1. New Orleans
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.
2. Bangkok
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’.
3. Medellín
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.
4. Cape Town
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’.
5. Madrid
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.
6. Mexico City
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.
7. Lagos
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’.
8. Shanghai
hy 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.
9. Paris
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’.
10. Jakarta
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.
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