The world’s 20 best cities for food right now

Why visit now: New 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 oysters, Creole tomatoes and beignets – and everyone is invited to the party.

If you only eat one thing: 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 gumbo – head to Liuzza’s by the Track for an excellent version at an iconic neighbourhood joint.

How it ranked: A whopping 93 percent of New Orleans locals rated the city highly for restaurants and eating out – the third-highest percentage of all cities surveyed. Combine that with a high number of votes from our panel of food experts, plus all-round decent affordability scores, and it’s easy to see how the Big Easy came out on top as the best place to eat out in 2025.

🍤 Discover the best restaurants in New Orleans

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: 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.

How it ranked: While 86 percent of locals rated Bangkok’s food scene ‘good’ or ‘amazing’, the Thai capital received the highest share of votes from food experts (47 percent, to be exact), which catapulted it to second place. Asked how they’d describe the food in their city – world-renowned for its street eats – locals were most likely to say ‘delicious’, followed by ‘fast and convenient’ and ‘diverse’. 

🍜 Discover the best restaurants in Bangkok

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: For everyday elegance, Ocio in El Poblado serves up farm-fresh meats with fragrant touches – the chicharrón salad is exquisite.

How it ranked: Medellín tied with Shanghai as the fourth-highest rated for its food scene, according to our survey. But the Colombian city triumphed for its affordability – it’s the most budget-friendly city for food on the list, with 89 percent of locals saying going to a restaurant is affordable and 94 percent saying it’s cheap to grab a coffee.

🥩 Discover the best restaurants in Colombia

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: 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.

How it ranked: We named Cape Town the best city in the world this year, thanks in no small part to its fantastic food and drink. The Mother City earned a staggering 95 percent approval score for its dining scene, tying with Paris this year as the highest-rated food city in our survey. Plus, Capetonians were third-most likely to describe the food in their city as ‘delicious’.

🥗 Discover the best restaurants in Cape Town

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: 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.

How it ranked: Madrid is one of the world’s most exciting culinary cities right now; the Spanish capital tied with New Orleans to come fourth in the food expert vote. Its status is attested by locals, 90 percent of whom rated Madrid’s restaurant and dining scene highly. Madrileños were also the most likely group to describe food in their city as both ‘diverse’ and ‘experimental’ – a tasty combo.

🍖 Discover the best restaurants in Madrid

Why visit now: 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 only eat one thing: If you are lucky enough to have chiles en nogada in season, you must go to Nicos to try it.

How it ranked: Mexico’s sprawling capital was the second-favourite city among our panel of food experts, garnering 42 percent of the overall vote. And locals agree – 80 percent of them said the restaurant and dining scene in Mexico City was either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’, while 68 percent would describe the food as ‘delicious’. They were also the second-most likely group to describe their city’s food scene as ‘traditional’.

🌮 Discover the best restaurants in Mexico City

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: 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. 

How it ranked: Lagos came out as the second-most affordable city for eating and drinking, with 88 percent of locals saying it didn’t cost a lot to get a drink and 68 percent saying going out to a restaurant is easy on the wallet. Asked how they’d describe food in Lagos, 78 percent of locals said ‘delicious’, while 58 percent went for ‘healthy’, ‘traditional’ and ‘convenient’.

Why visit now: 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. 

If you only eat one thing: The first place you should start is with Shanghainese or Hu cuisine – give the shengjianbao (生煎包) or pan-fried soup dumpling a go. Just like its cousin, the xiaolongbao (小笼包), this doughy guy contains a delicious pork and broth filling, and boasts an addictive crispy bottom — it's as good as scratching an itch twice.

How it ranked: The dining scene in China’s culinary capital received a 92 percent approval score from locals, giving Shanghai the joint-fourth highest local rating. ‘Diverse’ was the most common term used to describe the city’s food scene by locals in our survey, followed by ‘trendy’.

Why visit now: 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.

If you only eat one thing: 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.

How it ranked: The French capital scored highly in almost every metric except affordability (Paris is the second-least affordable city for food on the list, according to our survey). But with a 95 percent approval score from locals and 40 percent of the overall food critic vote, there’s no questioning the quality of Parisian fare. Unsurprisingly, Parisians were most likely to call their city’s food scene both ‘gourmet’ and ‘trendy’.

🐟 Discover the best restaurants in Paris

Why visit now: 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. 

If you only eat one thing: 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.

How it ranked: With a 94 percent approval score for its restaurant scene, Jakarta came just behind first-place winners Cape Town and Paris as the highest-rated in our survey of locals. Seventy-five percent of the people we surveyed in Jakarta would describe the culinary offering as ‘diverse’, while 73 percent would call food in Jakarta ‘delicious’.

🍛 Discover the best restaurants in Jakarta

Why visit now: There’s a reason why Michelin-starred chefs are heading up the city’s most famous restaurants – Moroccan ingredients are excellent and cooking here is a flavour sensation. While everyone who visits should experience a traditional Moroccan diffa (feast) in riad mansion like Dar Yacout or the authentic tea ritual in beautiful 1112 Marrakech, it’s in the new enclave of Gueliz where the most exciting things are cooking. Take fabulous Farmers, a serious farm-to-fork venue where Driss Alaoui conjures the most punchy dishes from the restaurant’s dedicated organic farm. At Terra Mia Café you’ll find a French-Moroccan patisserie as good as any in Paris, given that pastry chef Daoud trained with icons like Cédric Grolet and Jeffrey Cagnes. 

If you only eat one thing: Marrakech’s signature dish is tangia, lamb shank cooked in an urn-shaped terracotta pot with smen (fermented butter), preserved lemon, garlic, cumin, ginger and saffron. It’s nickname is bent r’mad,  ‘daughter of ashes’, because it’s cooked in the ashes of fire that heats the hammam. Chez Lamine serves the original recipe. 

How it ranked: Getting a taste of Marrakech’s celebrated cuisine won’t break the bank, if you ask locals – the Moroccan city was rated the third-most affordable place to eat and drink on the list. Asked how they’d describe their city’s culinary scene, Marrakech locals opted for ‘traditional’, ‘diverse’ and ‘delicious’.

🧆 Discover the best restaurants in Marrakech

Why visit now: It’s official: Peruvian cuisine is going global. Lima’s excellent dining scene is consistently celebrated by prestigious rankings and awards, with four Lima restaurants earning a place in the latest list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The secret to Lima’s culinary success is simple: the city’s best chefs rely on good-quality Peruvian produce – and they’re not afraid to experiment. Expect fusion European and Asian cooking styles that utilise unique ingredients from Peru’s coast, mountains, and jungle (some restaurants even present dishes according to the ingredients’ altitude). But you don’t have to splurge on tasting menus; Lima is full of restaurants serving budget-friendly ceviche, Peru’s national dish of cold seafood marinated in lime and chillis.

If you only eat one thing: Restaurante Sonia, in Lima’s southern Chorillos neighbourhood right by the fishers’ docks, has some of the best and freshest ceviche in town.

How it ranked: Lima officially has the most delicious cuisine in the world, with a massive 78 percent of locals describing it as such. Limeños were also most likely to describe food in their city as ‘family-friendly’ – but, interestingly, they were also the least likely group to describe the dining scene as ‘trendy’. 

📍 Discover the best things to do in Peru

Why visit now: Riyadh’s food scene is absolutely buzzing and shows no sign of slowing down. The Saudi capital is home to a prolific mix of impressive high-end restaurants like Maiz, Carbone and Myazu, as well as cool home-grown cafés like the ever-popular Chestnut and Sociale – two of many ‘it’ spots. Café culture is always a vibe, with coffee hotspots literally packed and queues out the door until the late hours. Diriyah Gate has fast become the must-visit food destination in the city, where Time Out Market Riyadh is slated to open its doors in 2027.

If you only eat one thing: Head to Myazu, a swish home-grown Japanese restaurant crowned Restaurant of the Year at the Time Out Riyadh Restaurant Awards 2024, and order the grilled scallops. Drizzled in umami butter and topped with a passion fruit shiso salsa, you’ll remember it long after the last bite.

How it ranked: A whopping 91 percent of locals think Riyadh has top-notch nosh, making it the fifth highest-rated city for the quality of its restaurant dining scene. Riyadh also got a respectable overall affordability score, with 84 percent saying it’s cheap to grab a drink and 76 percent saying going to a restaurant is inexpensive.

🥗 Discover the best new restaurants in Riyadh

Why visit now: Much like its people, languages, and culture, Mumbai loves for its food to be fusion too. We mix varied flavours from multiple cuisines, pair up dishes liberally, and serve them in our quintessentially efficient and non-fussy street style. The go-to places for a quick fix when hungry are the khau gallis (food streets) dotting neighbourhoods from southern Zaveri Bazaar to northern Ghatkopar. Between savoury chaat, jumbo-sandwiches, veggie-laden ‘pizzas’, Beirut-inspired frankie-wraps, and dry-fruit topped falooda, every bite is far from demure – never subtle and never shy.

If you only eat one thing: Make it the Jini Dosa at Vile Parle’s khau galli. Lentil and rice batter dosas are stuffed with colourful vegetables, smeared with schezwan sauce, topped with grated local cheese, and served as bite-sized crispy rolls.

How it ranked: Food in Mumbai is the healthiest on the list, with 61 percent of locals describing it as such (though the most common term Mumbaikars chose is ‘delicious’). A healthy 87 percent of locals we surveyed gave an overall high rating to the city’s dining scene, too. 

🍲 Discover the best restaurants in Mumbai

Why visit now: Abu Dhabi has a clear-cut identity when it comes to its food scene, and that’s mixing old with new flawlessly. From mandi experiences at hole-in-the-wall eateries like Al Mrzab, where guests can dine in traditional majli-style (sitting on the floor on cushions), to stunning beachside Japanese spots like NIRI serving up hit after hit, you’ll find it all in the UAE capital. There are irresistible eats in every corner in town (Mamsha Al Saadiyat on the waterfront is a particular favourite), including a recent rise in exceptional home-grown eateries like Marmellata, Erth or Craft by Side Hustle. You won’t find these anywhere else. It’s no surprise that Time Out Market has its sights set on Abu Dhabi – watch this space.

If you only eat one thing: Burrata pizza at Marmellata, one of Abu Dhabi’s most-loved home-grown restaurants. You’ll get a perfectly blistered, airy crust topped with pillowy and creamy burrata: an unfailing slice.

How it ranked: Eighty-eight percent of locals in Abu Dhabi rated the restaurant and dining scene in their city highly, and 81 percent said it was affordable to eat out in the UAE capital. ‘Family-friendly’ was the most common term used to describe the food scene, followed by ‘delicious’ and ‘healthy’.

🧆 Discover the best restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Why visit now: Though the fertile banks of the River Nile made Egypt a cradle of civilisation, its food isn’t well known outside of the country – all the more reason to come to the capital of Cairo and taste it yourself. Some of Egypt’s favourite foods have been eaten since the time of the pharaohs, including carb-heavy koshary (macaroni, rice and lentils topped with chickpeas, spicy tomato sauce, vinegar and fried onions) and molokhia (finely chopped jute leaves stewed in broth with coriander and roasted garlic). Female-founded Bellies En-Route runs food-focused walking tours in Downtown Cairo that devour the best of the neighbourhood.

If you only eat one thing: Khufu’s dishes up the best of ancient and contemporary Cairo with modern takes on the classics, such as koshary in salad form with quail eggs, in a chic space overlooking the Great Pyramid.

How it ranked: A solid 90 percent of locals rated eating out in Cairo highly, with Cairenes choosing ‘diverse’ as the best term to describe food in their city. And while 69 percent of locals said eating at a restaurant was inexpensive – one of the lower affordability scores on this year’s list – 82 percent said it was cheap to grab a drink.

Why visit now: Porto isn’t just the home of port wine – it also takes eating very seriously. From family-run tascas to fine dining, Portugal’s second city has a food scene that won’t quit. Porto’s restaurants draw on the abundance of seasonal ingredients filling the stalls of lively markets like Mercado do Bolhão, plus top-quality local meats and fresh seafood from the coastal suburb of Matosinhos. For a taste of the best the city has to offer, Time Out Market Porto opened last year, serving local classics and Michelin-starred chefs all under one roof.

If you only eat one thing: Go all-in on a francesinha, Porto’s most legendary dish. Inspired by the French croque monsieur, this beast of a sandwich is layered with bread, steak or roast meat, cured sausages, melted cheese and a top-secret gooey sauce. Casa Inês at Time Out Market Porto is a great place to try one.

How it ranked: Portugal’s second city does old-school grub best, according to locals, who were the most likely group to describe their city’s food scene as ‘traditional’. The dining scene in Porto received an overall approval rating of 80 percent, but just under half of locals surveyed agreed that eating out is affordable.  

🦐 Discover the best restaurants in Porto

Why visit now: The Michelin guide has finally made its way to Québec, and Montreal is eagerly awaiting the news of which of its top restaurants will be recognised this spring. From the handmade tortillas using corn sourced from Oaxaca at Alma (recently named the best Mexican restaurant outside of Mexico), to the natural wine pairings at Mon Lapin – with a taste of Toqué’s luxurious formality and Le Mousso’s diabolically delicious tasting menu in between – the city is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to killer food. Whether the city is celebrated for its fine dining and innovation or for its classic eateries that define excellence, Michelin’s anticipated announcement will only solidify Montreal’s reputation as a cultural powerhouse – bagels, smoked meat and poutine included.

If you only eat one thing: Come for the lobster spaghetti at Joe Beef, and stay for the pain perdu topped with maple caramel and dulce de leche ice cream at Leméac.

How it ranked: Though the majority of Montrealers rate their city’s food scene highly – with a solid 88 percent saying eating and drinking in Montreal is either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ – the Québec city didn’t fare so well on the affordability front. Only 45 percent of locals said that going to a restaurant is budget-friendly, making Montreal the most expensive city for food in this year’s ranking.

🥙 Discover the best restaurants in Montreal

Why visit now: Naples is one of the oldest inhabited metropolises in Italy and the world, and its food history and culture are almost as ancient as the city itself. Famous for its humble cooking concept born out of necessity, Naples’s cucina povera (poor man’s cooking) for centuries has been transforming simple ingredients like potatoes, beans, and leftovers into what has become some of most sought-after Neapolitan dishes today: pasta, potatoes and provola, Maccheroni frittata and fried seafood cones, to name a few. To try real Neapolitan dining, head to the city’s culinary beating heart in the Pignasecca district where you will find Trattoria del Sole for home-cooked classics and Fiorenzano for fried-food must-haves.

If you only eat one thing: Dating back to post-war times, pizza fritta is glutinous, delicious and exceptionally Neapolitan. La Vera Pizza Fritta da Gennaro has been serving the classic Naples street food for four generations. Go for one of Gennaro’s classics: golden, fluffy, and not the slightest bit greasy, filled with Neapolitan delicacies, including mozzarella, ricotta, salami, tomato sauce, or escarole.

How it ranked: No-nonsense Naples is the fifth-most affordable city for eating and drinking on the list, according to our survey of locals, and also boasts the most ‘welcoming’ food scene of all cities surveyed. But Naples doesn’t fare so well for cutting-edge dining, with only 13 percent of Neapolitans describing the restaurant scene as ‘trendy’ and only 14 percent calling it ‘innovative or experimental’.

🍕 Discover the best restaurants in Naples

Why visit now: San José’s restaurants are leading a culinary revival, reclaiming Costa Rica’s native ingredients and ‘grandmother’s’ recipes after floundering without a gastronomic identity for generations. It’s all change now; Costa Rican chefs like Santiago Fernández Benedetto of Silvestre, and Pablo Bonilla of Sikwa have returned from stints at kitchens abroad, bringing with them a desire to revive near-extinct recipes – or, like Marco Leiva of Furca, find exciting new uses for the abundant homegrown ingredients Ticos have always had access to.

If you only eat one thing: Go for Tala Pintos at Soda Tala in the Central Market – a smoky gallo pinto on banana leaf, served with fluffy egg cakes, fried cheese, juicy meat or sausage, and tortillas.

How it ranked: Costa Rica’s capital is the fourth-most affordable city for food on the list, according to our survey; 78 percent of San Joseans said eating out at a restaurant was budget-friendly and 93 percent said it was cheap to grab a coffee. Asked how they’d describe San Jose’s food scene, the majority of locals chose the term ‘diverse’.