The true culture and culinary traditions of a city are revealed in the street food. Vendors pride themselves on the different flavors, textures, and aromas engaging all five senses. Even in cities celebrated for their restaurants, street food remains the ultimate casual dining experience for locals while providing visitors a window into the gastronomic heritage of a country. Street food around the globe blurs the lines between authentic culinary customs and exciting gastronomic exploration bursting from outdoor markets, carts, or kiosks. The following list offers insight into the world’s 10 best cities for street food revealing the depth of culinary delights around the globe.

1. Istanbul, Turkey

While doner kebab has become a staple of Turkish cuisine across Western Europe, Istanbul provides an amalgamation of delicious cultural dishes served from kiosks scattered across the country’s largest city. Börek­­—a flaky pastry—and simit— sesame bread similar to a pretzel with its ring shape—create an evocative aroma drifting through the streets. As the capital of Turkey, Istanbul draws people from across the country who bring their culinary traditions and flavors stretching far beyond the region making the streets spanning the Bosporus a sampler platter of delights. Kebabs, lahmacun—which is similar to a Turkish pizza—and traditional pistachio ice cream known as Dondurma have classic flavors cataloging the highlights of Istanbul, and greater Turkey served from mobile carts, modest storefronts, and market stalls.

2. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Whether you call it Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon, the bustling streets of the Vietnamese city host the most popular street food in the country with vendors offering daily dishes on street corners or hidden in alleyways lined with plastic stools. The scent of steaming bowls of pho drifts down the walkways and through the motorbikes swerving in the chaotic traffic. Bahn mi sandwiches have become a favorite international Vietnamese street food serving the bright and lush flavors of meats like shredded pork skin or sausage with cilantro, cucumber slices, and pickled carrots or daikon mixed with the French colonial influence of a baguette. The large southern city expands on the flavors in south Vietnam with vendors serving delicious fish soup, stuffed pancakes, and light, crunchy spring rolls.

3. Fukuoka, Japan

Pop-up food stalls have been popular in Fukuoka, Japan since the 17th century, but they erupted with traditional regional flavor after the Second World War. Mobile open-air stands can host up to 10 diners invoking a communal ambiance. The vendors open their stalls after sundown cooking traditional dishes in steaming hot pots or serving classic Fukuoka cocktails. The city has approximately 150 food stalls with many customarily offering the local specialty of tonkotsu ramen, a creamy pork broth topped with ramen noodles, sliced pork belly, and an array of fresh vegetables. Other traditional dishes include grilled chicken skewers, as wells as thinly sliced beef, tofu, or seafood served with leafy greens and mushrooms known as hot pot.

4. Durban, South Africa

A little-known secret outside of South Africa is that Durban boasts the best street food scene in the country due to its blend of unique flavors and culinary influences. Many locals extol the perfect year-round weather, but the true gastronome explores the local culture through the layers of significant Indian, Zulu, and white South African population. The result is delicious curries, celebrated vegetarian options, and juicy chicken dishes emanating from small street-side stalls and active markets emphasizing quality through fresh ingredients. The city’s position alongside the Indian Ocean at the mouth of Umgeni River inspires addictive fried calamari or prawns, while the interior landscape encourages succulent lamb sausages. Bunny chow has emerged as the quintessential Durban street food consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread stuffed with vegetarian curry.

5. Marrakech, Morocco

The quality and diversity of the street food in Marrakech encompasses the breadth of Moroccan cuisine. Whether in the mood for freshly squeezed regional fruit juices or sampling the traditional flavors of snail soup, walking through the bustling aisles of Djema el-Fna Square in the evening tantalizes the senses. Chefs from around the world have visited the city for centuries in search of elaborate spices eagerly diving into the depths of unique tastes the city has acquired over the centuries from around the country with dishes like lentil and chickpea soup, dried fruits, nuts, and grilled meats. Street vendors serve a type of pastry similar to a pancake hot from the stovetop. Cookies and pastries are common in the markets, bursting with bright colors and mouthwatering syrupy flavors.

6. Mumbai, India

The hand-painted carts decorating the streets of Mumbai foretell the vibrant and bright flavors to come when sampling the city’s enticing street food. The simple ingredients form layers of vegetarian delights radiating aromatic spices within the crowded markets. Instead of searching for signs, Mumbai is a city where you follow the crowds in search of savory biryanis and sweet malpua pancakes. Whether exploring the shores of Chowpatty Beach or walking through the Fort businesses district, you will find the delectable flavors of fried potatoes or meat rolls, kebabs glowing from the colorful spices and sweet mango lassis offering a refreshing retreat from the humid heat.

7. Amman, Jordan

When visiting Jordan, Amman is the heart of the country’s street food scene with tantalizing dishes combining Persian, Mediterranean, and North African flavors. The restaurants opening to the antique walkways of the city highlights the history of Amman’s urban heritage from the chic neighborhoods to the ancient citadel. The Arabic pizza known as manakish sings with spices like za’atar drizzled with olive oil, topped with halloumi cheese, and covered with eggs and ground meat. The dough is baked in a brick oven adding to the vibrant aroma of spiced meats cooked over open charcoal grills. Amman street food also consists of oval-shaped rings of bread called kaak, creamy hummus, and traditional Jordanian falafel.

8. Paris, France

Paris is known for its chefs of culinary mastery and a gastronomic scene guaranteed to seduce visitors from around the globe. Paris was slow to join the street food revolution but has since helped utilized the city’s reputation for using quality, fresh ingredients to create affordable gourmet food available on street corners. Beyond the veil of haute cuisine in the restaurants, you can find the inspiring flavors of the humble traditions of Parisian dishes like roasted chestnuts or crepes. The historical and romantic streets carry the aroma of savory buckwheat crepes stuffed with gruyere cheese, ham, and eggs or sweet crepes filled with creamy Nutella and ripened sliced banana. The crepe stands and mobile stalls are scattered across the city. Food trucks and canteens have erupted in popularity by offering traditional and international flavors with customary French twists.

9. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The quintessential Brazilian city fuses the gastronomic traditions of Portugal with the flavors of Indigenous Brazil, as well as the culinary customs of West Africa and Japan for an exciting and unexpected cooking heritage. The coastal ambiance of the city makes eating by the water a necessity resulting in delicious dishes like empanadas, a savory meat or fish pie with a flaky crust sol from stands scattered along the boardwalks. The aromas of skewered meats, cheese bread, and tropical fruits turned into juices or popsicles blend with the refreshing seaside air. Vendors fry tapioca into a pancake with shredded coconut topped with ham and cheese or chocolate spread and banana while small wagons offer freshly made popcorn cooked with pieces of bacon for a smoky flavor and lingering aroma.

10. Cartagena, Colombia

The Caribbean city of Cartagena fills with a plethora of aromas throughout the day with streets hosting open grills firing skewers and chorizo and plazas boasting vendors serving arepas stuffed with cheese or egg. The antique walls of the Spanish fortress, as well as the markets outside of the historic city center, show the fascinating hybrid of Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Indigenous South American flavors. Vendors exhibit their expertise on a single dish with ingredients reflecting the tropical landscape and clear azure waters including tomato-shrimp cocktail, ceviche, and fried green plantains with garlic. The grilled corn cakes known, as arepas are the most common and celebrated street food around Colombia often served from the street carts, food trucks, and kitchen windows decorating Cartagena.