To really see a city you also have to taste it, and that's why Viator Trip Advisor site specializing in the sale and booking of travel and leisure experiences around the world has compiled a ranking of nine cities with the highest gastronomy rate on the five continents. And in this ranking of the most acclaimed places in the world for good food, Modena conquers a great and honorable third place behind Paris and Tokyo, thanks to the prestige of the three-starred chef Massimo Bottura
“Chef Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Modena – reads the Viator article – has been named the best restaurant in the world twice. So yeah, technically that means the best pasta in the world can be found here. A restaurant reservation isn't easy, and if you're lucky enough to score a table, be prepared to spend almost 300 euros per person on the 12-course tasting menu. But even if you can't enter Osteria Francescana, know that Modena is full of many other excellent restaurants. The Michelin Guide has a list of acclaimed places to seek out, but let's be honest: it's pretty hard to eat badly in Italy. So go ahead and fill up on pasta, pizza, and fresh produce to your heart's (and stomach's) content."
At the top of the list is the eternal Paris of which Viator not only praises the restaurants of the high culinary school but also the small restaurants where everything is always a discovery of the solid gastronomic school. Paris is an easy destination for those who prioritize eating as much as sightseeing. Every local and every visitor has their own list of must-visit Parisian restaurants, but perhaps the best way to savor the city is spontaneously. The side streets are filled with inviting cafés and kitchens with hidden chefs cooking up delicacies. Of course, the wine, bread and cheese are more than enough to fill you up. Those there for the pastries should make a stop at Dessance in Le Marais, which serves a fruit and vegetable-focused dessert tasting menu that is unlike anything else available in the city.
To follow Tokyo, which has long been a sure point of reference for today's great cuisine. “As the city with the most 2- and 3-star Michelin restaurants in the world, Tokyo is brimming with high-end, high-end food. But you don't have to splurge on a luxury fare for a delightful trip across the city. Street vendors sell delicacies such as takoyoki (deep-fried octopus balls), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) and yakitori (meat skewers). In addition to street meals, Tokyo also offers authentic ramen which is typically drunk after a few Sapporo's to quench the drunken munchies.
After Modena, with its tortelli, ham, balsamic vinegar, its sausages, its cheeses comes Barcelona, a city "made for eating". The Viator editor advises tourists: ”Work up an appetite as you walk because lunch, which can last from one to three hours, is followed by tapas time (think of it as a pre-dinner match) and then dinner around 21pm: 00. When you're not sitting down to eat, pass through La Boqueria Market (Mercat de la Boqueria), filled with stalls selling fruit, meat, and fish, as well as full-service restaurants. And if you want to learn more about cooking, sign up for a class at La Boqueria, which will teach you tips and tricks about Spanish cooking."
The list then proceeds to Montreal where they are advised to head to La Fromagerie Atwater, which Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern has dubbed “the cheese shop of your dreams”; with Cape Town where the invitation is to "munch on traditional bites such as biltong, a type of dried meat made from beef or other game"; with Los Angeles where one can indulge in “one of the popular restaurants like the acclaimed Gjelina or the super trendy Sqirl, which consistently draws a long line for its breakfast toasties and crispy rice salads”.
Then follows Lima, a city that can boast more than one presence “in the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world, with Maido (a Japanese and Peruvian restaurant run by Peruvian-born chef Mitsuharu Tsumura), Astrid Y Gaston and Central, all present – and in some cases topping the list.”
It finally closes with Queens New York City. Viatopr suggests: “Hop on the 7 train, which travels through neighborhoods like Jackson Heights (for Indian and Thai), Elmhurst (for Malay), and Corona (for Mexican), and see where the scents take you. Don't overlook the food carts – some of the best bites in the neighborhood are sold by street vendors. For lovers of good food, Queens is also home to two Michelin-starred establishments: M. Wells Steakhouse and Casa Enrique, both in Long Island City”.
