15 must-visit food cities in the world

One of the best ways to experience a city is through its food. You’ll be able to try traditional recipes passed down through the years, sample fusion eats shaped by the local community, and experience modern dining concepts steered by the new generation of culinary innovators.

Whether you love stumbling upon great street eats or dining at the latest Michelin-awarded restaurant, bring your appetite to these 15 culinary cities for dishes that are just as iconic as their landmarks.

While Hawaii is loved for its great surf, nature, and awesome beaches, its incredible food scene shouldn’t be overlooked. Its unique cuisine has been shaped by native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian cultures, spotlighting fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and other native ingredients. Start in Oahu, widely regarded as the best island for food, where you’ll find a mix of long-standing eateries, upscale restaurants, and fun food trucks. Check out mainstays like Leonard's Bakery and Helena’s Hawaiian Food in Honolulu, enjoy restaurants with a view along the Waikiki strip, or head to the North Shore for Matsumoto Shaved Ice and its famous shrimp trucks.

Over on the Big Island, the rich biodiversity makes it great for locally sourced ingredients. Go on a tour of Kona coffee plantations, macadamia nut factories, and even sea salt farms and see how these ingredients go from farm to table. Uncover more of Hawaiian culture at a luau (like this one in Maui), a traditional feast and gathering that features music and dance, cultural performances, and food like kalua pig, poi (taro root paste), and haupia (coconut pudding).

With its vibrant jazz scene, lively streets, and welcoming people, it should be no surprise that New Orleans’ food is just as colorful. It’s known for its flavorful Creole and Cajun cuisines, drawing from French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Native American culinary traditions to create hearty dishes like gumbo (thick stew with meat or seafood, and vegetables), jambalaya (spicy rice dish), crawfish etouffee (crawfish in a roux-based sauce), and beignets (fried pastries with powdered sugar).

A good place to start is in the French Quarter for historic Creole institutions, amazing street eats, and fancy cocktail bars at every turn. Get the download on a food walking tour where you’ll get to sample local dishes, go behind the scenes, and learn about the history of NOLA’s top food spots.

Jamaica's cuisine embodies community, centering on home-cooked recipes and locally sourced ingredients. You can expect comforting staples like ackee and saltfish, curried goat, Jamaican patties, and rice and peas. See how these dishes are prepared on Zimbali’s culinary retreat and farm-to-table cooking show, which includes a farm tour, a five-course meal, and traditional African drumming performances.

The highlight of Jamaican cuisine has to be its juicy jerk chicken, where an aromatic blend of spices is rubbed onto meat and grilled over an open flame. Try it at popular spots like Scotchies and Boston Jerk Centre on an ultimate jerk chicken tour of Jamaica.

As the bustling capital of Mexico, Mexico City offers a great mix of traditional Mexican cuisine and street food, alongside innovative food concepts, international flavors, and fine dining. Local taquerias (taco stands) and mercados (markets) are your best bet for street food—start with Taqueria Los Parados and Mercado de Medellin in the trendy Roma neighborhood. Look out for the local specialty taco al pastor, a sweet and savory taco with Lebanese influences.

The Roma neighborhood is also building a reputation for itself in the fine dining space. Once you’ve had your fill of street eats, you can try elevated Mexican dishes fused with international flavors at spots like Rosetta and Maximo Bistrot. If you want to uncover more culinary gems and the history of Roma, this food walking tour is perfect for you.

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Brussels has earned its spot as the chocolate capital. The city has been at the forefront of chocolate innovation, setting the standard for chocolate craftsmanship and birthing global brands like Neuhaus and Godiva. Learn more about the history by visiting museums like Choco-Story Brussels, before eating (and drinking!) your way through the city’s best choco spots on this chocolate and beer tour around Brussels.

And what better way to enjoy Belgian chocolate than with a Belgian waffle? Try the large, rectangular, and crispy Brussels-style waffle at historic spots like Maison Dandoy, or try making your own at a Belgian waffle-making workshop.

There’s no better place to try pizza than at its source. Born from the working class in 16th-century Naples, the modern-day pizza was created when Neapolitans would add toppings to their flatbread as a flavorful treat. For a classic Neapolitan pizza, you can’t go wrong with L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, one of the oldest pizzerias in Naples. Expect to see a line outside but don’t worry, travelers say it clears within 10 to 15 minutes. You can also learn how to make your own pizza from scratch under the guidance of a master pizza chef.

Join this Naples food tour with a local guide to try other Neapolitan snacks and Southern Italian dishes like frittata di pasta (pasta omelet) while exploring historic sights like Spaccanapoli, Piazza del Gesu, and Santa Chiara Church.

Athens’ food embodies Mediterranean cuisine, characterized by the use of olive oil, herbs, seafood, grains, dairy, and nuts. Head to markets like Varvakois Agora (Central Market) for fresh local produce and to try local street food specialties like souvlaki (grilled meat skewers) and koulouri (bread ring coated in sesame seeds). Here’s a tip: You can try to make local Greek specialties with this four-hour cooking class, which includes a tour of Central Market.

If you prefer a more traditional setting, there are plenty of tavernas around the city that offer authentic Athenian cuisine, meze (small sharing plates), and a slice of local life.

Influenced by Catalan and Mediterranean culinary traditions, Barcelona’s food features bold, rustic flavors, achieved through the use of fresh produce, seafood, and meats, slow-cooked and grilled to perfection. One of the quintessential ways to try it? By eating tapas, or small sharing plates—a cornerstone of Barcelona food culture.

Another great way to experience Barcelona’s cuisine is through the city’s markets, an integral part of the local food culture. Locals visit markets like Mercat de Sant Antoni and Mercat de la Boqueria for fresh produce, local delicacies, and street food. Follow a chef from market to plate on this paella-making experience, where you’ll learn to make paella (a seafood rice dish) using ingredients from the market.

​​Paris has one of the most Michelin-starred establishments in the world—second only to Tokyo—rightfully earning its title as the gourmet capital of the world. Parisian chefs pride themselves in using high-quality ingredients and precise techniques, not just at award-winning haute cuisine restaurants and patisseries, but also at casual cafes, bistros, and food markets. Want to experience this for yourself? Step behind the counter and learn these culinary techniques from experts while making baguettes, macarons, and croissants.

You can also go on a gourmet food tour around the charming foodie neighborhood of Montmartre and sample local meats and cheeses, chocolate, and wine while soaking in the Parisian atmosphere.

Hop on a tuk-tuk (an auto-rickshaw) to your next food spot in Bangkok. It’s one of the only places in the world where you can eat Michelin-awarded street food, alongside traditional Thai restaurants, innovative fusion dining concepts, and design-forward cafes.

While there’s food to be enjoyed at all times of the day, it’s at night when Bangkok comes to life. Check out a night market or popular food streets like Khao San Road and take your pick from stalls selling affordable Thai street food like leng saap (spicy pork bone soup), green curry, pad thai (stir-fried noodles), and even Isan-style dishes. You can explore more of Bangkok after dark on a midnight tuk-tuk food tour that’ll take you to great food spots for local favorites and late-night landmarks.

As the former imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto’s cuisine has strong historical and cultural roots, adopting refined and delicate flavors, seasonal ingredients, and elegant presentation. A kaiseki reflects those characteristics, a carefully prepared multi-course meal that is the hallmark of Kyoto haute cuisine. You can expect a sequence of meticulously prepared dishes, often using seasonal ingredients and a variety of cooking techniques that bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients.

Kyoto is also the heart of traditional Japanese tea culture, known for its tea ceremonies, quaint teahouses, and high-quality matcha (powdered green tea). Visit the Arashiyama sightseeing district for traditional teahouses, matcha desserts and snacks, and local sweets like wagashi (rice flour confection with beans and fruits). Get the full experience on this tour, where you’ll take part in a Japanese tea ceremony while wearing a traditional kimono.

Unlike the bold and spicy flavors of southern Vietnamese cuisine, Hanoi's cuisine is more subtle and delicate, enhancing the natural flavors of local ingredients using light broths, fresh herbs, and simple seasonings. Bun cha is a quintessential Hanoi dish that perfectly embodies this, a noodle dish that elevates the smokiness of the grilled pork patties by pairing it with a light dipping sauce.

The bustling Old Quarter and French Quarter are where you want to go to try street food and other local specialties like banh cuon (steamed rice rolls with pork and mushroom), southern-style pho (noodle soup dish), and cha ca la vong (grilled turmeric-marinated fish). Check out all of Hanoi’s best hits on this street food walking tour where you’ll get to try another local favorite: egg coffee.

New Delhi’s food scene reflects not only its deep cultural history but also the modern influences of a big cosmopolitan capital city. Here you’ll find traditional Mughlai dishes and vibrant street food, alongside mod-Indian eateries and fine dining restaurants. Start with their most famous culinary export—butter chicken—a Mughlai dish that’s loved for its rich and buttery tomato-based curry. Fun fact: A butter chicken battle is still being waged between Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, two of India’s oldest restaurants, over who invented this beloved dish.

Uncover more local culinary treasures along the streets of Old Delhi on this street food tour, where you’ll get to try local snacks like jalebi (deep-fried flour snack), chole bhature (spicy chickpea curry), and lassi (yogurt drink), and explore Khari Baoli, Asia’s largest spice market.

With its prime location on the Silk Road, Istanbul’s cuisine is a beautiful blend of different cultures, bringing about the rich and aromatic flavors that the city’s food has come to be known for. Learn more about the European and Asian influences on Istanbul’s cuisine on this off-the-beaten-path food tour or explore popular spice markets like Misir Carsisi to see where locals go for spices, dried fruits, nuts, and other provisions.

When you’re in Istanbul, don’t miss the chance to experience a traditional kahvalti or Turkish breakfast. While it’s a cherished morning ritual throughout Turkiye, a Turkish breakfast in Istanbul is exceptionally lavish, with abundant spreads of menemen (scrambled eggs with tomatoes) and artisanal cheeses. Pick a spot along the Bosphorus like Mangerie or Assk Kahve, for breakfast with a view.

Marrakech’s cuisine is known for its harmonious blend of sweet and salty flavors, creating a distinctive aromatic taste in its food. Sample some of the best local dishes like b’stilla (savory-sweet pastry), harira (tomato-based soup), and tangia (slow-cooked meat dish) on this authentic Moroccan food tour, which ends with an extravagant three-course traditional dinner. You can also learn how to make these dishes yourself on a half-day cooking class with a local chef.

You don’t want to miss visiting a traditional souk as well. These bustling open-air marketplaces like Jemaa el-Fnaa and Souk Semmarine offer not only delicious street food, but also textiles, ceramics, cosmetics, and other local wares.