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Here’s some delicious news you can really sink your teeth into: Time Out has revealed its definitive ranking of the world’s greatest cities for eating and drinking in 2026, and Melbourne has landed at seventh on the list. The rankings were determined through surveys of 24,000 city-dwellers around the world, paired with insights from Time Out’s global network of food writers (more on that later).
After taking out the overall title of best city in the world earlier this year, and following that up with sixth spot on the list of the best global cities for culture, the accolades just keep rolling in for Melbourne. And in a city that's long been revered for its culinary scene, this announcement tastes particularly sweet.
If you ask us, there’s never been a more exciting time to eat out in Melbourne than right now. Chefs like Tom Sarafian, Rosheen Kaul, Gayan Pieris and Zoe Birch are expanding hungry diners’ horizons through their innovative and modern takes on Armenian, Egyptian, French, Chinese, Sri Lankan and local Australian cuisine.
There are huge (but justified) lines to try world-class burgers from Charrd, chicken sangas with a cult following from Chicky Boi and Japanese-inspired pastries from Bakemono. And no longer are restaurants trying to appeal to the masses with broad offerings – a recent shift towards ‘specific authenticity’ and highly localised regional cuisines has seen spots like Marmelo (Portuguese) and Otakoi (Melbourne’s first and only Ukrainian restaurant) thrive.
While Melbourne came in at a very appetising seventh, the global top five looks equally moreish, with Lima in Peru taking the top spot, followed by Bangkok, Mexico City, London and Barcelona. As always, the aim of this annual list is to celebrate the chefs, kitchens and street food stalls that feed these cities, bringing locals and visitors together to savour life’s one greatest pleasure: an excellent meal.
To determine the rankings, Time Out surveyed more than 24,000 locals, based all around the world. They were asked to rate the overall quality of the food scene where they live, how affordable it is to eat out and the food spots they believe their city does best.
These results were then paired with the insight of Time Out’s expert food panel – editors and food critics from across Time Out’s network – who voted on the cities they think are the most exciting dining destinations on the planet right now. Only the highest-scoring city in each country made the final 20, ensuring our list reflects culinary capitals globally. And yes, that means we have no plans to shut up about Melbourne being Australia’s number one foodie destination.
The data also revealed that alongside receiving a high number of votes from Time Out’s expert panel, Melbourne performed well across several categories in our survey. A huge majority of Melburnians back the city’s overall dining scene, with 94 percent saying eating out here is ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. It’s the world’s coffee shop capital, too, with 79 percent of locals (the most of all cities surveyed) agreeing cafés and coffee shops are what Melbourne does best.
Now, if that doesn't make you want to go out and celebrate with a meal and a drink at one of Melbourne's best restaurants or bars, we're not sure what will. Happy eating!
The world's 20 best cities for food in 2026, according to Time Out:
- Lima, Peru
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Mexico City, Mexico
- London, United Kingdom
- Barcelona, Spain
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Melbourne, Australia
- Beijing, China
- Athens, Greece
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Osaka, Japan
- Bengaluru, India
- Naples, Italy
- New York City, United States
- Hong Kong, China
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Marseille, France
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Medellin, Colombia
To find out more about Time Out’s best cities in the world for food, head over here.
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