Paris could be nicknamed the city of love, but it could easily be called the city of food. And while it's easy to associate Paris with elegant and elegant restaurants, a hub of Michelin-starred restaurants, there's A LOT more to this culinary city. Our readers ranked these 25 places as the main gastronomic destinations of the year. From the birthplace of Mezcal to the cities with the most Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs, these are the best places to visit with an appetite.
Many of the cities on this list are within the same country or region, so allow this list to guide you through your own food tour. From Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka in Japan to Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and, of course, Lyon, Paris and Aix-en-Provence in France, you can go in any direction and find the beginning and end of your dream food tour. Alternatively, spend all your time unpacking the dishes and culture of some incredible places, such as Mendoza, in Argentina's wine region, or Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where the products are as exceptional as the appreciation for the food experience. Even the gastronomic capitals of the world, such as Paris, have fallen off our list to make room for America's own New Orleans and Charleston.
The birthplace of mezcal, Oaxaca ranks first this year. It is known for the way it combines its culinary traditions (think mole, molotes and fresh, moving dishes) with the innovative flavors of modern Mexican cuisine. From fettunta, the original garlic bread, to ravioli nudi or ravioli naked, Florence food finally appears around the world in some of the most famous restaurants. Why don't you go to the source? There may be no better place to go to restaurants and enjoy full days of food than Gion, Kyoto, a waterfront neighborhood with slender streets filled with restaurants almost exclusively, ups and downs.
Lyon, a city in which to eat for the next 100 years without tiring, serves classic French dishes and fresh, modern dishes without the waiting list or the price of Paris. San Francisco restaurants have been a driving force behind global culinary innovation for decades, and there are countless examples of local establishments leading the way in creativity and, most importantly, delicious cuisine. The city also has some of the best coffee shops in the world. Hong Kong is the master of Cantonese food.
Dim sum sets the pace with a variety of dumplings and fried treats. However, beyond the legacy of Dim Sum that envelops the streets of Hong Kong, char siu pork, soy sauce chicken and roast goose make the city a great place for meat lovers. With so many restaurants, cafes, and bistros to choose from in Paris, it can be difficult for visitors to know where to eat. From French classics such as snails and croque monsieur, to modern touches of traditional dishes such as crepes with goat cheese & honey or steak tartar; there are many delicious options available throughout the City of Lights.
If you're an enthusiast who travels with a picky eater, don't worry. New York City has one of the widest variety of food on offer. In northern Thailand, the city of Chiang Mai has one of the most famous street foods in the world. The streets are enveloped in a hypnotic fusion of spicy and sweet aromas.
New Orleans' signature food is nourished by the city's colorful and varied heritage. Seafood plays a vital role in the city's cuisine and it's one of the reasons travellers love to visit NOLA. One of New Orleans' many popular dishes is Po'Boy. This is a sandwich filled with fried seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, catfish, soft-shelled crab, or roast beef, and is completed with gravy, shredded lettuce and tomato, served on French bread.
Mexico City is another contender for excellent street food. The city offers many food stalls selling tacos and fried corn dogs. If you're the type of traveler who spends as much time researching restaurants as you do museums, listen. Earlier this year, we polled 27,000 Time Out readers in the Time Out index to find out what motivates our cities.
Along the way, we asked about community spirit, diversity, affordability and, of course, the local food and drink scene. Now that we've reviewed the data, we can finally reveal the best cities in the world for food and drink, chosen by locals. These 10 destinations scored the highest when we asked readers to rate their city for food and drink. In fact, all of the cities listed below have an approval rating of at least 93 percent when it comes to dining out.
From Buenos Aires and Melbourne to Shanghai and Madrid, these are the most delicious places on the planet. A second incredibly close spot is Tel Aviv, where the culinary scene is bursting with hot newcomers, traditional Middle Eastern fare, an astonishing array of vegan-friendly spots, and lively cafes that overflow the streets. Once you've eaten your weight in shawarma, falafel and hummus, try something new: sabich (a pita sandwich filled with fried eggplant, hard-boiled eggs and tahini) or malabi (milk pudding with rose water) should do the trick. Buenos Aires is synonymous with grilled meats and red wine, and you should try many of both while you're here, but the capital is also brimming with excellent Mediterranean, Italian, Asian and Spanish foods thanks to a robust immigrant population (second only to the U.S.
UU.). Taste empanadas on the go, sit back and savor a pizza, explore one of the city's indoor food markets and finish each meal with an alfajor, an addictive cookie sandwich paired with dulce de leche. Whether you're playing their grills (just go to Don Julio and take the guts), eating empanadas (we like them in Perón Perón) and choripán sandwiches (literally, there may be no better street food in the world) on the street, drinking incredible wines from Mendoza, Salta and Patagonia in their wine bars, or even going to one of their trendy “closed door” restaurants inside a chef's home, BA has to be on the radar of any food enthusiast. Montreal isn't just one of Canada's best food cities, it's also one of the best food cities in the world.
As the capital of Malaysia's Penang state, Georgetown is home to the world's best street food, or street food, as locals call it. Discover tasty Barcelona dining experiences that you don't want to miss as you explore the best food in Barcelona at the best restaurants in the city. Porto offers gastronomic travelers a complete dining experience, ranging from traditional food in simple taverns to elevated meals in sophisticated restaurants. Returning to the megacity a week later, he delved into the local food scene by taking a food tour of the Chandni Chowk street market in and around Old Delhi.
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