Food is a big part of travel – it’s a great way of understanding the culture, people and their traditions. These places below are worth visiting for more reasons than just the food, BUT what makes them different is that food alone is a good enough reason to visit – enjoy!
Thessaloniki, Greece
Thessaloniki is known for its great food; ”Queen of exquisite cuisine”, ”Food capital of Greece”, ”Dessert capital of Greece”, the city has many names praising their food.
The only downside of visiting Thessaloniki will be your increasing waistline! 😛
Try the bougatsa, a breakfast pastry famous for this city, filled with Greek custard or cheese.
Thessaloniki’s specialty however, is Greek Mezethes. These assorted plates of Greek tidbits are so good you would think they were made up by the Greek gods.
They are found everywhere, and are always served at parties in Greece.
This culinary custom derives from the ancient Greeks, who believed that no guest should be welcomed and no drinks should be served without a nibble.
Get your mezethes in an Ouzeri downtown, and wash it down with a glass of the famous Ouzo.
London, England
London is the perfect place for the food lover to go if you don’t have time to travel to all the countries in the world just to try their food – it can all be found here in London.
London is the most culturally diverse city I have ever been to, walking the streets you will encounter people from all corners of the world, and when it comes to food, it’s in fact easier finding Chinese, French, Italian, Indian – pretty much any type of food, than it is to find British cuisine.
But then of course there is always the good old fish n chip places around the corners, which should not be forgotten during a visit to London.
Indian food in particular, has a good reputation in London. Some even say that they have had better curries in London than they have in India!
Brussels, Belgium
You probably thought I would include some city in Italy, didn’t you? Well, I won’t.
Italian food is great, but I’m not a big fan of pasta, and believe it or not, but the best pizza in Europe is not found in Italy, but in Romania and Sweden.
It’s true, you HAVE to try the pizzas in these two countries, they’re crazy good!
Brussels, on the other hand, has three things that you simply won’t find better anywhere else than in Brussels. This is the city for everyone with a sweet tooth.
Belgian chocolate is so delicious your knees will tremble a little when you have your first bite of a praline, and you can get these chocolate orgasms whenever you want, the streets have more chocolate shops than anything else!
Belgian waffles are like no other waffles, freshly made the crunchy waffles are topped with whipped cream, strawberries, kiwi fruit and melted chocolate… I mean, can it get better than this?
Brussels also has the best hangover food in Europe – Frites Freiten. Buy yourself a paper cone of these frites, and you will never mistake Belgian frites for french fries again!
Paris, France
It would almost be a crime not to include this place in the list – French cuisine is perhaps the number one cuisine which has spread to all corners of the world.
Although their rather odd food habits like eating snails and frog legs hasn’t really caught on with the rest of the world, their scrumptious baguettes and croissants are now on everyone’s breakfast plates.
Walking down the streets of France you realize just how important food is for the French people.
In the afternoon every second person you see walking down the street carries two baguettes in their hands, one to munch on while they’re walking home, and another one for dinner!
I can see why so many decide to simply stay in one of the Paris apartments, unbuckle their belts and dive into the jungle of French food, not leaving until they have tried every single thing worth trying.
Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish cuisine has had a huge influence on all Balkan countries, and there is a reason to that – it’s simply irresistible!
While you won’t find much good food in typical tourist beach cities like Marmaris and Alanya, Istanbul has it all; Mezes, Pide, Dolmas, Kisir, Baklava – the list goes on.
But best of all is perhaps to sit down at a small cafe in one of the backstreets, order a cup of Turkish coffee and a plate of traditional turkish delights.
The only difficulty would be to avoid the tourist traps which serve boring food at very high prices – Doy Doy is a place I would recommend, they serve great, filling food with a load of extra bread for cheap prices.
Hungry yet? Which cities would YOU add to this list?
Sofia - As We Travel says
Hey Angus – thanks for sharing, we also LOVED the food in Lisbon, what was your fav. meal in Barcelona?
Sofia - As We Travel says
Thanks for the tip, I haven’t heard of that restaurant, will check it out next time!
Sofia - As We Travel says
Hi Lauriane, glad to hear you enjoy our site 🙂 Which cities would you add? I’m curious! We loved the food in Bergamo.
Sofia - As We Travel says
Nathan loved San Sebastian, I have yet to visit. But when I do I will check out the Pintxos bars over there 😉
One of my favorite foods in Spain has to be the “Tortilla de patatas” in baguette style, and cold. Loved having that for breakfast!
Sofia - As We Travel says
LOL :p We explained above why we didn’t include an Italian city – but yeah you are right, they do have SOME great food in Italy, however we personally preferred these 5 cities during our Europe Train Challenge. Which meals in Italy would you recommend as the best to try?
Sofia - As We Travel says
Hey Nadia – yeah VERY hard to narrow down the list – way too many great cities and great food to try in Europe! What are some of your fav. Scandinavian dishes?
Lauriane says
Hi guys, just letting you know that I’ve come across your blog and really enjoy it! 🙂
As for me, I’d definitely add a couple Italian cities to the food list!!
Angus Florance says
Ok …. Stop now! Drooling!
Slowfood says
How come you didn’t write any Italian city… O c’mon, is this really a travel blog??? .. Belgium but not Italy… LOL
Isabelle Kenis says
Love that Brussels is included in this list! Yes, the waffles are delicious and the chocolate to die for 🙂
Sofia - As We Travel says
oh yes haha I couldn’t have spent A LOT longer in Brussels – the perfect place for those with a sweet-tooth like me :p
Sofia - As We Travel says
haha I agree fresh Swedish cinnamon rolls are pretty good! 🙂 have you spent much time here in Sweden? Saw your site as well, looks like a great project.
Liv Gaunt says
Istanbul and Paris are definitely my faves – what a fantastic list. I would also suggest always eating wherever locals are eating, rather than in the tourist joints. Thanks for sharing!
Nadia | Gap Daemon says
This must’ve been such a hard list to narrow down! I think Parisian food is fab, but so expensive – grabbing a baguette and some stinky cheese much more my thing. Think you’re missing some Scandinavian cuisine though 😉
Nadia | Gap Daemon says
This must’ve been such a hard list to narrow down! I think Parisian food is fab, but so expensive – grabbing a baguette and some stinky cheese much more my thing. Think you’re missing some Scandinavian cuisine though 😉
Angus Florance says
Add Barcelona, Florence & Lisboa to that list!
Debbie Beardsley says
Maybe I’m not a real picky eater but I don’t know if I’ve been in a town that I didn’t enjoy the food! The best pizza I have ever had was in Geissen Germany!
Gerard Bao says
Cerveceria Catalana was my favorite tapas restaurant in BCN hands down and wasn’t too heavy on my wallet!
Angus Florance says
Before heading to Barcelona we were in San Sebastian in the north, and this is were we fell in love with Pintxos bars! While in Barcelona, there was a tiny little pintxos bar around the corner from our b&b that had the most amazing fresh food. The key is to always order of the menu, or at least get the food on the bar heated up. Sooooo good!!
Angus Florance says
Ok …. Stop now! Drooling!
Nadia | Gap Daemon says
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Come to think of it, mostly baked goods – I love the rye/carraway bread, the thin cheesy pancakes… goodness, I think I need to break for lunch now 🙂
Anonymous says
I’m hungry. However, what about a swiss cheese fondue?
Jenn says
Great list. Personally, I would add Madrid- love the classic spanish eats. Suckling pig, tortilla, croquetas, crema catalana, just to name a few favorites. I love the hearty, center of the country spanish fare. Casa Lucio is a great pick for an old style spanish meal.
Sofia - As We Travel says
I second that, the locals know exactly where to go to find the best food, and for some reason it seems as though restaurants attracting many tourists focus less on the quality and more on raising the price..!
Sofia - As We Travel says
That’s great! We’ve also been pretty happy about the food served in restaurants in Europe, but of course we have our favorites 😉
Sofia - As We Travel says
The Swiss cheese fondue, an unforgettable meal, yet for me, one that I can’t have too much of too often 😛
I can only have Swiss cheese fondue like twice a year, or it would be too much for me, haha!
Sofia - As We Travel says
Thanks for the tip! Crema catalana is really yummy, I love the crispy layer on top 😉
Tiffany Thegoodtravellife says
San Sebastian, Spain is #1 on my list. Pintxos of seafood and Iberico ham with a glass of Txokoli. It also has more Michelin stars than any other city in the world.
Cam says
LOVE the food in Turkey!
Sofia - As We Travel says
Really? I didn’t know that San Sebastian had more Michelin starts than any other city in the world.. I guess it’s time for me to go there and check it out, Nathan really enjoyed his time there.
Sofia - As We Travel says
Me too! Which food was your favorite?
Lauriane says
Any! Just for the great food that they have in Italy… but I’m about to go spend a week there, so I might be able to answer your question better when I get back! 🙂
Joya says
I agree London is a great place for food even though it gets a bad reputation. Every neighborhood has something to offer and the food markets like Borough Market are incredible. I would really love to visit Istanbul though and try their cuisine!
Sofia - As We Travel says
It’s really too bad that London has such a bad reputation when it comes to food, personally I think it’s a reputation that London got a long time ago and today is very outdated.
I agree, you can find some great markets, and the cuisine is incredibly varied.
Slobodan Rudić says
Hmmm, what about Belgrade, Serbia?
Unexpected Traveller says
The food can be spectacular in Brussels, that is true; but have you seen the weird drinks? http://wp.me/ppqxP-B0
Pathik says
Some people might not have heard of this wonderful place called Slovenia, but this definitely has the best food in all Europe hands down. Try pizzeria Bolero near Kranj, and you will never want to leave the restaurant. Its insane. Student menu is a 3 course which is served in most restaurants for only 1-3 euros! Finally, they speak English and will gladly advice you on vegetarian varieties!
Sofia - As We Travel says
I liked the food in Serbia, especially the bean dishes and the Serbian sweets you get with the coffee!
Sofia - As We Travel says
Thanks for the tip Pathik, sounds like a great meal for an unbeatable price!
I really enjoyed my time in Slovenia, it’s one of my favorite countries in Europe. And I love their hot chocolate drinks – they’re more like hot chocolate mousse!
a_dri says
Naples – Italy to taste the real flavour of pizza, pasta, fresh fish, tomatoes and espresso! Fantastic food also in Spain and Sicily (arancine, cassata, cannoli, fresh tuna and swordfish). Italy has amazing food, especially in the south.
Go Inspired says
What happenned with Spain or Italy? I would recommend some places either in spain or italy.
Mykonos says
I am from Thessaloniki, thank you for posting these info about my hometown 🙂
A Montrealer Abroad says
A very good sum up, although I am surprised to not see Italy in there. On the other hand, it’s hard to only pick 5 cities in the most deliciously flavored continent 🙂
I think I would pick London though. I do love the English classics, but I think that in London you can get the best variety of restaurants in Europe – killing two birds with one stone 🙂