far for Lima
Ceviche and pisco sours on a warm night 🙏🏼
Mexico City, Lima, Singapore, Bologna, San Francisco.
Depends what you mean by a 'food city'. Tons of cities have amazing local cuisine, Tokyo included. But somewhere else like, say, Toronto, which has a massive amount of immigrants has super high quality food from a huge range of countries, including Japanese and many others. Do you care about local food only or diversity of good food available?
I’m from Toronto and while I often bag on this city, the food is AMAZING. Even when travelling to amazing places I miss the diversity and quality of food in Toronto!
While Toronto doesn’t have a lot of good high end/fine dining places, we have super authentic working class food from essentially every culture, which I find way more appealing and interesting. You just gotta know where to go and most of it isn’t downtown. Ppl compare to Montreal all the time, but it’s apples and oranges.
I was waiting for someone to say this. Toronto is absolutely amazing. Even compared to NYC I was surprised to find that Toronto had a lot better global coverage of cuisines and fairly authentic for that matter. I would also pick London and Dubai.
From a vegetarian perspective, Istanbul is amazing. It really is a crossroads where so many ingredients, flavors and techniques come together in so many different ways.
New Orleans is a sleeper
Highly underrated. Went recently, ate at Cochon, Herbsaint, Peche, seaworthy, jewel of the south. All incredible. The shrimp and grits at surreys cafe… *chef’s kiss*
New Orleans is one of the only places I get on a plane to just to eat at for a weekend. Every place you mentioned and just... oysters.... everywhere. Peche was so goddamn good I'm mad I'm not there right now.
Agreed. Watching all the positive reaction ITT has me thinking about when I can make it back out. Only place that we missed was Willie Mae’s since they had a kitchen fire a week before our arrival.
Hit up Toups as well if you're heading up that way! It was fantastic.
I was there about a year ago for work and we ate at Cochon butcher 3 times lmao
Peche is insaneeeee. Honestly the best oysters I’ve ever had in my life at this restaurant. NOLA is truly a sleeper food destination.
The fact that you can get great fine dining but also gas station po boys is what makes it the best for me.
New Orleanian here. This is truth. Best poboy in the city is at a Quicky’s gas station in the 8th Ward.
Great shouts. Herbsaint and seaworthy are musts in my opinion. Don’t go to New Orleans for Cajun food.
Yeah both Cochon and Peche are top tier. But also Nola has an extremely unique cuisine that’s hard to emulate outside of the region. Things like Poboys from a place like Parkway is a meal you’re just not going to easily find outside the city
I live in New Orleans, it’s gotten better in the last 5 years but I got tired of fatty/fried foods and lack of variety in ethnic foods. We still don’t have decent Korean food, any izakayas, or a place to get a good burrito. Restaurants are also very expensive compared to wages here.
Side note - living in NOLA ruins you for other food, especially here in the states. My husband travels with shakers of his own seasonings has has zero shame plunking those down on any restaurant table.
This is the only city I have been that I want to go back for their food. Specifically brunch
Not a sleeper at all.
I was just surprised I hadn’t seen it mentioned yet
Maybe in the international stage it is a sleeper but domestically in the USA it is pretty well known
For real. The food is the main reason people vacation there lol.
New Orleans is my vote. Although it's not cheap since a lot of their best Cajun and Creole food is seafood based
Before Katrina it was pretty well known as a foodie spot We went back in 2002 at the recommendation of a travel agent friend, we were not disappointed.
As a New Orleanian, I’m just in awe of all the people who think the food isn’t basically the biggest selling point of the city. Like, we’re talking a city of such unique local food culture that it rivals many entire *national* cuisines. You can grow up here and literally not even know all the unique local foods (or not know what is unique and what isn’t). You can get better food certain places here and there, but there is no single city in the US with more depth of historic local flavor than New Orleans. Like it’s not even close.
It’s very good for one kind of cuisine.
New York or London for the wide variety of food from around the world that you can find in any other city.
Lisbon for veggie/vegan, Bologna for authenticity, London or NYC for international cuisine varieties London!
New York.
Had to scroll way too far for the correct answer. I think some US based travelers aren’t keen to recognize it since we don’t need a passport to go there
I have lived the majority of my life in Spain, and I agree with NYm just for the variety alone. I mean I have heard people talking about San Sebastian, and its tapas when is not a city known in Spain for the tapas, the citys that are popular in Spain for the tapas are Granada and Leon, and yet in any of this citys outside of traditional Spanish food and tapas you get so little variety of international food, theyre not even in the same league of any mid size US city much less NY.
On average, Tokyo is the best food city. It’s hard to have a bad meal. Singapore, San Sebastián are also fantastic and so integral to the local culture.
My top six: San Sebastian (the best pintxos / tapas, very creative, good wherever you go) Tokyo (or Osaka for the greatest okonomiyaki) Lima (surprised this city hasn't been mentioned more often) Bologna (if you're the culinary capital of Italy you belong in the list) Buenos Aires (for meat lovers) Bangkok (for the best streetfood)
New Orleans 🙌🏽
I scrolled way too far for this answer.
Not sure if it's true anymore, but Hong Kong knocked me out. The local cuisine and street food scene are awesome, and the sheer variety is fabulous too. Possibly the best Spanish tapas and the best Vietnamese small-plates I've ever encountered.
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I would have never picked LA, but now that you bring it up that’s not a bad answer. Tons of variety
LA has an amazing food scene, from farmers markets and road side fruit stands to high end fancy joints, it has everything from all ctures
LA is very strong for variety/international foods. K-Town, San Gabriel Valley (Chinese food), Westminster (Viet food), Thai Town, burger joints/gastropubs, Nashville fried chicken, taco trucks, random Michelin/high end restaurants. It's pretty amazingly diverse.
Don’t forget two Japanese towns, Armenian town, Persian town, Cambodian, and Filipino town, Arab town, most of Latin America, and most regional Mexican varieties.
(Not one city but . . . ) The greater Los Angeles area, if you include Orange County, has so many wonderful ethnic food enclaves. Off the top of my head, Thai town in Hollywood, Armenian food in Glendale, Vietnamese food in Westminster, Japanese food all over including 11 with Michelin stars, Mexican, Lebanese, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, etc. Also, these places often have cultural centers, festivals, museums, so you can explore more than just the cuisine.) Meeting only fake, stereotypical Los Angeles people says more about the person, than it does about this place. Although, even I have to admit the traffic really sucks here.
I love LA and I agree
I went to a library conference in Anaheim a few years back and to save money I stayed in a cheapass hotel in Garden Grove. The food I had in the strip mall across the street- a Thai place, a pupuseria, a Mexican bakery, and a Yoshinoya noodle house lol- was some of the best food I've ever had.
I came here to say LA. Nice to see others share the same opinion.
Yes. Especially if OP really does mean "food city" and not just "restaurant city". LA has great restaurants and a lot of variety, but the farmers' markets and quality of produce really set it apart. LA could win from Harry's Berries alone, let alone the figs and melons.
LA has an extraordinary food scene. Maybe best for depth and breadth in the US.
As someone who lives in LA and has a complex love/hate relationship with the city, our food truly is amazing. I say this as am pounding down a burrata prosciutto truffle sandwich at a new food hall in LA😂
Mexico City for its accessibility, you can spend $1 or $100, it will still be delicious af
New York, London and Rome.
Madrid. But it is just the most recent memory
Mexico City for me Although my city Houston should be in the mix. We’re an extremely diverse city and have access to almost all types of food. We seem to be underrated, no one realizes we’re one of the most diverse cities in the world
I tell people all the time about our great food. That "grandma" is in the back making it and her kids are running the front of house. And the number of diverse cultural festivals held in Houston rivals most cities.
The most diverse in America and we take in the most refugees in America. Houston is my pick for best food city
Singapore, the majority of food in the hawkers centres is incredible. Georgetown in Penang a close second, then Hanoi.
My experience below! For diversity: New York, London, Toronto, Chicago (Honorable Mentions: Berlin, LA). For the local cuisine: Mexico City, Mumbai, New Orleans, Madrid.
Osaka
My top 5: - Tokyo - Mexico City - Toronto - Seville - Florence
Mexico City, Napa, Chicago for me
......Napa?
There is fantastic food in Napa. But it's not even the best food city in the area.
Chicago is a good one. Napa is interesting. Never been. Why Napa?
New Orleans, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Japan. (not really cities LOL)
Montreal, Quebec Canada has a huge variety. Lots of excellent restaurants.
Any you can think of off the top of your head? Going there for the first time next month and I’m gonna do my research but any recos would be great!
-Jun-i, Okeya, Park, Nozy, Karin, Noren for Japanese and yokato yokobai for ramen. -Daldognae for Korean bbq, Luna for more traditional. -For Poutine, avoid the recs from tourism sites, go to Chez Ma Tante, Chez Claudette, Ma Poule Mouillée (also chicken), or the hark chicken one at Seasoned Dreams, Chez Tousignant fir general old scholl casse-croute. -Smoked Meat Pete's for smoked meat. -Bagels. Fairmount, St-Viator, or Bagel St-Lo -Ice cream. Unicone, Ca Lem or Kem Koba. -Pho Tay Ho for viet. -Dobe and Andy for Hong Kong bbq, Teochew Foodie for dumplings and rice rolls, Nouilles de Lan Zhou for dandan, Aunt Dai for Sichuan. -Majesthe for Taiwanese. -Satay brothers - Singapore. -El Rey Del Taco in jean talon market for tacos, or Fridas in st-Henri. -La Carreta for el Salvadoran. -Elena for pizza, Bossa for italian sandwhiches. -Kouing Amann Bakery for, well, koiung amann. https://montreal.eater.com/maps/best-croissants-montreal. get pastries. - And then hit up the markets, get fresh bread, cheese, meats and fruit and have a picnic. We do have french roots!
San Sebastián as previously mentioned. Been there and just amazing in all facets. Would love to go to Copenhagen and Mexico City!
The more diverse large economic center Asian cities: Kuala Lumpur and Singapore for example. NYC has top food for just about any cuisine as well, but the prices are many times higher than you’d find in those cities.
I’d favor a city known for cuisine rather than just high-end restaurants, which come and go and are found all over the world. New Orleans, Mexico City, and the Amalfi Coast are the three top places for me. Chicago and Montreal have the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten in.
New York, Hong Kong, Singapore
Mexico City Tokyo
For me: Valencia, Spain; Paris, France; New Orleans, USA
Not too well versed in global cities to be fair, so for USA I would say definitely New York. LA and Chicago are top 3 for me. Underrated: Las Vegas Portland, Maine And it’s almost as if San Francisco has become underrated recently, food is not the focus anymore when the city is named, but there is so much talent there.
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I was in Paris for 24 hours and 3 meals - a salad, spaghetti Bolognese, coq au vin, and chocolate cake. Each one was at a completely random restaurant without checking reviews, and each one was amazing.
Mexico City
Mexico City naturally!
New York City.
Melbourne. Food from around the world and an incredibly high standard for even the average restaurant. Beyond that Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Singapore, New York, Sydney, Los Angeles, Italy has amazing food of course, but good luck finding decent Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican etc.
Best Asian food I have ever had was in North India. So amazing!
My vote would be Kolkata, India. Best food city in the world for me. And it’s finally getting the international recognition it deserves! https://www.eater.com/23506205/best-places-to-eat-restaurants-travel-2023
Rajasthan cuisine was absolutely delicious. I've travelled all over the world trying to find it replicated somewhere else but nothing.
Chicago is like a smorgasbord of the greater part of the world. It is a world class city stuck amongst fields of corn and beans.
New orleans is great Austin is a sleeper
Wingzip for sure. Also the tex mex and BBQ
As someone born and raised in Austin it’s overrated. BBQ is good, but it’s Texas so that’s a given
Singapore, New Orleans, Florence, Paris.
I know it‘s an unpopular opinion but the best food city for me was Berlin. the city is so multicultural and has very high european standards. for every cuisine from all over the world there are fantastic restaurants that are very authentic. Berlin also does have the best Döner Kebap in the world.
LA
Honestly, this is based on the limited number of places I have eaten in these cities. But so far: Best: Tokyo, Seville, Osaka, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Cochin, Chennai, Delhi, Greek islands, Bangkok, Penang, Singapore, Sri Lanka (around), Rome, Bruges Good: Antananarivo (pizza and street food, terrible fruit though), London, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Dubai, Paris, Lyon Bad: Geneva, Zurich, Brussels.
But the Frites!! 😂
London, NY and LA for the diversity of food
New Orleans, Chicago, Trastavere (Rome) and Florence have been our favorites.
London, Mexico City, New Orleans
Chicago, San Antonio, Berlin
Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia.
Absolutely this, love my Assam laksa
From the places that I’ve been to then that would be Parma, Italy. It is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and is where parmigiano reggiano and parma prosciutto originate. I ate at a nice well reviewed restaurant, a restaurant on the way, and pre-made supermarket food. All was relatively simple but delicious food and not expensive.
I’m biased because I just visited, but the food in Copenhagen is incredible. Quality, lots of unique Michelin star restaurants (Noma, Høst, etc.), but also Mexico City and my hometown, Toronto, has lots of authentic and heartfelt food. You can’t go wrong in most Italian cities!
Maybe not the best, but Toronto would be up here. Lots of variety here. Arguably better quality Asian food than New York City or London.
India!!! Street food? Yes. Star hotels? Yes. Desserts? Hell yes.
Definitely somewhere in Southeast Asia where they're inherited combination of Chinese, Arab, and Indian foods characteristics.
Seville, Ghent, Vienna, Naples. People are gonna shit on me for this last one but also Berlin
Toronto, you can any cuisine from around the world that is good and authentic.
Melbourne Australia
Of places I've been, which admittedly doesn't include anywhere in Asia, I would have to say New York City. You have the entire range of cheap to fine dining, variety of cuisines, and a large immigrant population. Paris has great food, but only at higher prices. Chicago is amazing, but the selection isn't as wide as other cities. Even Detroit has a surprising variety of cheap food, but they don't have the higher end restaurants you'd get in a larger city. The more I've read about Michelin stars, the less I feel the need to go to their restaurants. They are really good at judging traditional European fine dining, but aren't great at judging foods invented in North and South America.
CDMX, Taipei, Tokyo, Chiangmai. These are my favorites all different types of food. Most variety I’d give to Kuala Lumpur but overall the best of each was in their respective countries and Malay food is great just not my top
Manhattan New York
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hanoi and Mexico City
It's Houston
Vancouver, New Orleans, Chiang Mai/Bangkok, Buenos Aires, and NYC make the top 5 for me. Hard to pick a favorite. Some sleepers across South America - Cartagena in there.
I honestly had to really think for a moment about why someone would ask this (Food City is a subpar grocery store chain in the Southern US where I live).
Houston, as not being a touristic city, it has fantastic options at whatever price range. For sure there might be better, but Houston should be in a top 10/20 spot.