The Ultimate World Food Bucket List

Last Updated on 9th May 2024

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Food is one of my absolute favourite aspects of travelling. As someone who hadn’t eaten a proper curry until she was nearly 19 and who mostly relied on a diet of potatoes, chicken nuggets and spaghetti bolognese for most of my life, once I found my appetite when I got together with Matt, I discovered a whole new love in my life; food.

Now, whenever we travel somewhere new, even if it’s just the next city over from us, I always get so excited at the thought of trying out new restaurants, discovering different cuisines and tantalising my tastebuds with something utterly divine.

On my travels, I’ve been lucky enough to try some of the world’s most exotic cuisines, but there are still so many things on my culinary bucket list, that I thought I’d share some of my ideas with you guys today.

From hearty bánh mì sandwiches in Vietnam to spicy curries in India and substantial pasta dishes in Italy, there’s ample inspiration in this post to add to your world food bucket list!

Of course, this world food bucket list isn’t entirely exhaustive as there are so many incredible dishes and delicacies to enjoy around the world. I’ve also included some of the dishes I have eaten on my travels as part of this foodie bucket list; some I’ve absolutely loved and some that I’m not the biggest fan of.

If you’re wanting to learn more about the best cuisines in the world or you just want to expand your culinary palate somewhat, check out my huge list of the best bucket list foods everyone should try!

Let me know some of your favourite dishes, as well as some of the things on your food bucket list in the comments below!

P.S. I apologise for the terrible quality of most of the pictures in this post; many of these pictures were taken years ago and some are so blurry because I was likely eager to get tucked in! I also don’t have pictures of every country/cuisine as I haven’t tried everything yet.

World food bucket list summary

United Kingdom
The Netherlands
Czech Republic

1. UK – world food bucket list

While the UK’s national dish is actually considered to be Chicken Tikka Masala, it’s not something that I’d personally have at the very top of my world food bucket list. However, having eaten plenty of other quintessentially British dishes in my time, I’d like to think I’ve pretty much got it nailed when it comes to the best British food you need to try.

Of course, the roast dinner is an absolute must-try when you’re in England, preferably a homemade one, but any cosy British pub is always likely to serve the goods. You also need to try fish and chips, or if you’re like me, battered sausage, chips and curry sauce. Depending on where you are in the UK, will depend on what you like with your fish and chips; some people prefer curry sauce, some gravy and some would say mushy peas. Try them all and decide your favourite!

Roast Dinner
Fish and chips
Steak and kidney pie

2. The Netherlands

Our five days in Amsterdam mostly consisted of exploring the city, taking part in the local culture and eating the most delicious kebabs I’ve ever had in my entire life, so unfortunately I don’t have much reference when it comes to foods to try in The Netherlands.

However, I have had a stroopwafel before (albeit, not in The Netherlands; a Dutch co-worker of mine once brought some into the office!) and I can certainly vouch for their deliciousness. Poffertjes are also on my Dutch food bucket list as they look and sound absolutely divine.

Stroopwafel
Stamppot
Poffertjes

3. Czech Republic

The origin of the Trdelník is often debated, but the one I had in Prague in the Czech Republic was utterly divine so I knew I had to include it in my culinary foodie bucket list.

Trdelník
Vepřo Knedlo Zelo
Česnečka

4. Belgium – best food bucket list

Belgian waffles + frites = a very happy Chloe, which is why I’m desperate to head to Belgium and tuck into all the scrumptious food available. I’ve heard so many great things about the food in Belgium, so I’m mega excited to head there hopefully one day soon.

Belgian Waffle
Moules-frites
Frites

5. Hungary

While we ate some truly delicious food while we were in Budapest in Hungary, we didn’t actually have any of the more ‘traditional’ dishes such as goulash and dobos torte, so if we ever head back to Hungary, they’re definitely on my list of food to try.

Goulash
Lángos
Dobos Torte

6. France

The French cuisine offers some of the most decadent delicacies in the world. From crusty baguettes, to delicate pastries and cakes, to indulgent meat dishes, the food in France is enviable to say the least.

Macarons
Croissant
Crêpes

7. Spain

One of my number one favourite bucket list foods to try on this list is tapas; I just absolutely bloody love the stuff!

Whether it’s quintessential Spanish cuisine or not, I adore tapas and I would absolutely love to spend more time in Spain in order to eat as many delectable dishes as possible.

Paella
Pincho
Patatas Bravas

8. Italy – ultimate food bucket list

If there’s one type of cuisine that I can literally never get enough of, it’s Italian. I am absolutely obsessed with everything Italian-influenced; whether it’s pizza, pasta, bread, steak, ice cream, cured meats and more. I have such an adoration of pasta and pizza in particular, and I reckon I could eat them both a good 5 or 6 times a week.

I’ve been lucky enough to eat some truly wonderful meals in both Rome and Venice so far, but I have a whole Italian bucket list of places that I want to visit and explore and most importantly, try out all the yummy food on offer.

Pasta
Pizza
Gelato

9. Austria

Matt and I were actually supposed to be going to Austria in January 2021, but due to Covid-19 our trip was understandably cancelled.

While I was so excited to explore Austria, I was also very much looking forward to indulging in some delicious Austrian cuisine such as schnitzel and tafelspitz.

Wiener Schnitzel
Apple Strudel
Tafelspitz

10. Portugal

For some reason, before we visited Porto last year (which was actually my first time in Portugal), I never really considered Portugal as a place with fantastic food but my goodness was I proven wrong when we went.

We ate some of the most divine dishes when we were in Porto, including one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to.

Pastel de nata
Francesinha
Bacalhau

11. Sweden – food lover’s bucket list

I’m going to say something now that I really hope doesn’t make you guys want to immediately stop reading, but I’ve never actually been to Ikea or had their famous and beloved meatballs!

Therefore, I think that I need to go to Sweden and rectify this atrocity, as well as enjoying many other wonderful dishes that Sweden is known and loved for.

Meatballs
Kanelbulle
Lingonberries

12. Greece

Despite having only been to Greece once, I am an absolute sucker for Greek food, in particular gyros.

There’s a food stall in my hometown of York called Stam and Maria’s and they serve some of the best Greek food outside of Greece (in my opinion, at least!). I definitely need to head back to Greece one day very soon and indulge in all the scrumptious delicacies.

Souvlaki
Gyros
Tzatziki

13. Germany

The food in Germany is some of my favourite in the world and the country’s rich and delicious cuisine is something that should be on every foodie’s bucket list!

Currywurst
Sauerbraten
Bratwurst

14. Middle East – world food bucket list

The food in the Middle East is absolutely divine; from the infamous Döner kebab to hearty shawarma and delectable side dishes such as falafel and hummus, you really can’t go wrong when adding cuisine in the Middle East to your big food bucket list.

Shawarma
Falafel
Döner Kebab

15. Vietnam

During our three weeks in Vietnam, before we flew back to the UK due to Covid, we had a wonderful time exploring the country and eating some of the nation’s most beloved dishes.

While I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the famous Phở, I did thoroughly love our food tour in Ho Chi Minh City as it gave us the chance to try some of the most popular and famous dishes in Vietnam and I’d highly recommend doing a food tour whenever visiting a new country as it gives you an authentic way of experiencing local food.

Phở
Bánh mì
Bánh xèo

16. Philippines

The food in the Philippines wasn’t necessarily my favourite when we were in Southeast Asia, but when they have dishes such as lechon and chicken adobo, it’s hard to argue that they’re not utterly delicious, not to mention ridiculously affordable.

Lechon (Roasted Pig)
Chicken Adobo
Crispy pata

17. Malaysia

Malaysia is the one country that I’ve been to that surprised me the most; I fell absolutely head over heels in love with both George Town and Kuala Lumpur and the food we ate in both places is some of my favourite ever.

While we ate plenty of Maggi Goreng in Indonesia, we also ate it an awful lot in Malaysia too and I honestly can’t rave about this fried chicken and noodle dish enough.

Check out my food posts from KL and George Town to see some more utterly exquisite food inspiration from Malaysia to add to your food bucket list.

Nasi Lemak
Maggi Goreng
Roti Canai

18. Japan – food to try bucket list

I didn’t expect to love Japanese food as much as I do, but after spending almost two months in Japan, it’s now one of my favourite countries in the world for food!

Sushi
Sashimi
Yakitori

19. China

While I haven’t actually been to China itself, I have been to countries such as Malaysia and Singapore who have an awful lot of Chinese influence on their food so I’ve eaten my fair share of heavenly Chinese food.

Peking duck has got to be one of the tastiest Chinese dishes, whether that’s at an authentic food stall in Asia, or from your local takeaway. Of course, the more local the food, the better (usually), but I’m a firm believer in trying different foods in whatever capacity you can, so why not order something different from your local takeaway the next time you order Chinese food?

Peking duck
Dumplings
Chow Mein

20. India

I’m also still yet to visit India, but after visiting countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia which have a huge Indian cuisine influence, I can safely say that I’m now a huge fan of Indian food.

I probably ate the best Indian food of my life when we were in Vietnam, but I’m so excited to eventually head to India itself in order to soak up as much of the incredible culture and food as possible.

Now that I actually like Indian food, I’d say things like butter chicken, vindaloo and bhuna are up there with some of the best dishes in the world in my opinion and if you’re still hesitant to try curry, I’d seriously urge you to have a go!

Start with something relatively mild like a korma or chicken tikka and before you know it, Indian cuisine might be one of your favourite food in the world!

Tandoori Chicken
Lamb Vindaloo
Biryani

21. Indonesia – ultimate food bucket list

I’ve talked about my love/hate with Indonesia numerous times on my blog, but one thing that I can’t deny is that the food in Indonesia is incredible.

My personal favourite was the very basic ayam lalapan which essentially consisted of fried chicken and rice and while it doesn’t sound (or look) all that remarkable, it was always so yummy and unfathomably cheap as well.

We also ate plenty of other delicious rice dishes in Indonesia, as well as my beloved Maggi Goreng.

Beef Rendang
Nasi Goreng
Ayam Lalapan

22. Thailand

I’m probably going to offend many people when I say this, but even though I spent one month in Thailand and visited many cities and islands while we were there, I just didn’t fall in love with Thai cuisine at all. In fact, I’d probably have to say that it’s by far my least favourite Asian cuisine!

However, I knew that I had to include Thailand in my food bucket list as so many people I know rave about Thai cuisine, so it’s probably just my weird personal preference that I don’t really like it.

Pad Thai
Tom Yum
Panang curry

23. Australia

Even though we mostly cooked our own (cheap) food in the campervan when we were in Australia, we did still eat plenty of the more traditional food found down under.

We finally tried the infamous Vegemite for the first time while we were staying with Matt’s family in the Gold Coast and while I certainly wasn’t a big fan of it at all, I still think it’s something that everyone needs to try when they’re in Australia.

Kangaroo burger
Vegemite
Meat Pie

24. New Zealand

Similarly to Australia, we also cooked a lot of our own food in New Zealand in order to keep our travel budget to a minimum when we were housesitting and living in a campervan, but we did still manage to try plenty of goodies too.

Hokey pokey ice cream is a must-try when in New Zealand, as well as almost any kind of fish and chips (I’d personally recommend Whitebait fish and as someone who’s really not into fish that much, I can honestly vouch that this is beyond yummy).

Pavlova
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Whitebait fish and chips

25. USA – bucket list for food lovers

There are so many types of American food that I could have added to my foodie bucket list as the food in the USA is so vast and varied.

Whether it’s a hearty burger, a decadent hot dog, scrumptious Texas Barbecue, fried chicken or something sweeter like a doughnut, American food is popular the world over.

Southern Fried Chicken
New York Bagel
Hamburger

26. Mexico

Mexican food is another one of my absolute favourites!

Enchiladas and fajitas are my personal favourite, but I’ll happily eat anything that consists of anything bready, cheesy and meaty!

Tacos
Fajitas
Enchiladas

27. Argentina

Argentina is somewhere that I’d definitely like to visit one day as part of our South American travels and after doing research for this post and coming across the Argentinian Asado, I’m now 100% sold on the idea of Argentinian food!

Asado
Empanadas
Dulce de leche

I’m sure there are dozens more dishes and delicacies that I could add to this big food bucket list post, but I think I’ve made a pretty good start on my culinary bucket list for now!

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What else is on your ultimate food bucket list? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.