Some travelers choose city trips based on a destination's cultural appeal, narrowing down the best museums and galleries to visit, while others set their sights on cities with buzzing nightlife or choose destinations that host festivals and events.
But for many travellers, the most exciting part of traveling is the food. They wake up on their first day excited about all the culinary delights that await them, from sprawling markets serving local delicacies to late-night street food to independent restaurants serving unique dishes that they won't soon forget.
It was these foodie travellers that global media organisation Time Out had in mind when it put together a new ranking of the world's best culinary cities.
“Travel is all about food,” Grace Beard, travel editor at Time Out magazine, told CNN Travel. “Good food can make or break a trip, and it's usually one of the things we remember most.”
Coming in at number one on Time Out's list is Naples, the Italian city often heralded as the birthplace of pizza. Unsurprisingly, Time Out's list features cheesy pizza Margherita as a 'must-try' dish, but also names sumptuous pasta dishes like Neapolitan ragu and sweet sfogliatella.
To compile the roundup, Time Out surveyed thousands of city dwellers around the world, asking locals questions about their city's food options, with an emphasis on quality and affordability. Time Out editors scrutinized the results and included the top-scoring cities from each country in the rankings.
Pizza etc.
For travellers wanting to try some authentic pizza in Naples, Time Out recommends heading to Santa Maradona pizzeria in the city's Spanish Quarter.
Santa Maradona owner Andrea Viviani told CNN Travel it was an “honour” to be featured in Time Out, but added that “it's really a waste to think of Naples simply as a dining destination.”
“Food is certainly an important part of our culture, but Naples is much more than that,” Viviani said. “And that's really the philosophy of Santa Maradona: to convey all the facets of Naples.”
Viviani said the restaurant is a celebration of football as much as it is of pizza, and is named in honour of Diego Armando Maradona, the Argentine footballer who played for Napoli in the 1980s.
While Viviani hopes visitors to Naples enjoy more than just the food, he added that he's pleased that many come to the city with a “strong desire to learn about our traditions and taste great pizza.”
Coming in second on Time Out's list is the South African city of Johannesburg. Time Out quotes Johannesburg food writer Thando Moleketi-Williams, who recommends spots like Braamfontein in the city centre, wine bars Mama Kashaka and Friends, and restaurant and gallery space The Artivist on De Vere Street. Time Out declares the city's must-try dish is the kota sandwich – a piece of bread stuffed with tasty fillings like potato chips, sausage, egg and cheese – and also highlights bunny chow, a South African street food made of bread stuffed with curry, meat and beans.
Rounding out Time Out's top three is Lima, Peru, where the publication recommends trying the specialities ceviche and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). The city's Central restaurant, recently named number one in the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023, is unsurprisingly mentioned.
Affordability is a priority
Other cities on the list include Ho Chi Minh City (4th), Beijing (5th) and Bangkok (6th).
What all the cities on the list have in common is that they're “experiencing a culinary renaissance” or “are particularly vibrant at the moment,” according to Time Out magazine's Grace Beard.
“Affordability played as important a role as quality in creating this ranking,” Beard told CNN Travel, saying his editors look for cities “where travelers of all budgets can enjoy quality dining.”
The top US city on Time Out's ranking was Portland, Oregon, at number 10. Portland is another must-visit spot for pizza lovers, according to Time Out, with locals naming its Mexican pizza topped with taco fixings as the best value in the city.
In the UK, the city of Liverpool just missed out on making Time Out's top 10, coming in at No. 11. The publication touted the city's specialty dish, scouse (a rich stew, usually made with beef or lamb), and what Liverpool-based writer Alice Porter called “a series of new foodie ventures,” including the Michelin-listed restaurant Manifesto.
Time Out's Best Cities for Food in 2024
1. Naples, Italy
2. Johannesburg, South Africa
3. Lima, Peru
4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
5. Beijing, China
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8. Mumbai, India
9. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
10. Portland, USA
11. Liverpool, UK
12. Medellin, Colombia
13. Seville, Spain
14. Porto, Portugal
15. Marrakech, Morocco
16. Lyon, France
17. Sydney, Australia
18. Montreal, Canada
19. Osaka, Japan
20. Copenhagen, Denmark
