World’s best foodie city has been named – and it’s in Spain

Forget Paris, Tokyo, London, New York or Rome – apparently the city that offers the best food in the world is tiny San Sebastián in the north of Spain.

According to research by foodie blog and service provider CaterWings that collated opinions and reviews of more than 20,000 food critics around the world, the Spanish city came out on top for the quality offered in its abundance of restaurants…

San Sebastián topped a chart of 100 countries ranked on everything from the number of restaurants per 10,000 citizens, the percentage of fast food outlets (generally, but not always, considered a bad thing), the range of vegetarian and vegan options, and the weight of favourable reviews by professional journalists.

While being home to some of Spain’s more innovative food movements (as well as a healthy number of Michelin stars), what really set San Sebastián apart was its unbeatable combination of quality and affordability, said the survey, which praised the fact that even the city’s minimum-wage inhabitants can still enjoy most of San Sebastián’s establishments without breaking the bank.

And it wasn’t just San Sebastián that did Spain proud: Barcelona and Madrid, in fourth and seventh place respectively, ensured that Spain had more entrants into the top ten than any other country.

Japan’s Tokyo came in second place despite boasting more Michelin stars than anywhere else in the world. Although relatively affordable, Tokyo fared badly on vegetarian options. New York was in third place, with London down in ninth and Glasgow – at 61^st place – the next highest-ranked British city.