Roast Chicken at Calliope: Try the East Village’s Calliope for some of the city’s best roast chicken: a pan-seared breast served in chicken stock with cabbage stuffed with confit leg and vegetables. $$$
Oysters at Maison Premiere: Craving oysters in New York? Williamsburg’s Maison Premiere has excellent Caraquet oysters on the half shell. $$$
Soup Dumplings at Café China: Head to Midtown for Shanghainese xiao long bao with soy-vinegar-ginger sauce. $$
Bagel Sandwich at Russ & Daughters: Try a classic bagel sandwich that comes with Scottish smoked salmon, cream cheese, and red onion on a poppy-seed bagel at this Lower East Side institution. $$
Sushi at Sushi Yasuda: There are many sushi restaurants in New York, but try Midtown’s Sushi Yasuda for Arctic char, ebi (shrimp), uni (sea urchin), and ikura (salmon roe). $$$$
Pizza at Paulie Gee’s: For some of New York’s best pizza, head to Greenpoint, Brooklyn for the Regina pizza that comes topped with fior di latte, Italian tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, olive oil, and fresh basil. $$
Pasta at Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria(pictured): If you’re looking for good pasta, skip Little Italy and try NoHo for Il Buco’s carbonara (pasta tossed with house-cured pancetta, eggs, Parmesan, and black pepper). $$$
Restaurant Pricing Key $Less than $25 $$$25 to $75 $$$$75 to $150 $$$$More than $150
Thiên Thanh, Houston: Catering to one of the nation’s largest Vietnamese communities, Bellaire Boulevard is lined with countless pho and bánh xèo joints—but everyone comes here for bánh cuón: dainty, ravioli-like crêpes filled with ground shrimp or barbecued pork and drizzled with a pungent nuoc cham sauce. 281/564-0419. $
Attari Sandwiches, Los Angeles: The city nicknamed “Tehrangeles” is home to hundreds of thousands of Iranian Americans, many of whom live or work in Westwood. On Fridays they flock to Attari’s courtyard for the special abgoosht, a nourishing lamb-and-bean stew that’s mashed into a paste and served with lamb broth and piquant torshi (pickles). $$
Papo Llega y Pon, Miami(pictured): Roast pig was never as glorious as at this bare-bones pit stop in Allapattah, a historically Cuban enclave west of the city’s Design District. At lunchtime, line up with the cops for a superlative pan con lechón (chopped-pork sandwich) served on warm Cuban bread. 305/635-0137. $
Restaurant Pricing Key $Less than $25 $$$25 to $75 $$$$75 to $150 $$$$More than $150
Abu Gosh Restaurant, Abu Ghosh, Israel: In the Judean Hills west of Jerusalem, this simple restaurant is devoted to the art of making hummus from chickpeas ground by hand daily. (The entire Arab village of Abu Ghosh is famous for it.) Baskets of warm pita and the tenderest lamb, beef, and chicken kebabs complete the meal. $$
Els Pescadors, Llançà, Spain(pictured): Beside the harbor in a tiny Costa Brava town, Els Pescadors serves up the day’s tastiest catch—prawns, John Dory, sea bass, turbot—brought in by the fishing boats bobbing just a stone’s throw from your table. $$$$
Ardigna Ristorante Rustico, Salemi, Italy: The most charming restaurant in western Sicily sits an hour’s drive inland from Marsala, on a remote hilltop. Nearly everything is made in-house: tangy ricotta, fragrant wildflower honey, garlicky salumi, silky tagliatelle, even the bittersweet amaro digestif. $$
Restaurant Ziegelhütte, Zurich, Switzerland: Take a tram from downtown, then walk up a trail to this traditional country restaurant and beer garden, where regulars gather over plates of schnitzel and Älplermagronen (creamy macaroni with cheese and potatoes). $$$
Restaurant Pricing Key $Less than $25 $$$25 to $75 $$$$75 to $150 $$$$More than $150
El Vaso de Oro, Barcelona: Among the old fishermen’s houses of Barceloneta, this sepia-toned cervecería is full of local sea dogs and other salty types who come for house-brewed lager and a dizzying array of tapas (boat-fresh squid and shrimp; flash-fried padrón peppers). And when a football match is on, forget about it: the tiny bar is as jammed and as rowdy as it gets. $
Ved Stranden 10 Vinhandel & Bar, Copenhagen: On Monday nights, the canal-side wine bar becomes the hangout for the city’s culinary scene. A guest cook—sometimes from Noma or Relae—prepares a simple, tasty one-pot dish that functions like a staff meal, except it’s open to all. $$
Café de Hong Kong: Homesick Hong Kongers come for comfort food such as fried rice with fish roe. 65/6255-3865.$
Combat Durian: Follow your nose to this seasonal stand that sells prized varieties of the much-maligned fruit. The buttery mao shan wang is as creamy and rich as its name implies. 65/9278-9928. $
Founder Bak Kut Teh: Plenty of shops sell bak kut teh—a pork-rib soup that’s the ultimate hangover cure—but Founder’s version has extra-tender ribs and a long-simmered broth. 65/6352-6192. $
Loong Fatt Eating House & Confectionary: A tiny bakeshop with superior tau sar piah, crumbly sesame-seed-encrusted pastries filled with sweet or savory bean paste. 65/6253-4584.$
Whampoa Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat: Slurp up every last drop of fish head steamboat, a rich stock of grouper or pomfret bobbing with thick slices of fish, prawn, squid, cabbage, and sour plum. 65/9127-6550.$
Restaurant Pricing Key $Less than $25 $$$25 to $75 $$$$75 to $150 $$$$More than $150
Prefer off-the-radar eateries to flashy, five-star affairs? That’s why Travel + Leisure and CNN teamed up for our series 100 Places to Eat Like a Local. For the next few months, we are combining iReports from you with chef and editor finds to give you tips on the best local food around.
Ever wonder where to get amazing Chinese food in Philadelphia? Chinatown might be a good guess, but how do you choose from the countless noodle houses lining the streets? Thankfully, we discovered Nan Zhou Noodle House (brought to our attention by cathybranch). Nan Zhou’s noodles are hand drawn and made to order, meaning you get to choose how you want them- broad or narrow, thick or thin. You can also pick from an array of proteins- from clam or shrimp to ox tail or lamb- to customize your dish.
Our iReporter suggests spicy pig ears to start while your noodles are being prepared. A few more insider tips- Nan Zhou Noodle House only accepts cash, so make sure to stop by an ATM on your way there. This joint is also BYOB, so while they do not sell wine or beer, you are welcome to bring your own to enjoy. Happy slurping!
Have your own suggestion for eating like a local? Share your iReport today!
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
Together with CNN, Travel + Leisure's multi-platform series 100 Places to Eat Like a Local combines iReports from you, television spots, chef recommendations, and editor finds to spotlight the best local food around the world over the next few months.
This week, we are highlighting a Detroit restaurant (brought to you by iReporter ProMich) that goes above and beyond the farm-to-table concept. In 1976, Rina and Adriano Tonon decided to take an old apple orchard and transform it into a five-acre garden adorned with Italian herbs and vegetables. Years later, Café Cortina is a prospering model for younger restaurants aiming to be organic and sustainable. The basil, rosemary, Swiss chard and 80 year-old heirloom tomato plants make the dishes at Café Cortina as delicious as they are healthy.
Together with CNN, Travel + Leisure's multi-platform series 100 Places to Eat Like a Local combines iReports from you, television spots, chef recommendations, and editor finds to spotlight the best local food finds around the world over the next few months. Here's one iReport here.
CNN PRODUCER NOTE | While on a two week motorcycle trip from her home in Maryland to and around Nova Scotia, sasstagg says she discovered Cabin Coffee, a store that she says serves delicious scones that are extra tasty. "They were taking the scones out from the oven when I walked in and they had me at first glimpse and first whiff. They were hot and fresh from the oven and loaded with fresh local berries," she says. "You can't get scones like that in Maryland, even from my local coffee shop that makes them from scratch."
Travel + Leisure teamed up with CNN to create the delicious multi-platform series 100 Places to Eat Like a Local. Combining iReports from you, television spots, chef recommendations, and editor finds, we’ll be spotlighting the best local food finds around the world over the next few months. For more, watch the video.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of a delicious new multi-platform series—100 Places to Eat Like a Local—with CNN. Combining iReports from you, television spots, chef recommendations, editor finds, and more from our network of hungry globetrotters over the coming months, we’ll be spotlighting the best local food finds around the world. From secret oyster bars and pizzerias to beloved dumpling houses and farm-to-table restaurants, we want to know where you love to eat—and what places (and culinary experiences) are worth the trip. Stay tuned for more appetite-inspiring updates and travel ideas.
