New Orleans has always had a rich culinary history, with influences spanninNew Orleans has always had a rich culinary history, with influences spanning French, Spanish, Vietnamese, African and more. The range of exceptional dining experiences – from the elegant, iconic Antoine’s to a neighbourhood po-boy joint like Parkway Bakery & Tavern – make this city unique. Try traditional dishes like shrimp Creole, jambalaya and red beans and rice at places all around town, or check out newer, award-winning restaurants combining Louisiana flavors with the likes of Senegalese (Dakar), Mexican (Acamaya) and Indian (Saffron). New Orleans celebrates its cuisine whenever it can, from the all-encompassing offerings at Jazz Fest to annual festivals honouring faves like gumbo, Creole tomatoes and beignets – and everyone is invited to the party.
Digging into a pile of boiled crawfish is a must, but they’re only available seasonally. For a taste of New Orleans any time of year, grab a bowl of seafood gumbo – head to Liuzza’s by the Track for an excellent version at an iconic neighbourhood joint.
02 Bangkok
What makes Bangkok’s food great is what makes Bangkok in general great: you can make it anything you want. The fine dining can be life-changingly good, but so can the $3 meal under fluorescent lights. Do as follows: walk around, see what looks tasty and draws a crowd, order, eat. The streets of Old Town and Chinatown are favourites for a reason, but the best bowl of noodles is the one calling your name at 2am.
Som tam is ubiquitous, but legendary street food spot Hai Som Tam Convent serves up a top-tier, zesty pile of green papaya and fiery chillies – absolutely killer with sticky rice, grilled chicken and a cold beer.
03 MEDELLÍN
At any price point, you’ll find enriching food in Medellín. Tour old-school market La Placita de Flórez to sample the creamy pulp of fresh chirimoya, sweet-citric gulupa and rejuvenating uchuva berries; enjoy rustic lunch platters like cazuela or bandeja paisa in any barrio; and finish off with fine dining in the neighbourhoods of El Poblado, Envigado, and Laureles. Medellín puts its restaurants on playful display with foodie festivals, from a recent sushi tour to Burgerville, and this cosmopolitan city is gifted with international fare aplenty, too. French dining meets Colombian produce at La Cafetiere de Anita, rich Peruvian rice dishes can be found at Bistro El Mordisco and the ceviches at ‘Colombian fusion’ restaurant Mar Y Fuego are a must.
For everyday elegance, Ocio in El Poblado serves up farm-fresh meats with fragrant touches – the chicharrón salad is exquisite.
04 CAPE TOWN
Thanks to its cultural diversity, Cape Town’s food scene is as varied as they come – there really is something to cater to all tastes (and budgets) in the Mother City. With influences from Asia, Europe and across Africa, our city is known for packing a punch when it comes to flavour. There’s nowhere that better illustrates this than Time Out Market Cape Town, where all the tastes of the city are brought together under one roof. Bree Street, or ‘Gourmet Boulevard’, is the city’s dining thoroughfare, with Boma and Iron Steak firm favourites. And you can’t visit Cape Town without tucking into some seafood – the city might even rival London with its bountiful fish and chips offering.
It’s the almighty Gatsby. This massive bread roll packed with hot chips, salad and fillings of your choice is messy, flavourful and rather awkward to eat, but it's quintessentially Cape Town. For one of the best Gatsbys in the business, make for Mariams Kitchen on the Foreshore.
05 MADRID
Madrid’s food scene has always been legendary, but it’s more exciting than ever right now. We’ve got the world’s best plant-based restaurant according to Green Guide (El Invernadero), a Michelin-starred spot dedicated to offal (La Tasquería), and the only fine-dining restaurant inside a historic flamenco tablao (Corral de la Morería). Natural wine bistros are everywhere, small bakeries are thriving, and young chefs are making waves at OSA, Chispa, Lur and Tonton, while the Trafalgar neighbourhood is bursting with exciting new openings. But Madrileños also love the stalwarts, like fine-dining institution Sacha and 25-year-old La Tasquita de Enfrente – plus the city’s intimate casas de comidas, which dodge all the latest trends.
Order anything with veggies at Pabú, where chef-patron Coco Montes transforms fresh produce into something next-level. It’s an almost poetic achievement of skill, knowledge, elegance, hospitality and sustainability – and Madrid’s latest culinary highlight.
06 MEXICO CITY
In Mexico City we can talk about food all day long. From a torta de chilaquiles to a signature meal in Lina, Malix or Voraz, to finishing the night off with some tacos al pastor at your neighbourhood taco shop, everyone has a favourite spot that brings them joy. In recent years, chefs have begun to integrate international techniques into their cooking, creating exciting dishes that have catapulted restaurants like Pujol and Quinonil to the top of the world’s most renowned lists. A wave of excellent Italian, Korean and Thai restaurants are currently winning the hearts of locals – you can try Piazza Pasticcio, Jowong or Ladyboy for some of the best of that current crop.
If you are lucky enough to have chiles en nogada in season, you must go to Nicos to try it.
07 LAGOS
In Lagos, food is woven into culture, history, and daily life. The city’s dynamic food scene reflects the country’s diverse heritage, from smoky suya from Northern Nigeria to rich Igbo delicacies like Ofe Nsala, a spiced white soup made with catfish. Afro-Brazilian influence is tangible in dishes like Frejon, a coconut and black bean dish traditionally eaten during Easter, while Nigerian dishes like smoky party jollof rice have become world-famous. Street food thrives; Akara (bean fritters) paired with Agege bread and smoky Boli (roasted plantain) are daily staples. Sweet-tooth? Try a Puff-Puff, a golden, deep-fried dough ball. Sundays at ILÉ IYÁN are a celebration of authentic Yoruba cuisine, while spots like NOK by Alara and Slow Lagos reinvent Nigerian flavours with a modern twist. From bustling buka joints to fine dining, Lagos is bold, diverse, and utterly delicious.
Make it suya, Lagos’s most famous street food. Glover Court Suya in Ikoyi is the city’s undisputed hotspot serving smoky, peppery skewers of meat.
08 SHANGHAI
Sure, Beijing might be the cultural capital, but Shanghai is easily China’s epicentre for dining. Internal migration in this city of almost 25 million means that China and its 5,000 years of food history are at your doorstep. This city is a paradise for Chinese food nerds, who can explore regional cuisines from far-flung parts of the country, whether it’s minority dishes from Guizhou, the spice-dusted skewers of Xinjiang, or the tropical plates of Yunnan. Recent years have seen an explosion of ‘neo-bistros’, where young Chinese chefs with global exposure are riffing off international cuisines and treating local, seasonal produce in new ways.
Of course, the first place you should start is with Shanghainese or Hu cuisine – give shengjianbao (生煎包) or pan-fried soup dumplings a go. The lovechild of the baozi (包子) and the xiaolongbao (小笼包), this doughy guy gives you a delicious pork and broth filling and a crispy bottom — it’s as good as scratching an itch twice.
09 PARIS
Even for a city widely regarded as the world’s gourmet capital, Paris’s food scene has never been this electric, with new restaurants popping up like mushrooms. That includes bistros giving French classics a fresh twist, like Lissit, Cornichon and Café de l’Usine; wine bars perfect for getting the gang together (Les Œillets, Furia); coffee shops where you can nibble on cake alongside frolicking fashionistas (Grave, Simple); and fine-dining spots (Vaisseau, Datil, Le Gabriel) serving dishes that linger only briefly on the menu, but live forever in the memory.
Make it saucisse purée. This bistro classic, brought to the capital by Auvergne innkeepers, has been comforting hungry Parisians for over 150 years. Les Arlots serves up a flawless version, elevated by a crazy good meat jus.
10 JAKARTA
To say that Jakarta’s culinary scene is a melting pot is no exaggeration. Numerous ethnic groups across Indonesia’s vast archipelago have made their mark here, as have Dutch, Chinese, Arab and Indian cultures. Get a taste of this smorgasbord on the streets – head out at dusk to browse the stalls along Jalan Sabang and Jalan Pecenongan, two of the city’s most well-known street food areas, for comforting noodles from the island of Madura, juicy grilled satay from Sumatra, and smoky Chinese claypot rice. There’s a growing fine dining scene too, with places like Caspar and Henshin bringing flavours from as far as Spain and Peru.
The Kepiting Soka Saus Padang from Kaum is not to be missed. The crispy, crunchy texture of the soft-shell crab pairs perfectly with finger-licking sweet and spicy sauce.
