2024’s best destinations for food lovers

This year saw people pick up their wanderlust and dust it down after a few years on hold with healthy tourism figures registered across the world. The trend is expected to continue apace next year too, as travellers revel in the joy of the new and unexpected.

There are many reasons to travel, from cultural experience, natural beauty, art and history, but food remains an integral element of the travel experience and is even the main driver to travel for the passionate food lover. It’s impossible to narrow down the best destinations for 2024 to just 10, but we’ve made a go of it with these must-visit food destinations for 2024. Which ones will you be visiting?

Toronto has come a long way to establish itself as a city with an exciting fine-dining scene and one might wonder why it took so long, with such a vibrant and diverse population, talented chefs and high-quality local produce. The truth is, Toronto has been quietly growing a mature restaurant ecosystem, which looks fully formed now the city has caught the attention of the travelling foodie. The Michelin Guide launched in Toronto in 2022 and this year pronounced a total of 15 starred restaurants, as well as a Green Star for Frilu, whose owners John-Vincent and Sandra Troiano founded their own Willowolf Farm. Using no-till methods they produce fruits and vegetables and take all restaurant food waste as compost. Restaurant 20 Victoria was added to the one-star list this year for its high-level contemporary cuisine by chef Julie Hyde.

Having flown under the radar for many years, Zagreb, and Croatia in general, is due to realise its potential as a destination for food lovers next year. The country offers so much, from the ominous, sweeping Dalmatian mountains, to glorious Istria and the stunning coastline dotted with islands, and Zagreb presents the perfect location to launch a food tour. The city itself has a certain charm, with brutalist Yugoslavia-era architecture and a quaint old town quarter that chimes with history. Outstanding restaurants in the city include Noel, where you can find a high-quality, very well-executed tasting menu. Take a trip to wine producing region Plešivica, and dine at Korak for sustainable, exquisitely cooked cuisine. Istria is a beautiful part of the country and here you can find a thriving fine-dining scene with a distinct Italian influence. Try Agli Amici Rovinj, where chef Simone De Lucca serves accomplished Italian-Croatian cuisine in a stunning seaside location.

Valletta is ready to shrug off its reputation as a party capital for the young, or the day tripping cruise-goer and become the proper food destination that it can be. The capital of the country is a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site that rivals any of Italy’s famed cities for breathtaking beauty and history. The current filming of Gladiator 2, where Ridley Scott has chosen the city as a stand-in for Ancient Rome, will draw many more people to the destination in 2024. With the Michelin Guide present in Malta since 2020 you can today count six starred restaurants across the island. Under Grain, at the Roselli Hotel, is the place where chef Victor Bong cooks cuisine of high excellence. The chef is considered the ‘godfather’ of Malta’s fine-dining scene having trained and worked with so many of the current crop of acclaimed Maltese chefs.

Where east meets west, this colossal city is an overload for the senses. One of those senses is, of course, taste and with a rich and ancient culinary culture on which to build, a new generation of chefs has returned from their travels to reinvigorate the country’s fine-dining scene. The leading light of the new movement is of course Fatih Tutak, whose two-Michelin star Turk is an expression of new Turkish cuisine at the highest level. At Neolokal, chef Maksut Aşkar proves that new Turkish cuisine can be innovative, traditional and sustainable.

For too long, London has been a culinary black hole in the UK, pulling all talent and interest towards it. However, in the last few years, and especially since Covid, we’ve seen regional British culinary scenes detach from the London orbit and stand on their own. Historic properties like Moor Hall in Lancashire continue to display the highest culinary standards, while Osip in Somerset presents a fresh, forward-looking approach. Both have rooms for those looking to escape the bright lights of the city, as do other destination restaurants like Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland and L’Enclume, in Cartmel, Cumbria. The UK has a surprise around every corner in terms of natural beauty and now might be the time to discover it and taste what’s on offer along the way.

All roads lead to Singapore next year as the city state announces new world-leading chef openings on an almost weekly basis. Top of the list for 2024 should be Australian seafood guru chef Josh Niland's Fysh at the Edition hotel, which he describes as a “seafood-focused steakhouse”. Another new titanic culinary proposal is Air restaurant, the collaboration between Will Goldfarb and Matt Orlando. Stacked full of classically trained chefs doing elegant French food, there is a dizzying range of choices on offer here. Not to be missed are Dave Pynt’s Burnt Ends and Julien Royer’s multiple award winning Odette at the National Gallery Singapore.

Italy’s fashion and design capital can now feasibly lay claim to being its capital of fine dining too. Enrico Bartolini flies the flag at his eponymous three Michelin-starred restaurant at the Mudec (Museo delle Culture), where the food is astonishingly complex, assured and finessed. But there are many, many reasons to visit Milan to eat, including Contraste, a cut of the new generation of creative chefs, and Verso Capitaneo by chef brothers Remo and Mario, who marked themselves out as future food stars at Piazza Duomo. Iyo exemplifies the Milanese love affair with all things Japanese, especially their cuisine.

Saudi Arabia is opening to tourism as it plans a future less dependent on fossil fuel revenue. The effect is a cultural shift that makes it a more accessible and interesting place to eat. The offering is diverse in Riyadh with a staple of classic French restaurants, Japanese, Spanish, South American and everything in between. Recently opened Nozomi gives diners a unique experience with elements of show, while MNKY HSE is an intimate restaurant serving contemporary Latin American cuisine. Myazu has the title of best restaurant in Saudi Arabia according to MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants. Riyadh doesn’t yet offer the globally accepted fine-dining standards that other destinations do, which is why it’s the right time to visit as it’s a place with its own identity and a restaurant scene that is very much its own thing.

Diversity, dynamism, climate, produce, a rich and varied territory, with a world leading wine industry, it is no wonder that the fine-dining scene in this South African city goes from strength to strength. Fyn is a leader of the scene, combining classic technique with modern flair and respect for ingredients, while chef James Gaag's La Colombe consistently impresses as his haul of awards can attest to. For something a little different try Reverie Social Table where chef Julia Hattingh welcomes a collection of total strangers each night for a dinner party vibe around a single table. For those willing to travel, Paternoster, north of Cape Town is the home of Wolfgat, thought by some to be the best restaurant in the world and worth an expedition.

The city’s freewheeling vibrancy and diversity is reflected in the fine-dining offering in Miami, where culinary standards are always rising. Where there is wealth, there is high-level classic French cuisine represented by two-Michelin-star L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Le Jardinier. However, there is full representation here and you can eat Colombian cuisine at Elcielo and Japanese omakase at Hiden. With Latin rhythm there is plenty of fun to be found after dark and eating well is the best way to get a feel for the Florida flavour before seeing where the night takes you.