Top 20 food cities of the year

Portrait of young woman with fries winking

One of the best parts of visiting a new city is trying the food.

Each destination has something different to offer, something notably unique, interesting or creative that sets them apart from the next.

Food tourism is rapidly growing, with travellers now seeking out the best foodie experiences when visiting a destination.

To help, Caterwings carried out a study to determine which cities across the globe are on top of their gastronomy game, with ratings from 20,000 food journalists and restaurant critics used to reveal the top 100.

Coming in number one was San Sebastian, with the perfect score by expert opinions and rating of the high-end restaurants, with an overall score of 8.09. Close behind was Tokyo followed by New York City.

Surprisingly, Sydney, which boasts items like deep-fried Mars Bars, Messina and the best meat pies in Australia, has failed to make the list.

The rankings were determined by analysing the countries with the most restaurants per capita, and then which ones offered the highest quality and variety.

The final score was then based on a combination of critics, access, variety, quality, and affordability.

“Whether you’ve always dreamed of trying percebes in San Sebastian or okonomiyaki in Osaka, this study is the ultimate foodie bucket list,” Manuel Queiroz, CEO of Caterwings said.

“Every delicious destination in this index can offer inspiration to food industry professionals such as ourselves, as well as burgeoning chefs, gastronomes, and globetrotters.”

Check out the top 20 below:

  1. San Sebastian, Spain
  2. Tokyo, Japan
  3. New York City, USA
  4. Barcelona, Spain
  5. Singapore, Singapore
  6. Paris, France
  7. Madrid, Spain
  8. Lima, Peru
  9. London, UK
  10. Munich, Germany
  11. Las Vegas, USA
  12. Osaka, Japan
  13. Los Angeles, USA
  14. Stockholm, Sweden
  15. San Francisco, USA
  16. Oslo, Norway
  17. Seoul, South Korea
  18. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  19. Copenhagen, Denmark
  20. Hamburg, Germany

To see the full list of one hundred, click here.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

best foodie destinations food travel San Sebastian

Latest News

  • Cruise

Silversea sets sail on its 2025 World Cruise

Experiential luxury and expedition travel brand, Silversea, has set sail on its 2025 World Cruise, Controtempo, taking guests to 59 destinations over 136 days. The cruise set sail from Tokyo on 13 January and arrives in New York on 29 May 2025. Guests will experience many of the most iconic cities and off-the-beaten-path gems in […]

  • Hotels

Dusit International announces two new hotels in the Philippines

Thailand hotel and property development company Dusit International has strengthened its presence in the Philippines with two new hotels in Mindanao, set to open in late 2029. The company, represented in the Philippines by Dusit Thani Philippines Inc., has signed hotel management agreements with IDC Prime. IDC Prime is a wholly owned subsidiary of Italpinas […]

  • Destinations
  • Hotels

Elite Havens adds luxury new villa to its portfolio

Elite Havens, a premier luxury villa rental and management provider, has added a new villa to its existing portfolio of over 250 villas now available for rent in Phuket, Thailand. The Surin Seaview Villa is a three-storey hillside retreat nestled on the hills of Phuket’s beautiful west coast and offers breathtaking views of the Andaman […]

  • Destinations
  • Events

Lunar New Year celebrations across Asia

As the Lunar New Year approaches, various destinations around Asia have announced the different celebrations they have lined up. Fire show, live band, instrumentalists, and bartenders flair show The Anam Group’s two beachfront resorts in Cam Ranh and Mui Ne will celebrate the most significant time in the Vietnamese calendar, Tet, with a broad spectrum […]

  • Conferences

The Australian Tourism Exchange heads to Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 27 April

The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 27 April to 1 May 2025. Tourism Australia requires all sellers attending the event to submit a front panel graphic with one image representing their business for marketing purposes at ATE25, while Destination NSW requires sellers to submit a […]

  • Appointments
  • News

New acting CEO of Destination NSW appointed

Karen Jones has commenced her role as Acting CEO of Destination NSW, taking the reins for an interim period of approximately six months. During this time, the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport will recruit for a permanent CEO. Jones brings over 27 years of leadership experience in state and local government. Most […]