Food is the reason a lot of us book a trip in the first place, and the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards from Condé Nast Traveller UK has now put a ranking on it. The magazine asked its readers to name the countries they return to again and again purely for the eating, and the results — published as a ranked list of the world's tastiest countries — are scored as overall average satisfaction percentages.
The full list lives in the source gallery, but the flavour of the vote is easy to read from the dishes the editors invoke to sell it: Portugal's fresh, custardy pastéis de nata; the soul-warming soups of Thailand; and Japan's clean, precise sushi. Those are the kinds of food memories that make a sad desk lunch unbearable, and the awards are essentially a crowd-sourced shortlist of where to go chasing them.
What makes this ranking useful rather than just fun is that it's built on repeat behaviour. Readers weren't asked which country has the most famous restaurant scene or the most Michelin stars — they were asked where they keep going back. That skews the list toward places where eating well is cheap, everyday and unavoidable, not just a fine-dining experience you book months ahead.
For anyone planning next year's trips around a plate rather than a beach, the takeaway is straightforward: pick the country whose signature food you'd happily eat daily, then build the itinerary around markets, street stalls and neighbourhood eateries. Bangkok's noodle shops, Lisbon's pastry counters and Tokyo's sushi counters all reward that approach far more than any single splashy restaurant booking would.
The percentages themselves give a sense of just how satisfied travellers are with the top performers — satisfaction scores at the sharp end of these awards tend to be extremely high, so anywhere near the top of the list is a safe bet for a food-first holiday. Check the full gallery for the complete ranking and scores before you commit your annual leave.
