Where to travel for food — the best countries to eat in

Türkiye — one of the great food countries, and remarkable value

Türkiye has the rare combination: an imperial kitchen tradition, a peasant kitchen tradition, seven regions that cook almost nothing alike, and a breakfast culture with few equals anywhere.

Start in Istanbul, but understand that Istanbul is a summary. The real depth is regional.

• Gaziantep

  A UNESCO City of Gastronomy and, for many people, one of the best eating cities on the planet. Baklava made with Antep pistachios, katmer for breakfast, beyran soup at dawn, dozens of kebap variants that never left the city.

• Istanbul

  Everything at once. Islak hamburger at 2am in Taksim, çıtır mantı, İskender, balık ekmek at Eminönü, a full Van-style breakfast in Beşiktaş, plus the country's serious tasting menus.

• Hatay (Antakya)

  The most Levantine kitchen in Türkiye — künefe, muhammara, sour-dough tepsi kebabı, and a culinary identity rebuilt with enormous determination after the earthquakes.

• Adana & Mersin

  The kebap capital and the tantuni capital, half an hour apart.

• İzmir & the Aegean

  Olive-oil vegetables, wild herbs (ot), boyoz for breakfast, and the country's best fish.

• Black Sea coast

  Corn bread, hamsi (anchovies) every possible way, and Trabzon's muhlama — cheese and butter and corn flour.

The other great food countries

• Japan

  Arguably the highest ceiling of any food culture, and no gap between the £8 bowl and the £300 counter in terms of care. Base in Tokyo, Osaka for the street food, Kyoto for kaiseki.

• Italy

  Twenty regions and twenty kitchens. Bologna and Modena for pasta and vinegar, Naples for pizza, Sicily for street food, Piedmont for truffles and wine.

• Mexico

  Oaxaca for mole and mezcal, Mexico City for everything, the Yucatán for cochinita pibil. Some of the best value fine dining in the world.

• Thailand & Vietnam

  Street food that ranks with anywhere on earth. Bangkok and Chiang Mai; Hanoi for bún chả and Hội An for cao lầu.

• Peru

  Ceviche, Nikkei and Chifa fusion, and 4,000 potato varieties. Lima is the food capital of South America.

• Spain

  San Sebastián for pintxos and the highest concentration of starred restaurants per head; Andalusia for the fried fish and the sherry.

• Georgia & Lebanon

  Two underrated giants — khachapuri and qvevri wine in Tbilisi, and a mezze table in Beirut that ranks with anywhere.

• India

  Not one cuisine but a dozen. Kerala for coconut and seafood, Punjab for the tandoor, Kolkata for sweets, Tamil Nadu for breakfast.

How to plan a food trip

Eat breakfast where locals eat breakfast — it is one of the most reliable windows into a food culture and it costs nothing. Go to the market on your first morning and ask what is in season; build the rest of the trip around the answer.

Do one cooking class or one producer visit (an olive mill, a cheese cave, a pistachio orchard) per trip. It changes how everything else tastes. And leave your last dinner unbooked for whatever you have fallen in love with.

Türkiye region by region

• Gaziantep

  UNESCO City of Gastronomy and the deepest single food city in the country. Baklava with forty layers, beyran soup at 7am, lahmacun the width of a plate, pistachios in everything.

• Hatay (Antakya)

  Arab, Armenian and Turkish cooking in one kitchen — künefe, muhammara, tepsi kebabı, oruk.

• Adana

  The kebab that everyone else copies, cooked over open coal with şalgam and grilled peppers beside it.

• Istanbul

  Everything, plus the sea: balık ekmek on the water, ıslak hamburger at 3am in Taksim, midye dolma, Beyoğlu meyhanes with rakı and forty cold mezes.

• İzmir and the Aegean

  Olive oil vegetables, wild greens, boyoz for breakfast, seafood that needs nothing but lemon.

• The Black Sea

  Hamsi (anchovy) in fifteen forms, Trabzon butter, corn bread, muhlama.

• Konya and central Anatolia

  Etli ekmek, fırın kebabı, tandır — slower, meatier, wood-fired.

The Turkish breakfast, explained

Serpme kahvaltı is the strongest argument for Turkish food culture and the cheapest luxury in the country: twenty-odd small plates for the price of a London sandwich.

Expect white cheese and aged kaşar, black and green olives, cucumber and tomato, butter and honey or kaymak, several jams, sucuk fried with egg, menemen, börek, fresh bread, and tea refilled until you stop them. Allow two hours, go hungry, and do it in Van, Çeşme, Alaçatı or any Istanbul rooftop on a Sunday.

The other great food countries

• Japan

  The highest average quality anywhere. Sushi and kaiseki at the top, but the 600-yen bowl of ramen is the real argument.

• Italy

  Twenty regional cuisines pretending to be one. Bologna, Naples, Palermo and Puglia are the strongest four weeks you can eat.

• Mexico

  Oaxaca's moles, Mexico City's tacos, Yucatán's cochinita pibil, Baja's seafood.

• Thailand and Vietnam

  Street food as a national infrastructure. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hội An.

• Spain

  San Sebastián's pintxos, Galicia's shellfish, Andalusian frying, and the best value fine dining in western Europe.

• Peru

  Lima's ceviche and Andean produce; the most interesting fusion cooking in the Americas.

• Georgia

  Khachapuri, khinkali, 8,000 years of wine, and a supra table that does not stop.

Eating well as a vegetarian or vegan

• Türkiye

  Far easier than its kebab reputation suggests — zeytinyağlı olive-oil vegetables, mezes, mercimek soup, gözleme and the whole breakfast table.

• India

  The best vegetarian country on earth; most of the south is vegetarian by default.

• Italy

  Pasta, pizza, contorni and Sicilian street food carry an entire trip.

• Israel and Lebanon

  Mezze culture means half the menu is already plant-based.

• Vietnam and Thailand

  Easy with one phrase each, though fish sauce hides in most dishes — learn to ask.

A one-week Türkiye food itinerary

Fly into Istanbul for two nights: breakfast in Beşiktaş, a meyhane dinner in Beyoğlu, the Spice Bazaar and a fish sandwich on the Bosphorus.

Fly to Gaziantep for two nights — baklava at two rival houses, beyran at dawn, the mosaic museum between meals. Continue to Hatay for two nights of künefe and Levantine cooking, then back to Istanbul. That whole week costs less than three days in Copenhagen.

Italy, region by region

• Emilia-Romagna

  Bologna and Modena — tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo, parmigiano dairies and traditional balsamic. Arguably the most consistently well-fed week in Italy.

• Naples and Campania

  Pizza as it was intended, fried snacks on every corner, and produce — San Marzano tomatoes, Amalfi lemons — that tastes like an argument for the region.

• Sicily

  Arab-meets-Italian: arancine, panelle, cannoli, Bronte pistachios, and a Palermo street-food culture older than most of Europe's cuisines.

• Puglia and the deep south

  Orecchiette, burrata, Altamura bread, and vegetables grown in something close to holiday weather.

• Piedmont and the north-west

  White truffles in Alba, tajarin, Barolo, and the Slow Food movement's home turf around Bra.

East Asia and the counter cultures

• Japan

  Tokyo for everything, Osaka for street food, Kanazawa for seafood, Fukuoka for ramen stalls. Lunch omakase makes the counter affordable — among the most reliable luxury meals anywhere for the money.

• South Korea

  Seoul's grill rooms and market stalls, temple cuisine for the slow version, and an all-night eating infrastructure that is hard to match anywhere.

• Taiwan

  Night markets as a national institution: soup dumplings, beef noodle soup, stinky tofu, and breakfast shops queueing for danbing and fresh soy milk.

• Hong Kong

  Dim sum before 11am in a loud room with trolleys, roast goose, dai pai dong classics, and some of the densest Cantonese comfort food on earth.

The Americas, in depth

• Oaxaca, Mexico

  Seven moles, memelas, tlayudas, mezcal palenques and market meals that justify the flight on their own.

• Mexico City

  Tacos al pastor at midnight, carnitas at dawn, every regional cuisine of the country represented somewhere in the sprawl, plus a mid-price restaurant scene with a strong case for the best value in the Americas.

• The Yucatán and Baja

  Cochinita pibil and sopa de lima in Mérida; fish tacos and Valle de Guadalupe wine in the north.

• Peru

  Lima's ceviche bars and Nikkei kitchens, Arequipa's picanterías, and 4,000 potato varieties in the Sacred Valley's markets.

The Southeast Asia street-food trail

• Bangkok

  Boat noodles, khao soi up in Chiang Mai, and Chinatown's Yaowarat Road after dark — one of the great eating streets anywhere.

• Hanoi and Hội An

  Bún chả, phở at plastic stools, serious bánh mì debates, and cao lầu noodles that exist nowhere else.

• Penang

  George Town's hawker courts — char kway teow, asam laksa, cendol — a strong case for Asia's most concentrated street food.

• Singapore

  Hawker centres where a few pounds buy meals held to a national standard: chicken rice, chilli crab, laksa.

Underrated food cities in Europe

• Lyon, France

  Bouchons, offal and silk-workers' dishes, praline brioche — France's kitchen without Paris's prices.

• Thessaloniki, Greece

  Ottoman and Balkan layers, seaside psarotavernas, bougatsa at dawn, and a late-night eating rhythm all its own.

• Porto, Portugal

  Tripas à moda do Porto, the francesinha sandwich, and a fish-grilling culture along the whole coast.

• Kraków and Wrocław, Poland

  Pierogi, żurek, the milk-bar revival, and some of Europe's lowest restaurant bills.

Italy, region by region

Italy is not one cuisine but twenty, and the gap between two neighbouring regions is often wider than the gap between two countries elsewhere. Choose the region first, the city second.

• Emilia-Romagna

  Bologna, Modena and Parma: ragù, tortellini in brodo, Parmigiano dairies and balsamic cellars you can visit in a morning. The densest food region in the country.

• Naples and Campania

  Pizza in its original form, the seafood of the Amalfi villages, buffalo mozzarella from Caserta and a coffee culture that runs on standing at the bar.

• Sicily

  Arab-Norman layers: arancini, pasta alle sarde, granita with brioche for breakfast, and Catania's fish market as the best single food hour on the island.

• Rome

  Four pastas done seriously — cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, gricia — plus Jewish-Roman artichokes and Testaccio for the offal tradition.

• Piedmont

  Truffles in autumn, Barolo, agnolotti del plin and the slow-food movement's birthplace at Bra. The most wine-led region to eat in.

Japan, Korea and East Asia

• Tokyo

  More range than any city on earth: £8 standing soba at breakfast, Toyosu's tuna, department-store food halls, and a tasting menu scene that spans every price. Book the small counters weeks out.

• Osaka and Kyoto

  Osaka is the street city — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu in Shinsekai. Kyoto is the formal one: kaiseki, tofu temples and the Nishiki market for produce.

• Fukuoka

  Tonkotsu ramen at its source and yatai street stalls along the river. The easiest Japanese food city to eat well in without reservations.

• Seoul

  Korean barbecue, Gwangjang market's bindaetteok, late-night pojangmacha tents, and a fried-chicken-and-beer culture that deserves its own trip.

• Taipei and Hong Kong

  Taipei for night markets and beef noodle soup; Hong Kong for dim sum, roast goose and cha chaan teng diners — two of Asia's most efficient eating cities.

Mexico, Peru and Latin America

• Mexico City

  Tacos al pastor at midnight, market kitchens in Coyoacán and San Juan, and a fine-dining scene — Pujol, Quintonil, Rosetta — that rewrote how the world reads Mexican food.

• Oaxaca

  Seven moles, tlayudas, mezcal palenques within an hour's drive, and the strongest market culture in the country at Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

• Lima

  Ceviche at lunchtime only, Nikkei and Chifa cooking from Japanese and Chinese migration, and tasting menus that trace Peru's altitudes course by course.

• Cusco and the Andes

  Potatoes in dozens of varieties, chicha, and Andean ingredients cooked plainly. A different country to Lima on the plate.

• Buenos Aires and São Paulo

  Argentina for parrilla, Italian-Argentine pasta and Malbec; São Paulo for Japanese-Brazilian cooking, Middle Eastern bakeries and one of the widest restaurant ranges in the Americas.

Southeast Asia and India

• Bangkok

  Boat noodles, som tam, Chinatown's evening grills and a Michelin-listed street stall culture. The best value serious eating anywhere.

• Chiang Mai and the north

  Khao soi, sai ua sausage and fermented northern Thai food — softer, herbier and cheaper than the capital.

• Vietnam

  Hanoi for phở, bún chả and egg coffee; Huế for imperial cooking and the spiciest food in the country; Ho Chi Minh City for bánh mì and the southern sweet-sour balance.

• Malaysia and Singapore

  Penang's hawker stalls — char kway teow, assam laksa — and Singapore's hawker centres, where a world-class meal still costs a few pounds.

• India

  Delhi for Mughlai and street chaat, Kolkata for Bengali fish and sweets, Chennai and Kerala for rice, coconut and seafood, Amritsar for Punjabi dhabas. Pick one region per trip.

Europe beyond Italy and France

• Spain

  San Sebastián for pintxos and the highest star density per head, Seville for tapas, Galicia for shellfish, Valencia for the actual paella. Eat late; nothing serious starts before 21:00.

• France

  Lyon's bouchons for the classic version, Marseille for bouillabaisse and North African influence, Bordeaux and Burgundy for wine-led eating, Paris for the bistro revival and bakeries.

• Portugal

  Lisbon's tascas and pastéis, Porto's tripe and francesinha, and the Algarve's grilled fish. One of the best-value food countries in Western Europe.

• Georgia

  Khinkali, khachapuri, walnut-heavy vegetable dishes and 8,000-year-old qvevri winemaking. Tbilisi is the region's most exciting eating city right now.

• Greece and the Balkans

  Athens for modern Greek tavernas and the Varvakios market, Crete for the strongest island food tradition, and Belgrade and Sarajevo for grilled meat and Ottoman pastry lines.

France and Spain, city by city

• Lyon

  Bouchons for quenelles and andouillette, Les Halles Paul Bocuse for cheese and charcuterie, and Beaujolais vineyards forty minutes north.

• Marseille and Nice

  Bouillabaisse and North African cooking in Marseille's Noailles market; socca, pissaladière and Ligurian influence in Nice's Vieux Ville.

• Bordeaux and Toulouse

  Canelés, oysters trucked in from Arcachon, cassoulet and duck across the south-west, with wine day trips in every direction.

• San Sebastián and Bilbao

  Pintxos crawls along Calle 31 de Agosto, grilled turbot at Getaria, and Bilbao's Mercado de la Ribera for a cheaper version of the same.

• Seville and Cádiz

  Andalusian tapas at their best value in Spain: fried fish, salmorejo, sherry from Jerez, and late dinners.

• Valencia and Galicia

  Paella cooked over orange wood in Albufera; octopus, percebes and Albariño in Santiago, Vigo and the Rías Baixas.

Türkiye, Greece and the eastern Mediterranean

• Gaziantep

  A UNESCO City of Gastronomy: baklava with pistachios from the surrounding hills, katmer for breakfast, and dozens of kebap styles found nowhere else.

• Istanbul

  Breakfast in Beşiktaş and Kadıköy, fish and meze along the Bosphorus at Arnavutköy, ıslak hamburger at midnight in Taksim, and İskender in the Anatolian-side back streets.

• Izmir and Hatay

  Aegean herbs, olive oil dishes and seafood in Izmir; Hatay for hummus, künefe and a Levantine kitchen shared with Syria.

• Athens and Thessaloniki

  Athens for neighbourhood tavernas in Koukaki and Pangrati and the Varvakios market; Thessaloniki for bougatsa, mussels and Ottoman-Balkan layering.

• Crete and Naxos

  Greece's clearest regional cooking: wild greens, raki, graviera and slow-cooked lamb, often at village level rather than in restaurants.

• Beirut and Amman

  Mezze, mana'eesh and mountain villages above Beirut; Amman's Rainbow Street kitchens and mansaf as the national set piece.

Asia beyond the obvious

• Chengdu and Xi'an

  Sichuan pepper, hotpot and tea houses in Chengdu; hand-pulled noodles, roujiamo and the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.

• Guangzhou and Hong Kong

  Cantonese cooking at source: dim sum at breakfast, roast goose, and dai pai dong dinners.

• Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

  Phở, bún chả and egg coffee in Hanoi's Old Quarter; bánh mì, cơm tấm and southern sweetness in Saigon's District 4 and Bình Thạnh.

• Penang and Kuala Lumpur

  Char kway teow, assam laksa and nasi kandar in George Town; Malaysia's Chinese, Malay and Tamil kitchens side by side.

• Osaka and Fukuoka

  Okonomiyaki, kushikatsu and kuidaore culture in Osaka; tonkotsu ramen and yatai street stalls along the river in Fukuoka.

• Seoul and Jeonju

  Gwangjang market, Korean barbecue and late-night pojangmacha; Jeonju for bibimbap and hanok-district home cooking.