Best cities for a food trip

Copenhagen scores 207.1 on Numbeo’s quality-of-life index, and its harbour, bike lanes and bakeries make a food weekend easy on foot.

Geranium overlooks Fælledparken from the national stadium, holds three Michelin stars and topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2022.

Noma, René Redzepi’s New Nordic pioneer, topped the World’s 50 Best list five times, so check its website for current seasons.

Central, Virgilio Martínez’s Lima restaurant, maps Peru’s diverse ecosystems by altitude and topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023.

Maido is Mitsuharu Tsumura’s Nikkei restaurant in Miraflores, blending Japanese technique with Peruvian ingredients across a long and playful tasting menu.

Mexico City scores 94.3 on Numbeo, yet tacos, markets and two world-ranked kitchens make it one of the great eating cities.

Pujol is Enrique Olvera’s Mexico City flagship, famous for its mole madre, a sauce replenished and reheated daily for many years.

Quintonil, run by Jorge Vallejo and Alejandra Flores in Polanco, celebrates Mexican herbs and vegetables in a relaxed, produce-led tasting menu.

The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, open since 1876 on the Chao Phraya River, is the classic base for a riverside food trip.

Sorn serves Southern Thai cuisine in a Bangkok house, sourcing ingredients from the south to faithfully recreate intensely spiced regional recipes.

Gaggan Anand’s progressive Indian cooking topped Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants four years running, and his Bangkok counter remains theatrical and loud.

Tokyo scores 175.4 on Numbeo and holds more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city, from sushi counters to tiny noodle bars.

Den is Zaiyu Hasegawa’s playful Tokyo kaiseki restaurant, known for its humour, warm service and its cheeky Dentucky Fried Chicken course.

Sukiyabashi Jiro became world famous through the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and seats remain notoriously difficult for ordinary visitors.

Disfrutar, opened in Barcelona in 2014 by three elBulli alumni, was named the world’s best restaurant by 50 Best in 2024.

Girona’s El Celler de Can Roca, run by the Roca brothers, topped the World’s 50 Best list in 2013 and 2015.

Buenos Aires scores 117.9 on Numbeo, yet late dinners, parrillas and cafés make it one of South America’s great eating cities.

Don Julio is a Palermo parrilla famous for grass-fed Argentine beef, long queues and a deep list of fine Argentine wines.

D.O.M. is Alex Atala’s São Paulo restaurant, celebrated for bringing Amazonian ingredients such as ants and native herbs to fine dining.

Rosewood São Paulo occupies the restored Cidade Matarazzo complex, a former maternity hospital, alongside a Jean Nouvel-designed tower covered in plants.