Flavors I’ve Found Across the World I travel with my taste buds wide open because food is how we connect with a place and each other. I’m the kind of traveler that plans days and trips around meals, I book the hotel near all the best local spots, and I will absolutely go out of the way for a great plate. I love sharing the places and dishes I still think about, the flavors that surprised me, and the places you should definitely plan to try next. Food tells you the truth about a place. It shows you what people value, what resources are available, what they celebrate, what they've inherited in the kitchen from years of tradition, and what they're doing differently now. Consider this page my running list. It’s part food diary and part travel guide for anyone who wants to eat their way through a trip the way I do. Even before traveling nationally and internationally, some of my favorite meals came from a local gas station (shoutout to Circle D Mart) or a family-owned restaurant nearby. Exploring the United States one plate at a time has shown me just how much food can differ by region. Where I might order a side of yams in Virginia or Georgia, I may be offered rice in South Carolina. I might find southern food that reminds me of home in Chicago. A charming little cafe in Martha’s Vineyard may deliver a peach salad i’ve never had but would gladly eat again and again in the summer. This section is where I round up the national spots and dishes that I visited, loved, and would visit again. It’s the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, the Black-owned spots, and local classics that make you understand a place and its community more. During my first trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, I quickly discovered that the city’s food scene is every bit as impressive as its scenic riverfront and outdoor attractions. From brunch at Honey Seed to dinner at Public House, STIR, and State of Confusion, these are the restaurants that stood out and what you should order when you visit. Martha’s Vineyard may be known for its beaches and charming towns, but this is a moment for the food. This trip was a mix of sit-down dinners, late-night donut runs, and casual comfort food that I loved. Some dishes were good. A few were unforgettable. And a handful, I’d order them again in a heartbeat. Nestled at the end of Circuit Avenue, The Sweet Life Café is where Martha’s Vineyard dining meets charm and seasonality. With beautifully plated dishes that highlight fresh ingredients like peach salads and scallops topped with pomegranate, this intimate spot captures the perfect balance of savory and sweet. Taste some of Atlanta’s best wings at What The Fry! inside Chattahoochee Food Works. With customizable sauces, fry styles, and seasonings, it’s a must-visit spot if you love wings like we do. Discover why Rock Steady is one of Atlanta’s best Caribbean fusion restaurants. From unforgettable shrimp and grits and fried snapper bites to the energetic atmosphere with a fire DJ, this is the comfort food spot you’ll want to visit again and again. Sacco Pizza is a classic no-nonsense Italian pizzeria where I had two slices and a Coke for about $10 after a night at the theater. It’s the kind of New York establishment that reminds you an inexpensive meal can feel like heaven when you need it most and probably just a few steps away from wherever you might find yourself in the city. Yardbird Table & Bar in Miami serves up Southern food with standout flavor and consistency. Known for classics like chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits, Yardbird is a must-visit restaurant in South Beach for reliable comfort dishes. Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is a restaurant right outside of Joshua Tree, and it is an experience. When I think of a roadside saloon from back in the day, this is what i’d imagine. You can hear live music here, but it’s also an unexpected and legendary culinary gem that has earned a reputation as one of the most recommended restaurants in the high desert. Before my family and I arrived in Seattle, we all heard from various people that seafood and Asian cuisine were the way to go, so we found plenty of restaurants that offered both, but we also discovered restaurants that offered other cuisines that were just as tasty. When it comes to the best fried chicken wings and fries in Richmond, my go-to spot is Manchu, a New Orleans original that recently opened its second location right here in Virginia’s capital, more specifically the Northside neighborhood. Looking for Christmas-y things to do, I was surprised to find that Birdie’s creates an annual pop-up called The Evergreen that transforms the space into a winter wonderland with extravagant decorations that will definitely bring you holiday cheer. I had never knowingly had Vietnamese food, but one look at the menu and I knew it was a place I needed to be. If you could measure a restaurant's worth by entry, the line outside suggests an upcoming acclaimed experience. Modest in size, Tâm Tâm is the definition of a local treasure and the kind of place I prefer to find myself when it comes to food. Chicago is a city in which you’ll find many Southern restaurants because The Great Migration brought the food I’m so accustomed to in Virginia up north and then across the country. Dining at these restaurants always feels familiar in that way, but I also have come to expect and enjoy the surprises that evolution and a geographical change can bring to such classic and time-honored dishes. Big Jones in Chicago was mentioned on one of my favorite Netflix series High on the Hog , so you know I had to add it to my list. If you can find any type of cuisine in Chicago, it’s Southern food, thanks to the great migration, and Big Jones beautifully marries tradition with a fresh approach to Southern cuisine. Eating at black-owned restaurants whenever I travel feels particularly important to me, because it’s an experience that makes me feel at home and reminds me of my culture. We may all be in different places, but food connects us by the continuation of traditions that define Southern cooking, and I’ll always be grateful to places like Virtue for that. Sampan is a modern Asian restaurant offering a unique experience through its small plates concept. Instead of ordering a single entree, it's infinitely better to try and even share several dishes mixed and matched from different sections of the menu. The Kim Chee Fried Rice and Crispy Shrimp are to die for among other delicious menu items.

Lula Cafe is a 2024 James Beard Award Nominee for outstanding hospitality and 2020 Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, given to restaurants with best value for money. Having now been, I can attest to both and have been super excited to write this review. Let’s be very clear. I’ve not tried very many soul food restaurants in Chicago, but I don’t imagine the others being better than Soulé. Chat with me about my experience. Málà Project has the vibes of your favorite, most trusted neighborhood Chinese spot, but the feel of a spacious, new-age restaurant. At this unique dining experience, you choose any number of ingredients to personalize your dish. The málà sauce is a blend of 24 herbs and spices cooked over six hours and is the ingredient that unifies the dry pot for one of the most dynamic dishes you’ve ever had. I heard that Sant Ambroeus had the best hot chocolate in New York City, so I had to see (or taste) for myself. Sant Ambroeus is a Milanese cafe chain known for its pasta and pastries with several locations across the city. This cozy, family-first dining experience on Madison Avenue was the perfect way to end my Christmastime trip to NYC. In truth, LA is not at all my first thought when I think of places that have excellent food in general but especially Black food. I’ve been to LA enough now (more than anywhere else) to have tried a few different restaurants, and these five are the best I’ve come across over the last couple years if you’re looking for soul food or a down home feel. Each in a different part of the city, you’ll find similar menu items, but each has its own unique flavor and charm. In Charleston, you’ll want to try southern comfort foods, especially those that are native to the area. Rice is a major part of the culture and history of Charleston so you’ll see it on nearly every menu; you’ll also come across many fundamentally southern seafood dishes like shrimp and grits or she crab soup. The Pacific Coast Highway is 656 miles long so surely there are several restaurants off of this route that are delicious. The eight we stopped at hit just right from breakfast to dinner to some of the best ice cream you’ve ever had. Check it out. Let’s talk about what is obviously the most important part of visiting New Orleans—the food. Aside from music, the Big Easy is known for the endless options of amazing flavor and variety. Most of the food is creole or cajun inspired—a blend of many different cultures. So, when you eat in New Orleans, you’re literally getting a taste of history. As a photographer, the market is one of my favorite places to experience in a community. You’ll also find me there because I love fresh produce. The fruit and vegetables. The herbs. The fresh flowers. You can’t beat it. The market is the best place to get an immersive crash course in a culture. You get to see what people actually buy, cook, and eat on an everyday basis. Markets are loud and sort of raw. It’s eventful to see vendors set up their stalls and produce and spices piled into dynamically colored pyramids. The market is a place that is not for tourists. It’s for the locals. We just happen to be able to stop by. Every place does markets a little differently, and that's what I like about experiencing them. Some markets are neatly organized lines of stalls while others are mazes of any and everything. I've tried food that I’ve never had before and eaten some of my best meals standing up at a stall with no name and no menu. International Food This is probably my favorite part of traveling. I get incredibly excited about trying food in a new country, and I'll rearrange my day just to make it to a specific restaurant. Some of the time, I’m not even sure what I’m ordering, and that's kind of the point—staying open. Some of my best meals were because I took the advice of locals about what to order, and they, of all people, would know best. I've eaten street food that blew away meals I paid way more for, and I've also splurged on a sit-down dinner that was worth every penny. There's no formula, I just follow what sounds good, what smells good, and what the locals seem to be lining up for. This section is basically a running list of the dishes and spots abroad that I keep thinking about — the ones I'd tell you to book a flight for, and the random little finds that ended up being the whole highlight of the trip. After several days of tagine in Marrakech, I was ready for something different, and La Trattoria ended up being one of my favorite meals of the entire trip. Here’s what it’s like to eat at this beautiful garden restaurant in Marrakech. It’s always important to know about the cuisine and good food spots when you visit somewhere new so I try to always list a few options for you. Here are five restaurants in Tulum, Mexico ranging from touristy to traditional, low cost to high cost, and small cafe vibes to beach view vibes. In Cartagena, I booked a street food tour because that’s where all of the food emphasis is in this city. That’s not to say there aren’t some great restaurants; it’s just that street food is where you’ll find the standout recipes that are likely passed down through families, generations and years of tradition. Puerto Rico’s cuisine is a captivating blend of indigenous Taino, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, creating a mouthwatering tapestry of dishes. You’ll want to try beloved local dishes like mofongo, made with fried green plantains, savory sauce and seafood, or lechón, the famous roasted pig slow-cooked to perfection. Aside from visits to local markets and Mayan villages, taking a Guatemalan cooking class was as cinematic as it sounds. When I think about travel, food is almost synonymous, and it presents a unique opportunity to understand the history and culture of a new place through its best dishes. Nassau cuisine is particularly interesting because chefs make use of ingredients that are not common everywhere. Like most islands, you'll find that seafood is popular, and in The Bahamas, mainly conch, snails that are indigenous to the Caribbean. Many dishes are jerk or cracked (deep-fried) and full of flavor, and conch is always the star of the show in salad, stew, or fritters. You should know that Caye Caulker is known for fryjacks, a traditional Belizean dish that is deep fried dough stuffed with various items, and lobster, the seafood that was once their largest export. You’ll also find some Caribbean classics like stewed chicken and Cubano sandwiches. The slogan in Caye Caulker is “go slow” and I would add “eat good.”