Month: September 2025

Greek dishes remind me that great food doesn’t have to have a million ingredients to be memorable.

Vegetables, feta, olive oil, and herbs create a fresh, fragrant salad; grilled meats and tzatziki prove simple but nourishing; and you can’t go wrong with freshly caught seafood. I’ve enjoyed all this and more in Athens.

For authentic Greek fare, I love visiting places like Karamanlidika and Ella Greek Cooking.

I also highly recommend exploring Athens’ vibrant multicultural food scene, which includes Kurdish, Ethiopian, and Thai cuisines, among many others.

One of my favorite restaurants is Feyrouz, which serves fresh artisanal Levantine street food. Its peinirli (a sort of boat-shaped pizza) and lahmacun (a Middle Eastern flatbread) shouldn’t be missed.

From its innovative Michelin-starred restaurants to its New Nordic cuisine, Copenhagen’s culinary scene has blown me away.

Copenhagen is home to my favorite pastry in the world: a cardamom bun from Juno the Bakery. It’s warm, buttery, doughy, and oozing with aromatic cardamom and pearl sugar.

I also like to stop by local café chain Mad & Kaffe for a delightful brunch flight and Torvehallerne market for a lunch of traditional smørrebrøds, or open-faced sandwiches.

Located on the banks of the Douro River, Porto is synonymous with port wine, a type of fortified wine that’s been produced in the region for centuries and often served with dessert.

I recommend visiting Cockburn’s, Burmester, or Graham’s for guided cellar tours and port wine tastings.

Drinks aside, there are many great foods to try here, too.

For a traditional Portuguese pork sandwich called a bifana, I like to eat at Conga. I also love the delicious tapas spreads at The Door, TapaBento, and The Wine Box.

I’d also be remiss not to mention pastel de nata, the classic custard Portuguese pastry. In my opinion, Fábrica da Nata and Manteigaria have some of the best in the country.

Florence is my favorite Italian city to visit. It’s extremely walkable, boasts striking Renaissance art and architecture, and has the best pizza, pasta, and gelato I’ve had in the country.

I recommend visiting Gustarium Firenze for their pizza al taglio, or pizza by the cut. There, you can sample multiple types of pizza with puffy, olive-oil-infused crust, fresh-tasting ingredients, and unique flavor combinations, all for what I consider to be a reasonable price.

To scratch your pasta craving, I suggest stopping by La Giostra or Osteria Pastella. The former offers a romantic, cozy ambiance with brick arches from the 16th century, touting incredible tiramisu and ravioli with pecorino and pear. The latter is famous for its cheese wheel and truffle pasta.

The best way to end your food tour is with a stop at Sbrino, a gelateria that uses natural ingredients. It’s the best gelato I’ve had anywhere in the world.

I truly think my home city of Edinburgh has it all — mountains, medieval architecture, literary history, and a vibrant festival scene.

For traditional Scottish fare, I suggest visiting the Scran and Scallie. This restaurant adds an elevated twist to the basics, and has a rotating seasonal menu (and the best fish and chips I’ve had in the UK).

I also recommend trying haggis at Arcade Bar or Whiski Rooms. If you’re looking for more fine-dining options, places like Eleanore and Moss highlight the very best of Scottish produce.

Finally, I recommend capping off your visit by wandering through the charming neighborhood of Stockbridge for a long black at Cafēn and a pastry from Lannan Bakery.

This story was originally published on May 8, 2025, and most recently updated on September 26, 2025.