23 Best foodie destinations

The fiery and flavoursome tastes of Thai cuisine have long drawn visitors to the capital, which plays host to cuisine from each of Thailand’s four regions. From atmospheric markets to tower-top gourmet restaurants, Bangkok is a sophisticated gourmet destination, with European, Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine well represented too.

Bologna is known as La Grassa (Fat Lady) for good reason: there’s no use watching the waistline in a place that spawned so many Italian classics, from the eponymous bolognese sauce, to tortellini and the world’s finest ice cream. Furthermore, there’s not a single tourist trap in town.

Cape Town’s ‘rainbow cuisine’ has diverse origins in indigenous cooking and settler cuisine, with influences from Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the UK and South East Asia. Cape Town distils this into a wonderful mix of casual and fine dining restaurants fuelled by a lively ‘eat out’ culture, and world-class wines from the nearby vineyards.

Now widely regarded as one of Europe’s gourmet stars, Copenhagen is home to Noma, crowned ‘Best Restaurant in the World’ three years on the trot at the San Pellegrino awards. Noma’s success has sparked a gourmet movement in a city whose culinary strong suit is locally caught fish and seafood.

A collision zone of cultures throughout its long history, Istanbul offers a rich and varied culinary scene, with the recent addition of international names and fusion restaurants adding even more variety to the mix. The quintessential Istanbul dining experience, though, remains Turkish mezze and street food in all its permutations.

Peru gave the world the humble potato. Which may have blinded us to the charms and complexities of Peruvian cuisine. Word is now out: Lima has become a hotbed of culinary innovation, where Spanish, Caribbean, Chinese and Japanese influences are fused with earthy Andean cooking and Pacific seafood dishes.

In recent years Europe’s biggest metropolis, London, has gained momentum as a centre of world cuisine, with many fine restaurateurs setting up shop and wowing the critics. Modern British cuisine is also flourishing, with a generation of new chefs reinventing traditional dishes and rekindling a national love for local produce.

Lyon is renowned as France’s foodie destination par excellence, and some would say, by extension, the capital of world gastronomy. Across town informal bouchons turn out simple yet exquisite French food, while haute cuisine establishments innovate within the bounds of tradition, drawing on the incredible wealth of locally sourced produce.

Barcelona may be the tourist favourite and San Sebastian the place-of-the-moment, but Madrid remains one of the greatest cities in the world to eat out. The scope and quality of Spain’s finest export, tapas, is unbeatable in Madrid, while regional specialities from across Spain are represented in its many restaurants.

Long famed for its fragrant tagines and the aesthetics of the dining experience, Moroccan cuisine lends itself naturally to holiday dining. Marrakech is home to atmospheric street stalls and an increasing number of in-vogue restaurants, which show off Moroccan food at its best – spicy, tangy, slow cooked and luxuriant.

A sophisticated and cosmopolitan hub, Melbourne is a great place to sample a broad cross-section of world cuisines, with Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek and Arabic particularly well represented. Buzzing cafés, well-stocked markets and an ever-growing list of top-class fine dining establishments make this southern city a relaxing place to eat well.

German food may be one of the least sought after in the European larder, but don’t pass by the opportunity of eating out in Munich. The cultured capital of southern Germany abounds in quality, local produce. Breads, beers and cold meats prevail, but there’s a variety of high-quality world cuisine on offer too.

The pizza phenomenon began in 1889, when visiting Queen Margherita was baked a pizza in the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil leaves). It’s still the place for the best Margherita – made with tomatoes grown on Mount Versuvius and water buffalo mozzarella from Campania. Thegelato ain’t bad either.

Sicilian cuisine is one of the oldest in existence, combining meat, fruit, nuts and fish to tantalising effect. Sicilians even claim to have invented pasta. Food in Palermo is treated with almost religious fervour – every Sicilian is a gourmand – and ranks amongst the best in Italy, rivalled only, perhaps, by Bologna.

France’s culinary elite may have their eyes on Lyon, but Paris will always be the sentimental capital of gastronomy. Parisians adore their food, and the sheer density of bistros and boulangeries, brasseries and cafés is enough to woo any food-lover. If you’re looking for gourmet heritage, Paris is your place.

America’s current gourmet hotspot benefits from rich natural resources on its doorstep, from vineyards and well-stocked rivers, to organic farms and more breweries than any other city. The resulting blend of craft beers, fine dining and quality street food makes this a compelling destination for any foodie.

Thanks to both the ocean and an abundance of farms on its doorstep, San Francisco is big on farm-to-table and sustainable cuisine. Green-leanings aside, culinary talent runs rampant in SF – in fact, the Bay Area is one of the three areas in the US that the Michelin Guide series rates. A long-standing immigrant community from the East translates to some of the best Asian food outside Asia.

Right now San Sebastian is the focus of the biggest culinary buzz on the planet. A hotspot of New Basque cuisine, this in-vogue regional capital boasts a slew of Michelin-starred restaurants and a vibrant foodie scene focused as much on the incredible local pintxos (tapas) as the fine dining.

There is probably no better place in the world to explore Asian food than Singapore. The dominant cuisines are Chinese, Indian and Malay – or homebred combinations of the three (Peranakan cuisine). The best food is often found at hawker stalls, where each trader specialises in a single well-practised dish. Look out for chill crab, a local specialty.

Caught up in the wave of New Nordic cuisine, Stockholm plays host to some exceptional restaurants, many of which riff on the theme of traditional country cooking. Berries and local meats (such as reindeer) feature heavily, alongside fish and seafood, including the famous Baltic herring. And the occasional meatball of course.

Tel Aviv’s creative, liberal identity within Israel has allowed for a fascinating food scene to evolve. Acceptance of Arabic influences and a growing interest in Palestinian cooking ensures a broad palate of taste experiences, with excellent Arabic grilled foods alongside Jewish East European cuisine. It’s also a hotspot for inventive (and delicious) vegan food.

Traditional Tuscan cuisine is based on the concept of cucina povera (humble cooking) and on modest ingredients. It’s hearty, rustic and based on simple ingredients like bread, pulses, meat and poultry, fresh veg and olive oil, all prepared with the minimum of fuss. Accompanying wine from Tuscany’s region is Italy’s best.

Tokyo has garnered plenty of press for superseding Paris as the city with the most Michelin stars. Given its obsessive food culture and massive wealth of eateries (160,000 at last count), this should come as no surprise. The nexus of Japanese cooking, from teppanyaki to izkayas, sushi to sumo-sized hotpots.

Cornwall is renowned for fresh and locally sourced food – attracting foodies from the world over. Look out for award-winning, locally-made English wine, gin and cider, cornish pasties, delectable clotted cream and ice-cream, and sumptuous, fresh seafood.