We’re always thinking about our next great meal on a trip, and so we ranked the most dynamic food scenes in the world based on the number and diversity of dining experiences in each city.
Top 10 Food Cities
1. Tokyo
2. London
3. São Paulo
4. Paris
5. Rome
6. Seoul
7. New York
8. Barcelona
9. Madrid
10. Milan
Get a taste for some surprising food destinations in our selection of top food cities around the globe.
ASIA, Tokyo
Community and livability are sustained over great meals, and Tokyo is unrivalled in any culinary metric. Its #1 ranking in our Culinary subcategory is fortified by the most restaurants with at least one Michelin star on the planet. There are 160 with at least one, 54 with two and a dozen with three, including Usukifugu Yamadaya, purveyors of Fugu which, if not prepared correctly, will kill you.
EUROPE, London
The city has gained eight new Michelin-starred restaurants (including its first three-star restaurant, Akari—a nine-seat, £300-per- person Japanese gem in Mayfair) since 2010. Other star recipients include purveyors of Indian (Jamavar, also in Mayfair, and Vineet Bhatia in Chelsea), bringing the city’s starred South Asian restaurants to eight, among the most on the planet.
SOUTH AMERICA, São Paulo
As Paulistanos—resident of São Paulo—will tell you, they live in the best city on the planet. Pizza, they’re quick to tell you, is also the best. For proof, go to Bráz Quintal, which features all the classics but try the eponymous Bráz, topped with sauteed zucchini, mozzarella and parmesan. Sampa, as locals call their hometown, has the largest population of Italian descendants outside Italy, the largest community of people of Japanese descent, and a large Arab community fueled mostly by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants. In short, if you’re in the mood for culinary delights from any of those countries, you’ll find them here.
NORTH AMERICA, New York
New York’s #7 global Culinary ranking speaks to its importance as a food town—77 of its restaurants boast one, two or three Michelin stars. In early 2017, Eleven Madison Park was named best restaurant in the world by the global authority on such matters, becoming the first U.S. room to grab the honor since 2004. The difference between culinary lineage of old and today? Starred restaurants are tucked relatively off the map, in Bushwick (Faro), Harlem (Sushi Inoue) and Williamsburg (Aska).