World’s Best Food Cities
10. Barcelona, Spain
What you’re looking for: Any of the Adriàs’ new spots; as much jamón Ibérico as you can stuff in your face
Ferran and Alberto Adrià reshaped culinary thought with elBulli, but, since its 2011 shuttering, they’ve made Barcelona their culinary playground, wedding gastronomy to Catalan tradition in a surprisingly seamless move. Besides the bougie tapas dance at Tickets, there’s Bodega 1900 — with plates from, well, the turn of the century. There’s also elBulli alum Albert Raurich’s Dos Palillos, which blends tapas with Asian cuisine. But even without the toque bros and their offspring, Barca woos us hot and heavy with its stalls in La Boqueria — gorgeous, marbled jamón Ibérica, fresh-pressed oil from Catalan olives, fresh fish from fourth-generation mongers — and the less-tourist-filled Mercat de Santa Caterina that offers up just as much fresh bounty without the tourist swarm.
9. Tokyo, Japan
What you’re looking for: Sushi in Tsukiji fish market; tsukemen (dipping noodles) at Rokurinsha
If Tokyo were a learning institution, it’d be a vocational school that churns out the best damn specialists in their fields. From Michelin-starred, shoebox-sized udon shops to (again) Michelin-starred, French fine dining bistros. The city is dripping with hyper-specialized eateries that range from every single type of Japanese cuisine (soba to tempura) to perfected Chinese and Italian and French (and it goes far beyond Joël Robuchon’s epic namesake). And with 400 restaurants with stars or Bib Gourmand status in the city, Tokyo holds the highest number of Michelin labels anywhere, Paris included.
8. Istanbul, Turkey
What you’re looking for: A sebzeli kebab at Zubeyir; baklava from Diyar Burma; a meal at Ciya Sofrasi
For the typical American, a trip to Istanbul can be, at first, overwhelming, with all of the hosts standing outside their restaurants trying to sell you on coming inside, and the strange number of cats roaming the streets, but once you acclimate, you might never leave. From the tea culture (turns out, apple tea is delicious) and the beautiful spice bazaar, to their delicious Turkish versions of scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes (menemen), and pizza (lahmacun!), to the kebabs (get the sebzeli at Zubeyir), to the baklava, to pretty much any of the homestyle eats at Ciya Sofrasi across the water on the Asian side, Istanbul is a food paradise. Once you get over the whole cat thing.
7. Cartagena, Colombia
What you’re looking for: Anyone serving fritos; oysters and cholados on the beach, the Malagana Cafe in Getsemani
With all due respect to Bogotá, our choice for the top eating destination in Colombia is this beachside bombshell, which mixes a ridiculously gorgeous atmosphere overlooking the Caribbean with a food culture that is currently growing both in scope and in quality. Our favorite part is the street food (they call it fritos, ALSO THE BEST BECAUSE OF THOSE SNACK CHIPS), specifically the egg-filled fried arepas, but you also can do no wrong with the fresh seafood, especially out on the beaches eating just shucked oysters touched with lime, or shaved-ice cholados, or sitting in the trendy restaurants of the quickly gentrifying Getsemani, scooping up fresh ceviche at Malagana Cafe.
6. Marrakesh, Morocco
What you’re looking for: Good khobz; roast lamb done Mechoui style; Cod tagine at Bô-Zin
Another of the cities that has always had the history but only recently really come into its own, Marrakesh sits in the Southwest by the Atlas Mountains, and — like so many places on the list — draws its foodie chops from the mish-mash of influences (France, Africa, the Middle East) that make it so unique. Eat well from the food stalls within the old city walls, where you can sample kefta, and merguez, or put on your much fancier clothing and hit up Bô-Zin outside the city walls for a fancified version of a traditional Moroccan tagine in a space that occupies a giant mansion, and will make you feel like one of the French celebrities that often purchases homes in this city.
5. New York City, USA
What you’re looking for: A slice of pizza on the street; a Reuben at a Jewish deli; all the famous chefs from everywhere else
New York has to be on this list. It just does. Nowhere else in America combines the cutting-edge techniques and trends (wait, ramen ravioli at a Whole Foods?), with its own unique style of cuisine (coal-fired pizzas, Jewish delis, dirty water hot dogs) and THEN, on top of all that, serves as proving grounds for so many American and foreign chefs. Since we already spend so much time talking about NY every day we don’t feel the need to go further, but that just might be another trait of the NY food/drink scene: extreme confidence.
4. London, England
What you’re looking for: Meat Fruit at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal; steak & cocktails at Hawksmoor; any part of the animal at St. John; lunch at Borough Market; a tasting menu from Gordon Ramsay.
Pubs became gusto pubs, and punters became gastro-punters (The Harwood Arms beckoned them). Suddenly, a lobster cost less than a month’s salary (thank you, Burger & Lobster). Vans became food trucks, and restaurants became *good*. Two of the top 10 “world’s best restaurants” are now in London (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, The Ledbury), and perennial favorites like St. John, are — through the art of nose-to-tail dining — getting people to pay more for the crappier parts of the animal. Nowadays however, we’ve moved beyond the giddily excited, nascent stage of culinary revolution, and into the new world of freshly entitled diners watching food trends wash over the city with awe. Currently Latin American (Lima!), and Korean food (On the Bab serves delicious anju) is taking over, but watch the skies for incoming ramen places by the dozen.
3. Bombay, India
What you’re looking for: All the street chaat (but pani puri and vada pav if we’re choosing); a mutton Frankie (most ubiquitously at Tibbs Frankie); butter chicken
There are 20 million people in greater Bombay. It sits on India’s West coast on the water. It has people from basically everywhere, and they bring with them their own cultures: from the Persians with their delicious mutton dhansak, to the British-sounding mutton Frankie sandwiches and the seafood-heavy dishes of the South. Plus, there’s almost all of the street chaat foods, like pani or bhel puri. And we are barely scratching the surface here. Bombay has to be near the top, because Bombay is essentially a small country doubling as a city, and when you can bring that kind of diversity into a place that already has a delicious food culture, magical, magical things can and will and do happen.
2. Bologna, Italy
What you’re looking for: Pasta at All’Osteria Bottega; mortadella and fresh cheeses in Mercato di Mezzo
You know that joke about how a great Italian restaurant smells like a Grandmother spent the entire day cooking Sunday supper for her family? Bologna’s like the red sauce-stained Grandma of Italy. The city invented, of course, Bolognese sauce, the wonderfully rich red ragu that’s so often butchered by hastily scrambled together preparations here in the America. A trip to the city is basically a contractual obligation to get a plate of Tagliatelle alla Bolognese and a plate of lasagna. Cover both in all the Parmesan you can handle — that’s coming from Parm just down the road. But don’t ignore the city’s other main pasta dish, a tortellini that’s served in a warm broth. And while you’re learning what Bolognese actually tastes like, let the salumerie of Mercato di Mezzo change your mind on another food we’ve done our best to destroy in America: bologna (i.e. mortadella).
1. Bordeaux, France
What you’re looking for: Oysters from Arcachon Bay, duck confit at La Tupina
While Paris rested on its buttery laurels, Bordeaux, the place you always knew for its wines, silently rose to be the more interesting food destination for France and, we think, the world. From the basics, the rich French dishes you’re totally thinking of pairing with your glass of red are from here: fatty duck confit and, well, also fatty foie gras. Grab either at La Tupina, arguably the most famous restaurant in the city.
The City You Think Is Just The Name Of A Wine also embraces the simple roast meat dishes of Southwestern France, like the entrecôte at Brasserie Bordelaise. But Bordeaux’s real quality comes from its diversity — its location right by the Atlantic means seafood and heaping raw platters of oysters (France’s most famous bivalves come from nearby Arcachon Bay), clams, mussels, shrimp, and langoustines are plentiful. Bistro Le Petit Commerce offers all that fishy bounty with fresh catch choices crawling into the teens daily, plus platters of the raw goods. But you can stay simpler at Chez Phillipe with a plate of oysters served with sausages: a land-and-sea combo that’s a traditional snack in the region we wish they’d export everywhere.