If you’re a die-hard foodie with an incurable case of wanderlust, the best treatment is booking food trips offering tempting meal experiences. From street food in a bustling Vietnam market, a plate of pasta in Sardinia, or enjoying Aotearoa cuisine in New Zealand. In this article, we share our top 10 food destinations for 2023 (in no particular order) with inspiration from social media travelers who have a passion for food.
1. Halland, Sweden
When a local restaurant received the area’s first Michelin star, this tiny rural area suddenly became a magnet for award-winning restaurants and a beacon for food critics and foodies alike. Located among stunning forests, farmland, and coastlines, local chefs forage for ingredients instead of having them flown in. If you want to feel like you’re off the grid without sacrificing a unique tasting experience, Halland’s your destination.
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Must-try dish: Well, it’s not exactly a dish. Fika is a daily ritual in Sweden. Much like a Canadian coffee break, Fika is something you must enjoy when in Halland. This is far from the muffin and coffee of North America. Instead, it is a time-honoured tradition turned art form, with an impressive selection of fresh baked goods. The cinnamon and cardamom rolls are scrumptious—and so beloved by locals that it can be hard to decide between them and seasonal offerings adorned with fresh fruit. Your best bet? Try both.
2. Sardinia, Italy
We know, we know. Italy on a foodie travel list, how original. But have you had the pleasure of exploring Sardinia? This hidden gem on a quiet island has a food scene that’s recently made its way into the limelight. It’s a rural spot with stunning views and has a remote feeling that makes you feel like you are away from it all. When visiting, capital city Cagliari is the place to discover local flavours passed down in generational family recipes. Imagine dining on spit-roasted suckling pig, lifting your glass of wine to toast the chef, and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like to eat in Sardinia.
Must-try dish: Although you can enjoy all kinds of handmade pasta in Italy, culurgiones is Sardinia’s must-try. The plump, fluffy dumplings are stuffed with a simple filling of mashed potato, garlic, and cheese for a solid hit of delicious carbs.
3. Auckland, New Zealand
Celebration of the Māori community in New Zealand has taken over local restaurants in the form of traditional foods made with local ingredients. You’ll find local chefs exploring the country’s naturally-grown ingredients, and returning to original Maori names once replaced by English terms, to create menus that honour Aotearoa cuisine.
Must-try dish: mutton slow-cooked in traditional Maori earth ovens called hāngī, served with pumpkin, potato and sweet potato (or kumara as it’s known in New Zealand). Be sure to leave room for hāngī-steamed pudding for dessert.
4. Las Vegas, United States
The United States is known for innovation, and its food scenes are no exception. Celebrity and celebrated chefs alike can be found all over Las Vegas, Nevada, making this city of games, lights, and tourists a surprising culinary destination. Feel free to skip the hotel buffets and instead create an itinerary of great meals from world-renowned chefs.
Must try dish: Lobster pot pie from Michael Mina. In the heart of the Bellagio hotel is a self-titled restaurant from chef Michael Mina. While Mina has four restaruants on the Las Vegas strip, this one is well known for its fresh take on seafood—so fresh that it is flown in daily on a private plane. The lobster pot pie is a popular selection, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
5. Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemala City offers the best of both worlds, with an emerging restaurant scene thriving alongside traditional vendors. The city is home to a growing number of creative spaces in the arts district, Quatro Grados Norte, where you can also find Indigenous cooks serving traditional Mayan foods, as well as all kinds of street food.
Must-try dish: Tostadas are the street snack in Guatemala. Each snack begins with a wavy corn tortilla and a smear of mayo layered with your choice of globally-influenced toppings, from chow mein noodles and cheese, to picnic-style potato salad and refried beans.
6. Manila, Philippines
Manila dining has shifted to true Filipino food sourced from the archipelago. Food is served wherever you’ll find people, from cocktail bars to funky cafés, street vendor stands to contemporary restaurants.
Must-try dish: Kare-kare is the go-to meal in Manila. The story goes this hearty oxtail stew was whipped up to resemble the curries Indian soldiers missed when they came to the island on British ships. Packed with vegetables like daikon and eggplant, the fragrant sauce is made with annatto seeds and peanut butter, creating a satay-like flavour brought to life with a finishing spoonful of a shrimp paste, called bagoong.
7. Cambridge, England
Cambridge’s historic location along the River Cam is so charming it’s almost unbearable. But the real star of the city, other than its namesake University, is the eclectic selection of local pubs. Grab a pint, scarf down a heartwarming meal, and chat with the locals.
Must-try dish: Pub food. All and any! Each pub has its own pub fare, which can include fish and chips, curries, fusion cuisine, hearty Shepherd’s pies, and a complete Sunday roast. Hungry as soon as you wake? Feast on a traditional English breakfast: a platter of eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, and baked beans, with toast to sop everything up.
8. Kolkata, India
As eastern India’s biggest city, Kolkata is a place where art and fashion are becoming more dominant, and food is mostly traditional and comforting. You’ll find eateries that serve tried and true traditional Indian food that has been around for decades, but you’ll also discover local chefs willing to push the envelope with less traditional menus. Either way, you’re getting a unique mix of spices, aromas that awaken your appetite, and hot peppers that shock your taste buds. From homestyle Bengali food to authentic Kolkata cuisine, you’ll be in foodie heaven.
Must-try dish: Anything sweet. While sweets may not be what first jumps to mind when you think of Kolkata, Indian desserts deserve their rightful place on the foodie map. What makes the sweets found in Kolkata even more intriguing is that many of the bakeries in the “City of Joy” are over a century old. Sample sweet offerings like deep-fried amriti, sandesh made of decoratively moulded sweet cottage cheese, the custardy goodness of darbesh served in clay pots, or roshogolla, which are cheese balls stewed in a delightfully aromatic syrup.
9. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
The Phạm Viết Chánh area of Ho Chi Minh offers an eclectic mix of street vendors, modern cafes, markets serving fresh seafood, and even the unexpected pizzeria. This is where young locals fill cocktail bars pulsing with DJ beats, and plastic garden chairs indicate where cold beer is sold. Food can be found on every corner, and in hidden alleyways even many locals don’t know exist. This is a place where authentic food and fusion dishes are served hot and fresh, which is a key feature of any culinary hotspot.
Must-try dish: Ho Chi Minh City has its own version of the popular Vietnamese sandwich, banh mi, served high with stacks of meat, fresh herbs, and an assortment of condiments that provide next-level taste. Although many argue the crusty yet airy bread is the star, it’s hard to beat the flavour of the assorted cold cuts, “thịt nguội,”
10. Grenada
Part of the Windward Islands in the West Indies, Grenada is known as the world’s first culinary capital. Why? Because the entire island is alive with the heady fragrance of spices, including spice rack staples like nutmeg, allspice, cocoa, clove, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and fresh bay leaves. This island, where all of these flavourful ingredients grow in abundance, can’t help but have amazing food.
Must-try dish: Oil down is a hearty stew, not to mention the national dish of Grenada. It blends island-grown spices with vegetables and meat, slow-cooked with coconut milk to create a fragrant broth enriched with the golden hue of turmeric and an underlying flavour of invigorating ginger. Oil downs include a long list of ingredients from chicken wings to pumpkin, salted fish to breadfruit.
Getting There
Wherever “there” might be, you can use the AIR MILES® Reward Program™ to help bring your trip to life. Look no further for flights, car rentals, cruises, and even luggage. You can redeem Dream Miles for travel or earn up to 200 AIR MILES® Reward Miles™ when you pay with a credit card. Keep that travel loop going by earning Dream Miles on your travel with our amazing travel partners and then using those Miles to book your next culinary adventure! Wherever your tastes bud lead you, AIR MILES is ready to satisfy your appetite for travel. Terms apply. Visit for full details.
