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.
- Opinion
The world’s 14 iconic dishes you must try in their home cities
Some dishes are synonymous with certain cities, and you have to eat the real deal at least once.
- Ben Groundwater
- 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.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
Solo traveller? There’s no better country for eating out than here
Too many times, I’ve been to countries where the solo diner is treated like something to be shoved in the corner.
- Paul Marshall
Forget the hotel buffet, for breakfast you can’t go past this $3 dish
There’s normally no reason to be on Bangkok’s streets before 8am, but the best way to start your day in this city is a visit to this noodle shop.
- Ben Groundwater
You may not have heard of this place, but you’ve probably tasted its produce
It’s home to one of the world’s largest man-made forests, but this Spanish region remains under the radar. Blame Italy’s superior marketing.
- Shaney Hudson
In this city, snacks come fast and cheap, but you won’t be able to stop at one
In historic markets and neighbourhood hangouts, treats abound for those on a budget.
- Julia D'Orazio
The world’s 10 must-try dishes so iconic, the UN recognises them
These are 10 of the world’s most iconic, UNESCO-listed dishes – and the street stands, family restaurants and market stalls where you can eat them.
- Sophie Dickinson
Think you know Korean food? A visit to this city will show you know nothing
If you love markets, street food and eating, you’ll love Korea’s second-largest city.
- Ben Groundwater
When it comes to great food, New Zealand is cutting Australia’s lunch
New Zealand’s set to show up its trans-Tasman culinary cousins with its soon-to-be-published first-ever Michelin Guide.
- Ben Groundwater
Forget pizza and pasta: Italy’s best food is a sandwich in this hilltop town
The true foodie must look beyond Rome or Naples. Round the back of a church, to be precise, in a small, hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop.
- Russell Higham
Beyond moussaka: The foodies’ guide to Greek dishes you must try
Local specialties exist all over Greece – at a seafood shack in Rhodes, village tavern in northern Greece or city restaurant in the shadow of the Acropolis.
- Kate Armstrong
Asian stopover favourite now has some of the world’s best cocktail bars
From discreet shophouses to glamorous hotel lounges, Singapore has a wealth of innovative bars that feature prominently on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
- Julietta Jameson
This Aussie city’s dining scene is underrated and full of surprises
South Australia’s capital has long excelled when it comes to produce. Now local chefs have joined the party, breathing new life into Adelaide’s dining scene.
- Alexis Buxton-Collins
Naples is renowned for pizza but I found something better
If you don’t try this dish in its birthplace, you haven’t really been. But Naples excels in a lot more.
- Michael Gebicki
There’s a new, bucket-list reason to head to Phuket
I’ve visited Thailand more than 40 times, and lived there several years, yet have never known the pleasure of this blissful food until now.
- Kristie Kellahan
Crossover cuisine: The world’s 10 best cities for non-local food
Sometimes a great version of a cuisine exists in a place far from where it originated.
- Ute Junker
- Opinion
I’m often asked the best places to eat overseas. This takes the cake
I tell them about the best bistros, Michelin-star diners and yum cha palaces. Then I reveal the really important thing – where to find the best cake.
- Terry Durack
Australian barbecues have nothing on this meat-crazed country
As a visitor to Argentina with no local friends or familial ties, can you experience a real asado – a proper family-style get-together? No. That is, until now.
- Ben Groundwater
Forget Michelin stars, this is now the biggest attraction for foodie travellers
The lines at Paris’ now-famous bakeries can often be longer than for the city’s museums.
- Hannah Meltzer
- Opinion
Breakfast the most important meal of the day? Not for travellers
A lot of Australians have also been conditioned to believe that dinner is the major meal of the day. But that’s a mistake too.
- Ben Groundwater
- Opinion
The 15 things you need to know to eat well overseas
Over years of travelling and restaurant reviewing I adopted some sneaky strategies for dining well around the globe. Use this guide wisely.
- Terry Durack
- Opinion
If I ever get a booking at this restaurant I’ll hop straight on a plane
This is the pinnacle of worldwide cuisine. Almost no one gets to experience it, so I’d definitely fork out for a flight to get there.
- Ben Groundwater
In a city of many great restaurants, I had the most memorable meal of my life
In New Orleans, excellent meals are many – but an evening at one restaurant stands out.
- Carrie Hutchinson
- Opinion
Out with the new, in with the old: Europe’s most iconic ancient restaurants
Some dishes and restaurants stand the test of time for good reason.
- Terry Durack
The world’s next great food destination is not where you expect
This is a nation with a long history of culinary excellence, and a strong modern culture keeping it alive. But tourists are only just cottoning on now.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
- 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.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Melissa Mason
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.
Ten top chefs reveal where they’d eat their last meal on Earth
If you could only eat one more meal, anywhere in the world, where would it be? We asked some well-known chefs and their responses all have one thing in common.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
Authentic, traditional, delicious: The world’s best destinations for street food
There are few things better for the gastronomically obsessed traveller than street food.
- Ben Groundwater
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.
- Ben Groundwater
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