Asia’s Best City for Food
Winner: Hong Kong
Another close call with Tokyo and Taipei, but Hong Kong pipped them both to the post. From cheap local eats and dai pai dongs, to vibrant casual dining and revered high-end restaurants, the city serves some of the world’s finest fare.
‘Hong Kong has it all – East and West alike.’ –Cheuk Lo, head of customer loyalty at Cathay Pacific Airways and part of our panel of travel experts
‘Hong Kong has become an incubator for up-and-coming international chefs, and innovative cuisine from around the world.’ –Cynthia Rosenfeld, award-winning journalist and part of our panel of travel experts
Asia’s Best City for Food Shortlist
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese favourites shine alongside a distinctive French influence in Vietnam’s southern city where a plethora of food tours reveal the best banh mi (baguettes), banh xeo (Vietnam’s famous pancakes), pho and more.
Bangkok
Home to some of Asia’s best restaurants, it’s not just fine dining that Bangkok is famous for – there’s a dynamic and delicious street food scene that’s not to be missed. The Thai capital has it all.
Taipei
Taipei’s famous night markets are where distinctive local delights and traditional street foods can be found. Meanwhile, a host of talented chef are making the most of Taiwan’s high-quality produce in high-end restaurants across the capital.
Tokyo
The finest ingredients and the freshest fish, not to mention whisky, wine and sake, make Tokyo a food lovers’ paradise with high quality culinary delights available at casual eateries as well as fine dining establishments.
Singapore
From its hawker centres to shophouses to high-end restaurants, Singapore offers a melting pot of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian dishes as well as European cuisines that reflect the city-state’s heritage.
Chengdu
Famed for Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu was among the first in the world to be named a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy. It is loved for the spicy chillies and numbing Sichuan peppercorns that enrich its distinctive dishes.
Penang
It’s all about food courts, street vendors and hawker stalls in Malaysia’s capital-of-food, where influences from Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines manifest in myriad dishes and flavours.
Macao
Some of the world’s great celebrity chefs have put their names to restaurants in Macao’s resorts, while elsewhere a wealth of eateries serve authentic Macanese and Portuguese delights – it has the best of both worlds.
Hanoi
Vietnam’s capital is a street food mecca. Everywhere you look hawkers and street-side stalls abound, each one offering another Vietnamese delight. Hanoi’s most famous dish – cha ca –has an entire street of restaurants dedicated to it.
Check out more of the 2019 Marco Polo Members’ Choice Travel Awards:
Asia’s Best Shopping Destination >
Asia’s Most Romantic Destination >
Asia’s Best City for a Night Out >
Asia’s Best City for Art and Culture >
Asia’s Best Long Weekend Destination >
Asia’s Best All-in-One Destination >
Asia’s Best Up-and-Coming Destination >
Asia’s Best Airport >
Back to the main Travel Awards page >>
