FOOD GUIDES

As you can probably tell by now, food plays a major role in our trips. Through careful research and planning, we find only the best local food experiences in every destination. We hate touristy restaurants so if you enjoy local food, then these guides will be helpful in planning your next food trip.

Vietnamese Food Guide: 45 Must-Try Dishes in Vietnam

Central Vietnam / FOOD GUIDES / Northern Vietnam / Southern Vietnam / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

I ate my way through Sapa, Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon, and the Mekong Delta with the goal of writing a Vietnamese food guide that showcased the best and most interesting dishes this country had to offer. This list of 45 is what I've come up with.

Osaka Food Guide: 25 Must-Try Restaurants

FOOD GUIDES / JAPAN / Osaka / WHEN WE WANDER Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Since 2014, we've been to Osaka a total of four times. Each visit gives us the opportunity to explore new restaurants and to continually update and refine this food guide. Our goal is to give you the best, most complete, and most diverse food experience in Osaka, and I believe we've done just that with the latest edition of this guide.

Kuromon Ichiba Market: 10 Must-Try Dishes

FOOD GUIDES / JAPAN / Osaka / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Kuromon Ichiba Market is a covered market in Osaka's Chuo Ward, about a 3-minute walk from Nippombashi Station. It's often referred to "Osaka's kitchen" because it's where many of the city's chefs get their supplies.

Taiwanese Street Food: 13 of the Best Night Markets in Taiwan

Chiayi City / Chiayi County / FOOD GUIDES / Hualien / Kaohsiung / Nantou County / New Taipei City / Taichung / Tainan / Taipei / TAIWAN / WHEN WE WANDER Feb 17, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Anyone who's been to Taiwan can tell you that visiting a night market is quintessential to the Taiwan experience. It's such an important part of the culture.

Taiwanese Food Guide: 45 Must-Try Dishes in Taiwan

Chiayi City / Chiayi County / FOOD GUIDES / Hualien / Kaohsiung / Nantou County / New Taipei City / Taichung / Tainan / Taipei / TAIWAN / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Taiwan, with its wealth of night markets, is a country travelers love going back to again and again for the food. From hot pot to boba to lu rou fan to beef noodle soup, there is so much good food to be had in Taiwan and for cheap too!

Taipei Food Guide: 13 Must-Try Restaurants

FOOD GUIDES / Taipei / TAIWAN / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

This Taipei food guide will show you where to have some of the best examples of delicious Taiwanese dishes like lu rou fan, shabu shabu, beef noodle soup, Taiwanese breakfast, and more.

Penang Food Guide: 15 Must-Try Street Food Stalls

FOOD GUIDES / MALAYSIA / Penang / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Focusing mainly on George Town, this Penang food guide includes some of the most enduring eateries on the island, serving some of the best examples of key Malaysian dishes like asam laksa, char koay teow, curry mee, chendol, and many more.

Korean Food Guide: 45 Must-Try Dishes in South Korea

FOOD GUIDES / SOUTH KOREA / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

We've been to Korea three times in over four years and have tried many tasty dishes, the best and most interesting of which are listed in this Korean food guide. If you're visiting Korea and want to experience as wide a range of Korean food as possible, then this article will be of use to you.

Seoul Food Guide: 25 Must-Try Restaurants

FOOD GUIDES / SOUTH KOREA / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

The second edition of our Seoul restaurant guide has expanded to 25 eateries to give travelers as complete a Korean food experience as possible. If you're visiting Seoul and want to eat like a local, then this guide will be very useful to you.

Tokyo Food Guide: 18 Must-Try Restaurants

FOOD GUIDES / JAPAN / Tokyo / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Tokyo's food scene is diverse so I wanted to come up with as well-rounded a food guide as possible. I consulted with locals, trusted food blogs, and restaurant review sites to come up with this list of 18 must-eat restaurants in Tokyo.

Saigon Food Guide: 25 Must-Try Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

FOOD GUIDES / Southern Vietnam / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Though we do feel that Hanoi is the more liveable city, there's no question in our minds that the best food in the country is in Saigon. Hanoi has my beloved bun cha and ca phe trung but overall, we prefer the food in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hoi An Coffee Guide: 9 of the Best Cafes in Hoi An, Vietnam

Central Vietnam / FOOD GUIDES / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Among all the cities I visited in Vietnam, Hanoi had the most historic cafes, Saigon the coolest, and Hoi An some of the prettiest, which in hindsight I guess was pretty much consistent with the nature of each city.

Hoi An Food Guide: 20 Must-Try Restaurants

Central Vietnam / FOOD GUIDES / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

I'll give you three reasons to visit Hoi An – banh mi, com ga, and cao lau. They're three of the best things you can eat in this central Vietnamese town, which is saying a lot because there's plenty of good food to be had here.

Hue Food Guide: 14 Must-Try Restaurants

Central Vietnam / FOOD GUIDES / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Together with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Hue is definitely one of my favorite food cities in Vietnam and a place we'll be looking to visit again and again. It's home to interesting and delicious food like bun bo, com hen, nem lui, and banh hue.

What to Eat in Northern Kyushu: 10 Food Experiences to Try in Fukuoka, Oita, and Nagasaki

FOOD GUIDES / Fukuoka / JAPAN / Nagasaki / Oita / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Ren and I first visited northern Kyushu in 2017 and got to enjoy regional specialties like champon, basashi, and everyone's favorite Hakata ramen. Everything we had made an impression and got us excited to come back and explore more of the island and its myriad delicacies.

Hue Coffee Guide: 9 of the Best Cafes in Hue, Vietnam

Central Vietnam / FOOD GUIDES / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Like ca phe trung in Hanoi, Hue is home to a unique blend of coffee as well – ca phe muoi or salt coffee. As its name suggests, it's made with salt and fermented milk and served with ice.

Saigon Coffee Guide: 10 of the Best Cafes in Ho Chi Minh City

FOOD GUIDES / Southern Vietnam / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

I had the most fun coffee hunting in Hanoi but Saigon held its own. They don't have homegrown creations like egg coffee or salty coffee, but what they lacked in unique recipes and history they more than made up for with their plethora of Instagram-worthy cafes.

Hanoi Food Guide: 25 Must-Try Local Restaurants

FOOD GUIDES / Northern Vietnam / VIETNAM / WHEN WE WANDER Last Updated: Feb 21, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Vietnamese cuisine has won me over completely. It was the main reason why I did this month-long trip, to really delve into the cuisine and come up with the best and most insightful food guides, starting with Hanoi.