601 words (without list)/4:30 minutes reading time – or – 1,399 words (with list)/11 minutes reading time.

In this blog, we want to tackle the question: what are the best cities in the world to eat in?

As well, we did not want to do a small list. Not the top 10 or the top 25…No, we went for the largest list (we think) that exists on the internet.

However, if you just want a peek at some at the top of our list, here are the top 15:

• Tokyo, Japan, Asia
• Lyon, France, Europe
• New York, USA, N. America
• San Sebastian, Spain, Europe
• New Orleans, USA, N. America
• Marrakech, Morocco, Africa
• Paris, France, Europe
• Florence, Italy, Europe
• Barcelona, Spain, Europe
• Bangkok, Thailand, Asia
• Bologna, Italy, Europe
• Buenos Aires, Argentina, S. America
• Hong Kong, Asia
• London, UK, Europe
• Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe

For a short summary, the US, France, Italy, and Spain all have cities that appear on the list’s top 15 twice. As for continents, Europe has 8 mentions (over 50%), Asia has 3, North America has 2, and South America and Africa each have one. 

Now, if you want to understand how we chose our top 101 cities this was our method: we looked up 9 different online sources all looking at the same question. However, none were as ambitious to put 101 and most of them listed under 20 cities. That meant we had our work cut out for us. But after going over all the lists, we came up with a pretty comprehensive list. That list went up to 72 different cities. To get the next 29, we used our experience and expertise here at All World Travel to rank what we thought the final cities would look like. In the end, not only did we come up with a list of the 101 best cities, but we also ranked the best countries and continents according to the information we put together. 

In order to rank the cities we looked at the number of times each of the cities was mentioned on each of the lists. For example, Tokyo, the #1 city was mentioned 8 times. Mexico City, #18, was mentioned 4 times out of the nine different sources, as were Rome, Charleston, SC, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The way we were able to decide which city would rank higher with the same amount of times being mentioned was by looking at how high each city was on each list — thus using the average of each city to dictate rank. For a list of the sources we used, you can scroll to the bottom of the page. 

But without further ado, here is All World Travel’s list of the 101 Best Cities in the World to Travel to for Food. 

Mentioned 8 Times  

1. Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Mentioned 6 Times

2. Lyon, France, Europe
3. New York, USA, N. America
4. San Sebastian, Spain, Europe
5. New Orleans, USA, N. America
6. Marrakech, Morocco, Africa

Mentioned 5 Times  

7. Paris, France, Europe
8. Florence, Italy, Europe
9. Barcelona, Spain, Europe
10. Bangkok, Thailand, Asia
11. Bologna, Italy, Europe
12. Buenos Aires, Argentina, S. America
13. Hong Kong, Asia
14. London, UK, Europe
15. Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe

Mentioned 4 Times  

16. Rome, Italy, Europe
17. Charleston, South Carolina, USA, Europe
18. Mexico City, Mexico, N. America
19. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Asia

Mentioned 3 Times  

20. Vancouver, BC, Canada, N. America
21. San Diego, California, USA, N. America
22. Santiago, Chile, S. America
23. Penang, Malaysia, Asia
24. Mendoza, Argentina, S. America

Mentioned 2 Times  

25. Crete, Greece, Europe
26. Hanoi, Vietnam, Asia
27. Lisbon, Portugal, Europe
28. Cape Town, South Africa, Africa
29. Oaxaca, Mexico, N. America
30. Kyoto, Japan, Asia
31. Singapore, Asia
32. Chiang Mai, Thailand, Asia 
33. Osaka, Japan, Asia
34. Madrid, Spain, Europe
35. Louisville, Kentucky, USA, N. America
36. Georgetown, Malaysia, Asia
37. Seoul, South Korea, Asia
38. Istanbul, Turkey, Asia/Europe
39. San Francisco, California, USA, N. America
40. Tel Aviv, Israel, Asia

Cities Mentioned Once 

All the places below were only mentioned once out of the 9 lists that were consulted. Here we have listed them according to the order in which they were placed in their respective lists. 

1st place – 

41. Izmir, Turkey, Asia (AFQ),
42. Bordeaux, France, Europe (TH)

2nd place – 

43. Beirut, Lebanon, Asia (TL)

3rd place

44. Mumbai/Bombay, India, Asia (TH)

4th place

45. Austin, Texas, USA, N. America  (BF)

5th place

46. Jaipur, India, Asia (AFQ)

6th place

7th place

47. Lima, Peru, S. America
48. Cartagena, Colombia, S. America

8th place

49. Naples, Italy, Europe
50. Giron, Spain, Europe
51. Sao Paulo, Brazil, S. America

9th place

52. Los Angeles, California, USA, N. America

10th place

53. Kingston, Jamaica, N. America
54. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, N. America
55. Rejkjavic, Iceland, Europe

11th place and 12th place

N/A (meaning any city that was listed as number 11 or 12 on any of the lists, was mentioned at least two times, thus making it higher up on the list).

13th place

56. Montreal, Quebec, Canada, N, America

14th place

57. Shanghai, China, Asia

15th place

58. Havana, Cuba, N. America
59. Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Europe

16th place

60. Porto, Portugal, Europe
61. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, N. America

17th place

62. Tbilisi, Georgia, Europe/Asia
63. Melbourne, Australia, Oceania

18th place

64. Provence, France, Europe
65. Berlin, Germany, Europe
66. Taipei, Taiwan, Asia

19th place

67. Chicago, Illinois, USA, N. America
68. Beijing, China, Asia

20th place

69. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, S. America
70. Tallinn, Estonia, Europe
71. Chengdu, China, Asia

21st place

72. New Delhi, India, Asia

AWTravel’s Honorable Mentions

These are 28 cities we here at AWTravel feel deserved to be on a list of the best cities in the world to eat in.

73. Dubai, UAE, Asia
74. Quebec City, Canada, N. America
75. Sydney, Australia, Oceania
76. Jakarta, Indonesia, Asia
77. Athens, Greece, Europe
78. Taos/Santa Fe/Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, N. America
79. Prague, Czechia, Europe
80. Dublin, Ireland, Europe
81. Miami, Florida, USA, N. America
82. Bogota, Colombia, S. America
83. Recife, Brazil, S. America
84. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe
85. Cairo, Egypt, Africa
86. Nicosia, Cyprus, Europe/Asia
87. Montevideo, Uruguay, S. America
88. Stockholm, Sweden, Europe
89. Marseilles, France, Europe
90. Guadalajara, Mexico, N. America
91. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzogivina, Europe
92. Oslo, Norway, Europe
93. Budapest, Hungary, Europe
94. Auckland, New Zealand, Oceania
95. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Asia
96. Puerto Rico, N. America
97. Manchester, UK, Europe
98. Split, Croatia, Europe
99. Bucharest, Romania, Europe
100. Munich, Germany, Europe
101. Tangier, Morocco, Africa

Now that we have shown our list of the top 101 Cities for Food, we want to share what countries had the most cities on the list and what continents had the most cities in the most countries on the list. 

Countries with the most mentions

12 – USA

5 – France, Italy

4 – Mexico, Spain 

3 – Japan, China, India, Brazil, Canada, Malaysia

2 – Argentina, Thailand, Vietnam, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Colombia, Australia, Morocco, UK, Germany

Continents by number of mentions

38 – Europe

28 – Asia

20 – N. America

10 – S. America

5 – Africa

3 – Oceania

*There are 3 places in which we have placed in both Europe and Asia. They are Cyprus, Istanbul, and Tbilisi, Georgia. 

As well, here is a list of the cities which were ranked on #1 on each of the respective lists. 

Cities Rated #1 on each of the lists

Rome, Italy – The Best Travel Spots for Foodies, According to Trip Advisor 

Oaxaca, Mexico – These Are the Best Food Cities in the World

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA – 15 Best Cities in the World for Food

Izmir, Turkey – 18 of the Best Culinary Destinations in the World for Scrumptious Adventures

London, UK – 21 Best Food Cities Around the World

San Francisco, California, USA – Best Foodie Cities in the World, 21 Delectable Destinations

Paris, France – I’ve Traveled To Over 35 Countries, And These Are The 17 Most Delicious Cities I’ve Ever Visited

Louisville, Kentucky, USA – 20 Best Cities for Food in the World

Bordeaux, France – The World’s 18 Best Food Cities, Ranked

And finally, here is the list of sources that we used to rank the first 72 cities on our list, the last 29 being listed as AWTravel Honorable Mentions. 

• The Best Travel Spots for Foodies, According to Trip Advisor – Lifehacker (LH)
• These Are the Best Food Cities in the World – Travel + Leisure (TL)
• 15 Best Cities in the World for Food – Culture Trip (CT)
• 18 of the Best Culinary Destinations in the World for Scrumptious Adventures – Authentic Food Quest (AFT)
• 21 Best Food Cities Around the World – National Geographic (NG)
• Best Foodie Cities in the World, 21 Delectable Destinations – Luxury Columnist (LC)
• I’ve Traveled To Over 35 Countries, And These Are The 17 Most Delicious Cities I’ve Ever Visited – Buzzfeed (BF)
• 20 Best Cities for Food in the World – Trip 101 (T101)
• The World’s 18 Best Food Cities, Ranked – Thrillest (TH)

We hope you enjoyed looking at this list and that it helps you with understanding all the great places you can travel, both near and far, for finding some of the best food the world has to offer. 

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