11 must-visit global destinations for incredible street food

A food truck with outdoor seating under some trees in Mendoza

Great street food offers more than a quick bite. It offers a direct taste of local ingredients and identity. The best destinations for street food are the ones where eating outdoors is part of everyday life, with vendors cooking dishes that reflect the region or city’s flavours, traditions and sense of place. Whether it's at a market stall, a roadside grill or a cart on a street corner, eating this way lets you slip into the rhythm of daily life in a country and meet local people along the way.

For more travel inspiration, check out our guide to 11 UNESCO cities of gastronomy to visit and 20 food experiences around the world that every food lover should try.

Palermo, Sicily

Palermo’s street food scene is intertwined with its chaotic, historic markets. Expect shouting vendors, smoky grills and hole-in-the-wall fry shops that create a vivid snapshot of Sicilian life.

The liveliest places to wander are the markets of Ballarò, Il Capo and La Vucciria, best visited from late afternoon into the evening when locals stop for a snack and an aperitivo. After dark, La Vucciria takes on a different energy, with food stalls spilling into the streets as the neighbourhood turns into an open-air street party.

Start with pannelle, thin chickpea fritters fried until golden and slipped into a soft bread roll, best eaten hot from the market fry shops around Ballarò or from Nni Franco U Vastiddaru. Next, try crocché, soft potato croquettes with parsley and mint, often sold beside the pannelle stalls and perfect for eating as you wander. Take a coffee break with a cannoli, a ricotta or pistachio cream filled pastry. Don’t miss pani c'a meusa, soft bread filled with fried veal spleen and lungs, served either with or without cheese.

For a taste of the sea, seek out polpo bollito, tender boiled octopus dressed simply with lemon and parsley, especially around the seafood counters near Il Capo.

Palermo _ Spleen Sandwich_ Italian Tourist Board copy — Copyright: Italian Tourist Board

Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka

Hiriketiya’s street food scene is small but full of character, with roadside carts and palm-shaded kiosks scattered along the lanes behind the bay. Unlike the late-night markets of Sri Lanka’s bigger cities, food here is beach-led as surfers and sunbathers step off the sand and queue beside locals for something quick from the griddle, a fresh king coconut in hand.

Head to Duni's for bowl-shaped hoppers, fermented rice batter pancakes. Try the spinach or beetroot versions which come with creamy dhal and gotu kola – a pennywort leaf, coconut, lime and chilli sambol. Add an optional jammy egg and a spoonful of lunumiris – a fiery chilli relish made with crushed dried chillies, red onion, salt and lime. It’s simple but punchy!

Later in the day, head to Roti Hut for kottu roti, chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg and a ‘special secret’ spice mix. You’ll find it by following the sound of the metal blades hitting the hotplate echoing down the street behind Dot’s Bay House. In the evening, makeshift stalls near the beach serve isso vade, crisp lentil fritters topped with prawns, alongside fish grilled over open coals, best eaten hot with your feet in the sand.

Small wooden boats stranded at the beautiful sandy Hiriketiya Beach

Lima, Peru

Peru’s street food scene is as diverse as its landscape. A great place to start is Lima, where you can experience flavours from the coast, Andes and Amazon. Away from the city’s celebrated fine-dining restaurants, some of the most memorable dishes are eaten standing on the pavement with the scent of charcoal hanging in the air.

The best places to explore are Mercado de Surquillo and the streets around Miraflores, where locals stop throughout the day for quick, deeply satisfying bites. Try anticuchos, smoky skewers of marinated beef heart grilled over charcoal (pictured below) and served with boiled potato and corn, often sold from evening carts like Anticuchería Doña Pochita.

During the day, seek out ceviche de carretilla, the street-stall version of Peru’s signature dish, with fresh fish cured in lime and chilli and served with sweet potato and giant corn. For something heartier, try papa rellena, golden mashed potato stuffed with spiced beef, olives and egg, then fried until crisp; rocoto relleno, spicy stuffed peppers, are a speciality from Arequipa, often found at street stalls and local picanterías.

Time your trip to coincide with Perú Mucho Gusto, the country’s annual food festival, where cooks and producers from across Peru gather to showcase regional dishes in one place.

Enrique Castro-Mendívil / PROMPERÚ

Gothenburg, Sweden

Gothenburg’s street food scene is shaped by its salty west coast setting, where seafood kiosks, harbour-side counters and indoor market halls make eating on the go part of daily life. As well as the polished Michelin-starred dining rooms the city is known for, there are some fantastic eats on the street.

Start at Feskekôrka, the city’s iconic fish market, for a paper tray of räkmacka, Sweden’s famous open shrimp sandwich piled high with sweet North Sea prawns, dill, mayonnaise and lemon. You can also grab some sill, pickled herring in the traditional tangy, mustard flavour, or a sweeter version with dill or blackberry.

In the laid-back Majorna district, Hermanos Tacokiosk serves handmade corn tortillas filled with beer-battered locally caught fish from a cheerful roadside-style kiosk. Nearby, the iconic Korv Kiosk offers a local rite of passage – a halv special, a sausage tucked into bread and topped with mashed potato, cucumber relish and crispy fried onions. For your sweet tooth, pick up some kardemummabullar, cardamom buns.

For a broader taste of the city’s evolving modern food scene, the weekend Lindholmen Street Food Market, in an old shipyard building, gathers rotating vendors serving everything from Nordic comfort food to global flavours beside the waterfront.

Gaziantep, Turkiye

Gaziantep’s street food weaves through its old bazaars. The best place to start is around Zincirli Bedesten and the surrounding market lanes, where food is tied to the rhythm of daily market trade.

If you are there early, start with beyran, a rich breakfast soup of lamb, rice, garlic and chilli which is best eaten at a busy no-frills counter while steaming hot. By mid-morning, seek out katmer, the city’s most indulgent pastry – paper-thin layers filled with pistachios and clotted cream, baked until crisp and often eaten with tea.

Later, wander towards the alleys near Almacı Pazarı, where small ocakbaşı grills serve küşleme, tender lamb fillet cooked over charcoal, and ciğer kebabı, skewered liver wrapped in warm flatbread with herbs and onion. For something simple but filling, order nohut dürümü, seasoned chickpeas folded into lavash, or a quick lahmacun, a flatbread loaded with various toppings, from one of the neighbourhood bakeries.

Finish with pistachio baklava from İmam Çağdaş, where the city’s most famous sweet is at its flaky, syrup-soaked best.

Two Turkish flatbreads with red peppers on top

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur’s street food is shaped by Malay, Chinese and Indian influences from the city’s rich history. Expect roadside grills and neon-lit hawker centres that stay busy long after midnight.

A must-visit is Jalan Alor, where each evening the street transforms into a bustling open-air dining strip lined with hawkers serving smoky satay, grilled skewers served with warm peanut sauce, orh jian, oyster omelette and grilled seafood. You will also find variations of nasi lemak, coconut milk-infused rice, served with spicy sambal, anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and boiled eggs.

Just a short walk away, Petaling Street buzzes with bargain hunters and eateries. Start with char kway teow, flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns, egg and bean sprouts, or bak kut teh, pork rib soup. Don’t leave without trying something sweet. Options include cendol, shaved ice topped with coconut milk, palm sugar and green rice flour jelly, tong sui, a sweet soup or gui ling gao – a herbal jelly dessert.

Miami, USA

Miami’s street food scene is as vibrant as the city itself, shaped by Cuban, Caribbean and Latin American influences that spill out from tiny takeaway windows, food trucks and neighbourhood markets. Rather than one central street food district, the best eating is scattered through areas like Little Havana, the artsy lanes of Wynwood and the waterfront parks where locals gather after dark.

Maybe start in Little Havana with a cubano, a sandwich filled with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles, pressed until crisp. Then grab a creamy ham croqueta from a traditional Cuban ventanita – a tiny takeaway window that opens straight onto the street. Along Calle Ocho, those same windows pour sweet cafecito into paper cups while trays of flaky pastelitos de Guayaba, guava pastries, and plantain tostones, fritters, disappear fast.

In Wynwood, it is worth joining the queue outside Zak the Baker, where locals line up for still-warm chocolate chunk cookies or a perfectly toasted grilled cheese made with house-baked bread. Waiting in line is part of the ritual. Nearby at Wynwood Marketplace food trucks serve everything from arepas stuffed with shredded beef to fresh ceviche and tacos.

Marrakech, Morocco

While most visitors head straight for the ubiquitous Jemaa el-Fnaa, the best street food lies deeper in the souks. Near Bab Doukala Mosque you can try bissara, a velvety fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin. Or msemen, flaky layered pancakes hot off the griddle, crisp on the outside and chewy inside – eat them drizzled with honey or amlou, a blend of almonds and argan oil. Finish off your breakfast with a berbere omelette.

Souk des Tapis is perfect for your lunchtime tagine fix. These slow-cooked stews are served in conical clay pots. Order chicken with preserved lemon eaten with harcha, semolina bread. Head to the corner of Place des Epices for calamari tagine.

Harira is a classic Moroccan soup made from tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas. It is served with chebbakiya, pastries soaked in honey and topped with sesame seeds. Madame Fadma’s is the best in town and you’ll find her in the lanes between Koutoubia and El Badi Palace.

Alongside the mint tea or sand coffee stalls you’ll always find pastries. The best are from Gateaux Deluxe – a tiny stall near the El Bacha Museum – inventive and traditional in equal measure.

Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza’s street food scene is quieter than in Buenos Aires where it often revolves around parks, markets and late-night, no-frills grill counters. Much of the city’s casual food is found around Mercado Central de Mendoza.

Designed for eating on the go between glasses of Malbec are empanadas, golden pastries filled with beef, onion, olives and egg. You’ll also find choripán, smoky grilled chorizo tucked into crusty bread with chimichurri sauce, lomito sandwiches, stacked with beef, lettuce, tomato and fried egg and humita – a lesser-known gem consisting of ground corn wrapped in corn husks and steamed with onions.

For a sweet afternoon treat try a tortita from a local bakery. These are small, mildly sweet buns filled with dulce de leche or quince paste. Another true Mendoza favourite is sopaipillas, fried dough served with honey or jam. And don’t forget to try alfajores – dulce de leche sandwiched between two delicate biscuits and then rolled in coconut or dipped in glossy chocolate. All are perfect with a cortado or café lagrima, milk with a hint of espresso.

Mendoza street food — Credit: Photo by Joao Vitor Marcilio on Unsplash

Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi is often a gateway for travellers heading out on safari, but it is worth lingering for the city’s street food scene, which is scattered around City Market and the lively streets of Westlands. Vendors set up as office hours end so just follow the smoke and eat where the crowd is forming!

Kenya’s iconic grilled meat, nyama choma, should be on your list. It’s usually goat or beef slow-roasted over open charcoal and served with kachumbari, tomato, onion and chilli salad, and ugali, a thick porridge of maize flour. Another essential is mutura, a sausage made from minced meat, tripe and spices, grilled over charcoal and sliced open before serving.

Quick bite options are endless! Samosa or sambusa are pastries filled with spiced meat or lentils; chipo mwitu, potato fries; chapo smokie, smoked sausage wrapped in a chapati-style flatbread. You’ll also find mayai pasua or mayai boilo, a hard-boiled egg stuffed with spicy tomatoes and onions; or smokie pasua, sausage stuffed in a similar manner; and finally mahindi choma, grilled corn rubbed with lime and chilli.

Fresh fruit and coconut should satisfy your sweet tooth, but for something heartier try mandazi, soft, fluffy, lightly spiced doughnuts.

Ripe fruits stacked at a local fruit and vegetable market in Nairobi

Ahmedabad, India

Gujaratis are famously fond of snacking, and Ahmedabad delivers on that promise all day long. Start with chai and fafda, crispy chickpea flour crackers served with chutney and fried green chillies.

You can feast on bhajia, fritters, all over the city, but the best are at Raipur Bhajiya House. Try the methi na gota made from fenugreek leaves. Add a newspaper-wrapped parcel of pillowy soft dhokla, steamed savoury sponge ‘cake’.

As evening falls, the daily market at Manek Chowk turns into a cheese lovers paradise. Order gotala dosa, a rich, indulgent scramble of egg, spices and cheese on top of a rice flour pancake. You’ll also find every take on a cheese sandwich imaginable. The ghughra sandwich takes its cue from Gujarat’s deep-fried pastry of the same name but is reimagined as a grilled sandwich of onions, green chilli and cheese, served with mint chutney and finished with more cheese melted on top. Everything is gloriously excessive, so sip shots of jamun, sweet, tart juice made from the deep purple Indian blackberry.

Finish the night at Asharfi Kulfi for traditional frozen desserts in nostalgic flavours like rose, almond, pistachio and saffron, served in traditional clay pots.