The 10 Top International Markets for Food and Drink, According to the Experts From the sounds of a sizzling grill to the intoxicating aroma of exotic spices, food markets seduce everyone from the food curious to the food infatuated. By Veronica Stoddart Veronica Stoddart Veronica Stoddart is a multiple-award-winning travel editor and writer who has visited more than 110 countries on seven continents, reporting from many of them. She has covered everything from New Andean cuisine in Peru and culinary trends on cruise ships to the most iconic dishes in San Antonio, TX, and aboriginal food in Australia. She has a passion for culinary travel, which she considers the best entree into a culture and she believes that travel can be a force for good in the world. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 2, 2025 Credit: Irina WS / Shutterstock Want to experience the heart and soul of a culture? There’s nowhere better than a local food market. These bustling hubs of sights, sounds, and smells offer a deep sensory immersion into the culinary essence of a place. Whether rustic or refined, chaotic or calm, the world’s food emporiums deliver a bounty of fresh seasonal produce, regional specialties and signature dishes, all served with a flavorful slice of local life. Steeped in history, markets go back to ancient times, with Middle Eastern bazaars and Greek agoras. Today, they range from simple farmers markets to throngs of street hawkers that dish out tempting creations. And mom-and-pop purveyors still reign supreme, just like in days past. There are thousands of markets around the world, and we’ve uncovered the best for Food & Wine’s third-annual Global Tastemakers Awards. From Barcelona’s high-end La Boqueria to Taipei’s high-energy Ningxia Night Market, this is where you can feast on the best, be it basic staples or sublime local delicacies. All are worth planning a trip around. 01 of 10 Winner: La Vucciria (Palermo, Italy) NEKOMURA / Shutterstock While Palermo’s oldest market may not be the bustling food hub of yore, it has eagerly donned a new mantle as the city’s hip nightspot. Sure, this 700-year-old tangle of street stalls still has its requisite produce, seafood, and meat that represents the quintessence of Sicilian cuisine. A tumble of cheap housewares makes La Vucciria feel more like a flea market than a culinary bazaar. But once the sun sets, it comes alive as a bar and street-food hotspot. That’s when La Vucciria, which means “confusion” or “hubbub” in Sicilian, earns its name. Much of young Palermo pours into its maze-like streets to eat, drink, and dance the night away. This Is the Top Food Market in the World — and It Includes a Late-Night Dance Party 02 of 10 La Boqueria (Barcelona, Spain) David Zorrakino / Europa Press via Getty Images The oldest food market in Spain (a 1217 meat market operated on the same spot) and the second largest in Barcelona, La Boqueria is a high-class cornucopia of choices. More than 200 traders ply their delectable culinary wares in a covered venue right in the city center, on the famous La Rambla. Bring your appetite and enough euros to indulge in eye-popping delicacies from around Catalonia and beyond: olives, nuts, fruits, and cheeses vie with seafood, meats, sweets, and typical dishes (garbanzos and blood sausage, anyone?). Eat your way through the market by sampling small tastings — don’t miss the jamón Ibérico — or stop at one of the famous tapas bars. You’ll have a feast to remember. 03 of 10 Mercado La Merced (Mexico City) NYCKellyWilliams/ Getty Images Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Mexico City’s largest retail market sprawls over 22 acres with space for 5,525 merchants, not counting the endless street vendors in the surrounding area. Fortify yourself to navigate this labyrinth of flavors and aromas housed in seven buildings. La Merced offers a tantalizing gastronomic tour of the country, from its rich moles, chipotle-flavored tostadas, and blue corn quesadillas (with Oaxaca cheese, por supuesto), to its huaraches, tacos al pastor, and french-fry topped campechanos. Traditional ingredients are piled sky high: tomatillos, banana leaves, corn husks, nopales, and a rainbow of peppers and corn. Feeling adventurous? Try the fried maguey worms, crickets and grasshoppers, or the cured chicken intestines, a market specialty. 04 of 10 Ningxia Night Market (Taipei, Taiwan) stockinasia / Getty Images Don’t be fooled by its relatively small size. One of Taipei’s oldest night markets, Ningxia is a high-octane hub of authentic Taiwanese street food right in the center of the city. Dozens of food stalls, with the city’s highest concentration of Michelin recommendations, line Ningxia Street, which becomes pedestrian-only at night. That’s when the cheek-by-jowl crowds line up for classics from steamed dumplings and fried potato balls to pork pepper buns and stinky tofu, all washed down with Taiwan’s famous bubble tea. The reigning superstar is the oyster omelet: fresh oysters fried with eggs, greens, and batter, then slathered with a sweet-savory sauce. Just another example of the market’s mouthwatering manifestation of Taiwan’s food-focused culture. 05 of 10 Or Tor Kor Market (Bangkok, Thailand) bobbyphotos / Getty Images Come worship at this temple of traditional Thai cuisine. In Or Tho Kor Market’s open-sided pavilion, you can buy everything that goes into those heady pots of curry and steaming noodle soups. Follow your nose to the herbs and spices: turmeric, lemongrass, sweet Thai basil, galangal, ginger, coriander, and fiery red chilies. Check out the showy crustaceans, the mounds of veggies, and the come-hither fruits, from smelly durians to tangy mangosteens. Better still, graze your way through the dizzying prepared dishes: classic pad Thai and pad sataw, satays accompanied by head-swiveling nam priks (chili sauces and dips), and 10 kinds of sticky rice. Your tastebuds will thank you. 06 of 10 Nishiki Market (Kyoto, Japan) DiegoMariottini/ Getty Images Want a crash course in Kyoto cuisine? This narrow, five-block-long shopping street lined with more than 100 stalls delivers. Many of the outlets in Nishiki Market have been in the same families for generations and specialize in one type of food. Pick up a dictionary’s worth of culinary terms as you navigate this 400-year-old market, known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen,” which sells kamo-ryori (duck specialties), wagashi (Japanese sweets), and all kinds of tsukemono (pickles). Don’t miss Kyoto mainstays like yuba, the film formed on the surface of heated soy milk; tako tamago, a skewered baby octopus with a quail’s egg in its head; mochi, a sweet sticky rice cake; shime saba, or sushi mackerel; and the Kyoto-style custardy omelet, dashimaki tamago. 07 of 10 Jean-Talon Market (Montréal, Canada) ablokhin / Getty Images In the heart of Little Italy, Jean-Talon is Montreal’s biggest public market and one of its oldest, dating to 1933. About 300 vendors, mostly farmers from the Montreal countryside, peddle their wares in one of North America’s largest open-air markets. Family-friendly and European in ambiance, it stands out for its local produce, aromatic flowers, and array of shopkeepers, from butchers and bakers to fishmongers and grocers. Café-restaurants serve up local and international eats, while specialty shops showcase cheeses, oils, smoked meats, pastries, maple-flavored goodies, and other Québécois products. Fill up a picnic basket for a summer afternoon on Mount Royal. Or stop by in winter when the market stays open under big tents. 08 of 10 Mercado de Surquillo (Lima, Peru) Sergio TB / Getty Images Head to this busy indoor market to watch locals do their everyday shopping for products from around the country: exotic fruits from the Amazon; chiles, potatoes, and nutrient-rich quinoa from the Andes; and the freshest seafood from the Pacific coast. Thanks to Peru’s many microclimates, it boasts a mind-boggling 3,500 varieties of potatoes, 300 types of corn and 55 different peppers, many on vivid display here. Just as eye-popping are fruits such as lucuma, chirimoya, aguaymanto, and camu camu, with flavors as intense as their colors. Don’t miss traditional dishes like ají de gallina, shredded chicken in a creamy yellow chili sauce, and classic ceviche, which originated in Peru. Surquillo has it all. 09 of 10 The Grand Bazaar (Istanbul, Turkey) Mohammad Saiful Islam / Getty Images A staggering 4,000 shops line 61 streets in one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, considered one of the world’s first shopping malls, sits smack in the center of the Old City, where it has drawn merchants and shoppers since the mid-15th century. Today, food purveyors are tucked in amid the labyrinthine warren of shops that sell jewelry, carpets, leather goods, and housewares. There’s divine baklava, robust coffee, and craveable Turkish delight confection treats, sold by the kilo. Plus, spices and nuts and herbal pastes, oh my! Slow down and sip some pomegranate tea, courtesy of a hospitable shopkeeper, while you ponder your next purchase. Just don’t forget your best bargaining skills. 10 of 10 Queen Victoria Market (Melbourne, Australia) Dennis MacDonald / Getty Images Come for the food; stay for the fun. The largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere since 1878, Queen Victoria Market (Queen Vic to locals) is an inner-city heritage emporium with more than just fresh produce and specialty edibles. Its famous Summer Night Market features pop-up bars, live music, and roving entertainers that provide an enjoyable evening out — not to mention food trucks that dish out cuisines from around the globe. During the day, you can banter with more than 600 traders while you sample everything from Australian cheeses and Tasmanian smoked salmon to kangaroo salami and artisan pastries. Or score a unique souvenir from local makers who hawk their handcrafted creations. To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of all 165 winners, visit foodandwine.com/globaltastemakers. Explore more: Travel Global Tastemakers Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit