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These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out

Aerial View of Naples, Italy. (Pexels.com / Kelly) Aerial View of Naples, Italy. (Pexels.com / Kelly)
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Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination鈥檚 cultural offerings 鈥 shortlisting the best museums and galleries to visit. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event.

But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food. These are the travellers that wake up on the first day of the trip excited for all the culinary delights awaiting them: from sprawling markets offering local delicacies to late-night street food, to independent restaurants serving distinctive dishes you won鈥檛 forget any time soon.

It鈥檚 these gourmand travellers Time Out had in mind when the global media organization put together a 

鈥淔ood is everything when travelling,鈥 Grace Beard, Time Out鈥檚 travel editor told CNN Travel. 鈥淎 good (or bad) meal can make or break a trip 鈥 it鈥檚 usually one of the things we remember most.鈥

Coming in at number one on Time Out鈥檚 list is the Italian city of Naples, the oft-rumoured birthplace of pizza. Unsurprisingly, the cheesy delights of pizza margherita gets a shout-out in Time Out鈥檚 list as the city鈥檚 鈥渕ust-eat dish鈥 鈥 but sumptuous pasta dish Neapolitan rag霉 and sweet sfogliatella are also namechecked.

To compile the round-up, Time Out surveyed thousands of citydwellers across the globe, quizzing these locals on the food options in their city, with a focus on quality and affordability. Time Out editors sifted through the results, including the highest-scoring city for each country in the resulting ranking.

Pizza and more

For travellers keen to sample authentic pizza in Naples, Time Out suggests heading to pizzeria , located in the city鈥檚 Spanish quarter.

Santa Maradona鈥檚 owner Andrea Viviani told CNN Travel it was a 鈥減leasure鈥 to be spotlighted by Time Out, although he added that 鈥渃onsidering Naples only as a food destination is truly a waste.鈥

鈥淔ood is certainly an important part of our culture, but Naples is much, much more,鈥 said Viviani. 鈥淭he idea of Santa Maradona is precisely this: to convey all the facets of Naples.鈥

Viviani鈥檚 restaurant, he explained, is a celebration not just of pizza 鈥 but also football. It鈥檚 named in honour of Argentinian soccer player Diego Armando Maradona, who played for the Naples team in the 1980s.

While Viviani hopes travellers coming to Naples will enjoy more than just the food, he added that it鈥檚 exciting that many travellers come to the city with 鈥渁 great desire to learn about our tradition and taste our fantastic pizzas.鈥

At number two on Time Out鈥檚 list is the South African city of Johannesburg, with Time Out quoting Johannesburg food writer Thando Moleketi-Williams, who recommends the central neighbourhood of Braamfontein and spots including wine bar  on De Beer Street, and restaurant and gallery space . Time Out declares the city鈥檚 must-eat dish is kota sandwich, a stuffed bread featuring tasty ingredients such as potato chips, sausage, egg or cheese, and also spotlights bunny chow, a South African street food featuring curry, meat or beans stuffed inside bread.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And rounding out Time Out鈥檚 top three is Lima, Peru, where Time Out recommends visitors try signature dishes ceviche and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). The city鈥檚 Central restaurant, recently named as number one in the 2023 World鈥檚 50 Best Restaurants awards, naturally gets a mention too.

Prioritizing affordability

Other cities on the list include Ho Chi Minh City (number four), Beijing (number five) and Bangkok (number six).

The commonality between all the cities on the list is they鈥檙e 鈥渦ndergoing a culinary renaissance鈥 or they鈥檙e 鈥減articularly buzzing right now, according to Time Out鈥檚 Grace Beard.

Beard told CNN Travel that 鈥渁ffordability played as much a role as quality in creating this ranking鈥 and the editors were looking for cities 鈥渨here good-quality meals are accessible to travellers on every budget.鈥

The top U.S. city on Time Out鈥檚 ranking was Portland, Ore. 鈥 at number 10. According to Time Out, Portland is another must-visit spot for pizza lovers, with Mexican pizza 鈥 a pizza topped with taco ingredients 鈥 was named by locals as the city鈥檚 best-value dish.

In the U.K., the city of Liverpool just missed out on a spot on Time Out鈥檚 top 10, coming in at number 11. Time Out shouted out the city鈥檚 signature city dish of Scouse 鈥 a rich stew usually comprised of beef or lamb 鈥 and what Liverpool-based writer Alice Porter calls a 鈥渃lutch of brand new foodie ventures,鈥 such as , a restaurant named in the Michelin Guide.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Time Out鈥檚 Best Cities for Food 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, UAE
10. Portland, USA
11. Liverpool, UK
12. Medell铆n, 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

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