The World's Top 10 Cities For Street Food

The World's Top 10 Cities For Street Food

VirtualTourist surveyed its members about their favorite eat streets around the world. From Central America and across Europe, North Africa to Southeast Asia, the pickings are lush and sometimes surprising. 

Prepare to salivate.

10 - Ambergris Caye, Belize

OK, so technically this one's "dock food" and not "street food," but after a day snorkeling it's hard to argue with a refreshing meal of snapper or barracuda served at a stand fresh off the boat. Between September 30 and April 24, just-caught conch - shown here - is the specialty, in fritters, ceviche and more.

Find hotel in Belize Click Here

9 - Brussels, Belgium

As headquarters of much of the administration of the European Union, Brussels's fine dining scene is one of the world's best. Yet everyone's favorite food seems to be frites (French fries) with a head-spinning choice of sauces from humble mayonnaise to a zingy pepper-packed Brazilian take on ketchup. Get them in cones with tiny forks or with the old standby of moules (mussels) in broth. For dessert or a snack, VirtualTourist says that the waffles - topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, strawberries and/or chocolate "are alone worth the trip on the Eurostar."

Find hotel in Belgium Click Here

8 - Mexico City, Mexico

Pull up your socks, lest they be knocked off by the sheer variety and aha! factor of Mexico City antojitos (street food). Case in point: elote, roasted corn on the cob coated in mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili flakes, and a squeeze of lime. Market buildings such as Mercado Allende in the Coyoacan neighborhood (pictured) brim with stalls selling ceviche, juices squeezed before your eyes and candies made from chile-coated mango or gooey tamarind. For something more familiar, try tacos al pastor (filled with pineapple and pork), or churros (tube-shaped donuts) filled with chocolate.

Find hotel in Mexico Click Here

7 - Istanbul, Turkey

You probably know döner (lamb, chicken, or beef on grilled on a vertical skewer and served in pita bread) even if you didn't know its Turkish name. Less familiar dishes include simit (ring-shaped bread topped with toasted sesame seeds), lahmacun (sometimes called Turkish pizza, flatbread topped with minced vegetables and/or ground meat and bold spices) and midye dolma (stuffed mussels). For a sandwich of fresh grilled mackerel, head to the area around the ferry docks near the Galata Bridge.

Find hotel in Turkey Click Here

6 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Visit the Ben Thanh or Binh Tay Markets for a mix of French colonial cooking techniques with Southeast Asian spices and ingredients. Pho (noodle soups), bánh mì (sandwiches) and spring rolls are making their way into the American food scene, but don't overlook other local dishes like cơm tấm (cooked broken rice) topped with a fried egg and bo la lot (seasoned beef in a leaf). VirtualTourist cautions travelers to choose stalls with high turnover, since Vietnamese street food health standards aren’t as stringent as elsewhere.

Find hotel in Vietnam Click Here

5 - Palermo, Italy

Italy is normally a slow-food, sit-and-eat kind of country, so VirtualTourist was surprised by the variety of street food in Palermo, the capital of the island of Sicily. Fried food finds include arancini (rice balls stuffed with meat sauce and cheese), crocche (potato balls), panelle (chick pea fritters), and cardoni (stalks of cardoon, aka. artichoke thistle). And of course, they do a mean Sicilan pizza. 

Find hotel in Italy Click Here

4 - Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech’s old city, the Medina, is one of the most colorful places we know, and not just for the bold hues of the heaping bowls of olives and barrels of heady spices (saffron, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, white pepper and more) for sale. About 100 food stalls populate the main square, Djemaa el Fna, where wooden tables are set up for you to enjoy roast lamb and couscous, eggplant, kebabs, shwarma, harira (soup of tomato and spiced chickpeas) and tagine (meats and vegetables stewed in a ceramic dish with a conical lid). 

Find hotel in Morocco Click Here

3 - Penang, Malaysia

Virtual Tourist readers sing the praises of the street food of this island state of the northwest coast of the Malaysian peninsula, particularly the Little India and Chinatown areas of Georgetown. Look for char koay teow (stir-fried rice noodles), assam laksa (a tart, hot and sour fish soup), roti (Indian-influenced flatbread), and satays of beef, chicken or pork.

Find hotel in Malaysia Click Here

2 - Singapore

Singapore's a crosscultural crossroads: Chinese, Malay, Peranakan (a Malay-Chinese hybrid), Indian and a world's worth of other cuisines. Year-round balmy weather and hundreds of food stalls in indoor-outdoor halls make this a capital of street food from satay to tender steamed Hainan chicken (with ginger-scallion topping over savory rice), or kaya toast (a sandwich of coconut jam) washed down with strong coffee. You might find all these cultures represented in a bowl of laksa (pictured), noodles in coconut curry soup with a choice of meat, tofu, seafood and condiments.

Find hotel in Singapore Click Here

1 - Bangkok, Thailand

Virtual Tourist ranks Thailand's capital No. 1 "for the variety of locations and abundance of options." Hot spots include the U-shaped lane Soi Rambuttri off Khao San Raod and near the temple Wat Chana Songkhram, and Soi 38 near Sukhumvit Road. Look for green papaya salad, chicken in green curry, pad Thai (fun fact: it means "fried Thai-style"), and mango sticky rice for a sensuous finish to your journey.

Find hotel in Thailand Click Here