These Are The 7 Best Cities for Foodies in Europe
Food is more than just the satisfaction of a need. It's pleasure, a lifestyle, and sometimes even a reason for travel. Thankfully, Europe entices with a number of cities that are made for foodies.
February 20, 2023
Is it really possible to measure in which European cities you are in the best culinary hands? The company Bounce took on this question. And found: You can. It analyzed the most visited cities in Europe based on measurable criteria. For example, it counted the number of Michelin-starred restaurants, social media foodie postings and restaurant offerings. The highest possible score was 10, but no city achieved it. Bounce identified the 7 best cities for foodies as:
Rank 7: Vienna, Austria
Total score: 6.28
Roebuck from the "Steirereck", one of the best restaurants in Vienna. © Heinz Reitbauer
The metropolis on the Danube has 273 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants, less than five percent of which are fast food chains. That gives it a lot of plus points. In total, eleven Michelin restaurants can be found in the Austrian capital. 167,143 Instagram postings and almost 40 million TikTok views give the city a foodie score of 6.28, which puts it in 7th place.
Rank 6: London, UK
Total score: 6.76
"Brat" in Shoreditch focuses on Basque cuisine, © OwenMathias.com.
If you use the hashtag #food on social media, you'll see 250 million posts every month. Remarkably, 2.6 million of those posts are dedicated to London's food scene. The food in London seems to be pure Instagram gold. 291 restaurants per 100,000 residents, 69 Michelin-starred restaurants and nearly 650,000 TikTok views boost London to No. 6 on the list of best cities for foodies in Europe. Downside: Fast-food chains account for more than 9 percent of the number of restaurants.
Rank 5: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Total score: 7.59
Eating well and drinking well, like at Tales & Spirits, is definitely something you can do in Amsterdam. © Tales & Spirits
The Netherlands is not just a popular Instagram destination because of its tulips. Foodies are also loving the numerous photogenic dishes. After all, there are 270,000 Instagram posts on the topic #amsterdamfood. Rank 5 of the best cities for foodies scores with 447 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants and 72 Michelin Guide restaurants. The city has over 143 million TikTok views.
Rank 4: Lisbon, Portugal
Total score: 7.65
Must-haves on any visit to Lisbon: Pastels de Belém, © Shutterstock
Lisbon is an excellent destination for foodies. There are an amazing 1,089 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants, and less than four percent of them are fast-food restaurants. Sixteen of them are in the Michelin Guide. It's true that the city's food ranks near the bottom in that regard, with 26.7 million TikTok views. However, the 124,000 Instagram posts and the high number of restaurants catapult Lisbon into fourth place among the best cities for foodies in Europe.
3: Barcelona, Spain
Total score: 8.07
Number 2 on the list of the best restaurants in Europe: Disfrutar in Barcelona. © Disfrutar
714 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants, 5.54 percent of them fast-food restaurants, but 24 Michelin-starred restaurants - that alone is not enough for third place. Fortunately, there are also over 350,000 Instagram postings and almost 46 million TikTok views. That makes for a solid third place.
Rank 2: Madrid, Spain
Total score: 8.35
Diverxo by Dabis Muñoz is one of the best restaurants in the world. © Diverxo
The Spanish capital boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants (162). Traditional taverns, tapas bars and fine dining - everything has its place here. Only fast-food chains are not so numerous. They account for only 4.62 percent of all restaurants. 418 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants, 360,000 #madridfood posts on Instagram and almost 60 million TikTok views result in a foodie score of 8.35.
Place 1: Paris, France
Total score: 9.31
One of the best restaurants in town: La Coupole, © La Coupole
France holds the glorious first place. Because with 910 restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants and 118 Michelin-starred restaurants and almost 387 million TikTok views, the city is indeed outstanding. The number of Instagram posts of 665,164 is surpassed only by those of London. Only 5.01 percent of the numerous eateries are dedicated to fast food.
Read more: Are these the 10 most popular restaurants in Paris?
