These are Asia’s top food cities for 2026

Food is one of the best reasons to travel: it’s the quickest way into a place’s culture, history, and daily rhythms. Condé Nast Traveller (CNT) has just released its Best Places to Eat in 2026 list, rounding up 10 destinations worth plotting a whole trip around. This time, two Asian entries made the cut: Hong Kong and Patan, Nepal.

Hong Kong has long been celebrated for one of the world’s most electric food scenes. Cantonese classics share the city with globe-trotting tasting menus, market snacks, and cocktails from some of the most revered bars in Asia – many of which you’ll find mapped out in Time Out Hong Kong’s definitive bar guide.

Even with economic pressures and a tough hospitality climate, the city’s appetite for reinvention hasn’t gone anywhere. CNT calls out favourites like the crispy chicken at Dynasty and the char siu at Mott 32. A long-standing reference point is Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons. It’s famously the first Chinese restaurant to earn three Michelin stars, and most recently featured on LaListe’s best restaurants in the world. 

Beyond the headline restaurants, it’s the everyday classics that locals keep returning to. A simple bowl of shrimp wonton soup at Mak’s Noodle remains a rite of passage, while bakeries like Bakehouse – which opened its eighth outpost at Peak Tower in late 2025 – and the long-standing Tai Cheong Bakery continue to draw queues for their egg custard tarts.

Patan, one of the three ancient royal cities in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, is where heritage and modern creativity collide in the most delicious way. Think temple-lined streets and old-school Newari snack houses serving bold, punchy staples. Plus, a newer wave of chef-driven restaurants and cocktail bars putting local ingredients and spirits front and centre. 

CNT highlights the momentum here, including Swotha, a 20-seater cocktail spot from the team behind Barc (the first Nepali bar recognised by Asia’s 50 Best Bars with the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award 2025), and the buzzy arrival of projects like Old Nepal Tokyo relocating its Nepal-inspired tasting menu concept to Patan. Come hungry, stay curious, and leave with a new definition of what a “food destination” looks like.

Best places to eat in 2026, according to Condé Nast Traveller: 

• Boston, USA
• Crete, Greece
• Fès, Morocco
• Hong Kong
• Medellín, Colombia
• Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Parramatta (Sydney), Australia
• Patan, Nepal
• Prince Edward County, Canada
• Seville, Spain

You can read the full list of CN’s best places to eat in 2026 here.