Gastronomy lovers and culinary aficionados take note: Zurich has been named among the top 25 best food destinations in the world for 2023. The “Swiss metropolis” was rated highly for the quality of food available and the safety of the city, but missed out on the top 20 due to a perceived lack of culinary diversity.

Food City Destination Index 2023

To create the Food City Destination Index, the travel website Holidu rated the culinary experience in 75 global cities with a metropolitan area of around 500.000 people or more. Cities were rated by their global recognition, cuisine diversity and visitor experience.

To calculate “global recognition”, Holidu looked at trusted restaurant ratings services and guides like the Michelin Guide, La Liste and TripAdvisor. The cuisine variety score was based on the variety of different cuisines available in the city, and the range of different price points. 

Under the visitor experience category, points were given for visitor safety and the overall foodie experience. Restaurant locations were also evaluated based on “specific visual characteristics contributing to the dining experience”, such as views over rivers, lakes, mountains, historical architecture, or skyline vistas. 

London is the food capital of the world

This year, the foodie capitals of the world took pride and place at the top of the ranking, with London nabbing the top spot. In what will not come as a surprise considering the number of different restaurants on offer, the British capital was given a perfect score of 100 for culinary diversity.

New York and Paris rounded out the top three. In terms of the best in each category, London took gold for culinary diversity, Tokyo was top for its world-class restaurants and foodie experience, and Kyoto took first for visitor safety.

Zurich takes 25th due to good safety and food quality

A short trip down the ranking is where Zurich found itself, coming in 25th overall. Sadly, other Swiss cities didn’t do as well, with Lausanne placing 44th, Geneva taking 52nd and Basel clinching just 66th place.

The ranking gave Zurich particular praise for its visitor safety, with only Kyoto and Doha ranking higher in the category. Considering its size in comparison to the front-runners, the city also performed above expectations for the number and quality of “world-class restaurants”, and the quality of food in general.

Swiss cities held back by a lack of culinary diversity

However, one of the main things holding Switzerland back is the culinary diversity on offer, with Zurich ranking 38th in the category. A lack of Eastern European, Japanese and Korean dining options was criticised in particular.

Finally, Zurich came a cropper because of its lack of Michelin Star restaurants compared to London and New York. The Swiss metropolis has just 30-starred restaurants, compared to 96 in London, 93 in New York and a whopping 282 in Tokyo. 

However, Watson pointed out that by design this metric puts Zurich at a disadvantage because of its population, and that actually it is quite well endowed with haut cuisine considering its size. For instance, Zurich has the same number of Michelin Star restaurants as Berlin in 22nd, despite the German capital being home to 3,2 million more people.

Top 10 food destinations in the world in 2023

The top 10 food destinations in the world, according to the Holidu ranking, are:

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Dubai
6. Barcelona
7. Singapore
8. Hong Kong
9. Los Angeles
10. Bangkok

For more information on the ranking, visit the Holidu website. 

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