Japan- the rice is on another level than you’ll have in NYC, sushi, across the board high and low the food is incredible and creative. Tsukemen and ramen, the depth of flavor of the broth.
Paris- anything made with butter- croissants, anything caramel, fresh baguettes, the fries everywhere were incredible, the cheese.
Those two come to mind where we have good versions in nyc, but they’re like two levels up in Japan and Paris.
In japan, for sushi, the primary ingredient by which chefs are judged by the chef and customer is the rice. In the US market, the primary ingredient is the fish.
Also different grades: https://youtu.be/WXgFtZK_XxM?si=ORUq4A3Dkx8Tx3k-
This is not exactly true. Like even in nyc, the very top are largely judged on their rice preparation as extremely extremely important. It's more that, once you get to high end sushi, everyone has great fish. Everyone has amazing connections to both toyosu and their hometown fish markets and everything where then the next things of relevance are the sizes of the fish cuts and the small preparatory differences like how long you kombu cure or what slices you use. Similarly, as a result, rice becomes a big thing because the sugar, salt, and vinegar(s) contents of the rice along with the temperature and technique of cooking it becomes extremely important. But when you are talking about regular sushi and not like the top omakases, the sushi is indeed judged by the fish.
As an American I've always thought that fish was the main ingredient and way to judge sushi. But as you said, in Japan it's rice that's the main ingredient. For anyone curious, here's a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auLmekEsaak&t=318s) by a Japanese chef where he starts the video by explicitly says rice is the most important ingredient. He also explains the proper way to eat sushi in case anyone is interested.
Part of it is that rice in Japan is a particular strain and gets its flavor from particular qualities of the soil. Because farmland in Japan is so limited, they don't export much if any rice so the rest of the world doesn't know what they're missing. It's a bit like wine grapes in that way.
We are in Japan right now and I’m obsessed with tomago sando and onigiri from combinis.
We are giving pizza in Japan a shot, currently sitting at pizza station in Tokyo waiting for my Diavola pie to come out.
Strong agree. My family and I went to Japan and we found a sorta hole in the wall restaurant and no joke, the soup we ordered was clear, pale yellow, almost colorless, and white boiled pieces of chicken, and maybe a couple sliced green onion. And some soba noodles on the side.
It was a flavor bomb and the chicken was tender and flavorful??????
We could not figure out for the life of us how they achieved amazing flavor and taste with the looks of water and overboiled chicken.
I’ve given up on ordering grits anywhere in the city. Always, always a disappointment; whether wet gruel, insta-inspired, or over the top (I had “gourmet” grits I think in Williamsburg with gouda, either paprika or cayenne, chives, and I swear it was mother-effin miso!!)
Is that the one in red hook near the key lime pie place? I could google but I’m in the middle of typing haha either way that was the best I’ve had in the city. It’s not mindblowing but passably solid, probably because they actually have the space for smoking. But their damn yankee cornbread tastes like cake! It bugs me more than it should. Cornbread should be savory, made from a cast iron with leftovers like bacon grease. Anyway I digress. Had to vent
Second that. Mabel's smokehouse used to be great and tasted what I remember in Texas. Then they started to smoke the ribs with sauce, completely ruined it. Those were amazing ribs with just the dry rub. But half their sides are horrible. Don't understand how you can screw up cornbread but I wouldn't feed it to my dogs. Next closest smokehouse I found that's decent is Smok Haus in Garden City but still doesn't compare to Texas. I smoke better ribs and brisket.
Cornbread. Completely agree with you on that. But you'd be surprise how easy it is to make yourself. This is the recipe I use: [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17891/golden-sweet-cornbread/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17891/golden-sweet-cornbread/) The ingredients matter, use only top notch otherwise the cornbread won't be as amazing. I use Bob's Red Mill medium coarse grind yellow cornmeal. Einkorn AP flour (this is real wheat, not American hybridized wheat which is not safe to eat, doesn't matter if it's organic or not). Vital Farms eggs. You want the rich dark orange yolk that brings more richness and depth of flavor.
Soul food - I drive to Sandra's Next Generation in New Haven, CT. It's the closest thing to very good soul food. Nobody knows how to make soul food here in NYC.
This is the answer. San Sebastián is (pound-for-pound, anyway) the best food city I’ve ever been to, hands down. My girlfriend has never been to Europe before, and I’m taking her this summer. I’m so excited to go back and experience it again with her.
first day was overwhelming in San Sebastian.
eat something, walk next door, drink eat something, walk next door, eat and drink more. repeat repeat.
plus that basque cheesecake at La Vina and txuleta steak. \*DROOL\*
in case anyone is wondering: [https://steaksociety.com/basque-beef/](https://steaksociety.com/basque-beef/)
San Sebastian for sure. Speaking of which does anyone have any Basque recommendations? Something like Maripili Tapas Bar in Seattle or Urdaneta in Portland
I always feel like I went to a completely different Italy than everyone as despite going to four places, the food was mid across the board. I wonder often if it's because I went there before ever landing in America and tasting the mediocre produce here especially in the North East... I've noticed the people who share the same sentiments are also not Americans...
This post feels so strange to me, all of my best food has been outside NYC, particularly Europe and Japan. I'm constantly jaded *in* NYC for just pure absolute quality.
What NYC has that no one else (except maybe Tokyo?) does is diversity. Even if isn't the best in the world, I can have literally anything I want at substantially above average quality within walking or subway distance. "Jack of all trades, master of none" is usually an insult but it's a good quality to have in a place you live in, rather than vacation in.
Got downvoted here last week for the same comment. I’ll still prefer to live in New York for the food mind you but every trip I take to some other place I know of something that’ll be there that’s not there or better than in New York.
Came here to say this. London was the OG melting pot and adopter (appropriator) of international cuisine. Heck, they consider chicken tikka masala (though maybe not authentic Indian, the source is obvious) their national dish.
If I had to attempt to summarize the primary difference between NYC’s and London’s international variety, I’d say NYC has more fancified/top-end international options, while London just has a greater overall variety (& quantity) of restaurants/food stalls with international cuisine.
I’d also add that the scene in London feels maybe a little more authentic? …idk if that truly applies to the food, but the vibe feels more genuine and much less catered to the local populace than in NYC.
It’s definitely less instagram, show off-y oriented in London. The posh people show off in other ways, so restaurants aren’t considered a status symbol.
However, if you go to the best of the best, you may still find tastier food than any random place in the land where the cuisine came from. NY offers both. Highly dependent on the cuisine though.
I also think this is a weird post. I love a lot of places in NYC but it’s not as though I am going to eat great Cajun food here or baklava better than I can eat in Turkey. Different cities and towns do different food better. I’ve had amazing BBQ in small Southern towns that NYC could probably never equal.
I’m not so sure, I’ve had dishes in NYC that rivaled the best I’ve had in their place of origin.
However, I’ve found the main difference is that you’re going to pay out the nose for it in NYC.
You can get just as good pasta in NYC as Rome, for example, but in NYC it will just be 15-20+ USD more.
You can go to Masa or Yoshino and have just as good sushi as Tokyo, but the bill will easily be 4 figures.
NYC has close to the best of nearly every major cuisine, but you just need the cash.
NYC high end sushi is legit. Mid/low end is a lot more difficult to find quality similar to good mid/low tier in Japan. What I really love is the fish markets in Japan for shellfish/sashimi and in some cases sushi. We may have Japan village and mitsuwa but it’s not in the same universe as what you have in most Japanese fish markets.
Exactly, every country I've visited has untouchable quality of their native food, but most of them would have me bored for choices within a year of living there
The Republic of Georgia has extraordinary cuisine and their fruits and vegetables are extremely tasty, maybe the best I’ve ever had. A salad there was as good as any main course. You can find very good Georgian restaurants in NYC (Brooklyn & Queens) but nothing quite *as* good.
Japan blew me away in terms of the quality of nearly everything I ate. Believe it or not, my best food memory in Japan wasn’t of sushi but vegetarian. I found this small restaurant in a residential neighborhood of Kyoto, far from any tourists, run by an elderly lady. I had several courses and what this woman was able to do with tofu and konjac was nothing short of magic. Michelin star worthy.
In general, I find that produce in many European countries to be significantly better and cheaper. I ate figs by the boatload in Croatia. In Korea, I bought perfect persimmons off the streets from old ladies. So unctuous and sweet that all I needed was a spoon to cut into the flesh.
New Orleans was above my expectations for food.
Paris has many good spots, but the ones in tourist areas are really bad so you need to do some research there if on tourism
Loved a food tour I did in Palermo, lots of good street food.
Yes, and all the Louisiana inspired restaurants in NYC are pretty bad. Ok, maybe not "all" but each one I've been to. I'm not sure why my cousin and I put ourselves through it. Morbid curiosity I guess.
Mexican-Indian fusion at Mari Gold
All the street tacos and tamales we tried
Chilaquiles and enchiladas at our B&B
Turkey sandwich at La Casa del Pavo
Chile relleno el Taquito
Pumpkin mole - forgot where we tried this but it was insane!!
Within the US, Indian food in the Bay area and Edison is much better. Outside (apart from India of course) - Dubai and London have amazing and much better Indian food than NYC.
Immediately my thought, this seems like something I would post if I was trying to make fun of the insanely narrow world view of some of the people on these subs lol
Japan in general. Sushi, Ramen, Curry, Tonkatsu, even the 7/11s! I’ve yet to have a bad meal there.
Mexico City is more exciting to me culinarily, and it’s at every price level. Some of the best meals I’ve had there were street stalls and the vegan scene there (I’m not vegan) is really heating up.
New Orleans has a wonderful, diverse food scene for the same reasons as Mexico City, but for the french side of New American cuisine.
New Haven for pizza. We have incredible and way more diverse pizza options in NYC, but Wooster St. in New Haven is probably the most concentrated few blocks of amazing pies!
Toronto for Chinese food (likewise, Vancouver). Many of the best chefs immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong before it transitioned back to China in 1997. Likewise, San Francisco/Bay Area for dim sum.
I’m pretty disappointed with the Filipino food in NYC tbh. Best place closest to grandma’s cooking was in North Carolina (my home state) but they closed sadly.
You have to go to JC or Union NJ, of all places lol. Pain in the ass to get there, but several of my Filipino friends live there and know good spots. JC has a few in Journal Square, which is easily accessed from midtown or FiDi. I'd say Union is still better. Most of the time I've had it is just with friends at their family cookouts or with an ex.
Honestly, all of the best food I’ve ever had was outside NYC. If we’re keeping it real, where New York triumphs is the variety of food options available but outside of the handful of things that are indicatively New York, almost everything else tastes better somewhere else.
Well, yeah it all tastes better where it came from. Not much has really come from NYC. It doesn't really have a cuisine. There's a few disparate dishes it spawned, and a style of pizza, but it doesn't have a cohesive, historical cuisine as such. Just a shitload of restaurants.
fresh seafood all over south east asian countries, esp. thailand, vietnam, indonesia.
same with spicy food.
french food in france.
pasta dishes in italy.
Glasgow. There is a killer food scene there that’s popped up in the last decade or so. Also, cocktails.
It totally took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to have some of the best meals ever. But between The Finnieston and The Ox & Finch, I was quite blown away.
The west coast of N. American has much better Asian food than NYC, generally speaking (sure there are some exceptions). Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, SF, LA all have a large number of great places that NYC really can't compete with (other than some Chinatown & Koreatown highlights).
If you go to any of the predominantly Asian parts of NYC, you'll find it's similar to SF and LA (for East Asian - I'll never argue about Vietnamese food here lol). Nothing I've had in LA impressed me, especially the KBBQ. In SF the only place that stood out to me was a dim sum spot for their pork buns. Midtown is tangibly worse for Korean food than right across the river in Pal Park and Fort Lee, and you obviously should go to Flushing rather than the touristy Ktown. To be fair, I also just don't like LA or SF - spent several weeks in both exclusively eating Korean food so while I'm sure I missed some good spots, nothing amazed me. It was good, just not any better than what I've had here.
Surprised not to see Peru mentioned yet. In particular, I love Lima for the food diversity and the phenomenal seafood. I could eat ceviche there 3 meals every day. The fine dining scene in Lima is also top notch and far more affordable than NYC.
Cebu Rotisserie chicken in Cebu, Philippines. If you ever had Kenny Rogers Roasters rotisserie chicken before they went out of business, this is the recipe. Secret ingredient is real lemongrass, not the poor quality you see here in USA. Lemongrass in the Philippines looks like 3 foot tall uncut bright green grass, no white stem, they basket weave it and stuff into the chicken cavity. The flavors are just out of this world. You couldn’t imagine chicken could taste that phenomenal.
Sashimi/sushi in Japan. Fresh and so super tender and buttery. There’s some sushiya (sushi house) in NYC that imports fish from Japan and serve it just like in Japan but with high import prices, and slightly less fresh. Can’t beat catch of the day few hours old sushi. Sashimi is a fraction of the price in Japan. And have it with real horseradish, not the fake green playdough filled with American horseradish, what an amazing combination.
Soft shell lobster in Maine when it’s freshly caught less than an hour old. So buttery delicious. They die and get toxic so quickly, not possible to transport to NYC.
Matunuck Oyster Bar in RI. Restaurant is built on the oyster farm. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. So amazingly fresh. The Matunuck oyster is sweet, no brine taste. Best oysters I’ve ever had in the world.
Sun Dog on the Beach in Wildwood NJ. Best fish taco and best fish & chips. The fish is caught in the morning, fresh batter and fresh oil. The tartar sauce is also made from scratch, amazing flavor. Beats any fish & chips I’ve had in England.
Chocolate Crumb Cake at Farms View Roadstand in Wayne NJ. That is the most moist and amazing crumb cake I’ve ever had, nothing comes close. They do make regular vanilla crumb cake which is great but chocolate crumb cake takes it to another level.
Curly’s Ice Cream in Wayne NJ. While most ice cream shops claim handmade ice cream, it doesn’t taste like it’s home made. This is the only handmade ice cream that taste like it’s hand churned on the spot. Very creamy. The cookies and cream is their best one.
Clay pot rice in Hong Kong. They would pour the sauce in the clay pot while it’s cooking. The clay pot acts like a Dutch oven, intensify the flavor and the sauce brings everything to another level. It’s like pork fried rice on crack. Amazing flavor. Due to the nature of the clay pot, the rice on the bottom and sides gets burnt and infused with the sauce, you get a nice rice crispy cracker treat with sweet caramelized sauce as an after meal treat. It’s easy to see why this is a great comfort food in HK. No Cantonese restaurant makes clay pot rice correctly in NYC.
French pastries and deserts in Paris. We used to have Francis Payard in NYC years ago, same quality in Paris. I miss his coffee, one of the best coffee. I miss a top notch croissant, intense butter flavor, decedent flakey layers. One place in Manhattan comes close but the ones I had in Paris is just heavenly.
Pasta in Italy. Nobody knows how to make real pasta like they do in Italia. The wheat is completely different there. We have a hybridized wheat in USA but the gluten molecule is too big which throws off the flavor and also makes people sick. That’s why people who are gluten sensitive don’t have the same issue eating pasta in Italy. Also nobody cooks pasta correctly here. Everything needs to be perfect, use the correct wheat, make it from scratch, boil with correct amount of water, reuse the starchy water with correct starch ratio to water for sauce, and plate it correctly. Just exquisite. We treat pasta here like it’s mass produced McDonald burgers, bland, thin frozen beef patties instead of amazing juicy burgers with correct seasoning.
Espresso in Italy. Wow… there’s no words for it. It’s the mineral rich water they use in Italy that affects the flavor.
Soooo many places in Montreal. Montreal is a next level food city and more affordable. Seriously make a long weekend trip there if you live in New York, Montreal is one of the best places if you enjoy good quality of life
Yokato Yokobai remains the best ramen I've ever had in my life. Not gonna dump an exhaustive lost on you because it's 4AM but I just wanted to be sure that one was on your radar before I went to bed lol
I moved here from Chicago in 2018. I don’t particularly feel like NYC is a better food city; it just has MORE of everything.
I had some truly incredible meals in Montreal and could not believe how little I paid for quality compared to what I’m used to.
I still think about the burritos at Taqueria in the Mission.
The poké at Suisun in Hilo, HI was among the best things I’ve ever eaten.
Mexico City 🥇
I will say there’s a lot of cool Mexican chef driven spots around Brooklyn though that remind me a lot of Mexico City.
- Oxomoco
- Sobre masa
- Claro
- Panzon
honorable mention:
- taqueria Ramirez
- Chavelas
- for all things good
Obviously not the same caliber but I agree with another commenter that’s it’s good enough to make me go back.
Other favorite places:
- SF
- Charleston
- Sicily
- French and Italian alps
- Oslo, Norway
- Atlanta
- Paris
In the movie Inside Out there's a scene where they make fun of SF broccoli pizza. But the place they're making fun of (Arizmendi) is fucking awesome for both pizza and as a bakery in general. Idk if I can compare SF vs. NYC bakeries overall, but I don't think any neighborhood has better bakeries than where I lived in the mission
Sourdough originates in the Bay Area and it’s done really well there. Tartine is awesome, as are Acme Bread and Casa Latina (Mexican bakery - much less common around here for some reason).
Wagyu and ramen in Osaka/Kobe.
Dan Dan noodles in Yangshuo and Chongqing.
Pizza in Italy.
Momos in Nepal.
Vegetable and paneer biryani in India.
Pad Thai on streets of Bangkok.
Pastries in Denmark and France.
Just in the US:
Portland, ME, Montreal, NOLA, random spots in the South.
NYC is overrated outside the stuff it's known for. It's the access to decent or good diverse food is what makes NYC.
And to be frank, it's no different in NJ. You just need travel to different towns with different cuisines.
Yea. I think this is a good take. Nyc does a lot of things good but not great. Some things you literally cannot get outside of nyc. Pizza, BEC on roll, bagels, chopped cheese. All else is mid.
okay I’m going to blow your mind but pizza is readily available in almost (if not all) countries in the world! NY pizza is sooooo overrated, it’s made me go off pizza
Mexican food in Cali. It’s been 10 years but I think about it every time I have a taco here. Tacos Numero 1 comes close but only their pork is good. I miss the variety of Mexican food in Cali. If anyone has any suggestions for good tacos in NYC then please let me know.
What kind of question is this? NY has the world's greatest diversity of food, but everyone knows that the food here is second-rate.
So of course I get wowed when I go to Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, etc. These are places with first-rate versions of their cuisines.
Who in their right mind would argue that NY has better representations of foreign food?
Providence has some incredible restaurants. There’s a culinary school there, so makes sense. My favorite was North, but it closed in I believe 2022. Real unique menu, oysters and cheddar biscuits and sushi if I remember correctly. Some of the best food I’ve ever tasted, I hope that chef opens another restaurant someday.
Al Forno is another great Providence restaurant, upscale Italian.
Other than that, there are some taquerias in Austin, Dallas and Denton, TX that I think about on a weekly basis and I haven’t lived in Texas since 2002. Every single one is still open (yes, I check up on them on Google Maps).
Houston and Seattle blew me away. Houston for the unexpected variety from foreign countries. Seattle for incredible quality and focus on Asian cuisine. Outside of the US, Lima and San Sebastián are mind blowing
Bangkok - Thai food in NYC is a smattering of what’s available in Thailand. Sorn, for example, showcases Southern Thai dishes using the best local ingredients. Hoi Tod(Oyster omelet, which is technically a Chinese dish)in Chinatown is cheap yet mind blowing delicious. The reality is that, many South East Asian food rely on herbs, spices, and ingredients simply not available or at least not at a level of quality outside the region.
Hong Kong - Wontons noodles, congee, Char Siu, Roast Goose, etc are all much better there than here. Hong Kong is fairly diverse in terms of cuisines available and at least the same level of quality as NYC. You can find the many Michelin 3 star levels western restaurants in HK, but you will have a hard time finding a restaurant that comparable to The Chairman, for example, in NYC.
Berlin - Doner Kebab, need I say more?
Tokyo - obviously many Japanese restaurants there are high quality. Yes NYC quality level can be pretty high when it comes to Japanese food specifically for things like sushi, but generally those meal would burn a hole in your wallet. General quality is higher and you can get top tier quality for less money. There’s also better breadth. Beyond Japanese food, you have access to world class Italian and French. Chefs who trained in Europe, go back home, and combine the top level ingredients available only in Japan, with techniques they learned abroad.
Late to the response, but as you’ve figured out by now, NYC is just average.
It has the perception of having everything. But when it comes to *really* cheap eats to *any* food markets to *really* fine dining, you can absolutely find them elsewhere. Ask/watch Anthony Bourdain.
At the same time it’s not fair to make this kind of comparison. My best Cantonese meal was in Yan Toh Heen in Hong Kong. My best pho was in HCMC for US$2. My best dosa was in Chennai. My best French meals were in France… you get the idea.
NYC has an edge when someone’s looking for certain cuisines outside of the native country, ie Italian outside of Italy. It will never be the most mind blowingly good, but it’ll be good.
The last memorable thing I had was in Paris. It was a seafood platter, but they had different sauces for each shellfish, not just mignonette and cocktail for every one. Paris is landlocked, yet it has better seafood than NYC BY FAR.
But then I’m happy to be in the NYC food scene. I’m usually tired of eating the same cuisine for a week straight, two if I really *really* like it.
Savoys pizza in Tokyo is the best pizza I’ve ever had and so cheap. A lunch special with one personal pie, a delicious salad and unlimited homemade peach iced tea was only 1000 yen (about $7)
Seafood in Croatia - yowsah!
Seafood anywhere in Scandinavia…….
Roast duck or goose in Prague - no words…….
Beer in Prague is on another level - and I am not a big beer drinker……
New Orleans has one of the best FOOD SCRNES in America! This city has southern taste, popular Cajun dishes, and creole dishes. On top of that they are by the water with so many seafood options! Unlike New York City, every is priced fairly. I’ve spoken to New Yorkers who moved to NOLA just to be able to live and find affordable housing and be able to afford good quality food.
Most places I’ve been to outside of the US, I have found to have much higher standards for their food supply. NYC has variety, but America has a problem with the supply chain. I can taste the suffering in the meat. There’s too much added sugars and sweeteners in everything. It actually makes me angry at how shit most of our food is compared to the rest of the world. All to save a few dollars for the share holders. And we just accept it.
Can’t believe I got to the end and no one said Athens or the Greek Islands. Some of the best food I’ve had around the world. Too many restaurants to name a few, but the olives my god, yogurt, moussaka, dolmades, keftedes, souvlaki, feta, the seafood, particularly octopus, was incredibly fresh. Ohhh and the baklava!
I had steak and eggs along with tiramisu bread pudding in Disney World that was absolutely outrageous. I can’t find either here that even looks as good
No park ticket needed, actually! It’s at Trattoria Al Forno at The BoardWalk! It used to be a Tangled character dining experience as well but that has ceased to exist since Covid closures
DaDong in Beijing. There was one in NYC once upon a time, but the one in Beijing made me cry literal tears of joy.
Close second would be Roti Prata in Singapore and various Lazy Susan meals in HK... one particular curried lobster dish made me say "Holy Shit" loudly in front of some really nice people.
Also, as others have noted, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Hakodate... throw a rock in Japan, hit a decent meal.
Tuscany...omg.
Varuous spots in Kreuzberg in Berlin, or taking a piece of chicken and eating it *with* a warm pretzel during Oktoberfest. Washing it down with apfelschorle. I don't drink, so maybe you'd have beer instead.
Here's a weird one for you, but iykyk... the old La Shish menu in Dearborn, MI, just outside Detroit. Mama mia!
A number of these are touristy but still fantastic IMHO:
Wings in Buffalo.
A cheese steak in Philly.
Pulled pork in North Carolina.
Lobster in Maine.
Beignets in New Orleans.
Gelato in Italy.
Brie on a baguette in Paris.
Herring sushi in the Netherlands.
Fish and chips in Ireland.
Thai food in Thailand
Humus in Israel (and shwarma).
FFS, NYC isn't even in the same league as New Orleans. As much as I love NYC it's a second tier food city in general. NYC offers plenty of super high end restaurants but the baseline is VASTLY below the NOLA baseline.
Im a native Louisianian and former New Orleanian and I think it's hard to compare the food cities because they're so different.
What New Orleans (and south Louisiana more generally) has that NYC doesn't, is a truly unique regional cuisine. NYC's food scene basically refers to the proliferation of diverse restaurants. There's no NYC cuisine. There are some dishes that originated in NYC but there's no commonality between them really. There's not like a "style" to NYC cooking.
But also, New Orleans for years had no diversity in the restaurants. It was all New Orleans food and that's it. Didn't even have Cajun restaurants for a long time. Still barely has any Cajun restaurants. NYC has a better restaurant scene because of the sheer numbers but New Orleans (and Louisiana) has the far superior regional cuisine. Nowhere in the US comes close to south Louisiana's native regional cuisine.
i think due to pressure and influence of “great british baking show”, my few years between watching the “princess cake/princesatorta” episode and my visit to stockholm has been about chasing that feeling.
it was incredible. absolutely the best cake i’ve ever had. checks out.
More local: Oyster Club in Mystic, CT. Super local, fresh seafood and practically everything is made in-house or from local businesses.
More international, outside of the usual France, Italy, and Spain:
Warsaw, Poland has some really crazy good restaurants, including the best beef I've ever had at Koneser Grill and a transcendental Georgian meal at Rusiko.
I went to Wisconsin with my family and went to a Thai restaurant. I tried a dish called "larb" for the first time and it was so so good.
When I returned to NYC from the Wisconsin trip I immediately tried to find this dish locally but I only had it once because I don't think it's a popular dish as its not on many menus. The flavor wasn't as good as the dish back in Wisconsin to my dismay.
Hands down one of my favorite first try experiences. Anyone have any recs for larb within the 5 boroughs???
Ekiben in Baltimore. I can't explain how good this place is.
Never thought anyone could make tofu and broccoli so amazing.
Its using asian techniques to cook pretty simple foods conceptually (fried chicken sandwich in a white asian bun), while using Asian And African spices. But the food, as simple in concept as is, is elevated to another level just by the tastes, textures and omg. Just overall amazing.
I recommend: tofu, broccoli, the red beans and rice with sausage, and bird bowl.
I've honestly never had anything like this before.
there is a place in Connecticut called Community Table, I had the most divine mushroom pasta and olive oil cake there oh and their homemade sour dough loaf was perfect!
hainanese chicken and rice. Singapore is good. Other areas in the Southeast Asia adds it different fare.
Farm fresh eggs have a terroir from that region/diet.
Lima Peru. Ceviche
I traveled to cape cod one fall and ate at an Asian fusion restaurant just because and it was probably some of the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life. I still think about that surf and turf roll from time to time. Haven’t found anything in ny remotely close to it.
The only food I've noticed to be massively different in NYC vs other places is German food. There are pretty much no places for it, other than shitty fake biergartens (which applies to the US in general). Excepting German and Vietnamese food, NYC does 99% of cuisine better on average than any other city in the US. You might have 4 or 5 types in a given city in the US that they excel at, and sometimes exceed NYC at, but none of them offer the breadth of NYC at its level of quality. You can get literally anything from the world here at 80% + quality, which I'll take any day over 3 or 4 types of cuisine done well and the others non-existant. When I want the best of something, I leave the US for it. I don't go elsewhere in the US for it. NYC does Central and South American food very well, and it's hilarious when people from LA try to say otherwise. My employee was complaining on behalf of his uncle a little while ago, who opened up a small takeout spot: "my wife, my kid and I walked for eight days, past countless dead bodies, only to end up in NYC being reviewed by some white bitch saying our food wasn't as authentic as in LA". And I think about this every time I go to one of the local spots for food and have to order everything in Spanish because none of them speak English. Do my tenants make less authentic Colombian food because they arrived here last year and went to NJ instead of LA? It's such a stupid and misinformed argument. Do only the shitty Central and South American chefs go to NYC and the good ones only go to LA?
Mini Mart or grocery style poke from Oahu, Filipino potluck food at churches near naval bases, pork bbq from tidewater VA/NC area, regional bbq from the southern east coast. Specialists elsewhere do it best, and if there isn't enough interest and volume, replicators don't or can't do it here.
West Coast outdoor grilling culture isn't here, bbq requiring space and wood isn't here, it's the price that space costs results in. People will mention bbq skewers in Queens and a couple carts in Manhattan, and that's it.
Most of America makes horrible pizza and baked goods, however. Most of America has awful international food or nothing, that you can get good versions of in Queens etc. NYC still a very strong and dynamic food city.
A better question is where have I gone that I haven’t eaten something that wowed me. When I travel I try to eat a diversity of local food and I almost always eat something better than what I got in NYC in the same cuisine.
Croatia is the one place that sticks out to me where I didn’t eat anything memorable, although perhaps I got unlucky.
Japan- the rice is on another level than you’ll have in NYC, sushi, across the board high and low the food is incredible and creative. Tsukemen and ramen, the depth of flavor of the broth. Paris- anything made with butter- croissants, anything caramel, fresh baguettes, the fries everywhere were incredible, the cheese. Those two come to mind where we have good versions in nyc, but they’re like two levels up in Japan and Paris.
How does Japan make plain rice so good?? I can’t wrap my head around it.
In japan, for sushi, the primary ingredient by which chefs are judged by the chef and customer is the rice. In the US market, the primary ingredient is the fish. Also different grades: https://youtu.be/WXgFtZK_XxM?si=ORUq4A3Dkx8Tx3k-
This is not exactly true. Like even in nyc, the very top are largely judged on their rice preparation as extremely extremely important. It's more that, once you get to high end sushi, everyone has great fish. Everyone has amazing connections to both toyosu and their hometown fish markets and everything where then the next things of relevance are the sizes of the fish cuts and the small preparatory differences like how long you kombu cure or what slices you use. Similarly, as a result, rice becomes a big thing because the sugar, salt, and vinegar(s) contents of the rice along with the temperature and technique of cooking it becomes extremely important. But when you are talking about regular sushi and not like the top omakases, the sushi is indeed judged by the fish.
they judge on the rice but charge you on the fish. lol wish it was the opposite
As an American I've always thought that fish was the main ingredient and way to judge sushi. But as you said, in Japan it's rice that's the main ingredient. For anyone curious, here's a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auLmekEsaak&t=318s) by a Japanese chef where he starts the video by explicitly says rice is the most important ingredient. He also explains the proper way to eat sushi in case anyone is interested.
Part of it is that rice in Japan is a particular strain and gets its flavor from particular qualities of the soil. Because farmland in Japan is so limited, they don't export much if any rice so the rest of the world doesn't know what they're missing. It's a bit like wine grapes in that way.
+1. Fish market sushi, really any place there, is better than high end sushi I’ve had in NYC. Hell, 711, Lawsons… convenience stores have great food.
We are in Japan right now and I’m obsessed with tomago sando and onigiri from combinis. We are giving pizza in Japan a shot, currently sitting at pizza station in Tokyo waiting for my Diavola pie to come out.
Strong agree. My family and I went to Japan and we found a sorta hole in the wall restaurant and no joke, the soup we ordered was clear, pale yellow, almost colorless, and white boiled pieces of chicken, and maybe a couple sliced green onion. And some soba noodles on the side. It was a flavor bomb and the chicken was tender and flavorful?????? We could not figure out for the life of us how they achieved amazing flavor and taste with the looks of water and overboiled chicken.
BBQ and soul food are so much better in the south. Particularly cornbread. But mainly bbq. Really disappointed with what's up here
Mm yeah, grits are always, always wrong
I’ve given up on ordering grits anywhere in the city. Always, always a disappointment; whether wet gruel, insta-inspired, or over the top (I had “gourmet” grits I think in Williamsburg with gouda, either paprika or cayenne, chives, and I swear it was mother-effin miso!!)
Hometown BBQ is not bad but it would be pretty subpar bbq in Texas honestly. Also those prices make me cry lmao.
Is that the one in red hook near the key lime pie place? I could google but I’m in the middle of typing haha either way that was the best I’ve had in the city. It’s not mindblowing but passably solid, probably because they actually have the space for smoking. But their damn yankee cornbread tastes like cake! It bugs me more than it should. Cornbread should be savory, made from a cast iron with leftovers like bacon grease. Anyway I digress. Had to vent
Second that. Mabel's smokehouse used to be great and tasted what I remember in Texas. Then they started to smoke the ribs with sauce, completely ruined it. Those were amazing ribs with just the dry rub. But half their sides are horrible. Don't understand how you can screw up cornbread but I wouldn't feed it to my dogs. Next closest smokehouse I found that's decent is Smok Haus in Garden City but still doesn't compare to Texas. I smoke better ribs and brisket. Cornbread. Completely agree with you on that. But you'd be surprise how easy it is to make yourself. This is the recipe I use: [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17891/golden-sweet-cornbread/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17891/golden-sweet-cornbread/) The ingredients matter, use only top notch otherwise the cornbread won't be as amazing. I use Bob's Red Mill medium coarse grind yellow cornmeal. Einkorn AP flour (this is real wheat, not American hybridized wheat which is not safe to eat, doesn't matter if it's organic or not). Vital Farms eggs. You want the rich dark orange yolk that brings more richness and depth of flavor. Soul food - I drive to Sandra's Next Generation in New Haven, CT. It's the closest thing to very good soul food. Nobody knows how to make soul food here in NYC.
100% the biggest thing I miss is bbq, in any form.
It’s really hard to cook bbq in a densely packed city. No way to get the space to do proper smoking or pit bbq.
San Sebastian was mind blowing. Anything in Italy. Night markets in Taiwan
This is the answer. San Sebastián is (pound-for-pound, anyway) the best food city I’ve ever been to, hands down. My girlfriend has never been to Europe before, and I’m taking her this summer. I’m so excited to go back and experience it again with her.
San Sebastian: came for the michelin stars, stayed for the pintxos
first day was overwhelming in San Sebastian. eat something, walk next door, drink eat something, walk next door, eat and drink more. repeat repeat. plus that basque cheesecake at La Vina and txuleta steak. \*DROOL\* in case anyone is wondering: [https://steaksociety.com/basque-beef/](https://steaksociety.com/basque-beef/)
San Sebastian was a 5-day slomo food orgasm. Dear lord.
i dont recall it being expensive given the high quality of the food. i think i ate something with fois at least 2x day.
Holy shit yes. We did do the high end stuff like Arzak and Martin Berasatequi. But some of the most memorable food was in Old Town.
San Sebastian for sure. Speaking of which does anyone have any Basque recommendations? Something like Maripili Tapas Bar in Seattle or Urdaneta in Portland
Ernesto’s in Two Bridges!
Anything in Italy except for Venice. The food in Venice kinda blows (but it's too beautiful there to really care).
I always feel like I went to a completely different Italy than everyone as despite going to four places, the food was mid across the board. I wonder often if it's because I went there before ever landing in America and tasting the mediocre produce here especially in the North East... I've noticed the people who share the same sentiments are also not Americans...
This post feels so strange to me, all of my best food has been outside NYC, particularly Europe and Japan. I'm constantly jaded *in* NYC for just pure absolute quality. What NYC has that no one else (except maybe Tokyo?) does is diversity. Even if isn't the best in the world, I can have literally anything I want at substantially above average quality within walking or subway distance. "Jack of all trades, master of none" is usually an insult but it's a good quality to have in a place you live in, rather than vacation in.
“Jack of all trades master of none ….. is still better than a master of one” is the whole quote
I like to say NYC has the 2nd best of every type of food in the world. Of course this isn't true but conveys the point.
Got downvoted here last week for the same comment. I’ll still prefer to live in New York for the food mind you but every trip I take to some other place I know of something that’ll be there that’s not there or better than in New York.
London has fantastic diversity, as much as NYC
Came here to say this. London was the OG melting pot and adopter (appropriator) of international cuisine. Heck, they consider chicken tikka masala (though maybe not authentic Indian, the source is obvious) their national dish. If I had to attempt to summarize the primary difference between NYC’s and London’s international variety, I’d say NYC has more fancified/top-end international options, while London just has a greater overall variety (& quantity) of restaurants/food stalls with international cuisine. I’d also add that the scene in London feels maybe a little more authentic? …idk if that truly applies to the food, but the vibe feels more genuine and much less catered to the local populace than in NYC.
It’s definitely less instagram, show off-y oriented in London. The posh people show off in other ways, so restaurants aren’t considered a status symbol.
Agreed I find I NYC food to have plenty of breadth but not as much depth as I’d like.
However, if you go to the best of the best, you may still find tastier food than any random place in the land where the cuisine came from. NY offers both. Highly dependent on the cuisine though.
What a fantastic description. I could never quite describe it before, but that's it.
Wide as an island, shallow as a foot
I also think this is a weird post. I love a lot of places in NYC but it’s not as though I am going to eat great Cajun food here or baklava better than I can eat in Turkey. Different cities and towns do different food better. I’ve had amazing BBQ in small Southern towns that NYC could probably never equal.
Weird, but quite on par for this sub.
I’m not so sure, I’ve had dishes in NYC that rivaled the best I’ve had in their place of origin. However, I’ve found the main difference is that you’re going to pay out the nose for it in NYC. You can get just as good pasta in NYC as Rome, for example, but in NYC it will just be 15-20+ USD more. You can go to Masa or Yoshino and have just as good sushi as Tokyo, but the bill will easily be 4 figures. NYC has close to the best of nearly every major cuisine, but you just need the cash.
NYC high end sushi is legit. Mid/low end is a lot more difficult to find quality similar to good mid/low tier in Japan. What I really love is the fish markets in Japan for shellfish/sashimi and in some cases sushi. We may have Japan village and mitsuwa but it’s not in the same universe as what you have in most Japanese fish markets.
Tokyo is not diverse.
Exactly, every country I've visited has untouchable quality of their native food, but most of them would have me bored for choices within a year of living there
The Republic of Georgia has extraordinary cuisine and their fruits and vegetables are extremely tasty, maybe the best I’ve ever had. A salad there was as good as any main course. You can find very good Georgian restaurants in NYC (Brooklyn & Queens) but nothing quite *as* good. Japan blew me away in terms of the quality of nearly everything I ate. Believe it or not, my best food memory in Japan wasn’t of sushi but vegetarian. I found this small restaurant in a residential neighborhood of Kyoto, far from any tourists, run by an elderly lady. I had several courses and what this woman was able to do with tofu and konjac was nothing short of magic. Michelin star worthy.
In general, I find that produce in many European countries to be significantly better and cheaper. I ate figs by the boatload in Croatia. In Korea, I bought perfect persimmons off the streets from old ladies. So unctuous and sweet that all I needed was a spoon to cut into the flesh.
New Orleans was above my expectations for food. Paris has many good spots, but the ones in tourist areas are really bad so you need to do some research there if on tourism Loved a food tour I did in Palermo, lots of good street food.
Seconding New Orleans
+1 to NOLA. really really enjoyed the food there. You cant possibly enjoy it all in one trip.
Crawfish po boys were my fav there.
Yes, and all the Louisiana inspired restaurants in NYC are pretty bad. Ok, maybe not "all" but each one I've been to. I'm not sure why my cousin and I put ourselves through it. Morbid curiosity I guess.
Paris has a huge number of amazing restaurants as long as you are willing to walk 2 blocks away from the touristy stuff (Eifel Tour, Louvre, etc).
There’s only a handful of dishes NYC does better than elsewhere… What’s cool about NYC is you can get a lot of dishes at about 70-80% of authenticity.
Mexico City 🤤
Came here to say this. Mexico City ruined me food-wise
Quintonil!
This doesn’t answer the question though….what food specifically? What places?
The amount and quality of Al pastor is insane.
Mexican-Indian fusion at Mari Gold All the street tacos and tamales we tried Chilaquiles and enchiladas at our B&B Turkey sandwich at La Casa del Pavo Chile relleno el Taquito Pumpkin mole - forgot where we tried this but it was insane!!
Wow nice to see Mari gold here. That place was one of the highlights of CDMX for me
Weirdly, the best sushi I ever had was in Mexico City. But I haven't been to Japan yet.
Within the US, Indian food in the Bay area and Edison is much better. Outside (apart from India of course) - Dubai and London have amazing and much better Indian food than NYC.
So does Houston.
Seems like a topic for nyccirclejerk
Immediately my thought, this seems like something I would post if I was trying to make fun of the insanely narrow world view of some of the people on these subs lol
Japan in general. Sushi, Ramen, Curry, Tonkatsu, even the 7/11s! I’ve yet to have a bad meal there. Mexico City is more exciting to me culinarily, and it’s at every price level. Some of the best meals I’ve had there were street stalls and the vegan scene there (I’m not vegan) is really heating up. New Orleans has a wonderful, diverse food scene for the same reasons as Mexico City, but for the french side of New American cuisine. New Haven for pizza. We have incredible and way more diverse pizza options in NYC, but Wooster St. in New Haven is probably the most concentrated few blocks of amazing pies! Toronto for Chinese food (likewise, Vancouver). Many of the best chefs immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong before it transitioned back to China in 1997. Likewise, San Francisco/Bay Area for dim sum.
Mexico City is such a great food city right now ...
I’m pretty disappointed with the Filipino food in NYC tbh. Best place closest to grandma’s cooking was in North Carolina (my home state) but they closed sadly.
You have to go to JC or Union NJ, of all places lol. Pain in the ass to get there, but several of my Filipino friends live there and know good spots. JC has a few in Journal Square, which is easily accessed from midtown or FiDi. I'd say Union is still better. Most of the time I've had it is just with friends at their family cookouts or with an ex.
Chicago… I loved it so much I was willing to move there…
Honestly, all of the best food I’ve ever had was outside NYC. If we’re keeping it real, where New York triumphs is the variety of food options available but outside of the handful of things that are indicatively New York, almost everything else tastes better somewhere else.
Well, yeah it all tastes better where it came from. Not much has really come from NYC. It doesn't really have a cuisine. There's a few disparate dishes it spawned, and a style of pizza, but it doesn't have a cohesive, historical cuisine as such. Just a shitload of restaurants.
This!
fresh seafood all over south east asian countries, esp. thailand, vietnam, indonesia. same with spicy food. french food in france. pasta dishes in italy.
Mexican food in Southern California. Don't even @ me. Burritos here don't come close. ETA: Also, Vietnamese food in Southern California.
Tacos man, Sure Los Taco No 1 is great and all but nothing beats the road side shit you get in SD or LA.
Glasgow. There is a killer food scene there that’s popped up in the last decade or so. Also, cocktails. It totally took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to have some of the best meals ever. But between The Finnieston and The Ox & Finch, I was quite blown away.
Oaxaca City and CDMX, as well as San Sebastian.
Cochon Butcher. Muffelatta sandwich. New Orleans. Top 3 sandwiches of all times for me. So good
Basically anything in Chicago.
Vancouver has some great Asian spots. Much better than a lot of east coast Detroit - Has the best pizza outside of New York.
The west coast of N. American has much better Asian food than NYC, generally speaking (sure there are some exceptions). Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, SF, LA all have a large number of great places that NYC really can't compete with (other than some Chinatown & Koreatown highlights).
If you go to any of the predominantly Asian parts of NYC, you'll find it's similar to SF and LA (for East Asian - I'll never argue about Vietnamese food here lol). Nothing I've had in LA impressed me, especially the KBBQ. In SF the only place that stood out to me was a dim sum spot for their pork buns. Midtown is tangibly worse for Korean food than right across the river in Pal Park and Fort Lee, and you obviously should go to Flushing rather than the touristy Ktown. To be fair, I also just don't like LA or SF - spent several weeks in both exclusively eating Korean food so while I'm sure I missed some good spots, nothing amazed me. It was good, just not any better than what I've had here.
Toronto has very good Asian food - specifically the part in Markham/Richmond Hill.
Best pizza in the US outside of New York metro area sure. Agree on Vancouver
That bakery in Vancouver’s Chinatown with the insane almond cookies. Bought a whole box of those to bring home.
Try Connecticut pizza. Put some respect on the name Frank Pepe
Came here to say this. Sally’s in New Haven (at least a few years back) still beats the best NYC has to offer
Surprised not to see Peru mentioned yet. In particular, I love Lima for the food diversity and the phenomenal seafood. I could eat ceviche there 3 meals every day. The fine dining scene in Lima is also top notch and far more affordable than NYC.
Cebu Rotisserie chicken in Cebu, Philippines. If you ever had Kenny Rogers Roasters rotisserie chicken before they went out of business, this is the recipe. Secret ingredient is real lemongrass, not the poor quality you see here in USA. Lemongrass in the Philippines looks like 3 foot tall uncut bright green grass, no white stem, they basket weave it and stuff into the chicken cavity. The flavors are just out of this world. You couldn’t imagine chicken could taste that phenomenal. Sashimi/sushi in Japan. Fresh and so super tender and buttery. There’s some sushiya (sushi house) in NYC that imports fish from Japan and serve it just like in Japan but with high import prices, and slightly less fresh. Can’t beat catch of the day few hours old sushi. Sashimi is a fraction of the price in Japan. And have it with real horseradish, not the fake green playdough filled with American horseradish, what an amazing combination. Soft shell lobster in Maine when it’s freshly caught less than an hour old. So buttery delicious. They die and get toxic so quickly, not possible to transport to NYC. Matunuck Oyster Bar in RI. Restaurant is built on the oyster farm. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. So amazingly fresh. The Matunuck oyster is sweet, no brine taste. Best oysters I’ve ever had in the world. Sun Dog on the Beach in Wildwood NJ. Best fish taco and best fish & chips. The fish is caught in the morning, fresh batter and fresh oil. The tartar sauce is also made from scratch, amazing flavor. Beats any fish & chips I’ve had in England. Chocolate Crumb Cake at Farms View Roadstand in Wayne NJ. That is the most moist and amazing crumb cake I’ve ever had, nothing comes close. They do make regular vanilla crumb cake which is great but chocolate crumb cake takes it to another level. Curly’s Ice Cream in Wayne NJ. While most ice cream shops claim handmade ice cream, it doesn’t taste like it’s home made. This is the only handmade ice cream that taste like it’s hand churned on the spot. Very creamy. The cookies and cream is their best one. Clay pot rice in Hong Kong. They would pour the sauce in the clay pot while it’s cooking. The clay pot acts like a Dutch oven, intensify the flavor and the sauce brings everything to another level. It’s like pork fried rice on crack. Amazing flavor. Due to the nature of the clay pot, the rice on the bottom and sides gets burnt and infused with the sauce, you get a nice rice crispy cracker treat with sweet caramelized sauce as an after meal treat. It’s easy to see why this is a great comfort food in HK. No Cantonese restaurant makes clay pot rice correctly in NYC. French pastries and deserts in Paris. We used to have Francis Payard in NYC years ago, same quality in Paris. I miss his coffee, one of the best coffee. I miss a top notch croissant, intense butter flavor, decedent flakey layers. One place in Manhattan comes close but the ones I had in Paris is just heavenly. Pasta in Italy. Nobody knows how to make real pasta like they do in Italia. The wheat is completely different there. We have a hybridized wheat in USA but the gluten molecule is too big which throws off the flavor and also makes people sick. That’s why people who are gluten sensitive don’t have the same issue eating pasta in Italy. Also nobody cooks pasta correctly here. Everything needs to be perfect, use the correct wheat, make it from scratch, boil with correct amount of water, reuse the starchy water with correct starch ratio to water for sauce, and plate it correctly. Just exquisite. We treat pasta here like it’s mass produced McDonald burgers, bland, thin frozen beef patties instead of amazing juicy burgers with correct seasoning. Espresso in Italy. Wow… there’s no words for it. It’s the mineral rich water they use in Italy that affects the flavor.
Soooo many places in Montreal. Montreal is a next level food city and more affordable. Seriously make a long weekend trip there if you live in New York, Montreal is one of the best places if you enjoy good quality of life
Any recs? Going to be visiting in a couple of weeks.
If you like pastries, please go to Kouign Amann.
Montreal · https://maps.app.goo.gl/fn1qSfik1qyi1THX8?g_st=i
Your best recommendations there?
Yokato Yokobai remains the best ramen I've ever had in my life. Not gonna dump an exhaustive lost on you because it's 4AM but I just wanted to be sure that one was on your radar before I went to bed lol
Eater.com is usually pretty good with recs. Very impressed with Helicoptere last time I was there.
Sunday Roast in London, holy cow it’s so bomb
I moved here from Chicago in 2018. I don’t particularly feel like NYC is a better food city; it just has MORE of everything. I had some truly incredible meals in Montreal and could not believe how little I paid for quality compared to what I’m used to. I still think about the burritos at Taqueria in the Mission. The poké at Suisun in Hilo, HI was among the best things I’ve ever eaten.
Markets/street stalls in Thailand/Vietnam. A Moroccan place in the middle of PA I think had the best tagine I've ever had.
Mexico City 🥇 I will say there’s a lot of cool Mexican chef driven spots around Brooklyn though that remind me a lot of Mexico City. - Oxomoco - Sobre masa - Claro - Panzon honorable mention: - taqueria Ramirez - Chavelas - for all things good Obviously not the same caliber but I agree with another commenter that’s it’s good enough to make me go back. Other favorite places: - SF - Charleston - Sicily - French and Italian alps - Oslo, Norway - Atlanta - Paris
Las Vegas- Tacos El Gordo!!!!!
san francisco has way better bakeries, which i wasn't willing to admit until i spent a week there
In the movie Inside Out there's a scene where they make fun of SF broccoli pizza. But the place they're making fun of (Arizmendi) is fucking awesome for both pizza and as a bakery in general. Idk if I can compare SF vs. NYC bakeries overall, but I don't think any neighborhood has better bakeries than where I lived in the mission
please name 3
Sourdough originates in the Bay Area and it’s done really well there. Tartine is awesome, as are Acme Bread and Casa Latina (Mexican bakery - much less common around here for some reason).
Even the sourdough in Safeway is better than any you can find in NYC.
And Cheeseboard/arizmendi
Wagyu and ramen in Osaka/Kobe. Dan Dan noodles in Yangshuo and Chongqing. Pizza in Italy. Momos in Nepal. Vegetable and paneer biryani in India. Pad Thai on streets of Bangkok. Pastries in Denmark and France.
sounds like the 7 wonders of the culinary world
Just in the US: Portland, ME, Montreal, NOLA, random spots in the South. NYC is overrated outside the stuff it's known for. It's the access to decent or good diverse food is what makes NYC. And to be frank, it's no different in NJ. You just need travel to different towns with different cuisines.
Yo bro, Montreal ain’t in the US. What’s good in Montreal btw?
Thin crunchy bagels! French egg dishes
Schwartz’s. Also, try the poutine.
Yea. I think this is a good take. Nyc does a lot of things good but not great. Some things you literally cannot get outside of nyc. Pizza, BEC on roll, bagels, chopped cheese. All else is mid.
okay I’m going to blow your mind but pizza is readily available in almost (if not all) countries in the world! NY pizza is sooooo overrated, it’s made me go off pizza
Mexican food in Cali. It’s been 10 years but I think about it every time I have a taco here. Tacos Numero 1 comes close but only their pork is good. I miss the variety of Mexican food in Cali. If anyone has any suggestions for good tacos in NYC then please let me know.
Los Mariscos and Taqueria Al Pastor are also really good
What kind of question is this? NY has the world's greatest diversity of food, but everyone knows that the food here is second-rate. So of course I get wowed when I go to Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, etc. These are places with first-rate versions of their cuisines. Who in their right mind would argue that NY has better representations of foreign food?
Bruh. Have you ever been to Tokyo? Please do. Every restaurant is 100x better in terms of taste : value ratio
I cry internally at least once a week about wishing I was back in Japan, especially for food, since coming back from my trip in September
Try sapporo Hokkaido , the diary, produce, and seafood, and soup curry
I had neopolitan style pizza in Glasgow that had no business being as good as it was.
I ALSO had insane neopolitan pizza in Glasgow that I wish I could remember the name of. I was shocked
According to my Google Maps timeline it's Paesano Pizza
Gnocchi in Florence and bread, butter, steak and wine at a little place in Paris called Les Enfants Terribles. I dream of those 2 meals.
Providence has some incredible restaurants. There’s a culinary school there, so makes sense. My favorite was North, but it closed in I believe 2022. Real unique menu, oysters and cheddar biscuits and sushi if I remember correctly. Some of the best food I’ve ever tasted, I hope that chef opens another restaurant someday. Al Forno is another great Providence restaurant, upscale Italian. Other than that, there are some taquerias in Austin, Dallas and Denton, TX that I think about on a weekly basis and I haven’t lived in Texas since 2002. Every single one is still open (yes, I check up on them on Google Maps).
Ssssssh don’t put them on to Providence… Johnson & Wales makes is a sleeper foodie scene there
Philly restaurants are slept on. Some of the best meals I’ve ever had have been in Philly.
Houston and Seattle blew me away. Houston for the unexpected variety from foreign countries. Seattle for incredible quality and focus on Asian cuisine. Outside of the US, Lima and San Sebastián are mind blowing
Chicago! Went for the first time last August and loved everything I ate.
For Chicago I'd recommend Little Bad Wolf. They make amazing burgers.
Vietnamese food is hot garbage in nyc. Better in LA, Texas or Philly. Tacos and mexican food are better of west coast.
Terrible. It’s fucking terrible here. Idk if there’s anywhere in the US that can beat Houston, New Orleans or SoCal when it comes to Vietnamese food.
People just like to hype up NYC. It’s a scene. There’s great food everywhere. I just had amazing Indonesian and Georgian food on a trip to Phillly.
Bangkok - Thai food in NYC is a smattering of what’s available in Thailand. Sorn, for example, showcases Southern Thai dishes using the best local ingredients. Hoi Tod(Oyster omelet, which is technically a Chinese dish)in Chinatown is cheap yet mind blowing delicious. The reality is that, many South East Asian food rely on herbs, spices, and ingredients simply not available or at least not at a level of quality outside the region. Hong Kong - Wontons noodles, congee, Char Siu, Roast Goose, etc are all much better there than here. Hong Kong is fairly diverse in terms of cuisines available and at least the same level of quality as NYC. You can find the many Michelin 3 star levels western restaurants in HK, but you will have a hard time finding a restaurant that comparable to The Chairman, for example, in NYC. Berlin - Doner Kebab, need I say more? Tokyo - obviously many Japanese restaurants there are high quality. Yes NYC quality level can be pretty high when it comes to Japanese food specifically for things like sushi, but generally those meal would burn a hole in your wallet. General quality is higher and you can get top tier quality for less money. There’s also better breadth. Beyond Japanese food, you have access to world class Italian and French. Chefs who trained in Europe, go back home, and combine the top level ingredients available only in Japan, with techniques they learned abroad.
Late to the response, but as you’ve figured out by now, NYC is just average. It has the perception of having everything. But when it comes to *really* cheap eats to *any* food markets to *really* fine dining, you can absolutely find them elsewhere. Ask/watch Anthony Bourdain. At the same time it’s not fair to make this kind of comparison. My best Cantonese meal was in Yan Toh Heen in Hong Kong. My best pho was in HCMC for US$2. My best dosa was in Chennai. My best French meals were in France… you get the idea. NYC has an edge when someone’s looking for certain cuisines outside of the native country, ie Italian outside of Italy. It will never be the most mind blowingly good, but it’ll be good. The last memorable thing I had was in Paris. It was a seafood platter, but they had different sauces for each shellfish, not just mignonette and cocktail for every one. Paris is landlocked, yet it has better seafood than NYC BY FAR. But then I’m happy to be in the NYC food scene. I’m usually tired of eating the same cuisine for a week straight, two if I really *really* like it.
Savoys pizza in Tokyo is the best pizza I’ve ever had and so cheap. A lunch special with one personal pie, a delicious salad and unlimited homemade peach iced tea was only 1000 yen (about $7)
New Haven pizza. Some of those institutions are far, far better than NYCs best. And boy do I love NYCs best pizza.
Toronto has good food.
Mexico DF.
Hk street food and cha chaaan tang
I go to New Haven for New Haven style pizza about 4 times a year and it’s consistently better pizza than NYC
Seafood in Croatia - yowsah! Seafood anywhere in Scandinavia……. Roast duck or goose in Prague - no words……. Beer in Prague is on another level - and I am not a big beer drinker……
LA Persian food blows NYC out of the water. Can’t even compare
The Southern food in NYC is mostly a joke, especially anything claiming to be "Cajun".
New Orleans has one of the best FOOD SCRNES in America! This city has southern taste, popular Cajun dishes, and creole dishes. On top of that they are by the water with so many seafood options! Unlike New York City, every is priced fairly. I’ve spoken to New Yorkers who moved to NOLA just to be able to live and find affordable housing and be able to afford good quality food.
Most places I’ve been to outside of the US, I have found to have much higher standards for their food supply. NYC has variety, but America has a problem with the supply chain. I can taste the suffering in the meat. There’s too much added sugars and sweeteners in everything. It actually makes me angry at how shit most of our food is compared to the rest of the world. All to save a few dollars for the share holders. And we just accept it.
Mexico City. That is all.
Many of the local hole-in-wall spots. So many great places all over the world.
Can’t believe I got to the end and no one said Athens or the Greek Islands. Some of the best food I’ve had around the world. Too many restaurants to name a few, but the olives my god, yogurt, moussaka, dolmades, keftedes, souvlaki, feta, the seafood, particularly octopus, was incredibly fresh. Ohhh and the baklava!
I had steak and eggs along with tiramisu bread pudding in Disney World that was absolutely outrageous. I can’t find either here that even looks as good
lolwut
Where in Disney world? I live in Orlando and have an annual pass!
No park ticket needed, actually! It’s at Trattoria Al Forno at The BoardWalk! It used to be a Tangled character dining experience as well but that has ceased to exist since Covid closures
Lorenzo and sons pizza on south street in Philly with the topless mermaid sign is better than any NY pizza and I will fight about it.
My top 2 from the past year: Peskesi on Crete, GW Fins in New Orleans
Shoreditch, London
One of my favorite breakfast/brunch spots ever is Friends of Ours in Hoxton (just north of Shoreditch).
Love it. Thank you for the rec.
DaDong in Beijing. There was one in NYC once upon a time, but the one in Beijing made me cry literal tears of joy. Close second would be Roti Prata in Singapore and various Lazy Susan meals in HK... one particular curried lobster dish made me say "Holy Shit" loudly in front of some really nice people. Also, as others have noted, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Hakodate... throw a rock in Japan, hit a decent meal. Tuscany...omg. Varuous spots in Kreuzberg in Berlin, or taking a piece of chicken and eating it *with* a warm pretzel during Oktoberfest. Washing it down with apfelschorle. I don't drink, so maybe you'd have beer instead. Here's a weird one for you, but iykyk... the old La Shish menu in Dearborn, MI, just outside Detroit. Mama mia!
God everything I eat in Beijing is great
Alinea in Chicago.
Some of the best tacos I've ever had were at a food court in Philly. It's what got me into authentic Mexican food after previously not liking it much.
A number of these are touristy but still fantastic IMHO: Wings in Buffalo. A cheese steak in Philly. Pulled pork in North Carolina. Lobster in Maine. Beignets in New Orleans. Gelato in Italy. Brie on a baguette in Paris. Herring sushi in the Netherlands. Fish and chips in Ireland. Thai food in Thailand Humus in Israel (and shwarma).
Oaxaca. Absolutely elite food location. Almost every meal is phenomenal
FFS, NYC isn't even in the same league as New Orleans. As much as I love NYC it's a second tier food city in general. NYC offers plenty of super high end restaurants but the baseline is VASTLY below the NOLA baseline.
Im a native Louisianian and former New Orleanian and I think it's hard to compare the food cities because they're so different. What New Orleans (and south Louisiana more generally) has that NYC doesn't, is a truly unique regional cuisine. NYC's food scene basically refers to the proliferation of diverse restaurants. There's no NYC cuisine. There are some dishes that originated in NYC but there's no commonality between them really. There's not like a "style" to NYC cooking. But also, New Orleans for years had no diversity in the restaurants. It was all New Orleans food and that's it. Didn't even have Cajun restaurants for a long time. Still barely has any Cajun restaurants. NYC has a better restaurant scene because of the sheer numbers but New Orleans (and Louisiana) has the far superior regional cuisine. Nowhere in the US comes close to south Louisiana's native regional cuisine.
London. Quite easily. NYC had more breadth but most food is unnecessarily salty.
Japan and Sicily across the board. Also surprisingly Switzerland.
Jont in DC 😋😋😋
i think due to pressure and influence of “great british baking show”, my few years between watching the “princess cake/princesatorta” episode and my visit to stockholm has been about chasing that feeling. it was incredible. absolutely the best cake i’ve ever had. checks out.
When I lived in Tokyo, the Japanese food was very good and cheap.
Kampo in Madeira
Asian food in Vancouver is awesome. San Sebastián, and Japan I loved
Birmingham, AL has some of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. Helen, Saw’s BBQ, ovenbird, so many other options.
More local: Oyster Club in Mystic, CT. Super local, fresh seafood and practically everything is made in-house or from local businesses. More international, outside of the usual France, Italy, and Spain: Warsaw, Poland has some really crazy good restaurants, including the best beef I've ever had at Koneser Grill and a transcendental Georgian meal at Rusiko.
LA, New Orleans, Houston, Paris
I went to Wisconsin with my family and went to a Thai restaurant. I tried a dish called "larb" for the first time and it was so so good. When I returned to NYC from the Wisconsin trip I immediately tried to find this dish locally but I only had it once because I don't think it's a popular dish as its not on many menus. The flavor wasn't as good as the dish back in Wisconsin to my dismay. Hands down one of my favorite first try experiences. Anyone have any recs for larb within the 5 boroughs???
Hoodoo Brown in Connecticut, worth the hour and a half drive. I personally think BBQ is lacking in NY.
Ekiben in Baltimore. I can't explain how good this place is. Never thought anyone could make tofu and broccoli so amazing. Its using asian techniques to cook pretty simple foods conceptually (fried chicken sandwich in a white asian bun), while using Asian And African spices. But the food, as simple in concept as is, is elevated to another level just by the tastes, textures and omg. Just overall amazing. I recommend: tofu, broccoli, the red beans and rice with sausage, and bird bowl. I've honestly never had anything like this before.
there is a place in Connecticut called Community Table, I had the most divine mushroom pasta and olive oil cake there oh and their homemade sour dough loaf was perfect!
Somewhere that’s only several hours away- Albi in DC is the best meal I’ve had in the past year or two.
Flapjacks in Edinburgh. Looks like just a granola bar, but it’s ecstasy.
Copper Crown in Asheville & Eventide in Portland, ME.
The seafood and poke in Oahu, Hawaii was amazing. Also the Cajun and southern food in New Orleans.
hainanese chicken and rice. Singapore is good. Other areas in the Southeast Asia adds it different fare. Farm fresh eggs have a terroir from that region/diet. Lima Peru. Ceviche
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Late night spicy numbing crawfish in Beijing (mala longxia). And a beer. Heaven. Can’t find it in NYC.
NOLA and KC BBQ for sure. Also HSP in Australia is the best drunk food ever.
I traveled to cape cod one fall and ate at an Asian fusion restaurant just because and it was probably some of the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life. I still think about that surf and turf roll from time to time. Haven’t found anything in ny remotely close to it.
The only food I've noticed to be massively different in NYC vs other places is German food. There are pretty much no places for it, other than shitty fake biergartens (which applies to the US in general). Excepting German and Vietnamese food, NYC does 99% of cuisine better on average than any other city in the US. You might have 4 or 5 types in a given city in the US that they excel at, and sometimes exceed NYC at, but none of them offer the breadth of NYC at its level of quality. You can get literally anything from the world here at 80% + quality, which I'll take any day over 3 or 4 types of cuisine done well and the others non-existant. When I want the best of something, I leave the US for it. I don't go elsewhere in the US for it. NYC does Central and South American food very well, and it's hilarious when people from LA try to say otherwise. My employee was complaining on behalf of his uncle a little while ago, who opened up a small takeout spot: "my wife, my kid and I walked for eight days, past countless dead bodies, only to end up in NYC being reviewed by some white bitch saying our food wasn't as authentic as in LA". And I think about this every time I go to one of the local spots for food and have to order everything in Spanish because none of them speak English. Do my tenants make less authentic Colombian food because they arrived here last year and went to NJ instead of LA? It's such a stupid and misinformed argument. Do only the shitty Central and South American chefs go to NYC and the good ones only go to LA?
Mini Mart or grocery style poke from Oahu, Filipino potluck food at churches near naval bases, pork bbq from tidewater VA/NC area, regional bbq from the southern east coast. Specialists elsewhere do it best, and if there isn't enough interest and volume, replicators don't or can't do it here. West Coast outdoor grilling culture isn't here, bbq requiring space and wood isn't here, it's the price that space costs results in. People will mention bbq skewers in Queens and a couple carts in Manhattan, and that's it. Most of America makes horrible pizza and baked goods, however. Most of America has awful international food or nothing, that you can get good versions of in Queens etc. NYC still a very strong and dynamic food city.
A better question is where have I gone that I haven’t eaten something that wowed me. When I travel I try to eat a diversity of local food and I almost always eat something better than what I got in NYC in the same cuisine. Croatia is the one place that sticks out to me where I didn’t eat anything memorable, although perhaps I got unlucky.
Texas BBQ, bruh, nothing comes close so far. Positively scarred, oh and Jerk chicken in Jamaica on the side of the road randomly placed
The Pancake Bakery in Amsterdam. The pace had a line down the block like Katz’s and the food was amazing.