The Best Foodie Cities of 2023
Food tourism is at an all-time high. Eating the same meals each week at home and getting takeout on the weekend can get dull quickly, so when people travel, they delve into the food and drink offered by the different countries they travel to. Instead of hitting the museums and famous landmarks, people go to fine dining establishments, small bistros, attend food festivals and cooking classes, and go on food tours.
Many people who are into culinary tourism choose different methods of travelling. Some people prefer to get annual-multi trip travel insurance so they can take a lot of individual trips to different countries and cities throughout the year to try local cuisine, whereas others prefer to get worldwide travel insurance so they can take one long trip and eat in many different places. If you’re interested in culinary tourism, here are some of the best foodie cities of 2023 and what food-related experiences you should expect to find there.
Lyon, France
This city has a reputation for being "the gastronomic capital of the world", so no wonder it’s at the top of many peoples’ lists. Have a traditional mâchon (breakfast) in a bouchon (a Lyonnaise restaurant). Mâchons were originally served to silk weavers early in the morning after they had been working all night. This is a heartier breakfast, so expect to be served things like pork, tripe, quenelle (dumplings), cervelle de canut (Lyonnaise cheese), and a glass of red wine. You can experience this at restaurants such as Chez les Gones and Le Casse Museau. Other local dishes you should try are coq au vin and salade Lyonnaise, and for dessert, opt for tarte aux pralines and coussin de Lyon (a chocolate and marzipan confectionary).
Two other highly rated restaurants in Lyon are La Mère Brazier, a 2-star Michelin restaurant, and Brasserie Georges, the oldest brasserie in Lyon. The Lyon Street Food Festival is held in Lyon every year in June.
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
If you’re looking for food that’s a little less adventurous but more representative of traditional local faire, head to Dublin. Start your mornings with a full Irish breakfast which, unlike a full English breakfast, includes white pudding, soda bread, and boxty pancakes.
Coddle is a simple stew that is made up of bacon, pork sausage, potatoes, and onion. It may not look like much, but it’s loved by locals and will come highly recommended at many eateries. Skirts and kidneys is another stew you should try, and it is made with pork, pork kidneys, potatoes, and onions. A common side dish you’ll find in Dublin is colcannon, which is mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage. Though usually served at Halloween, barmbrack, a type of raisin bread, is delicious when toasted and topped with butter and served with a cup of tea. After dinner, you can wash it all down with a pint of Guinness.
You can take a tour of the Guinness Storehouse and, if you travel to Dublin in June, you can stop by the Taste of Dublin Festival, where you can try food from local restaurants and learn how to cook from top chefs.
San Francisco, USA
In San Fransico, you’ll find some of the most diverse food in the USA. It is especially well known for its seafood, such as Dungeness crab and oysters. Some of the best dishes to try are cioppino (Italian-American fish stew) and Crab Louie (a salad with crab meat). Wander over to Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf to get clam chowder that is served in a sourdough bread bowl at Fog Harbor Fish House. You should also consider trying chop suey and dim sum in Chinatown, which is the oldest Chinatown in the USA.
There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries. Head to Tartine Bakery when it opens at 8 a.m. to get your pick of baked goods and a cup of coffee. Grab yourself a slice of pizza at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, considered by most to be one of the best pizza parlours in America, and an ice cream sandwich at It's-It Ice Cream.
Osaka, Japan
Many people travel to Osaka just to try traditional Japanese food, such as oshizushi (box sushi), udon noodles, and kushikatsu (crispy deep-fried skewers). Osaka is the place to go if you want to try fugu (blowfish) and sake. You can take a tour of a sake brewery or visit an izakaya (bar) like Ueyosi, which stocks over 200 sakes for their customers to try. Stop by the Dotonbori Konamon Museum, where you can eat takoyaki (battered octopus balls), learn about its history, and take a class on how to make them yourself. Many restaurants specialise in serving a specific kind of food, such as Mizuno, which serves okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake), and Kushikatsu Daruma, which offers kushikatsu (crispy deep-fried skewers).
Naples, Italy
The first thing that many people who visit Naples want to try is a Margherita pizza. Naples is known for Italian staples such as spaghetti alle vongole (clam spaghetti), pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), and spaghetti alla puttanesca (olive, caper, and anchovy pasta). You can also get fresh caprese salad, which was invented on the nearby isle of Capri. Popular Neapolitan desserts include sfogliatelle (a layered pastry, also known as lobster tail) and struffoli (honey balls).
Coffee has also played a large part in Neapolitan culture, so grab a seat at the historic Gran Caffè Gambrinus and order yourself an espresso. Have dinner at the Locanda del Cerriglio, a reopened tavern that was popular in the 14th century. If you go to the Spanish Quarter, try some of the classic dishes at Trattoria Da Nennella.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Most people will have heard of Danish pastries, such as wienerbrød (Viennese bread) and kanelsnegle (cinnamon buns), but Copenhagen is also known for frikadeller (Danish meatballs), fiskefrikadeller (fish meatballs), medisterpølse (pork sausage), and rugbrød (rye bread). You can try many of these things at Torvehallerne market.
Flæskesteg (roast pork), a national dish in Denmark, is often served at Christmas, but it can also be eaten on a smørrebrød (open-face sandwich). Flæskesteg that is served in a bun is known as a flæskestegssandwich, and you can get this and rød pølser (hot dogs) at most pølsevogne (hotdog stands).
Copenhagen is home to the Copenhagen Gin Fest, which is a two-day event in February, and the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival, which takes place at the end of August each year.
