The world’s best cities for food in 2026 – and why you should visit

Why visit now: Hardly a week goes by without a hot-ticket new restaurant setting up shop in the Peruvian capital, but Lima's Boho district Barranco recently saw a particularly high-profile opening: in March, Rodrigo Fernandini – who made a name for himself directing Peruvian fine-dining restaurants in Florida and New York – inaugurated his first flagship local, Fernandini. Its highlight is a degustation menu inspired as much by the country's famously diverse culinary landscape (ingredients include Andean root vegetables, Moriche palm fruit and cacao from the Amazon) as it is by Virgilio Martínez's award-winning take on that very matter at Central. Consider the gauntlet thrown down.

Order this: The team of tiny patisserie El Pregón de las Once gives nowadays widely forgotten historic Peruvian desserts a new life. Their puff pastry Ranfañote is to die for.

How it ranked: Lima’s restaurants consistently rank among the world’s best; in fact, fusion restaurant Maido is the current title holder for 2025. This impressive standing on the world’s culinary stage was reflected in strong scores across the board from both survey respondents and Time Out’s expert panel. Locals in Lima rated the city’s food scene 80 percent for quality and 85 percent for affordability, making it the cheapest on the list for dining out. And with a 70 percent share of the votes, Lima ranked joint-second among Time Out’s expert panel.

🇵🇪 Discover the best things to do in Peru

Why visit now: Bangkok feels especially exciting right now – not only because street food is seeing serious revival, but also thanks to a new take on Thai fine dining that really proves how far local flavours can go. Just last year, Southern Thai restaurant Sorn became the first in Thailand to receive three Michelin stars, while Bangkok is seeing a wave of younger chefs making local cuisine feel exciting again through contemporary cooking focused on lesser-known regional dishes. Ice cream legend IBerry Group’s breakout into savoury dishes brought ThongSmith to our tables, turning classic boat noodles into a more polished yet profoundly mainstream dish, while its newer sibling Trok Maraga is doing the same with bitter melon chicken noodles. 

New food areas are booming too. The crowd-favourite Song Wat Road is increasingly lively, with a growing mix of concept-driven restaurants, bars and cafés, where old-school flavours now appear alongside more design-driven hangouts. Meanwhile, Talat Noi still draws crowds to long-running street food spots like Daeng Racha Hoi Tod, a favourite hole-in-the-wall where people line up in their droves, hungry for a crispy oyster omelette.

Order this: Book a table at Khao San Sek on Song Wat Road and order the grilled catfish – glazed with burnt palm sugar and served with wild leucaena. Smoky, sweet and slightly bitter, it may feel like an unusual choice, but tastes unmistakably Thai.

How it ranked: While 66 percent of Bangkok locals said eating out is affordable in the Thai capital, 81 percent rated their hometown highly for the quality and diversity of its food, with the majority recognising the city’s world-renowned street food culture as its strongest culinary offering. And with an 80 percent score from our expert panel, Bangkok is a certified Time Out favourite.

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Bangkok

Why visit now: Mexico City’s kitchens are a truly global celebration right now, with the influence of Mediterranean, Asian and French cuisine taking over the neighbourhoods of Condesa, Juárez and San Miguel. Exciting chefs on the scene include Fabiola Ecobosa (of Cana and Gia), whose cuisine blends international flavours with local ingredients; Ricardo Verdejo (of Charco) who knows a thing or two about vegetables; or Ana Dolores (of Esquina Común), winner of a Michelin star. A day of food and drink here could mean pipián croquettes for breakfast at Café Ocaso; queuing up to try Lindy’s mussels or Lotti’s Hasselback potatoes; trying the innovative kampachi at Etranger; heading to La Pantera for barbecue Tomahawk steak and rounding off your evening at Pistilo with its signature cherry slushy cocktail. 

Order this: The taco is the city’s emblem, even more so than the axolotl; try Enrique Olvera’s classics at Pujol, with nixtamalised tortillas and quelites. 

How it ranked: Mexico’s sprawling capital received strong scores across the board for its food scene: 80 percent of locals rate the city’s restaurant scene highly for quality; 73 percent say eating and drinking out is affordable and CDMX ranked joint-second among Time Out’s expert panel.

🍴Discover Mexico City’s best places to eat

Why visit now: London is currently at peak chic due to a boom in lavish but fun Italian openings. Offering dishes well beyond your basic cacio e pepe, at Soho’s raucous Osteria Vibrato you’ll be served exceptionally creamy white risotto, while London Fields’ Auguste does succulent Abruzzian skewers. At the sleek Martino’s in Chelsea there are majestic meatballs, but Tiella in Bethnal Green is the cream of the crop, a hipster trattoria with perfect passatelli in brodo and a giant portrait of Cher. Pub pizza is also the taste of 2026, with residences from Dough Hands, Short Road, Hot Saint and Little Earthquakes making London’s boozers even better places to hang out. 

Order this: It’s got to be something outrageously offally from fabulous French restaurant Camille, the Borough Market bistro where head chef Elliot Hashtroudi does alchemical things with pig snouts, such as cassoulet. 

How it ranked: London received the highest overall rating for the quality of its food scene from locals, with a whopping 96 percent of Londoners saying eating out in the UK capital is either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. It didn’t fare quite as well for affordability, mind, with less than half (42 percent) agreeing it’s cheap to dine out. While there are loads of cheap eats to be found across the city, London retains a rep for its fancier establishments among locals, 60 percent of whom reckon upmarket and special occasion restaurants are what the capital does best.

🍴 Check out our food editor’s guide to the best restaurants in London right now

Why visit now: Right now, Barcelona is experiencing a fascinatingly contradictory food scene. On the one hand, it’s Spain’s capital of avant-garde and fine dining, boasting more Michelin stars than Madrid and packed with minimalist, high-end Asian restaurants. On the other, renowned chefs are returning to the essence of traditional Catalan cuisine – revaluing slow-cooked sofregits and hours-long stews that modernise comforting ‘mom's recipes’, like macaroni or capipota; the latter a slow-cooked, incredibly rich and gelatinous stew made from veal head and trotters. Finally, there is a powerful surge of Latin American cuisine, heavily concentrated in L'Hospitalet, Barcelona’s sister city and a vibrant part of the greater metropolitan area.

Order this: Without a doubt, you must visit La Cova Fumada, a 1950s fishermen’s tavern in the seaside neighborhood of Barceloneta. That is where the bomba was born – the only 100 percent original tapa from Barcelona – and where you can taste real, flavourful Catalan cuisine, completely untamed by modern techniques or waves of tourism. 

How it ranked: Barcelona’s food scene received a strong approval score from locals, with 82 percent rating it highly for quality. But it was the backing of Time Out’s food panel that meant the Catalan capital knocked Madrid out of the list this year, with 80 percent of our experts voting for the city as an exciting place to eat out right now. 

🍴 Check out our food editor’s guide to the best restaurants in Barcelona right now

Why visit now: 2026 is the year Saigon's high-end dining scene stopped ‘emerging’ and arrived. In April, CieL, the fifteen-seat counter where precocious chef Lê Việt Hồng earned a Michelin star within seven months of opening, was named the world’s third best restaurant by Food & Wine. Days later, Tales by Chapter, Vietnam's first zero-waste plant-based kitchen, made Condé Nast’s list of the world's best new restaurants (and just last week won a Michelin Green Star). Even phở is going fine-dining: Pot Au Phở 2.0 opened this year with a twelve-course tasting menu built around the dish. But on the same street, a plastic stool gets you an equally assured version for a hundredth of the price, ladled from a pot that's been bubbling longer than most Saigonese have been alive. The city has the swagger to hold both bowls at once. 

Order this: Book the tasting menu at CieL for the fish maw alone: swim bladder braised in master stock, sautéed in butter and set over a silken dashi custard. Chef Hồng's signature, and a dish unbothered by borders or dogma.

How it ranked: Another Time Out favourite, Ho Chi Minh City received a 70 percent score from our expert panel, with three-quarters of surveyed locals agreeing that eating out in HCMC is ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. Unsurprisingly, the majority of locals (63 percent) praised the city’s street food as Ho Chi Minh’s greatest culinary offering, closely followed by cafes and coffee shops, which received a 61 percent approval rating.

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Why visit now: In a city long revered for its restaurant scene, 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 wildly 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.

Order this: It has to be the chicken skewer at Zareh. Slathered in toum, grilled and served over a punchy bed of herbs and pickled green chilli, it’s the kind of dish that forces you to reconsider the idea that chicken could ever be boring.

How it ranked: 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 cafes and coffee shops are what Melbs does best. 

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Melbourne right now

Why visit now: Beijing’s dining scene in 2026 has gone al fresco. People are swapping malls for park-side brunches and park cafes, like La Casa Verde inside Nanguan Park or Noddin Coffee in Liuyin Park, where greenery, glass walls and an easy-going vibe set the tone. Immersive dining is booming again, too – Oriental Art Palace Beijing turns imperial history into a live storytelling (you can even dress up like an ancient court guest while you dine). Meanwhile, heritage spaces are being renovated into creative hubs – take Jollo Cafe & Bar, where Southern Chinese flavours are served in an old French-style art-house setting. Come nightfall and the city’s cocktail scene thrives, with Asia’s 50 Best Bar takeovers at places like hutong alley bar TIAO inside Mandarin Oriental Qianmen.

Order this: Go for the Yunnan wild mushroom feast at In & Out near Liangmaqiao. Earthy, seasonal, and best followed by a slow riverside walk past Liangmaqiao Embassy Street.

How it ranked: Eating well for less is the name of the game in Beijing – the dining scene here received an 82 percent score for quality and an 83 percent score for affordability, with the majority of locals rating street food as Beijing’s best culinary asset. Sixty percent of Time Out’s food experts rate the capital as an exciting place to eat out right now.

🍴 Discover the best Beijing restaurants

Why visit now: Century-old taverns, trendy gastro-tavernas and fine dining restaurants set the tone in the Greek capital, with chefs reimagining how traditional Greek food can taste and look. Delta is the only restaurant in the country to earn 2 Michelin stars, while buzz has been brewing around new restaurants Kuchisabishii, Thirio and Zigoala. More traditional-leaning spots include Giagia Koukou, Manari and Pharaoh; whereas Tudor Hall and Okio serve modern interpretations of Mediterranean cuisine. Visionary chefs such as Tasos Mantis at Soil and Petros Dimas at Makris Athens are masterfully blending farm-to-table sustainability with cutting-edge techniques. In short? Fine dining in Athens has never been more thrilling.

Order this: Greek salad is a staple at any Greek table, but at Ateno it takes centre stage. A whole red tomato on a white plate hides a filling of diced tomatoes, cucumber and onion, resting on a bed of feta cheese cream over crumbled rusk, dressed with a cucumber broth. Absolute magic!

How it ranked: Athens was one of the highest-scoring cities among Time Out’s expert panel, with 80 percent voting for the Greek capital as an exciting place to eat right now – a solid vote of confidence backed by 78 percent of Athenians. As for what Athens does best? According to locals, coffee shops and family-run spots. 

🍴 Discover the best Athens restaurants right now

Why visit now: Over the past year, Lisbonites have found much joy between two slices of bread: trendy spots like Tosta or Bibs are at the heart of the city’s sandwich craze. But there’s big changes in fine dining, too – there might be more and more Michelin stars in the city, but tasting menus are shrinking and becoming more laid-back and affordable. If I had to pick the city’s most unique culinary trend, though, it would be the neo-tasca: authentic, casual and welcoming restaurants, but with technical precision and creative menus with traditional Portuguese cuisine at the core. We can vouch for whatever’s served up on a stainless steel platter over the white paper tablecloths at O Velho Eurico, Polémico or Vida de Tasca.

Order this:  If you can only try one neo-tasca, Louise Bourrat's Gancho is an excellent choice. Dishes like the cabidela arancini and the beef tartare à Brás show how it’s possible to combine Portuguese tradition, technique and creativity on the same plate.

How it ranked: Eighty-six percent of locals living in Lisbon rate the food scene highly, with a respectable 63 percent agreeing it’s not too expensive to eat out in the Portuguese capital. Asked what they’d recommend most in the city, the majority of respondents opted for bakeries and dessert spots.

🍴 Check out our editor’s guide to the best restaurants in Lisbon right now

Why visit now: Cape Town's top food spots are cooking with the tide, capturing the essence of foraging along the Cape's shores and leading with simple ingredients to create bold, moreish menus. Michelin-starred chef Angel León's Amura at the Mount Nelson put the city on Time's list of the 100 Greatest Places. At the Test Kitchen Fledgelings, Luke Dale-Roberts and head chef Nathan Clarke are adding 'fun-dining' to the playbook with a street food-inflected menu that's as stackable as it is serious. Award-winning Fyn's inclusion in UNESCO's food sustainability pilot, one of only 4 Relais & Châteaux restaurants chosen worldwide, is proof of the city’s aptitude for driving food trends, not just following them. Add Zuney Wagyu's farm-to-table smash burgers, which further seeds the idea that responsibly sourced food is flavourful as much as it is fun.   

Order this: Book a table at Seebamboes and enjoy chef Adél Hughes’ Lichen dish: seven-day-aged tuna with coconut, lime, crispy curry leaf and klipkombers seaweed. It delivers a visually bright plating of Cape Town's kelp-rich oceans, complete with salty tang. It's pure genius.

How it ranked: Cape Town received the third-highest score for the overall quality of its food scene, with 93 percent of locals rating it highly in our survey – though only 44 percent agree it’s cheap to eat out in the city. The Mother City scored particularly highly for cafes and coffee shops at 65 percent, followed by special occasion restaurants, which received a 59 percent approval rating.

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Cape Town right now

Why visit now: Osaka is rapidly evolving beyond its reputation as Japan’s street food capital and into a serious dining destination. The city is seeing a new wave of boundary-pushing chefs reinterpreting Japanese flavours through technique, craft and provenance. Tonkatsu Minato is elevating the humble deep-fried pork cutlet with brand-name meat and precise, time-consuming low-temperature frying. Sushi Shigenaga eschews the conventional sweeter shari favoured by the region for East Japan’s sharper, more vinegar-forward rice, while celebrating seafood from Kyushu. Even classic comfort food like udon gets a reinvention at Aozora Blue, where the chef applies traditional soba technique to create whole-grain udon that boasts an unusually nutty depth and texture.

Order this: Kyomachibori Nakamura transforms tonkatsu into a sophisticated omakase-style meal, where different cuts of pork from brand-name varieties are served slice by slice to highlight their distinct texture and flavour.

How it ranked: The ‘nation’s kitchen’ Osaka received a strong vote of confidence from Time Out’s food panel, placing the city joint-first among our experts. Locals rated the city’s dining scene 68 percent for quality, but Osaka did particularly well on the affordability front, with 71 percent agreeing that eating out in the city was cheap.

🍴 Discover the ultimate guide to Osaka’s restaurants

Why visit now: Bengaluru’s food scene right now is rich, messy, overbooked and ridiculously fun to eat through. One table’s serving smoked cocktails with curry leaf oil, while another may have people waiting forty minutes for double-patty smash burgers. Restaurants across Indiranagar, Koramangala and MG Road feel confident, now, about their unique specialties: LUPA's packed every night solely for bowls of glossy cacio e pepe, while Bar Sama's a favourite for sharp Thai flavours and deliciously cold cocktails. On that note, cocktail bars are serious business right now: drinks arrive infused with kokum, pepper, tamarind and pandan, because generic sugary mixers just won't do. And you’ll find the same food crazes here taking over cities worldwide: sourdough pizza bars, natural wine spots and vinyl-bars-cum-breweries are everywhere, and everyone rightfully wants a seat at the table.

Order this: Get a table at Pizza 4P’s (the only India branch of the Vietnam-based joint) and order the garlic shrimp or burrata pizza. The crust's blistered and smoky, the cheese is made in-house, and the whole thing tastes indulgent in the exact way Bengaluru loves right now.

How it ranked: With a 60 percent score from Time Out’s food experts and an 82 percent quality rating from locals, Bengaluru’s culinary scene is clearly one to watch – particularly for its late-night food spots and coffee shops, according to locals.

☕ Discover the best cafes in Bengaluru

Why visit now: Neapolitans are loyal to tradition, and while the city’s most beloved sandwich shops, pizza joints and generational trattorie aren’t going anywhere, a younger wave of family members has taken over, introducing innovation without breaking their roots. At Salumeria Malinconico, Alessio Malinconico is creating a new way to experience his family’s four generations of sandwiches, collaborating with natural wine bars, innovative restaurants, and even the city’s best book club. At Mimì alla Ferrovia, Chef Salvatore Giugliano honors classics like parmigiano di melanzane and pasta alla genovese, recently featured on Stanley Tucci’s National Geographic series Tucci in Italy, alongside modern touches like his taco bao buns. 

Order this: No one does pasta alla genovese like Salvatore Giugliano at Mimì alla Ferrovia, where slow-cooked onions and beef melt into a rich ragù served over ziti and topped with basil. 

How it ranked: Seventy-two percent of Neapolitans scored their city’s food scene highly for quality and 78 percent said it’s cheap to eat out in the city – particularly grabbing a coffee, which received an impressive 90 percent score for affordability. As for what Naples does best? Nope, it’s not pizza, according to locals – they gave most props to the city’s bakeries and dessert spots (49 percent) and cafes and coffee shops (54 percent). 

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Naples

Why visit now: New York is perpetually the place to be, and it's not just because we currently hold the title of the best restaurant in the country in Kabawa, which serves up a Caribbean tasting menu hawking fiery goat and plump pepper shrimp. Or that dual-level bar Sip & Guzzle in the West Village, known for its satsuma creamsicles and carbonated tomatillo drinks, wears the crown of the best cocktail bar in the world. Okay, well, that certainly helps. But the best thing about us is that New York is the kind of place where lard-laced burritos served on the street and shaken-up spice bags at the bar carry a serious dining cred all their own.

Order this: The East Village’s Carnitas Ramirez is all about the pig, the whole pig and nothing but the pig, so help us God – cuts of lengua, ear, brain and snout included. We highly recommend the surtida taco that mixes and matches crispy skin and fatty, gelatinous bits of jowl all in one glorious bite.

How it ranked: New York garnered the fifth-highest score of all cities surveyed from locals for the overall quality of its dining scene, with 90 percent of New Yorkers rating it ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. The city stands out for its upmarket restaurants, with 72 percent agreeing that fancy dinners are what New York does best, followed by takeaways and food delivery, which received a 56 percent score. 

🍴 Check out our food editor’s guide to the best New York restaurants

Why visit now: While the rest of the world is still Chinamaxxing, you’ve caught Hong Kong at a very Korean time in our lives, particularly when it comes to food. We’ve always had K-BBQ restaurants around, but there’s been a recent surge in more niche, specialist Korean cuisine that narrows the focus down to specific regions or even food groups. Think innovative fine dining at Sol, Jeju influences at O’rm, stir-fried octopus at Obongzip, Busan-style pork and rice soup at Um Yong Baek, or raw seafood at Minyoung Fish Factory. Sure, we also have plenty of trendy pasta bars and pistachio-smothered treats, but the city’s current food scene boasts many Korean restaurants’ first and only international outposts, and our bellies can’t be more thankful.

Order this: The samgye-tang at Sol is a thing of beauty, deliciously deconstructing the traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup into chicken, soup and rice separately. For something more locally Hong Kong, Big JJ Seafood Hotpot has just reopened in a snazzy new location that still serves high-quality ingredients in generous portions to be dunked into boiling broth.

How it ranked: Hong Kong completes the line-up of cities (alongside Barcelona, Osaka, Bangkok and Athens) to be voted joint-first among Time Out’s food experts. Locals also tipped their collective hat to the city’s food scene, with 73 percent rating it highly for quality and 61 percent saying eating out is affordable. Casual dining and special occasion restaurants received equal backing from locals, proving HK is really a city that can do both.

🍴 Discover the best new Hong Kong restaurants in 2026

Why visit now: The food scene in Buenos Aires goes well beyond the steakhouse in 2026. The city is presently reconnecting with its immigrant roots through the rise of the neo-bodegón: a new generation of young chefs simply focused on cooking delicious food while honouring local culinary heritage through the spirit of the neighbourhood restaurant, serving nostalgic dishes backed by impeccable technique. Experience it at the laid-back Garabato and at Silvino, both located in the heart of Chacagiales, the trendy gastronomic district connecting the neighbourhoods of Chacarita and Colegiales.

At the same time, pizza culture is having a golden moment: people are willing to queue for over an hour for a slice from innovative newcomers like Kalis Pizza and for timeless classics at Güerrín and El Cuartito. For something truly special, head to the neighbourhood of La Paternal to discover the unclassifiable Santa Inés or seek out Gran Dabbang, a local emblem of fusion cuisine served on small plates. And for those looking for places where every detail matters, Núñez is home to the elegant Italian spot Evelia and the brilliant Ness.

Order this: If you only have one night in Buenos Aires and want to take the city home with you, don’t miss the ribeye milanesa with fries at El Preferido de Palermo by the masterminds behind the world-renowned Parrilla Don Julio.

How it ranked: The food scene in Buenos Aires is loved by locals and our panel of food experts alike: the city ranked joint-second among Time Out’s panel and was handed a 72 percent approval rating from people living in the city. Locals rated Buenos Aires highly for its coffee shop scene, closely followed by late-night food and street food. Yum.

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Buenos Aires

Why visit now: With a new wave of chefs and restaurateurs, Marseille continues to expand its already world-renowned culinary scene, which is now more diverse than ever before. Following in the footsteps of pioneers like Café des Épices and La Mercerie, you can now feast – from Endoume to Saint-Charles – on lively bistro classics at Le Suffren or Bistrot Chave; try Asian fusion cuisine at Le Consolat or Meo Midnight; or gorge on seafood-focused dishes at the expanded Poissonnerie Kennedy. In short: dive in!

Order this: Head to the Old Port and the tiny double-entrance spot Tetro, where young prodigy Raphaël François, working solo, serves menus inspired by the morning market and the timeless flavours of the Mediterranean – all at a very friendly price.

How it ranked: With a 71 percent quality score and a 73 percent affordability score, eating and drinking in Marseille is an all-around good time. Street food is what the coastal city does best, according to locals, followed by takeaway food and casual dining. 

🍴 Discover the best Marseille restaurants

Why visit now: Copenhagen hosts the Michelin Nordic Ceremony this year and has gone Michelin mad, with fine dining infiltrating the city’s food scene at every level. French-inspired two-star restaurant Kong Hans Kælder is making delicious waves with its elite-level pastries at Kong Hans Bakery, and a slew of former noma chefs are cooking up inventive ideas at all levels. Dhriti Arora’s chic and casual eatery Bar Vitrine serves excellent Indian food and is always queued out the door, while Matt Orlando’s Esse serves a menu of boundary-pushing sustainable options (fish bone noodles anyone?) There’s even a Michelin-starred pop-up amid the rollercoasters at Tivoli Gardens.

Order this: The pâté en croute at Kong Hans Bakery is a generous patchwork of meat and amber jelly wrapped in buttery pastry, best enjoyed with cornichons and mustard. 

How it ranked: Copenhagen’s renowned dining scene received a generous score from locals, 88 percent of whom rated it highly for quality. And while the Danish capital is known to be home to some of the world’s most esteemed fine-dining establishments, its cafe scene received the strongest marks from locals.

🍴 Discover Copenhagen’s best restaurants

Why visit now: The gastronomically conservative city has expanded its palate, so to speak, and is enjoying more culinary variety and innovation than ever. But restaurants such as Idílico, Test Kitchen Lab and Salón Centro aren’t erasing traditional Colombian dishes. Like long-time Medellin staples El Cielo and Carmen, they’re rethinking them. And soon they’ll be joined by Boro from Celele chef Jaime Rodríguez, whose Cartagena restaurant was named fifth-best in Latin America. For something more casual, try chef Pedro Fernández’s Colombian-inspired sandwiches at All Day Café. And for plant-based fare, there’s the budget-friendly lunch at hidden gem Oh! Food in nearby Envigado.

Order this: Post up against the counter at Empanadas El Machetico de Nico and snack on Colombia’s most perfectly crunchy beef and potatoes empanada. It’s Colombian street food at its finest.

How it ranked: After London, Medellin received the highest score of all cities on the list for the quality of its food scene, with 94 percent of locals we spoke to rating it highly. It’s also the best city on the ranking for grocery shopping, according to 95 percent of locals, and an impressive 79 percent affordability score cemented the mountainous city’s position on the ranking.

🍴 Discover the best restaurants in Colombia