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Travel, With Bite

Culinary Backstreets covers the world’s best eating destinations, with city guides, food tours, multi-day trips and daily dispatches.

Our Food Tours

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On this full-day tour of Xochimilco – an ancient and significant canal-side agricultural region of Mexico City – we will taste our way through the area’s vibrant market, trying a range of pre-Columbian foods while learning about the local products grown in the area. Then, by private boat, we will visit the district’s ancient farms and meet the farmers upholding Xochimilco’s unique traditions.

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On this food tour in Oaxaca, we’ll get an edible crash course on the ingredients and techniques that form the bedrock of traditional Oaxacan cooking, and meet the cooks and individuals that protect and honor these traditions.

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Join our full-day food tour in Barcelona to explore the proudly Catalan district of Gràcia, during which we’ll visit markets, an old school bodega, cozy traditional haunts and creative contemporary restaurants in search of the neighborhood’s soul.

Belleville Bound: Paris, Beyond the Baguette Featured Image

In the backstreets of eastern Paris, the city feels most alive. From Bastille to Belleville, immigrant kitchens, corner bakeries, and family-run cafés capture the flavor of a capital always reinventing itself. On this full-day walk, we’ll taste how global influences shaped modern Parisian cuisine — from Chinese canteens to North African bakeries and open-air markets — discovering where tradition and creativity meet.

Backstreet Bites of Buenos Aires: Cafés, Parrillas and Beyond Featured Image

In Buenos Aires, food moves like a tango – part tradition, part improvisation, part seduction – across parrillas, bodegones, bakeries, and historic cafés. On this full-day walk, we’ll trace the city’s heritage, tasting how flavors converge into a distinctly Argentine table. From flaky medialunas and empanadas to cheesy pizza, towering platters of grilled meat, and local aperitivo culture, we’ll meet the people and places that keep these culinary rituals alive. Moving through cafés, markets, pizzerias, parrillas, and neighborhood bars, we’ll taste how porteños socialize, argue, linger, and obsess – about food, football, and the economy – from morning coffee to sobremesa chats.

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On this 5 1/2-hour food tour, we’ll dive into the heart of downtown Athens, itself a vibrant microcosm of the city’s rich gastronomic diversity, its ancient and modern histories, and a meeting point for culinary traditions from all across Greece.

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This tour dives right into the vibrant Rio mix by taking you through the heart of the city’s two most historically and architecturally significant neighborhoods, uncovering their delicious culinary secrets along the way.

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On this food tour in Mexico City, we’ll weave through cobblestoned streets of the city’s famous Centro Histórico district, discovering its many hidden gems: from delicious carnitas, tropical fruit cocktails, to enchiladas and home-cooked cantina classics.

Backstreet Bangkok: Exploring the Cradle of Thai Cooking Featured Image

Get ready to rethink what you know about Thai food on this full-day tour of Rattanakosin Island, the place where today’s Bangkok – and its vibrant cooking – was born. From markets to food stalls and beyond, we’ll unravel all the delicious strands that make up the city’s incomparable cuisine.

Umami Town: Feasting, Osaka Style Featured Image

On this full-day food tour in Osaka – Japan’s “umami town” – we’ll chase down the eats and flavors that make this city such a culinary capital. From street stalls to markets and backstreet restaurants, we’ll join the locals in their daily obsessive quest to find that perfect, flavor-rich bite.

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Join our epic Marseille food tour to discover how this charming Mediterranean metropolis has emerged from Paris’s shadow to find its own gastronomic voice. Over 5 ½ hours, we’ll explore the diverse tapestry of flavors and communities that are making this ancient city one of Europe’s most exciting if least-known culinary destinations.

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Our food tour of Tokyo — the world’s biggest city, and perhaps its most delicious — explores the exquisite culinary heritage of a single neighborhood, Kichijoji, sampling our way through old school yakitori joints, gleaming department stores, avant grade taverns, hopping street food stands and much more.

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On our Keramikos food tour, visit local institutions both new and old, exploring the mix of creativity and tradition found at this laidback neighborhood’s weekly street market. From Cretan home cooking and classic northern-style pastry to souvlaki al fresco and the freshest seafood, it’s a miracle that Keramikos remains a neighborhood under the radar.

Plaka At Twilight: Another Side of Athen’s Culinary Heart Featured Image

On this afternoon-into-evening food tour in Plaka, we’ll explore how this ancient district comes alive as the sun sets, visiting the hidden culinary gems and out-of-the way historical sites of this otherwise touristy neighborhood.

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On this food tour in Plaka, we’ll explore how this ancient district shaped both the growth of modern Athens and the palette of its locals, visiting the hidden gems of this otherwise touristy neighborhood.

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On this bodega tour in Barcelona, we'll follow the contour of the city's urban "wine route," from historic El Raval to the upscale bodegas of San Antoni, mingling with regulars as we eat and drink our way through some of the city's most iconic bodegas.

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On this tour– our own take on a classic Athens family-style Sunday – we move at a leisurely pace, enjoying the quiet streets around downtown’s normally bustling historic Monastiraki Square, as we fill up on some of its best-kept culinary secrets.

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Join our Sants food tour to spend the day eating your way through a lesser-explored neighborhood with a booming local food scene and a fascinating history. We’ll dig into markets and old vermuterias, pastry shops and down home restaurants, but we’ll also find the pulse of Sants in some contemporary culinary projects. Don’t expect Gaudi architecture and top 10 tapas, Sants satisfies those hungry for alternative Barcelona.

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Europe’s greatest comeback city, Bilbao is a place reborn. Until a few decades ago a postindustrial metropolis plagued by pollution and economic decline, Bilbao today is a buzzing cultural and culinary capital. On this full-day tour, we’ll trace Bilbao’s history and rebirth through the exceptional eateries – old and new – that call the Basque city home.

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On this full day tour in Guadalajara, we’ll explore the delicious contradictions that make this historic city. From deliciously messy tortas ahogadas to classic cantina cocktails, we’ll uncover the influences – pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary – that have shaped Guadalajara’s world-renowned cuisine.

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Far from the tourist trail, get a taste of one of the last bastions of classic Istanbul flavors, including bread fresh from the tandir oven, a mind-boggling assortment of meze, sizzling kebab, old school ice cream and much more. On this full-day food tour, we will dig deep into the culinary traditions of one of Istanbul’s most culturally diverse and food-centric neighborhoods.

Porto food tour with Culinary Backstreets

Join us for this Porto food tour, as we spend the day getting to know the city’s lesser-known food traditions, its local institutions and its culinary heroes. We’ll visit and taste dishes across a wide spectrum of places, from the decadent to the down-home.

The Creole Connection: Gumbo and Beyond in New Orleans Featured Image

On this tour, we’ll set off in search of New Orleans’s and Creole culture’s tangled roots, using the city’s incomparable cuisine as our guide and its historic neighborhoods in and around the French Quarter and Treme as our stage.

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On this full-day exploration of San Sebastian, we’ll get an edible crash course on the very roots of this seaside city's cuisine, delighting in peak seasonal ingredients, learning about local culinary traditions and visiting iconic haunts, old and new. Stop by stop, from classic pintxos to new school ciders, funky gastrobars to sleek dining rooms, the throughline will reveal itself, and that is the irresistible Basque way of enjoying food.

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On this day-into-night crawl through the heart of Seoul, we’ll explore this bustling city’s almost magical power to take outside influences and turn them into something uniquely – and deliciously – Korean. By the end of our tour, we’ll learn that “Made in Korea” might be the most appetizing seal of approval to be found.

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On this Tbilisi food tour – an epic day of eating – we’ll explore some of the roots of the often-overlooked but incredibly delicious Georgian cuisine. Together we’ll sample a range of dishes that reveal unexpected culinary influences, ones which the Georgian kitchen accumulated over centuries of rule under Eastern and Western powers, and also as a crucial stopping point along Silk Road’s trans-continental trade routes.

Hidden Beyoğlu, By Night Featured Image

On this afternoon-into-evening food tour in the Beyoğlu neighborhood, we will take a deep dive into Istanbul's historic European Quarter, with its cosmopolitan history now playing backdrop to its vibrant contemporary nightlife. From home cooking to street food, viewpoints to grill joints, we will eat and drink our way toward a better understanding of this singular neighborhood.

Savoring Palermo: In The Markets and Beyond Featured Image

Join our full-day food tour of historic Palermo and eat your way through the city’s history and rich culture. With more than ten full tastings in two different markets, explorations of local neighborhoods and visits to historic sites, this tour takes in iconic Palermo as well as lesser-known hidden gems.

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Step back into the Tokyo of another era in Yanesen, the historic trio of the Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi neighborhoods. Among temples, shrines, and winding backstreets, we’ll discover a neighborhood where daily life still hums to an older rhythm. This full-day walk blends history and flavor: from handmade onigiri and fresh unagi to nostalgic sweets, retro kissaten coffee, and sake. Along the way, we’ll slip into century-old shops, sip drinks in a converted bathhouse, and meet the craftspeople keeping Tokyo’s culinary traditions alive.

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In Istanbul’s Old City, two culinary worlds exist side by side – one for tourists and one for locals. On this Istanbul Old City food tour, we go beyond the major monuments to time-honored spots where all of the serious eating is done.

The Spirit of Tokyo: Exploring Old School Monzen-Nakacho Featured Image

From hidden izakayas to generations-old food shops and historic temples with taiko drum and fire ceremonies, Monzen-Nakacho has everything you could dream of in a Tokyo neighborhood – and more. On this afternoon into evening tour, we’ll explore this magical slice of old-school Tokyo, where the city’s ancient spirit and modern-day creativity live deliciously side-by-side.

The Old Town and the Sea: Waterfront Palermo, By Night Featured Image

On this evening tour of Palermo’s old port area, we’ll explore the Sicilian city’s historic and enduring connection to the sea, as well as taste the food and meet the people that tell this district’s fascinating story.

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Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter is one of the world’s biggest open-air commercial centers and a historic hub of small craftsmen who still carry on their traditions in the district’s atmospheric and historic trading posts. On this 6-hour food tour, we will meet some of these masters and sit down to eat with them in some of the area’s most classic spots.

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Naples is at once beautiful and rough around the edges, accessible and exotic – in a word, charming. On this tour of the city’s historic center and then beyond its walls, we’ll taste the city’s best bites, from the local pastry, sfogliatella, to iconic street foods, in the old market streets and local “institution” restaurants.

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On this full-day Queens food tour, we’ll visit two of the borough’s most diverse neighborhoods, Corona and Jackson Heights, where we will sample more than a dozen specialities that reflect the incredible gastronomic range that the borough is known for. From the massive Puebla-rooted cemita sandwiches to Bengali street snacks, we’ll criss-cross the globe without leaving the neighborhood.

Xochimilco Farm Feast: Exploring the Urban Oasis’s Canals and Gardens Featured Image

On this full-day tour of Xochimilco, for private groups of seven or more, we will have exclusive access by private boat to family farms, meet the people upholding ancient agricultural traditions and enjoy a rustic feast in a field surrounded by canals and family gardens. The day begins with breakfast, ends with a big lunch and includes snacks along the way.

Lisbon Awakens: A Culinary Crossroads, Reborn Featured Image

On this Lisbon food tour, we’ll experience a cultural feast: exploring the deep-rooted links the city shares with kitchens and pantries around the world and tasting a range of dishes as enchanting and complex as the city itself.

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On this Lisbon food tour, we’ll explore the historic heart of the port district, where old traditions die hard and the day’s catch is always the discussion. We’ll spend the day in search of the very best seasonal bounty of the sea, sampling several preparations of fish and seafood in a variety of neighborhood institutions.

The Late Shift: Tasting Oaxaca, By Night Featured Image

On this afternoon-into-evening tour, we’ll explore the Oaxaca backstreets during a culinary changing of the guard, tasting our way through some of the city’s best nighttime food spots while also gaining an understanding of their important role in maintaining Oaxaca’s civic life.

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On this full day tour, we’ll explore Matosinhos, a fascinating seaside town on the outskirts of Porto, and its fishing traditions, visiting bustling markets, neighborhood grill spots, and a spectacular sardine cannery which has been in business since 1920.

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From the market to the kitchen: join us as we spend a full day shopping, cooking, and eating like local Istanbulites. After shopping for ingredients in one of Istanbul’s most food-centric neighborhoods, we’ll teach you how to cook six of our favorite regional recipes from across Turkey – dishes like Circassian chicken, stuffed eggplant from southeastern Turkey, Aegean-style mincemeat pastries and more – before sitting down to enjoy them together.

Two Markets, Two Continents Featured Image

This full-day Istanbul market tour draws from our best-of list in the European side’s Karaköy neighborhood and the Asian shore’s Kadıköy, tied together by a ferry ride across the Bosphorus, visiting two markets on two continents.

New Awesome Food Tour Featured Image

On this culinary tour of central Naples, we’ll go off the beaten path by visiting two wildly contrasting neighborhoods, Vomero and the Spanish Quarter. In both we’ll stop into the places – from artisanal producers to street food vendors and more – that locals go to for the quintessential taste of the city, one that was developed over millennia and, on this walk, distilled into a single day of eating and exploring.

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From a workingman’s breakfast in a frenetic seaside market to a leisurely fish lunch in a waterside Bosphorus neighborhood, this full-day Istanbul food tour explores the diverse cultural and culinary range of Istanbul’s amazing waterside neighborhoods.

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On this afternoon food tour, we’ll explore the historic and multicultural neighborhoods of Mouraria and Graça. Winding down scenic side streets, we’ll stop for a bite in kitchens both old and new, where chefs – regardless of their approach – are united through a shared love of the city’s deep-rooted culinary traditions.

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On this full-day tour of central Lisbon, we’ll study the cuisines, history and diversity of Portugal’s former colonies. Get a taste of Cape Verdean cachupa, Brazilian pastries, Goan samosa, spiced convent cakes and Angolan piripiri sauce, and meet the people keeping these traditions alive.

Azcapotzalco: Mexico City’s Culinary Kaleidoscope Featured Image

On this 5-hour food tour in the unexplored district of Azcapotzalco, we will experience the wild range that defines dining in Mexico City – from sophisticated huevos at a detour-worthy restaurant to iconic street tacos – on a journey through time and space framed by monumental and hidden reminders of this city’s layered history.

Asia in Queens: Exploring NYC’s Largest Chinatown Featured Image

On our Flushing food tour – a full-day stroll through New York’s largest "Chinatown" neighborhood – we’ll explore the area’s almost mind-blowing culinary diversity.

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On our Izmir food tour we’ll explore the tangled roots of this Aegean city’s cuisine and culture, enjoying the friendly laid back environment of the markets near the agora and sampling a variety of dishes unique to this city.

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On this Queens food tour, we’ll hit the streets on a Saturday – when the griddles, grills and vendors are out in full force – to explore Corona’s culinary essentials.

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Latest Stories

Kaya Döner: Betting It All On Bomonti  Featured Image

Opened in 2024 by a young couple looking to brighten their future, Kaya Döner has brightened the streets of Bomonti with its excellent döner and attention to detail.

Amin Mutton & Chicken Biryani, Bangkok, photo by Thomas de Cian

Bangkok’s bustiling energy is largely attributed to the endless latticework of diverse food found along street corners or tucked away in high rises – a unique culinary world reflects the city’s rich multicultural heritage. One street stall in particular, Amin Mutton & Chicken Biryani, embodies the soul of Bangkok’s Thai-Muslim community and carries nearly a century-old legacy. For generations, an iconic eatery simply named Muslim Restaurant served as a culinary institution, gathering local families, neighboring students, and the Muslim community around tables filled with humble dishes. Its closure in 2020 left a void in the community, but not long after, a few former staff members took it upon themselves to keep the legacy alive.

Rio Carnival: A Survivor's Guide Featured Image

Insider tips on food, costumes, samba parades, and staying energized during Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Carnival.

Fit For Mardi Gras

New Orleans’s king cake is a culinary symbol of Mardi Gras and the festive, months-long lead-up known as Carnival season. Beginning on January 6 and continuing until the season’s culmination on Fat Tuesday – this year taking place on March 4 – revelers across the region enjoy slice after slice of this traditional, cinnamon-flavored cake. Whoever finds the small, plastic baby figurine hidden inside is said to receive good luck, but must also purchase the next king cake.

Recipe: Tteokguk, the Lunar New Year Soup Koreans Eat to “Grow Older Featured Image

A traditional Korean rice cake soup eaten on Lunar New Year, tteokguk carries centuries of meaning — from longevity and prosperity to the playful idea that one bowl makes you a year older.

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Upcoming Trips

December 2026
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Immerse yourself on this multi-day trip in the complex cultural identity of Mexico City, where pre-Hispanic, colonial, and contemporary influences collide.

March 2026
April 2026
September 2026
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On this week-long seafood pilgrimage, we’ll delve deep into the world of barnacle hunters, oyster fisherman, lobster trap builders, razor clam-diggers, and net menders, along with the local chefs who are harnessing the incredible offerings of their coast, transforming Galician cuisine into something new and exciting. Though our focus will be seafood and the traditional artisans along this coast, we’ll be exploring all facets of Galician identity—history, folklore, architecture, music, language, and religion—and gaining a deeper understanding of its unbreakable bond with the sea.

October 2026
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Day of the Dead: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure Mexico City has a complex and fascinating cultural identity, a place where pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and contemporary influences collide in a riot of street food, bustling markets, Cathedrals built atop Aztec ruins against the backdrop of a megacity thriving with regional migrants as well as a stylish modern set.

May 2026
November 2026
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Considering its small size, Catalonia has had a profound impact on the food world. From this bountiful territory nestled between Spain and France have come an almost hard-to-fathom number of culinary traditions and innovations, groundbreaking chefs, and iconic dishes – both new and old – that are celebrated the world over.

February 2026
November 2026
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Rich mole, fresh fruit paletas, warm corn tortillas: these are the flavors of Oaxaca. In this weeklong trip available only to the Milk Street and Culinary Backstreets audiences, you’ll get a perspective on Oaxaca that casual tourists never get to see.

February 2027
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Milk Street on the Road: Mexico City Follow in Christopher Kimball’s footsteps during a weeklong immersion into the culinary traditions of Mexico City. This trip brings together the best of Milk Street’s and Culinary Backstreets’ networks and offers guests a one-of-a-kind introduction to a vibrant metropolis where pre- and post-colonial foods and culture collide and combine.

December 2026
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A Journey Into the Heart & Soul of Mexican Cooking We like to think of Oaxaca as the heartland of Mexican cooking. All those things that seems so classically and elementally Mexican – corn, chiles, moles, mezcal – can be traced back to the fertile area that surrounds this historic city.

May 2026
October 2026
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Milk Street on the Road: Trás-os-Montes, Portugal Farm to table is the way of life in Portugal’s Trás-os-Montes region. The locals raise animals, smoke their own meats, cultivate large vegetable gardens, grow grapes for wine, and tend to impressive flower gardens.

April 2026
November 2026
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Beyond the bustle of touristy central Venice is a series of small islands dotting the Venetian lagoon. This is where Venice’s wine is made, vegetables are grown, fish is caught and bread is baked.

June 2026
September 2026
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Harvest Time in the Cradle of Wine On this mouthwatering week-long culinary trip, we’ll explore the birthplace of wine: Georgia. Expect a one-of-a-kind, multi-day trip filled with wine tastings, cooking workshops, harvest activities, and more.

October 2026
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Fermentation, fire, and balance define Korean cuisine. From Seoul’s seafood markets and barbecue alleys to the mountain temples of Jeong Kwan Sunim, this journey explores the flavors, people, and traditions that shape Korea’s vibrant culinary soul.

June 2026
June 2026
September 2026
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Our trip begins in Osaka, a historic port and one of Japan’s largest cities, but also a place known for its laid back and fun vibe – and, above all, its love for eating and insatiable appetite for umami-laden flavors.

November 2026
January 2027
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Culinary trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Milk Street affiliate

From cochinita pibil cooked in underground ovens to corn milpas and family kitchens, this eight-day journey through Yucatán reveals the ancestral roots of Mayan cuisine. Meet the home cooks, farmers, and artisans preserving centuries-old traditions that shaped Mexico’s culinary soul.

May 2026
Sold out
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The freshest buffalo mozzarella. Tomatoes grown on steep terraces overlooking the Bay of Naples. The world’s best noodles from “the city of pasta.” These are the building blocks of the world-famous cuisine of Campania, the southern Italian region that includes Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Mount Vesuvius. On this exclusive-to-Milk-Street eight-day culinary tour, we get a perspective on Naples and Campania that few visitors ever do. We begin with a crash course in Neapolitan food led by Culinary Backstreets tour leader and Naples native Chiara Garofalo.

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Curated Travel Boards

Harry’s Kitchen

Athens oftens surprises with its grit and charm – and that’s why some of the best meals are often found in the side streets and unassuming arcades.

Shimonya yakitori Shimokitazawa, photo by Sam Spicer

Tokyo-based film festival programmer, musician, and longtime resident, CB guide and correspondent Ken brings his curiosity, love of music, and insider knowledge of the city’s eclectic after-dark scene to this guide to his favorite late-night spots across Tokyo.

Chaikhana Sem Sorok

Queens is famously the most diverse corner of the world, and its food scene reflects that. We’ve gathered the neighborhood spots, from Himalayan basements to Latin American counters, that take you around the world in one borough.

Tacos Beto: Deep Dive Featured Image

Francisco de Santiago, known to everyone as Paco, is a Mexico City native and Culinary Backstreets guide whose deep knowledge of the city’s taco culture has even led to appearances on Netflix’s The Taco Chronicles — here he shares his absolute favorite taquerías across the capital.

Sicily-born Chiara moved to Naples in order to attend the Oriental Languages University and fell hard for the unique city. As a guide for CB, Chiara finds her work to be the perfect expression of all her interests such as art, archeology, history, culture, food, communication; in one word, her passion for her city – and pizza. Here she shares some of her favorites spots for this Neapolitan original.

Saow noodle soup, Bangkok,  photo by Thomas de Cian

Bangkok’s best flavors are often tucked into its sois (side streets), far from the main tourist drags. From shophouse stir-fries to neighborhood noodle stalls, these are the places where the recipes are decades-old and the cooking is strictly for locals (with a few notable exceptions we couldn't help but keep on the list!).

Casa São Miguel

Lisbon’s pastry culture is legendary, anchored by the iconic custard tart. These bakeries achieve that perfect, flaky crunch and velvety center, along with other traditional sweets that abound in the city's cafes.

Post-Colonial Lisbon: Angola

We’ve gathered our list of restaurants that showcase the defiant heritage of Portugal’s former colonies. From Angola and Mozambique to Goa and Macau, these communities are as much a part of Lisbon history as the everyday tasca.

Bywater Bakery

Living in Washington, DC – a relatively quick flight away from New Orleans – means that a long weekend in the Crescent City is one of my favorites things to do. The incredible richness and sheer number of incredible places to eat makes for a place that rewards repeat visits. Here are some of my favorite spots for an initial long weekend visit, with some classics and some deeper cuts.

Simpang Asia

The depth of Asian cuisine in Los Angeles is staggering, spanning from the San Gabriel Valley to Koreatown and Little Tokyo. This list highlights the essential spots that represent the massive history, influence and diversity of the city's Asian communities.

Patisserie Orientale Journo

Our resident Marseille writer and guide, Alexis has been reporting from the backstreets of this ancient and more-than-French port city since we launched there in 2019. She translated “Taste the World in Marseille,” and here she shares her spots the make up her multicultural Marseille.

Mezcalerías

One of the world’s great drinking cities, Mexico City offers an enormous range of mezcal. These are the places we trust for thoughtful pours and a strong sense of place.

Downtown Athens Souvlaki Classics, Part 1

Souvlaki is everywhere in Athens, but that perfect balance of charred meat and springy fresh pita is an art. We’ve narrowed down the city’s many options to the stalls and shops that prioritize quality and tradition above all else.

Hold the Broth: The Rise of Sichuan Dry Pot Featured Image

Ride the 7 train through Queens to the neighborhood of Flushing, where New York’s largest Chinatown sprawls out. Food courts and peking-duck lined storefronts are home to regional Chinese dishes in the city’s true dining epicenter.

Fonda Pepa

I've been lucky enough to be able to visit Barcelona on a relatively frequent basis over the years. I've also been lucky enough to have the guidance of our incredible local Culinary Backstreets team when it comes to eating there. Here are some my favorite "deep cuts" from visits over the years.

Big-Time Baklava

From masterfully layered baklava to creamy milk puddings, Istanbul is a paradise for the sweet-toothed. This list highlights the historic confectioners and shops that continue to set the standard for traditional Turkish desserts, as well as a few modern introductions.

Çakmak

Though we used to have a large archive of stories from Beşiktaş, these are the spots that have managed to survive, and even thrive, amidst the seemingly daily turnover of a once working-class neighborhood.

Fonda Margarita: Pilgrimage Site Featured Image

I often get the question: Where should I go eat in Mexico City? It's a good question, but also one that's incredibly hard to answer! Mexico City's dining scene is so vast and varied and where to begin exploring it is a question in itself. But I have my favorites, and the list below makes for a great crash course in where to first take the plunge into Mexico City's culinary labyrinth.

The Khinkali Chronicles

Tbilisi’s food scene is a warm, soulful mix of actually ancient traditions and modern energy. At these spots, the khinkali better be fresh, the wine should flow freely, and the katchapuri perfectly gooey.

Hayvore

To truly understand Turkish cuisine, you have to look beyond the kebab. These esnaf lokantası (tradesmen restaurants) serve the kind of comforting, slow-cooked stews and vegetable dishes that define home cooking in Istanbul.

Arancini from Basile Focacceria del Massimo, Palermo, photo by Francesco Cipriano

Palermo is a city we love eating on foot. The narrow alleys of its historic markets are filled with the scent of fried chickpeas and grilled meats. We love these stalls, kiosks, and counters, many of which have perfected recipes over generations.

Bar del Corso: Coffee, Baldo’s Way

Beyond the market stalls, Palermo’s food culture is anchored by traditional pastry shops and neighborhood osterias. We've selected spots where the seafood is fresh, the recipes are generational, and the espresso is strong.

Baekbujangjip

Seoul moves fast, but its food scene is anchored by deep tradition. This list focuses on the essentials, from the rituals of Korean BBQ and banchan to comforting bowls of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), haejangguk (hangover stew), and dakhanmari (whole chicken soup).

Introducing Bilbao

The txikiteo (pintxo hop) finds the Bilbotar (a Bilbao local) moving from bar to bar for small bites and glasses of wine. Here's our list of counters where the pintxos are exclusively precise or incredibly inventive, and the traditions of the Basque Country come to life.

Carnes en su Jugo Mexicaltzingo 1617

Guadalajara’s food scene is built on regional pride, defined by iconic dishes like torta ahogada and slow-cooked birria. These selections balance time-honored traditions with everyday eating in this Mexican city.

El Rancho Grande

Los Angeles is defined by its Latino heritage. From old mole recipes to the street tacos that fuel the city every night, these are the places that honor those roots while continuing to shape the way modern L.A. eats today.

Muka

San Sebastian is a bit of a pilgrimage site for anyone who loves a high-standard meal. While the city is famous for its constellation of Michelin stars, we're more focused on the high-water marks of Basque gastronomy that combine technical brilliance with a deep love for local ingredients.

The francesinha, photo by Francesca Savoldi

Every visit to Porto seems to involve another sandwich stop. Some are famous, others more low-key, but all play a real role in how the city eats. This list brings together the sandwich spots we think best capture that everyday rhythm.

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