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19 Chefs Pick Their Favorite Food Cities

Condé Nast Traveler's readers have weighed in on their favorite food cities in the U.S. and around the world, but we also wanted to poll another batch of experts—some of the country's finest chefs—on their favorite up-and-coming food scenes. Read on to find out where chefs like Wylie Dufresne, Katie Button, and Anita Lo are eating now.

By Calder Quinn

April 17, 2015

THE CITY: Los Angeles. THE CHEF: Andy Ricker
“It might sound odd to name Los Angeles as up-and-coming, but Chinatown is rapidly emerging as a new food destination,” says Andy Ricker, owner of the Pok Pok empire, with outposts in Portland, New York City, and, yes, L.A. “I will recuse myself and my restaurants from that list, but am happy to call out places like Ramen Champ, Chego (pictured), Scoops Ice Cream, Cognescenti Coffee, and Qin Western Chinese, all in the far east plaza near the entrance to Chinatown on North Broadway. Also there is Little Jewel, a New Orleans po' boy and gumbo spot in an old market on Ord Street, along with some select quality old timers like Pho 87 and the legendary Philippe's French Dip. You have a tiny city within a city that has become an exciting culinary destination after years of decline.”
THE CITY: Savigno. THE CHEF: Anita Lo
"I am in love with Savigno, Emilia-Romagna,” says Anita Lo, owner of NYC’s Annisa and author of Cooking Without Borders. “It is one of those cities in Italy that has remained relatively untapped by the throngs of tourists you see in Rome or Florence. It is a gorgeous, small town in the bread basket of Italy. Everyone goes to Tuscany and Sicily and while there's great food there too, Emilia Romagna is for the Italians, the culinary capital where the almighty Parmigiano is made, balsamic, proscuitto etc. And everyone thinks of Alba as the center for truffles, but very few truffles are actually from there, while much more come from the hills of Savigno."

THE CITY: Buenos Aires. THE CHEF: Jose Garces
"What is interesting and unique about Buenos Aires is how they are incorporating the techniques and traditions of their ancestors, but implementing them in a completely fresh and modern way,” says Jose Garces, a prolific restaurateur (Rural Society, Amada, Rosa Blanca) and Iron Chef. “We had some incredible meals while we there at restaurants such as Sucre, which has an open kitchen with a rotisserie and a parrilla where they use eucalyptus and red oak woods. We also visited a restaurant called Chila which had such a high-level of hospitality and amazing attention to detail. Buenos Aires is truly a cosmopolitan city—the feel is so sophisticated, warm, inviting, and a touch sultry—and I think people here in the U.S are just beginning to realize the exciting things they are doing down there in the culinary arena."
David Jefferys
THE CITY: Cartagena, Colombia. THE CHEF: Michael Ferraro
“As Colombia is still an upcoming modern food destination in South America, Cartagena’s food scene has a mixture of both new world and old world,” says Michael Ferraro, chef at NYC’s Delicatessen. “As a tourist there, I recommend staying within the walls of one of the old cities and walking the streets of the old cities. It’s like stepping back in time. Be sure to stop along one of the many fresh tropical fruit stands along the sides of the road. Stopping in one of the old mom & pop restaurants is the best way to experience their local dishes, which have been prepared the same way for years. As many young chefs in Colombia continue to refine their skills of modern cooking I think within years to come Cartagena will be a destination spot for its architectural beauty and beaches as well as its cuisine.”

THE CITY: Richmond. THE CHEF: Matt McClure
"I am dying to get to Richmond, Virginia,” enthuses Matt McClure, chef-owner at The Hive in Bentonville, Arkansas. “I know that the coastal area of Virginia produces some of the finest raw ingredients, and I'm excited about what chefs like Lee Gregory of The Roosevelt (pictured) is doing with them. At The Hive, we celebrate the local ingredients of northwest Arkansas and the culinary landscape of the High South, and Gregory is showcasing an untraditional and unique take on Southern cuisine utilizing these coastal ingredients."
THE CITY: Hong Kong. THE CHEF: Jamie Bissonnette
"I love Hong Kong. It's ever-evolving,” says Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette, whose restaurants include Coppa, Toro, and Toro NYC. “Yardbird (pictured) landed with an amazing splash a few years ago, and it seems with them, and the growing [brands] like Linguini Fini that the city is new every time I go. Last visit, in November of 2014, there were a few new speakeasy cocktail bars, and Tin Ho Wan has expanded all over the city. It’s great to see that not just traditional Cantonese [restaurants] can become the new hotspots. Hong Kong has neighborhoods that make it fun for me to discover new places, all the time.”

THE CITY: Los Angeles. THE CHEF: Wylie Dufresne
“I was just in Los Angeles for the All-Star Chef Classic and it's such an exciting food town now,” says Wylie Dufresne, the pioneering chef at Alder and WD~50 (RIP). “Even that one area in West Hollywood that has Trois Mec, Petite Trois (pictured), and chi SPACCA is great; you can eat around in just that one little section and have some incredible meals. You can feel the diversity in the culinary landscape, and equally, the enthusiasm and support from the diners. A great example of that is Grand Central Market in Downtown L.A., where you have amazing street food brought indoors, artisanal butchers like Bel Campo, greasy spoon diner food, cool market stalls and so much more all under one roof.”
© Marc F. Henning / Alamy
THE CITY: Manila, The Philippines. THE CHEF: Ilan Hall
"I went to Manila a little while back for cooking demonstrations with my fellow Top Chef contestant Dale Talde,” says onetime Top Chef contestant Ilan Hall, who owns Brooklyn restaurant The Gorbals. “The first night we got there we went to a few outdoor areas, where they have bars and food stands. We had skewers of the tail pieces of the chicken, and dried fish that was deep fried—it was so crispy it tasted like potato chips. We also went out late night and had "balut," which are traditional duck eggs that each have the fully formed duck inside, served with spicy vinegar. People were walking around everywhere with just baskets of these. The Philippines is such melting pot of so many different cultures, which translates into the weirdest but most interesting street food. I get inspired by their use of aggressive, bold flavors and the juxtaposition of fresh fruit and pork fat in their cuisine."

© Cath Harries / Alamy
THE CITIES: London and Sydney. THE CHEF: Jonathan Waxman
“London may be the best city in Europe for dining out,” says chef Jonathan Waxman, owner of NYC’s Barbuto and Nashville’s Adeles. “The venerable Wolseley. Scott's, River Cafe, J. Sheekey's, and St. John are now flanked by Hix (pictured), Dabbous, The Ledbury, Gymkhana, Lyle's, and now many great ethnic places. You have the great Spanish, French, Italian, Ramen, etc. A pleasure dome of good eating. Sydney has grown up. It nows has fabulous, well heeled joints like Aria, The Quay, Rockpool, and the like, plus Sean's and all the other locals that make Sydney great. There are fun Chinese and seafood places, hole-in-the-wall neighborhood unpretentious places, and then the elegant places like Chiswick, the amazing Sepia, of course Tetsuya's, and Pei Modern in the Four Seasons.”
THE CITY: Houston. THE CHEF: Jesse Schenker
"Houston has this awesomely dynamic, varied dining scene,” explains chef Jesse Schenker of New York’s The Gander and Recette. “It has always had a vibrant food scene, but it's only recently that the city has begun to receive the attention it deserves. There's some renaissance that's going on there, and I think the leaders right now are Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner when they opened The Pass & Provisions. The dual concept restaurant was a game changer for Houston. The Pass is a fine dining concept featuring eight-course tasting menus that offer both omnivore and vegan options, while Provisions is a casual, convivial restaurant with a focus on pizzas, pastas, seafood, and freshly baked breads. Some other great Houston restaurant are Justin Yu's Oxheart, Hugo's, Underbelly, and Uchi."

Evan Sung
THE CITY: Asheville, NC. THE CHEF: Katie Button
“Since we moved to Asheville five years ago to open our first restaurant, Cúrate, we have seen the city boom with new independent restaurants,” says Katie Button, a James Beard-nominated chef whose restaurant is taking the city by storm. “It is an exciting moment to be a chef in this town, because the restaurant community is expanding so rapidly. Asheville is unique in the fact that it is a smaller city but with a lot of culinary talent to offer. People move here because they want to live here, and then they create their own businesses so that they can make that happen and I think that's part of what has made Asheville a great food city, a lot of interesting people from a lot of different backgrounds opening different types of restaurants.”
THE DESTINATION: Slovenia. THE CHEF: Nina Compton
“I recently went to Slovenia last September and was truly blown away how simple the cuisine is,” says Nina Compton, a former Top Chefcontestant who will soon open her own restaurant, Compère Lapin, in New Orleans. “I really loved having fresh seafood along the coast in Piran. I had the most amazing whole roasted Branzino, broccoli rabe, and lemon. I also went to the Alpine region. The cuisine there is completely different, I had the most delicious garlic soup (most people think it would be pungent but it wasn't, it was creamy and delicate, I can still taste it) also having beautifully braised pork shanks with rosemary potatoes and to finish their traditional cream cakes a must. Any restaurant along the coast is great. In the alpine region. [The town of] Zirovica is a must.”

THE CITIES: Atlanta and Tokyo. THE CHEF: David Blonsky
“In the U.S., I would say that Atlanta is the up-and-comer for restaurants and chefs alike,” says David Blonsky, an executive chef and partner of Apeiro Kitchen & Bar in Delray Beach, FL. “There’s a big spike in food culture expanding outside of Southern comfort food. Gunshow, Kevin Gillespie's (pictured) restaurant, has dim sum but not your typical Chinese fare; Kevin Rathbun's Rathbun's is serving up inventive contemporary American fare; and Billy Allin's Cakes & Ale serves locally sourced food with a unique spin on classics. Overseas, I think Tokyo will be a monster in 2016, especially after Rene Redzepi's Noma took over at the Mandarin Oriental. I am planning my next big trip to travel through Japan and experience the food culture, culinary history and dedication to detail.”
THE CITY: Nashville, TN. THE CHEF: Doug Psaltis
“People are rediscovering the wholesome goodness of Southern cooking,” says Chicago chef Doug Psaltis, who runs several restaurants (Bub City, RPM Italian) in the Windy City. "They're flocking to their familial roots, their heritage. Nashville is also a really artistic town—it's the heart of country music and great art is happening all around.” His recommended spots include Hattie B’s (for “the mother of all hot chicken”), Rolf & Daughters (pictured), Robert's ("for the fried bologna sandwich”), and Hermitage Cafe for late night. “Their BLT and chicken fried steak, biscuits with gravy with a fried egg on top. Total old school place, so good."

THE CITY: Jersey City, NJ. THE CHEF: Dale Talde
“There’s such a rich culture of ethnic food in Jersey City—Filipino, Indian, and there’s a strong Italian-American presence,” says Talde, a former Top Chef winner who owns Talde Jersey City (pictured) and Carrino Provisions. "People are now starting to take notice of this great, rich food scene that has pretty much always been there. Another part of the reason that JC is emerging as a food city is the influx of people moving there from Brooklyn and Queens.” His must-visit spots include Razza, Porta, Thirty Acres, and Max’s of Manila.
THE CITY: San Antonio, TX. The Chef: Ralph Scamardella
“[San Antonio has] been really gaining a lot of traction with authentic Texan barbecue and proximity to Mexico add a great twist," says Ralph Scamardella, owner of the TAO and LAVO hot spots in New York City. All the fresh ingredients has allowed it to really grow from the standard barbecue fare and has truly gained some foodie recognition. You can catch a great basketball game, go on the river walk, and of course have to go see the Alamo—all after grabbing a great meal with amazing weather.” San Antonio spot he loves include Tuk Tuk Tap Room, Cured (pictured), and The Monterey.

THE CITY: Berlin. THE CHEF: Eduard Frauneder
“I was in Berlin recently, and love the multicultural, vibrant food scene," says Edi and the Wolf's Eduard Frauneder. The reunification created a breeding ground for artists and the young intelligentsia, and that has translated into the culinary culture as well. In tandem with low rent costs, the city has nourished new and courageous concepts, like Burgermeister, a playful take on classic American burgers. I also like this spot called Herz und Nieren (which literally means "heart and kidneys") and specializes in nose-to-tail cuts. A couple other favorites: Borchardt (pictured) is half classic French brasserie, half classic German, and it nails both. And Cordobar, named after the only time Austria ever defeated Germany in soccer, has buzzy ambience, quirky eats, and a great Austrian wine list.”
THE CITY: Oakland, CA. THE CHEF: Daniel Holzman
"San Francisco and Berkeley have long been the Bay Area's highlights when it comes to food, but Oakland is the new kid on the block with great restaurants opening weekly,” enthuses Daniel Holzman of NYC’s Meatball Shop mini-chain. “Kyle Itani's Hopscotch (pictured) is one of my favorites—it's a low-key Japanese-American diner with excellent food in a casual setting. Commis is also always excellent.”

THE CITY: Traverse City, MI. THE CHEF: Michael Armstrong
“It’s a fantastic, small vacation town in northern Michigan with an increasingly popular food scene, sitting on Lake Michigan and the 45th parallel,” says Michael Armstrong, who runs the kitchen at NYC’s Bodega Negra. “Traverse City has great natural resources, small farms, great wineries and craft breweries and is the cherry capitol of the U.S. It’s all about the wineries, breweries, and distilleries there.” Some of his food picks include James Beard-nominated Trattoria Stella Restaurant, Black Star Farms Winery, and The Cooks' House. “It’s farm to table, local, sustainable cuisine. I’ve also heard it’s a favorite of Mario Batali, who spends his summers in Traverse City,” says Armstrong.