Bucket-list places to eat

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Bucket-list places to eat
Holiday guide

Bucket-list places to eat

Food, for many us, is the very reason we go on holidays in the first place. So grab your fork, pick up your chopsticks, and get ready to tuck in to the world’s greatest culinary destinations.

Matria in Peru is a top-notch restaurant that’s actually easy to get a table at.
Opinion

Forget ‘World’s 50 Best’. Here are my (realistic) 50 greatest restaurants

Some are expensive, some cheap; some formal, some relaxed – but all are representative of their location and can easily be booked if you’re visiting on a holiday.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Hillside Kitchen relies on foraged ingredients.

The world’s top 10 places to eat and drink in 2025

Innovative food and wine adventures await in locations such as New Zealand, Georgia, Thailand, Peru and Tasmania.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Ten top chefs reveal where they’d eat their last meal on Earth

Ten top chefs reveal where they’d eat their last meal on Earth

If you could only eat one more meal in your life, what would it be? We asked some well-known foodies and their responses all have one thing in common.

  • by Ben Groundwater
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Khinkali, phali, chahokhbili, lobio, cheese and eggplant rolls: Georgia is one of the great food and wine destinations.

The world’s most underrated countries for food

If you’re looking for your next great meal in this moveable feast we call life, it might be time to head to these often-overlooked places.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Fields, vineyards and the villages of Fira and Oia, Santorini, Greece.

The world’s six greatest wine regions, according to experts

Where do people who are obsessed with wine go on holidays? You guessed it - they go to wine regions. This is what they drink, eat and do there.

  • by Ben Groundwater
The Japanese will queue for something if it’s good, whether from ramen (above) to udon, katsudon to kakigori, gyudon to gyoza.
Opinion

Is any meal worth queuing more than an hour for? Yes, these ones

Some places are simply not worth the wait (hello, In-N-Out Burger and Cinnabon), but there are others where queuing for an hour or more is time well spent.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Dimes Square natural wine bar Le Dive.

No bookings required: The coolest place to eat in New York

Unlike Australia’s most talked-about restaurants, you don’t book a table at Dimes Square’s establishments. It’s good, but it’s chaotic good.

  • by Melissa Mason
Budapest’s Cafe New York claims to be the world’s most beautiful cafe – and it’s difficult to mount a counter-argument.

The 37 most beautiful cafes on Earth

A visit to a cafe, especially the grandest ones, can be as important as a cathedral, a museum, an ancient ruin or a modern architectural marvel.

Experimental and authentic ... dishes from Virgilio Martínez’s Central restaurant in Lima.

Forget France and Italy: This is now the world’s greatest country for food

Food is becoming Peru’s new Machu Picchu, attracting gourmands and those who just love to eat with its unique cuisines and exceptional ingredients.

  • by Ben Groundwater
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A chef cooks at a street side restaurant in Bangkok.

Who needs restaurants? The world’s 10 best places for cheap eats

Street food and local snacks are the only way to go if you’re after delicious, authentic dishes that won’t hit your hip pocket.

  • by Ben Groundwater
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Authentic, traditional, delicious: The world’s best destinations for street food

There are few things better for the gastronomically obsessed traveller than street food.

  • by Ben Groundwater
How to eat at top restaurants overseas for half the price

How to eat at top restaurants overseas for half the price

Call for your bill after lunch at a fine-dining restaurant in Japan and you'll think there's been some sort of mistake.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Armando al Pantheon is moments from Rome’s Pantheon.

Avoid dodgy tourist traps: Where to eat near Europe’s top attractions

It’s possible to have a memorable meal in the shadow of a famous attraction – you just need some insider knowledge.

  • by Oliver Smith
Rachel Lang

You can’t book for Japan’s best restaurants, but this Aussie can get you in

You can’t make a booking at Sushi Saito, Japan’s best sushi restaurant. You won’t get a seat at Sushi Amamoto either. It just won’t happen. Not without Melburnian Rachel Lang.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Matt Moran: Singapore on the menu.

Chef Matt Moran names the best places to eat in Singapore

Few places on Earth deliver a better dining experience than Singapore. Acclaimed chef Matt Moran dishes up on where to go and what to order.

  • by Ben Groundwater
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The Menu is a brutal satire of foodie culture.
Opinion

The world’s fanciest restaurants are ridiculous (and so am I)

Sometimes I eat at fine-dining restaurants when I travel. But some of the world’s best tread a fine line between breathtaking genius and outrageous BS.

  • by Ben Groundwater
How to book a restaurant that’s impossible to get into

How to book a restaurant that’s impossible to get into

An entire months’ worth of reservations can be gobbled up in seconds. So how do you get into these places?

  • by Ben Groundwater
Casa Enrique’s a la carte menu is far more budget friendly that New York’s other Michelin-starred restaurants.

New York’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant keeps it simple

New York’s best restaurants are among the most expensive in the world, but Casa Enrique remains friendly to the budget.

  • by Ute Junker
Good things, small packages: Eight countries that excel at small dishes

Good things, small packages: Eight countries that excel at small dishes

Australia didn't invent small-plate dining – but we copied it from some of the world's finest gastronomic cultures.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Fatty's restaurant, Singapore: The restaurant Qantas pilots flock to

Fatty's restaurant, Singapore: The restaurant Qantas pilots flock to

For more than 70 years, Qantas pilots landing in Singapore have been heading to one restaurant for dinner.

  • by Mark Hofmeyer
World's best hotel cocktails: Six bucket-list drinks

World's best hotel cocktails: Six bucket-list drinks

These six hotels are worth visiting just to get a taste of their speciality cocktails.

  • by Sue Wallace
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The world's 10 best food markets you must visit

The world's 10 best food markets you must visit

If you want to wrap your tongue around some great local food, here's where to go when hunger calls.

  • by Brian Johnston
World's oldest restaurant: The surprising thing about Sobrino de Botin in Madrid

World's oldest restaurant: The surprising thing about Sobrino de Botin in Madrid

Ernest Hemingway named it one of the best restaurants in the world, but how does it stack up in one of the great culinary capitals?

  • by Alex Mitcheson
Tokyo places to eat: Why Japan's capital is the world's best city for food

Tokyo places to eat: Why Japan's capital is the world's best city for food

Tokyo has the world's best food, argues Ben Groundwater, whose new book, Neon Lights in Tokyo, explains why this city of almost 40 million people eats better than anywhere else.

  • by Ben Groundwater
The 10 'other' Asian national dishes you should dig into

The 10 'other' Asian national dishes you should dig into

We're all familiar with nasi goreng and pad thai, but here are 10 other national dishes to dig into when in Asia.

  • by Brian Johnston
Best small dishes around the world: The 10 greatest bite-size meals

Best small dishes around the world: The 10 greatest bite-size meals

Good things come in small packages - some of the world's best dishes prove that when it comes to tasty food, bigger doesn't mean better.

  • by Ben Groundwater