What are the culinary capitals of the world? We have some ideas: our annual list of the world’s best cities for food is based on a survey of 18,500 locals, who all shared their take on the quality and affordability of their city’s dining scene.
While we think locals know best, Japanese rail ticket provider JR Pass has carried out some pretty comprehensive research to unveil its own ranking of the world’s best food cities – it wouldn’t hurt to look, would it?
The study evaluated everything from the number of five-star restaurants, Michelin-guide spots, food-based attractions and national dishes to the Global Food Security Index and the average meal price for two, crowning (drum roll, please) Paris as the foodie champion.
No, we aren’t shocked either. The French capital has more Michelin-guide and five-star rated restaurants than any other city on the ranking, proudly serves a whopping 12 national dishes and averages a fairly reasonable £58.85 for a two-person meal.
Want to know our favourite food spots in the French capital? Paris has roundups of the best cheap eats, veggie spots, bistros, romantic spaces, brunch stops and top restaurants overall – tuck in.
In second place was Athens, and in third place was Tokyo, but the likes of Ljubljana, Seoul and Reykjavik also made this ranking. Read on for the top 15.
These are the world’s 15 top foodie capitals, according to JR Pass
- Paris
- Athens
- Tokyo
- Zurich
- Amsterdam
- Prague
- Brussels
- Dublin
- Madrid
- Ljubljana
- London
- Seoul
- Copenhagen
- Reykjavik
- Riga
Fill your boots with more food news
Whether it’s news of a new Aperol spritz index or snaps from the World Food Photography Awards, a shiny new list of the best pizzerias, or the best restaurants on the planet overall, we can bet ’s travel news page will keep you satisfied.
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