Food city comparisons

36 city-pair comparisons covering every region we work in. Each page goes deep on what each city does best, when you would choose one over the other, and what they share.

• Albuquerque vs Santa Fe for food
  Working-class New Mexican vs the higher-end Santa Fe table. Two cities, 60 minutes apart, one chile tradition.
• Amsterdam vs Rotterdam for food
  Amsterdam is the tourist food capital. Rotterdam is the working-class food city. One hour apart, opposite vibes.
• Anchorage vs Honolulu for food
  Two American food cities outside the Lower 48. Cold-water salmon and reindeer sausage versus plate lunch and poke.
• Barcelona vs San Sebastian for food
  Barcelona is Catalan. San Sebastian is Basque. They're the two most exciting Spanish food cities right now.
• Berlin vs Munich for food
  Berlin is the modern German food city. Munich is the Bavarian capital of beer and sausage.
• Birmingham vs Nashville for food
  Frank Stitt's Birmingham vs Nashville's hot chicken empire. Two Southern food cities, two very different identities.
• Buffalo vs Pittsburgh for food
  Two Rust Belt food cities that built their canons in church basements and steel-mill lunchrooms.
• Charlotte vs Atlanta for food
  The Carolinas' Queen City vs the Southern capital. Two Southern food scenes, two very different scales.
• Cincinnati vs Cleveland for food
  Cincinnati chili vs the Polish Boy. Two Ohio food cities, two immigrant food traditions four hours apart.
• Cincinnati vs Louisville for food
  Cincinnati chili vs the Hot Brown. Two Ohio River food cities, 100 miles apart, with their own regional canons.
• Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh for food
  Ohio River versus Three Rivers. Two Catholic-German river cities built on chili and pierogi.
• Cleveland vs Pittsburgh for food
  Two Rust Belt rivals that built parallel food canons on the same Eastern European immigrant pantry.
• Copenhagen vs Stockholm for food
  Both built modern Nordic cuisine. Copenhagen leads on fine dining. Stockholm is the steadier all-rounder.
• Hong Kong vs Singapore for food
  Two Asian food cities, two different traditions. Cantonese dim sum vs Singapore's hawker mix.
• Istanbul vs Athens for food
  Istanbul has the Ottoman empire's food. Athens has Mediterranean roots. Two Mediterranean food cities, two empires.
• Krakow vs Warsaw for food
  Krakow has the medieval food culture. Warsaw has the modern restaurant scene. Two Polands, four hours apart.
• Kyoto vs Osaka for food
  Kyoto eats with ceremony. Osaka eats on the street. They're 25 minutes apart by train.
• Lisbon vs Porto for food
  Lisbon is the cosmopolitan capital. Porto is the working wine city. Two Portugals, three hours apart.
• London vs Paris for food
  Paris is the historical capital of dining. London is the modern one. 2 hours apart, two food worlds.
• Madrid vs Barcelona for food
  Two Spanish food cities, two regional traditions. Madrid is Castilian. Barcelona is Catalan.
• Mexico City vs Guadalajara for food
  Mexico City has the modern scene. Guadalajara has tequila + birria. Two Mexican food cities with different anchors.
• Mexico City vs Oaxaca for food
  Mexico City eats modern. Oaxaca eats regional. Both belong on a serious Mexico food trip.
• New Orleans vs Charleston for food
  New Orleans is Creole. Charleston is Lowcountry. The American South's two great food cities.
• New York vs Los Angeles for food
  NYC has the density. LA has the diversity. Two ways to be America's best food city.
• Paris vs Lyon for food
  Paris is the dining capital of France. Lyon is its culinary heart. Two French food cities with different jobs.
• Richmond vs Charleston for food
  Tidewater Virginia versus the Lowcountry. Two old Southern cities with parallel coastal food traditions.
• Rome vs Florence for food
  Rome cooks with restraint. Florence cooks with fire. Two Italian regional traditions, 90 minutes apart.
• Rome vs Naples for food
  Rome cooks with restraint. Naples invented pizza. Two Italian food traditions, one train ride apart.
• Salt Lake City vs Denver for food
  Two Mountain West capitals with parallel outdoor cultures and completely different food canons.
• San Francisco vs Los Angeles for food
  San Francisco invented Californian cuisine. Los Angeles has the diaspora. Two California food cities, two philosophies.
• Sydney vs Melbourne for food
  Sydney eats by the harbor. Melbourne eats in laneways. Australia's two food cities have different personalities.
• Tokyo vs Kyoto for food
  Same country, different food cultures. How to decide which Japanese city to eat in if you have to choose.
• Tokyo vs Osaka for food
  Tokyo refines, Osaka hedonizes. Two Japanese food cities with opposite philosophies.
• Tucson vs Albuquerque for food
  The Sonoran hot dog vs New Mexican green chile. Two Southwest desert cities with related but distinct regional cuisines.
• Tucson vs Santa Fe for food
  Both UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy. Sonoran heritage vs New Mexican chile. The Southwest's two anointed food cities.
• Vienna vs Budapest for food
  Vienna and Budapest were Habsburg twin capitals. They still share a coffeehouse + pastry tradition that defines Central European eating.