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These are the best cities on earth for stuffing your face

We surveyed more than 20,000 Time Out readers to work out the globe’s best food and drink destinations

Sophie Dickinson
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Sophie Dickinson
Freelance contributor
Time Out Market Chicago brunch
Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas
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If you’re the kind of traveller that spends half your trip researching places to eat, listen up. Earlier this year, we asked our readers to take part in the Time Out Index, our survey of more than 20,000 city-dwellers across the world. Respondents were grilled on things as diverse as sustainability, transport and romance, plus the quality of their restaurants and bars. Now, we’ve sifted through the results, and we can reveal the best places across the globe for food.

In at the top spot? That’s Medellín in Colombia. Around 97 percent of respondents said they had great food in the city, famed for its delicious arepas, big breakfasts and colourful soups. And if you’re there for the food, stay for the partying: the city also fared well in the nightlife and community spirit stakes.

In joint second place are Chicago and Porto, both famous for traditional dishes (deep dish pizzafrancesinhas) as well as cutting-edge dining. And that’s followed by another tie, between Lyon (France’s true food capital) and São Paulo.

As for the least gastronomically-inclined places? Well, despite its sterling reputation, locals in Hong Kong ranked their city the lowest with only 62 percent positive feedback, and Doha fared only slightly better, getting 1 percent more. Beijing, Amsterdam and Dublin also did poorly, so they might not be your dream destination if food rules your life.

Here are the top ten cities for eating and drinking, as voted by locals…

1. Medellín (97 percent of locals raved about the food scene)
2. Chicago (96 percent – number one in North America)
3. Porto (96 percent – number one in Europe)
4. Lyon (95 percent)
5. São Paulo (95 percent) 
6. Kuala Lumpur (94 percent – number one in Asia)
7. Mumbai (94 percent)
8. New York (94 percent)
9. London (94 percent)
10. Madrid 
(94 percent)

Now, check out our full list of the best cities in the world.

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