5 cheap holiday destinations for food lovers
Food is an expensive hobby. As a true food lover, you naturally want to visit the newest restaurants and buy the finest ingredients, while also saving some money for your holiday. It may seem almost impossible, but in these cities you get the most for your money when it comes to food.
Mexico City, Mexico
The flight may not be cheap, but as soon as you arrive in Mexico City, affordable food is everywhere. From tacos, tostadas and tamales for one euro, to gorditas: a kind of stuffed corn flatbread. And what about an elote? A corn on the cob covered with crumbled cheese? Mmmm. Fancy something a little more upscale? Go for the table side guacamole treatment at Nicos. Add some table side coffee roasting and a few glasses of mezcal, and you’re done for €40.
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is the only city in the world where the bill is always lower than I expect. You already assume it won’t be expensive, and even then the bill is always a pleasant surprise. Whether it’s a big, juicy burger at The Bird, the best döner you’ve ever tasted at Rüya Gemüse Kebap, or beer and schnitzel at Pratergarten.
Go to Markthalleneun for plenty of affordable street food, or eat at one of the many Asian restaurants Berlin has to offer. Cocolo Ramen for Japanese noodle soup, or Monsieur Vuong for Vietnamese food, for example.
Bologna, Italy
You can eat wonderfully and cheaply almost anywhere in Italy, but in tourist cities such as Rome and Florence, prices can sometimes be a little higher. Bologna is a very affordable option: everywhere, you can get excellent pasta for €6. And since they invented Bolognese here, you can certainly trust them when it comes to food. You also can’t leave the city without eating mortadella, and you can do that at Pigro.
Hanoi, Vietnam
Food is dirt cheap in almost every Asian city, but Hanoi takes the crown. I also found the food here even tastier than in the rest of Vietnam; you could easily stay here for a week just to eat. Bun cha is sold everywhere on the streets, a dish typical of the north consisting of grilled pork, rice noodles and a kind of sweet-and-sour soup. Absolutely delicious, and it costs next to nothing. Another specialty is egg coffee. It sounds strange, but give it a try (at Café Pho Co, for example).
Yangon, Myanmar
Myanmar may not be high on your list as a food destination, but that would be a real shame. Literally everyone told me beforehand that the food in Myanmar was the worst in all of Asia, but I have no idea where those people ate. I thought it was absolutely amazing. From mohinga (fish soup with rice noodles) to the most delicious tomato and eggplant salads. In Yangon? Be sure to visit 19th Street, a street full of little restaurants where you sit outside and eat the most delicious grilled fish for next to nothing.
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