Revealed: World’s best street food

The old maxim applies equally to a traveller as it does to the proverbial man; that is, the way to his or her heart is through his or her belly.

And the way to see the true heart of a culture’s cuisine is through the quality of its street food.

So often, you’ll find the ultimate authentic food a country has to offer from a truck or cart along a roadside.

San Francisco (and now much of Melbourne) has its street food parks, Vietnam has its pho and banh mi carts and Mexico has its taco trucks.

But you’ll find the best street food in the world, according to My Late Deals (and this editor), from the dai pai dongs and street-side vendors in Hong Kong – home of Michelin rated meals for under A$8.

My Late Deals analysed 30 of the best street food cities in the world to create the Street Food Index, basing its rankings on vendor numbers, affordability, variety of experiences and sanitation standards.

Hong Kong beat Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Mumbai for the street cuisine crown, followed by Rome, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Mexico City and Portland.

Strangely, Sydney beat Asian food strongholds Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei, as well as culinary hotspots Paris and New York City.

Home to around 60 Michelin-starred restaurants and vendors, Hong Kong is no stranger to the top spot, having already won the award in 2019.

Hong Kong placed first, with its high sanitation standards and large array of street food experiences. Known for its cheung fun, dim sum and curry fishballs, most street food in Hong Kong is reasonably priced at around $10.

The top 30 street food restaurants are:

Position

City

Total Points

Number of Street Food Vendors Score (0-30)

Affordability Score (0-30)

Number of Street Food Experiences Score (0-30)

Sanitation Score (0-30)

1

Hong Kong

93

23

17

23

30

2

Bangkok

90

18

30

29

13

3

Ho Chi Minh

89

25

29

30

5

4

Singapore

86

19

12

25

30

5

Mumbai

78

30

23

21

4

6

Rome

76

14

4

28

30

7

Tel Aviv

73

20

2

21

30

8

Sydney

72

28

7

7

30

9

Mexico City

70

21

19

16

14

10

Portland

69

29

6

14

20

11

Seoul

68

12

16

19

21

11

Beijing

68

15

21

24

8

13

Berlin

67

17

11

9

30

14

Paris

66

23

4

9

30

15

Istanbul

65

5

18

26

16

16

Palermo

63

10

11

12

30

16

Penang

63

11

27

15

10

18

Tokyo

61

9

9

27

16

19

New Orleans

60

26

8

6

20

19

Kuala Lumpur

60

2

25

23

10

21

Cartagena

59

6

28

14

11

22

Port Louis

58

16

15

5

22

22

Honolulu

58

27

6

5

20

24

Taipei

49

1

24

17

7

25

Marrakech

48

8

26

12

2

26

Rio

45

7

14

12

12

27

New York

43

3

1

19

20

27

Durban

43

22

13

5

3

29

Kingston

39

13

20

0

6

30

Dakar

27

4

22

0

1

 

Where do you think the world’s best street food is? How many of these countries have you eaten in?

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