Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the best city districts for street food.
It's
impossible to avoid street food in Bangkok, where sidewalk vendors in
different parts of the city operate on a fixed rotation.
Some
take care of the breakfast crowd with sweet soymilk and bean curd,
others dish up fragrant rice and poached chicken for lunch.
The late-night crowd offers everything from phad thai noodles to grilled satay.
Chef
Van, of the French brasserie 4Garcons on Thong Lor Soi 13 in Bangkok,
favors street food in Chinatown -- known locally as "Yarowat."
He recommends hoy tod nai mong, a crisp fried mussel pancake: "The chef and owner makes them one by one on the charcoal stove."
Another
favorite: Kuay tiew kai soi sai nam phung: "It is noodle soup with
chicken wing stew with young egg and pork intestine! I've had it since I
was a kid."
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo
is home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than any city in the
world, but Japanese cuisine often gets reduced to one thing: sushi.
Tokyo food lover Taro Namekawa likes to bring guests somewhere different,
Teppen: Nakameguro
, for grilled food.
"They
are very famous for grilling extremely fresh ingredients in front of
you, with special kinds of charcoal that can grill fresh ingredients
with high heat quickly to trap all the goodness of them inside."
They
serve sushi too, but the grilled meats and vegetables draw in young and
old Japanese diners, especially workers on their way home.
"I like this place because it gives a surprise element to my foreign guests when they visit town."
It also has the benefit of being near the Meguro River, one of Tokyo's most beautiful spots for flower watching.
Rainbow shaved ice is a Hawaiian street classic.
Hawaiian
food is a creative mishmash of cuisines, combining local traditions
with the culinary tastes of successive waves of migrants from the
mainland United States, Asia and Latin America.
The result includes an array of raw fish salads known as poke (poh-kay), as easily available as a sandwich in other cities.
Tuna and octopus are the two most typical options, prepared with flavors inspired by everything from kimchi to ceviche.
The city also has a thriving food truck culture.
The best is a bit of a drive.
On the Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa on the North Shore, a shaded parking lot full of trucks gives a culinary tour of Hawaii.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck covers shrimp in a sauce filled with chunks of caramelized garlic.
It's so good that it's become a cliched place to visit -- except that Giovanni's really is delicious.
Opal
Thai churns out phad thai that would make a Bangkok vendor jealous,
while Mike's Huli Huli Chicken schools visitors in the right way to
prepare a Hawaiian classic.
Durban, South Africa
Perhaps
it's because of Durban's lovely year-round weather, or maybe it's the
Indian influence, but the city is southern Africa's reigning street food
champ.
Local culture and cuisine
is a blend sourced from Zulu, Indian and white South Africans, who each
bring a little something to the mix.
The city is known for its curries, which over the generations have adapted to South African ingredients and tastes.
Little
Gujarat, on Prince Edward Street downtown, is a humble but revered
institution that remains true to the classic Tea Room takeaway, says
Louis Fourie, a Durbanite and tireless advocate for the city.
It's
vegetarian-only, and offers the distinctly Durban bunny chow -- a
hollowed out half-loaf of bread filled with curry, like an edible
takeaway container.
Sunrise Chip & Ranch, better known as Johnny's Rotis, is open 24 hours a day for comforting rotis.
"It's great to soak up the munchies, said Foerie. "The ultimate Durban street food experience supported by generations."
Afro's Chicken, which sits by the beach, grills up its poulet to order and offers shaded seating with an ocean breeze.
New Orleans, Louisiana
There's a saying in Louisiana that the gas stations serve better food than some of the country's finest restaurants.
For
locals, street food first conjures images of the once ubiquitous Lucky
Dog cart, made famous (or more aptly, infamous) in "A Confederacy of
Dunces."
That's certainly an experience, but closer to the mark is a plate lunch, served up at gas stations and convenience stores.
Debates over where to get the best plate lunch can rival the passions reserved for truly important things -- like football.
Traditionally
plate lunches meant comfort food like red beans and rice, served with
andouille sausage and a heavily buttered slice of French bread.
Or perhaps a muffuletta from Central Grocery, famous for the sandwiches brought in by Sicilian immigrants.
More
recent waves of migration have helped entrench taqueria trucks and pho
noodles just as firmly into the city's street food scene.
For visitors seeking something distinctly New Orleans, chef Gigi Patout recommends fried alligator from Acme Oyster House.
"We always said it tastes like chicken," she said.
For something sweet, she suggests the New Orleans School of Cooking for pralines.
"They're made in front of you, it makes you want to buy them."
Istanbul, Turkey
The most recognizable Turkish street food is probably simit -- like a cross between a bagel and a pretzel.
Freshly baked, dipped in molasses and crusted with sesame seeds, they entice snackers from push-carts all over Istanbul.
Istanbul's street food offerings stretch far beyond.
Because so many people from around Turkey and the region migrate here, the city's sidewalks are a walkable sampler platter.
Durum are basically kebabs turned into wraps.
They can appear on menus of fine restaurants, but just as easily on street corners.
Turkish pizza, properly called lahmacun, presents a simple but satisfying meal at all hours of the night.
Under-appreciated overseas, Turkish ice cream is ubiquitous and immensely satisfying, especially in pistachio.
Dining at a dai pai dong, a no-fuss street restaurant, is an essential Hong Kong experience.
For
a city where scouring an entire district and eating street foods -- or
sou gaai (street-sweeping) in local lingo -- is considered a preferred
weekend activity, it's no surprise that Michelin decided to launch its
first-ever street food guide in Hong Kong.
Hop Yik Tai (121 Lam Street, Sham Shui Po) serves some of the most silky cheong fun (steamed rice rolls soaked in soy, sesame and hoisin sauce) in town.
Fei Jie's (Shop 4A, 55 Dundas Street, Mong Kok) braised turkey kidneys and pig intestines attract a line of fans every day.
Indoor
corridors beneath the Tai On Building, a residential complex, come
alive every evening as it's turned into a vibrant late night food
market.
Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Kowloon City are two popular sou gaai destinations.
They're home to the city's best sweet tofu custard (Kung Wo Soy Product Factory, 67 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City) and Cantonese egg waffle (Master Low-Key Food Shop, Shop B3, 76A Shau Kei Wan Main Street East).
READ: Hong Kong's best dim sum
Paris, France
Dining in Paris can be an experience in itself.
The haute cuisine is, of course, the subject of entire books, schools and libraries.
But the city's humblest food also inspires.
On a cold day, nothing's more welcome than the appearance of street vendors roasting chestnuts.
And crepes, oh crepes.
They can be restaurant fare, but finding one on the streets around Montparnasse is even better.
A buckwheat crepe with gruyere, ham and egg -- crispy around the edges, soft in the middle -- satisfies at any time of day.
As does a simple spread of Nutella with a sliced banana.
MORE: France's most beautiful destinations
Mexico City, Mexico
People used to Tex-Mex north of the border often don't know what to expect when they order Mexican food in Mexico.
It's practically a different cuisine.
Even
the humblest taco stand in Mexico City has fresh tortillas and grilled
meats, or tlacoyos (fatter than tortillas) topped with favas, cheese and
a dollop of green salsa.
In recent
years interest in native Mexican cuisine has exploded, making use of
indigenous ingredients and methods for flavors impossible to experience
anywhere else.
Tours like Eat Mexico guide newcomers through it all, from atole drinks of rice and masa for breakfast to late-night tacos and mexcal.
Cairo, Egypt
Some
Egyptian street food has become takeaway fare internationally, with
falafel, shawarma and kofta evolving into part of the global urban snack
experience.
In Cairo there's still a world of other dishes to sample that haven't yet made their way overseas.
Koshary mixes rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas, topped with a vinegary-tomato sauce.
Throw some fried onions on top for good measure and it's the tasty essence of street food: warm, flavorful, cheap and filling.
For dessert, hot tea helps wash down the kunafa, crystallized honey that's better than any of Willy Wonka's confections.
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