31 bucket-list food experiences everyone should have at least once

Fork in the road

One of the best ways to experience a place is through the local cuisine – and, with historic recipes to try and knowledgeable chefs, vendors and artisans to meet, you're sure to make some incredible memories along the way, too. Always planning your next gastronomic adventure? We’ve ranked the most famous (and popular) foodie destinations the world has to offer, from Singapore to Spain, to help satisfy your appetite for globe-trotting.

Read on to discover the world's best holiday experiences for food and drink lovers. Bon appétit!

We've based our ranking on the popularity of the food experience, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

31. Sample Singapore’s iconic eats

Singapore is a destination that punches well above its weight when it comes to mouth-watering street-food dishes. For starters, there’s tasty mud crab (chilli or pepper? That part's up to you); Hainanese chicken rice (the country’s unofficial national dish); creamy, coconutty curry laksa; and the ever-controversial durian fruit, which is so pungent that eating it is forbidden in enclosed public spaces. Got room for more? Try peanutty satay, char kway teow noodles and ice kachang (sweet iced beans) – perhaps followed by a Singapore Sling at the iconic Raffles Hotel.

30. Dine on fish in Reykjavík

If you like your fish served Scandi-style – complete with stunning sea views and a snow-capped mountain backdrop – we recommend adding Reykjavík to your foodie travel bucket list. Ease your way in with plokkfiskur (traditional fish stew made with cod or haddock), then get more adventurous with hardfiskur (dried fish jerky) and a world-famous Icelandic staple: fermented shark. This local delicacy is stored in boxes for six to nine weeks before being hung up to dry for several months, resulting in a pungent, almost cheese-like aroma (and an admittedly acquired taste).

29. Enjoy curry laksa in Kuala Lumpur

Curry laksa – a coconutty noodle soup curry packed full of fresh turmeric, galangal, chilli, candlenut and shrimp paste, and loaded with proteins like boiled eggs and shredded chicken – is a famous Malaysian dish, and there's no better place to sample it than in Kuala Lumpur. Seek out an authentic food stall experience in the Petaling backstreets and markets of Chinatown, or head to local favourite O&S Restaurant in Petaling Jaya for a bountiful bowlful and bustling atmosphere.

28. Try fresh Mediterranean foods in Santorini

Influenced by both Western and Eastern cultures, Greece’s cuisine is a melting pot of delicious, freshly caught fish, abundant seafood and seasonal vegetables. Spend some time in this sun-soaked corner of the Mediterranean and you’ll soon fall for its gastronomy, whether you’re enjoying a post-beach gyro stuffed with chicken, salad and fries, tucking into aubergine and béchamel–topped moussaka at a family-run restaurant, or tasting the fishermen’s local catch of sea bass, octopus and lobster.

27. Eat healthy (and delicious) food in Bali

Bali and wellness holidays often go hand in hand, but this isn’t a destination where eating healthily is done solely for detox purposes – in fact, it’s an absolute pleasure. Wholesome, fresh, and very often grown using organic farming methods, the food at Bali’s hippest eateries is also hugely Instagrammable; think pretty smoothie bowls, colourful matcha green tea beverages, cleansing juices, and plenty of raw and vegan menu options. What better way to commune with nature amidst some of the most stunning scenery in the world?

26. Breakfast on ackee and saltfish in Jamaica

Start your day right in Jamaica with a hearty portion of ackee and saltfish – the country’s national dish. It’s a simple-but-satisfying recipe: ackee, a pear-shaped fruit brought to Jamaica from West Africa in the mid-1700s, is boiled up with saltfish, a type of dried, salted whitefish. Add vegetables and seasonings (scotch bonnet peppers, onions and tomatoes are the classics), and you’ve got a nutritious breakfast packed with Caribbean flavour.

25. Taste hangi-cooked lamb in New Zealand

There’s a reason why New Zealand lamb is so popular around the globe. Grass-fed and raised free-range on farms with clean air and water, it’s lean, tender and full of nutrients – and, most importantly, it’s incredibly tasty. You can find it on restaurant menus up and down the country but, for something a little different, why not try this delicacy Maori-style: cooked in a traditional hangi oven? The technique involves filling a pit with heated stones, placing leaf-wrapped lamb and vegetables on top, covering it with earth, and cooking to smoky perfection.

24. Go wild for spicy food in Bhutan

If there’s one food mantra the Bhutanese live by, it’s that spice is king. Influenced by Tibetan, Chinese, Nepalese and Indian cooking, the food in Bhutan is richly flavourful, but it can also be very spicy due to a nationwide love of chilli peppers. We recommend sampling an authentic (and super-hot) taste of local favourites like jasha maru chicken stew or the nation's signature dish, ema datshi – a chilli cheese that’s so beloved, it comes with almost every meal.

23. Experience the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Melbourne has a fantastic, thriving food and drink scene every day of the year – and since 1992, it's hosted an annual two-week foodie extravaganza to prove it. Taking place every March and April, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival sees star-studded line-ups and culinary events happening all over the city. The festival’s signature event? The World’s Longest Lunch: a three-course meal served to around 2,000 people at a sprawling dining table in King's Domain. It’s so big that the nearby bars even host their own afterparties.

22. Cosy up with fondue in the Swiss Alps

After a long, fun-filled day on the slopes, there's nothing like warming up around a pot of oozy, cheesy fondue with your ski buddies. The ultimate après-ski sharing dish, Swiss fondue is made by mixing up an irresistible blend of cheeses (usually Gruyère and Emmental), wine, garlic and nutmeg, and it traditionally comes served with cubes of crusty bread for dipping – though you'll sometimes find vegetables, potatoes and meaty morsels on offer, too. Simply skewer your chosen nibbles onto the end of a long-stemmed fork and get dipping.

21. Taste Middle Eastern favourites in Istanbul

There are so many reasons why Istanbul makes a wonderful holiday destination – amazing Bosphorus views, Byzantine-era palaces, a captivating blend of Eastern and Western cultures – but it’s the Turkish capital’s never-ending array of fabulous food that really excites us. Take a wander around the city and you’re sure to encounter the likes of deep-fried halka tatlisi dough rings; garlicky, tomatoey steamed burgers; sesame-studded simit (Turkish bagels); kofte meatballs; and fan favourite doner kebab, which you can find on every street corner in town.

20. Feed your soul in New Orleans

Cajun and Creole food is hearty, spicy and all-round scrumptious, and the best place to eat both cuisines is New Orleans. So, prepare for a party on the streets and a party in your mouth as you taste your way through delights like gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish pie on a foodie crawl of the city. Got room for a hefty, overstuffed po’ boy sandwich afterwards? No? Trust us, you’ll want one anyway.

19. Tuck into fish curry in Goa

What’s better than Goa’s glorious palm-lined beaches, warm winter temperatures and beautiful architecture? Three words: Goan fish curry. Goa’s most famous dish is also (arguably) its most delicious, thanks to its rich, flavourful blend of spices, ginger, garlic and coconut – plus, the fish (usually prawns, kingfish or mackerel) is marinated in lime to give it an extra-tangy kick. There’s nothing like tucking into a bowlful at a family-run restaurant or dhaba – a roadside food stall – for a true only-in-Goa experience.

18. Satisfy every food craving in London

Welcome to the city that has absolutely everything – food-wise, that is. In London, classic British dishes like pie and mash, Scotch eggs and teeming Sunday roasts exist in harmony with tasty fare plucked from every corner of the globe. Just visit one of the city's bustling food markets for proof! At Borough Market you’ll find a touch of Spain at Tapas Brindisa; at Seven Dials Market you’ll stumble upon fluffy, cloud-like bao buns (Yum Bun); and at Mercato Metropolitano you’ll encounter the capital’s best gelato (Badiani).

17. Do a food stall crawl in Bangkok

You simply can’t go to Bangkok without sampling its street food. Firstly, it's ubiquitous – and it’s a great way to get under the skin of the local culture. For the finest street eats of all, make your way to Chinatown, where you’ll find all manner of dumplings, pancakes, soups and curries prepared hot and fresh from stalls billowing with aromatic steam. And who could forget pad Thai? Grab it and go or opt for a sit-down serving at Pad Thai Thip Samai restaurant – it’s the locals’ favourite for a reason.

16. Visit Copenhagen, Scandinavia’s foodie capital

From rød pølse (red sausages served hot dog-style) to smørrebrød (open sandwiches with every topping imaginable) and flæskesteg (roast pork baked with spices and cloves), the pronunciation of Copenhagen’s big-hitting dishes may be a little tricky to get your tongue around – but the flavours sure aren’t. In fact, to add to its flourishing street food scene, the city has no fewer than 15 Michelin-starred restaurants, making it Scandinavia’s undisputed gastronomic capital. Whether you choose to go high-end or quick and easy is your call.

15. Sample the street food of Cartagena

If you love trying new and exciting food while on your travels, Colombia’s Caribbean port town of Cartagena could be perfect for your next adventure. Street food here is cheap and plentiful, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. For breakfast on the go, try an arepa de huevo (a cornmeal cake packed with egg and ground beef); for lunch, indulge in a perrito caliente hot dog topped with cheese, crunchy potato sticks and plenty of sauces; and for dinner, go all-out with a patacón con todo – a plantain sandwich bursting with chicken, chorizo, butifarra sausage and cheese.

14. Dig into dim sum in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, dim sum is more than just food – it's a huge part of the region's unique cultural heritage, having been served up at teahouses along the ancient Silk Road as long as 2,500 years ago. Meaning 'touch the heart', it was originally intended to be eaten as a light snack. However, these days, there are plenty of exceptional eateries where you can tuck in to your heart's (and stomach's) content. Don't miss the so-called 'four heavenly kings': siu mai (pork, prawn and mushroom dumplings), char siu bao (barbecued pork buns), har gow (prawn dumplings) and dan taat (egg tarts).

13. Take part in a New York food tour

In a city as large as New York, it would be impossible to discover all the best restaurants, cafés and hole-in-the-wall eateries by yourself. So why not leave it to the experts? There are as many food tours in New York as there are bagel vendors, so it all depends on what interests you the most – whether it’s sampling Greenwich Village’s Italian cuisine, taking to the streets of Chinatown or visiting a selection of the finest food carts around.

12. Raise a stein at Oktoberfest in Munich

While Oktoberfest might be most famous for its wide selection of beer tents and a proliferation of dirndls and lederhosen, there’s a lot more to this quintessentially German festival than sitting around sipping on steins. In between the oompah bands and chicken-dancing revellers, you’ll find a whole host of fantastic Bavarian cuisine. For those who really mean business, there's the likes of hefty pork knuckle and suckling pig – but if you're after something a little smaller, try the potato pancakes or pretzels.

11. Discover Vietnam’s street food culture

Fresh, colourful and packed with flavour, Vietnam’s street food is a must-try for travelling foodies. And it’s not just the pho that’ll have you coming back for more – it's also the bun cha pork patties, the banh mi baguettes and the banh xeo, Vietnam’s crispy, beansprout-stuffed take on the savoury crêpe. You can find cheap on-the-go snacks pretty much everywhere you go, whether you’re wandering Hanoi’s Old Quarter, sauntering along the lantern-strung streets of Hoi An, or visiting Ben Thanh Street Food Market in Ho Chi Minh City.

10. Experience pizza in Naples

Sure, you might be able to find good pizza pretty much everywhere in Italy these days, but Naples is an absolute must-visit if you want to try the real deal. The birthplace of the classic tomato, mozzarella and basil margherita that we know and love today, Campania’s capital is positively brimming with pizzerias: Pizzeria Oliva da Carla e Salvatore, Sorbillo and L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (which you may recognise from Eat, Pray, Love) being a few our favourites. Get speaking to the locals, though, and you’re likely to get tons more ideas.

9. Stroll through the souks of Marrakech

Stalls, souks, spices… Marrakech is a sensory overload, in the best possible way. Inquisitive taste buds will love local delicacies like peppery snail soup, slow-steamed sheep’s head and tehal (stuffed camel’s spleen), while mint tea, tagine, chebakia cookies, and sweet-and-savoury chicken b’stilla pie are local treats pretty much everyone can enjoy. And then there’s the orange juice; once you’ve tried it freshly squeezed, try it in delectable cake form at Nomad, a restaurant in the medina that overlooks the famous Rahba Lakdima (spice square).

8. Taste Canadian favourites in Québec City

If you want to try treats that were born and bred in Canada, then you simply must make a stop in Québec City. Here, you can indulge your sweet tooth with gooey butter tarts, Tim Horton’s famous Timbits doughnut holes, and maple syrup-infused favourites like tire d’erable taffy lollipops. More of a savoury person? Combine all your favourite food groups in one meal with a serving of poutine (fries covered in gravy and cheese curds) or try a hearty portion of Québécois meat pie.

7. Do a pintxos crawl through San Sebastián

San Sebastián is considered by many to be Spain’s foodie capital, which is high praise indeed considering the staggering range of gastronomic delights the country has to offer. It’s all down to pintxos: tapas-like finger foods served at bars throughout the Basque Country. There are hundreds of places that offer up these tiny snacks, but we recommend heading to the Old Town and Gros districts for the best of the bunch. Expect everything from boquerones (fresh anchovies served in vinegar and olive oil) to grilled octopus and txangurro, the famous Basque crab.

6. Experience South Korean cuisine in Seoul

Like South Korean TV shows, films and K-pop music, South Korean cuisine seems to be sweeping the globe right now – but if you want to try the very best, you should set your sights on Seoul. From fried egg–topped bibimbap (a rice dish) to grilled, marinated beef bulgogi (meaning 'fire meat') and spicy-and-sour side dish kimchi (salted fermented vegetables), the food here is fresh, tongue-tingling and riotously colourful. And then there’s the KFC (no, not that KFC): in Seoul, Korean-fried chicken is the crispy, crunchy fast food on everyone’s lips.

5. Graze on street food in Mexico City

Tacos, quesadillas, tamales, tortas… Mexico City is home to some mouth-wateringly flavourful (and often surprisingly cheap) street food. We’re not exaggerating when we say that there are thousands of food stalls to choose from among the markets of this must-visit foodie hotspot. Head over to Coyoacán Market for the best tostadas (tasty tortillas piled high with toppings), try tacos al pastor at historic restaurant El Huequito, and indulge in a crispy, rolled-up flauta or two at the excellent street food market outside the Chilpancingo Metro stop. Delicioso!

4. Cruise through Bordeaux

With historic towns and cities, beautiful countryside and some of the world’s most wonderful food and wine, Bordeaux is a traveller’s dream for so many reasons. But, if you ask us, the best way to soak it all up – including the region’s delectable cuisine – is by taking to the waters of the Garonne and Gironde rivers on a wine cruise, stopping off at vineyards, wineries and cellars to sample a taste of the local vin du pays (country wine). While you’re in the area, don’t miss steak frites (steak and duck fat fries); they’re the perfect complement to a bottle of Bordeaux red.

3. Tuck into platefuls of Texas barbecue

They say everything is bigger in Texas – and when you’ve seen a plate piled high with authentic Texas-style barbecue, you’ll understand why. Here, mighty slabs of brisket are slowly cooked to perfection in custom-built pits; the sausage (usually kielbasa) comes regular or spicy, but is always satisfyingly smoky; and the ribs are a triumph of melt-in-the-mouth goodness. Visit long-standing joints in Lockhart, officially the Barbecue Capital of Texas, or line up for hours at super-popular spots like Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

2. Try the world’s best sushi in Tokyo

From its high-end restaurant showstoppers to its on-the-go convenience store offerings (and all sorts of other fantastic creations in between), there’s nowhere better in the world to sample sushi than Tokyo. Don’t miss the Japanese capital’s signature sushi style: Edomae sushi, a delicacy that combines expertly compacted, wasabi-smeared rice balls with meticulously cut fish that holds onto its seasonings, resulting in maximum umami. You can find it among the other super-fresh fish and seafood at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, as well as in the hip eateries and conveyor belt cafés of the nearby Ginza district.

1. Learn to make pasta in Tuscany

We’ve covered pizza, so now it’s time to talk pasta – specifically the soul-nourishing, super-fresh Tuscan variety. This central Italian region is famous not only for its gorgeous countryside and Renaissance masterpieces, but also for its pappardelle al cinghiale (broad pasta ribbons with a wild boar ragù) and tordelli Lucchese (semi-circular pasta parcels filled with a meat sauce). Fancy a true taste of Tuscan tradition? Roll up your sleeves for a pasta-making class while you're here – you can even learn with a real Italian nonna (grandma) via Tripadvisor and Airbnb.

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Last updated by Dominique Ayling.