In some countries, the best way to travel is stomach first. You wander through cobblestone streets where markets pulse with fragrance, cafés nestle into cobblestoned corners, and restaurants serve nostalgia alongside every course. And the 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards didn’t leave anything to chance—they picked the destinations that truly tickle taste buds. One bite can tell the story of a place, its people, and its traditions. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the best way to understand the world without needing a map.
Thailand: A Symphony of Flavor
Bangkok contains an entire universe of food. Sleepless night markets glow with neon lights, each stall offering curries, noodles, and skewers that leave your taste buds singing from the spice. A bowl of tom yum soup, tangy and fragrant, makes the 17-hour flight worthwhile on its own. And don’t forget the street carts with their mango sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and coconut ice cream overflowing out of waffle cups. Regional diversity means that from Chiang Mai to Phuket, every dish challenges your palate with a new array of flavors. Their cuisine is messy, it’s loud, it’s chaotic—but that’s exactly why it’s unforgettable.
Italy: A Pasta Lover’s Paradise
Italy isn’t just about food; it’s about the ritual that underscores each individual meal. The flavors in Italy feel homegrown and unpretentious, yet somehow impossibly rich. Breakfast involves a pastry and a fleeting espresso at the corner bar. Sitting costs extra, so be prepared to sip your espresso on your feet (and don’t you dare confuse the s with an x). For lunch, bask in a sunlit piazza with fresh focaccia. Dinner in Italy is an extended affair involving wine, laughter, and endless pasta shapes whose names will tease your tongue through gentle acrobatics. Sicily’s cannoli are a sweet punctuation mark to a day of walking through markets.
Japan: Precision on a Plate
Japanese cuisine might seem intimidating at first with its delicate cuts of raw fish and artful presentation, but once you’ve sampled it, you’ll realize it’s clarity in flavor form. Tokyo’s tiny izakayas are like a Japanese fusion of a European pub and a Latin American tapas bar, offering culinary treasures like grilled skewers (yakitori), sashimi, and local specialties. Ryokan guesthouses, on the other hand, offer home-cooked meals on tatami mats that feel intimate and unhurried. Whether you’re eating sushi, ramen, or tempura, each unassuming bite celebrates the ingredients’ inherent goodness. Even a simple onigiri, tucked in a convenience store, tastes like decades of culinary discipline perfected into a portable delight.
Vietnam: Freshness Everywhere
Vietnamese food is alive with herbs, lime, and endless textures. Rice dominates here in its endless forms: vermicelli tangles, translucent paper rolls, steaming bowls crowned with crisp local vegetables, and fall-apart-tender meats. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, street food reigns supreme, with alleyway stalls serving pho with the power to redefine your concept of breakfast. Floating markets like Cái Răng turn the river into a kitchen bustling with the fragrant chaos of wooden boats vying for a spot at the table. It’s cheap, it’s communal, and somehow, every mouthful feels healthy.
Spain: Spice, Tradition, and Ritual
Walking through Spain is like stepping into a nationwide kitchen. Paellas shimmer in wide pans while terracotta dishes cradle sizzling gambas al ajillo. Even something as simple as pouring vermouth over ice feels ceremonial, especially when shared among friends at a sun-drenched terraza. Cities like Madrid and Seville hum with tapas culture, but coastal towns such as Sanlúcar de Barrameda or Cadaqués surprise visitors with seafood that tastes like it leapt straight from the sea to your plate. Eating in Spain isn’t just about flavor—it’s about connection. Meals stretch for hours, filled with conversation and laughter that spill onto the streets.
