A few days ago, our blog colleagues wrote 4000 miles about best food they have eaten while travelling. The post took us on a journey from Japan to Croatia, and we started thinking... in which countries have we had the best food experiences? Today we present the 10 best food countries in the world - according to us.
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
ShareOur list is based entirely on our own experiences and preferences. We start with the 10th best food country and slowly work our way up... to number one on the list of the 10 best food countries in the world.
Table of contents
10th Poland
What, Poland - a food country, you might think. Poland isn't the land of fine dining, but nowhere else have we encountered such good roadside restaurants and so much fast food that tastes homemade. Here you'll find everything from smoked fish to steamed pies, soup and duck with cabbage. Usually simple, but always cooked with love!
- Don't miss out: Soppan Zurek
- Best restaurant memory: Spacialy Regionalne in Warsaw
9. Vietnam
When we think of Asian food, we immediately think of Vietnam! The food here is crisp and fresh and it feels like every dish is made with ingredients straight from the market. Lots of flavour, but not strong. Best of all, of course, are the wonderful fresh spring rolls.
- Don't miss: Fresh spring rolls
- Best restaurant memory: Cookery course in Hoi An
8. China
Chinese food has an unfairly bad reputation in Sweden. Sure, a suburban Chinese restaurant can cough up an acceptable meal, but it can't be mentioned in the same sentence as right Chinese food. Many small dishes in the middle of the table, lots of vegetables and an explosion of flavours. I can really longing for real Chinese food.
- Don't miss: Peking duck
- Best restaurant memory: Peking Duck in the centre of Beijing
7. Spain
Spain is of course associated with things like air-dried ham, olives, tapas and pinxtos. And what could be better than sun-ripened flavours and picnic food? We also want to highlight Iberico meat, which is awesome!
- Don't miss: Meat from Iberico pigs
- Best restaurant memory: Cosy tapas shop in Barcelona
6. Greece
Peter only spent a few days in Kassandra, Greece, but he was hooked. There were two things that made him love Greece: the people and the food. He brought home Greek olive oil, spices and a desire to cook sardines.
- Don't miss: Sardines
- Best restaurant memory: Eat7 in Kassandra, Greece
5. Czech Republic
Are you surprised that the Czech Republic got such a high ranking? We are too! In the Czech Republic you can partly get down-to-earth basic home cooking like duck and soup, and partly modern and creative cooking with many interesting small dishes using the country's local produce.
- Don't miss out: Czech white wine
- Best restaurant memory: Entrée in Olomouc and Oblaca in Prague
4. Sweden
Let's not forget Sweden as a food country! How about fresh Smögen prawns, char and perch? Or maybe some fresh wild mushrooms? A lot of good things can be made with Swedish ingredients, and Swedish restaurants are often creative and brave.
- Don't miss out: All good fish
- Best restaurant memory: Tasting menu at the Stadshuskällaren restaurant
3. France
What we like about the food in France is that the lowest level is high, the highest level is even higher and you don't have to deal with identical menus in every restaurant. The French have fantastic seafood to offer, and they also know how to make sauces, soups and gratins. Yum!
- Don't miss out: Duck liver pâté and mussels
- Best restaurant memory: An interesting lunch in Sète
2nd Latvia
Riga, the capital of Latvia, has become a foodie city like no other. It has evolved from a Soviet state with empty supermarket shelves to a highly conscious city. Its many good restaurants utilise local ingredients and develop traditional recipes to suit the modern globetrotter. As a result, they come second on our list!
- Don't miss out: Black balsam
- Best restaurant memory: Restaurant Elements in Riga
1st Iceland
Drumroll! Of all the great countries and all the great flavours, Iceland is the winner. That's because hardly on the traditional Icelanders' Porra dishesbut on their ability to combine fresh local ingredients, such as fish, poultry and lamb, with modern influences from other cultures. We tried tasting menu after tasting menu in the restaurants in town and never wanted to leave the country ...
- Don't miss: Seafood
- Best restaurant experience: Fish Market
You might also like:
Cypriot food - 20 dishes and delicacies in Cyprus
What do you eat in the Philippines? - 15 Filipino specialities
What to eat in Uzbekistan? - 12 Uzbek delicacies
Turkish cuisine - 20 dishes and delicacies of Turkey
Durian, the king of fruits - Auntie Anna's fruit session
Tapas: a flavourful journey through Spain
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski
Diana says:
USA, Italy, Spain and Sweden of course hugs
05 December 2017 - 7:33
Helena says:
Interesting to hear your choices! We've never been to the US, so we can't comment on that food. Italy is not very high on our list, but we know that many people are very fond of Italian food!
05 December 2017 - 22:27
Fantasy Dining says:
Japan ?
05 December 2017 - 8:21
Helena says:
We've never been to Japan... but we'd love to go there, including to try the food!
05 December 2017 - 22:28
Åsa says:
You forgot Portugal! See my post...
05 December 2017 - 8:25
Helena says:
We had great food in Portugal, but they still didn't make our top 10 list. Then it all depends on which restaurants you end up in, etc. Will check out your post! 🙂
05 December 2017 - 22:30
Anonymous says:
okay where is the post, sike man no post here portugal has only seagull guts
27 October 2021 - 10:46
Liniz Travel says:
Something to think about
Indeed!!! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 hugs
05 December 2017 - 8:33
Helena says:
Great if we can inspire! 🙂
05 December 2017 - 22:30
None says:
What a fun post! You must go to Thailand, the food there is insanely good. Agree about most countries, although I would turn the list upside down haha here are our top three: 1.Thailand 2.Vietnam 3. Poland
05 December 2017 - 8:41
Helena says:
Nice to hear about your top 3! Funny that you also like Poland! We have been to Thailand and like the food there, but they still didn't make it to our top list. I do not like to eat with a spoon, do not know if it affected me? 😉 Then it all depends on where you end up, what kind of travelling you've done etc...
05 December 2017 - 22:32
Johnny Friskilä says:
I have my two favourites. They are Pakistan and South Korea. Then I think Italy might end up in third place. Then you can have different experiences of a country depending on luck and bad luck and where you are in the country. I have paid for really disgusting food in France, Spain and Greece. However, I know that these countries also have a lot of good things to offer.
05 December 2017 - 8:43
Helena says:
Interesting! We haven't been to Pakistan or South Korea, but they sound like interesting food countries! As for Spain, we have somewhat the same experience as you actually. You can get really good food there, but also really bad ...
05 December 2017 - 22:33
Only British says:
India, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary (deer and pancake, paprika culture etc. etc.), Vietnam, Japan, China and the UK (crab sandwiches, pork belly with apple sauce, sticky toffee pudding, cheese & onion pasty...).
05 December 2017 - 9:06
Helena says:
Great to hear about your favourites! We haven't been to India... I like Indian food in Sweden, but I guess it's still completely different there. We also have pretty good experience with Hungary, even though they didn't make it to our top list. The UK is rarely high on these lists, so it's nice to see someone picking out the positives. Almost all food cultures have something good, if you know where to look for it!
05 December 2017 - 22:37
Ditte says:
Fun post ! As for food around the world, in no particular order, I choose the countries that I have particularly good food China, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Singapore (where all of Asia is represented) and Belgium.
I am fond of Japanese food, but since I have not been to Japan it is not on the list.
05 December 2017 - 9:35
Helena says:
Great to hear about your favourite food countries Ditte! Just like you, we love Asian food. Among other things. We have never been to Singapore. When it comes to Japanese food, we say just like you. We love Japanese, but we've never been to the country ourselves so it's not on the list... yet 😉.
05 December 2017 - 22:39
Mr Steve says:
I haven't visited most of these countries so I'll have to go by what you think. Iceland as number 1 is a surprise. Agree with Peter's judgement on Greece. I too love the people and the food. The food itself may not be that sumptuous, but in combination with the people it is hard to beat.
05 December 2017 - 9:41
Helena says:
Food doesn't always have to be sumptuous, but if it's fresh ingredients and cooked with care, it can go a long way. Combined with a good atmosphere, it can be hard to beat!
05 December 2017 - 22:40
Bosse and Gerd says:
Belgium and Switzerland are in the Top 10 - very high quality restaurant food regardless of the class of the restaurant!
05 December 2017 - 10:58
Helena says:
Great votes for Belgium and Switzerland! We've had some great food experiences there too, even though those countries didn't make our top list. However, a little too much cheese in Switzerland for our taste haha 😉.
05 December 2017 - 22:42
snort says:
I think Italy, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden have good food. There is no order of preference, but it varies depending on the ingredients and the dish in question.
05 December 2017 - 14:18
Helena says:
Nice to hear your choices, and nice that you also cast a vote for the Czech Republic! Interesting also with a vote for Denmark. It's been so long since I was there so I have no opinion, but I have read that they have good restaurants.
05 December 2017 - 22:43
Annar Aas says:
Thanks for the tip, we'll go out and try it tonight! We are in Reykjavik.
05 December 2017 - 16:25
Helena says:
But what fun! If you find the Fish Market, you must come back and tell us what you thought! 🙂
05 December 2017 - 22:45
BP says:
Have not visited all the countries you list, but completely agree with you about Poland, Latvia, France, Spain and more. I eat Vietnamese food quite often here in Stockholm and enjoy it every time. Chinese food prepared for "Swedish palates" on the other hand, I have completely abandoned, tasteless and boring.
Swedish food stands up well, not least the really old and honest home cooking which is, however, dying out.
05 December 2017 - 17:06
Helena says:
I agree that "classic" Swedish Chinese restaurants can be boring, but they are also quite far from "real" Chinese food. I guess there are some that are better. Waipo on Drottninggatan for example.
06 December 2017 - 6:33
Anonymous says:
how can Sweden be the worst in terms of food
29 March 2022 - 14:10
Across the board says:
For me, France, Italy and Spain come out on top.
05 December 2017 - 18:50
Helena says:
Interesting to hear about your favourites! Italy didn't make our subjective list, but France and Spain are on it.
06 December 2017 - 6:34
Arne Lindh says:
Everyone is right. Even me when I mention New Zealand. My most memorable dining experience there? Wharepuke (Subtropical Gardens) in Kerikeri, Bay of Islands. "On the left just before Stone House".
OMG! Simple and excellent. And wines from Ake Ake Winery.
05 December 2017 - 19:22
Helena says:
Interesting that you mention New Zealand! We actually found the food quite boring when we were there, but it could be that we didn't find the right restaurants. Can agree that their wines are really good! We usually buy white wine from NZ.
06 December 2017 - 6:35
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
What a fun post. In Europe, I particularly like Greek and Italian food (+ The Swedish one). Otherwise, I agree that Vietnamese food is delicious and I have a certain fondness for authentic Indian food.
05 December 2017 - 19:29
Helena says:
Great to hear about your favourites Britt-Marie! We have never been to India. It would be interesting to experience the food there! I like Indian food in Sweden (even though it's not at the top of my list), but I guess it will be a different story in the country.
06 December 2017 - 6:36
4000mil says:
Yes, there will be a post about the best food countries too. But it might take a while, because I think I just have to go to India and Vietnam first. And maybe South Korea... 🙂
05 December 2017 - 19:31
Helena says:
Haha, yes, you can think like that! Our top list had to be based on the countries we visited, but we realise that there are many more that could qualify ... Such as Japan, India, South Korea etc ...
06 December 2017 - 6:40
Lennart says:
Missing Portugal on the list, at the top according to us!
Hugs
05 December 2017 - 20:27
Helena says:
We agree that the food in Portugal is great! For us, it still didn't make the top 10, but that's a subjective list 😉.
06 December 2017 - 6:41
Role o Carina says:
Spain, USA and our good Swedish dishes are at the top of the list.
Take care.......
05 December 2017 - 20:53
Helena says:
Great to hear which ones are your favourites! 🙂
06 December 2017 - 6:41
Maria's Memoirs says:
oh, Vietnamese is so good, my favourite among the food countries you mentioned! Then I also like Italian and Thai 🙂 .
05 December 2017 - 21:05
Helena says:
Glad that you also like Vietnamese! 🙂
06 December 2017 - 6:56
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:
I have eaten very good food in Japan, Georgia and Turkey (Cappadocia area).
05 December 2017 - 23:07
Helena says:
Oh what exciting food countries! We have not visited these ... but we would love to! 🙂
06 December 2017 - 6:57
Mr Zlatko Schneberger says:
Why go so far when there are so many good things closer to home... Austria... where I've had the best goulash in my life, Germany with a simple but good gypsy schnitzel... Croatia with their good grilled Pleskavica with all the trimmings... can you overlook Hungary? No... Sweden... well, I'm not very fond of the delights of the sea according to some people so I'll pass... I'd rather have a good Bratwurst than some prawns.
06 December 2017 - 21:53
Helena says:
Great to hear about your favourites! Completely agree that you don't always have to go so far for good food! 8 of our 10 favourite food countries are actually in Europe 🙂 In Hungary we have also had some really good food!
07 December 2017 - 7:25
Travelsis says:
What a fun list! Really got me thinking and maybe it's that other experiences from travelling affect my food memories?. The ones that came to mind are Thailand, Italy, Spain, Greece, India and Sweden without any ranking. Even Macedonia surprised us with good and very affordable food.
07 December 2017 - 23:34
Helena says:
We have also had good food experiences in Macedonia, although the country did not make it to our top list 😉 We have not been to India, but I can imagine that you can get good food there!
09 December 2017 - 7:14
Elisabeth says:
Exciting about Iceland, as we have plans to go there next summer.
08 December 2017 - 15:51
Helena says:
Hope you get away to Iceland Elisabeth!
09 December 2017 - 7:16
Lars A. says:
If you are lucky, you can eat really good food anywhere in the world. I had Tandoori Chicken with an indescribably good sauce at a small Indian restaurant belonging to the hotel I stayed at in Lisbon last autumn. Otherwise, China and Malaysia are the favourite countries that stand out for me. But I think food memories are an important part of travelling.
09 December 2017 - 12:26
carcass says:
Love that you put Iceland in the first place, they really do have amazing ,at
12 December 2017 - 21:22