If you go to Rio’s Café Lamas to see where leftist organizers met during Brazil’s military dictatorship, go to Majórica to eat steak where the city’s business and political elites gather today. Located on a residential street in Rio’s Flamengo neighborhood, the restaurant from the outside looks like a three-story house, but for the neon red cursive sign with its name. It was founded in 1963 by two brothers from the Spanish island of Majorca. When we last interviewed the owners in 2015, it was being run by the daughter of one brother, together with (then) 79-year-old Galician-born Ernesto Rodriguez, who worked his way up from being the restaurant’s janitor back in 1965.

Palermo is in the midst of a gastronomic evolution mirroring its own colorful heritage. Ancient Greek influences, Arab spices, Norman opulence, and Spanish traditions have long made Sicily’s largest city a chaotic mix of cultures. In recent years, this blend has been elevated by a new wave of chefs and restaurateurs who reinterpret tradition while staying true to the essence of the island. While classic trattorias and osterias that have served generations remain bastions of tradition, a younger generation of innovators is emerging, making 2024 a year of fun eating in Palermo.

Sometimes the wine is so good, you forget about the food on your plate. And sometimes, the simplest bite has you forgetting your expensive wine, the people you’ve come out to dine with, and maybe even your own name. Your friends around the table are all laughing, and you have no idea about the joke. For a few seconds, you're lost in primitive aesthetic bliss, pure satisfaction, and something akin to communion with the universe. Here are a few moments from 2024 when we got lost in food, oblivious to the jokes and comments of our competitions at tables in Barcelona, La Garrotxa (in north Catalonia), and Galicia.

Eating in the Greek capital is always an adventure. In 2024, our best bites spanned from small bites and snacks to drinks and full-blown feasts – there’s a perfect bite for every moment in Athens, just waiting for intrepid eaters to seek it out. The following list is something of a sensory walk through the city: you’ll find salty seafood and iced treats ideal for hot summer days, the perfect cocktail spot in the vibrant neighborhood of Neos Kosmos; creamy, traditional-style Greek yogurt; and beautiful, modern takes on traditional dishes. It’s almost too much to fit into one year – we’re excited to keep eating our way through Athens in 2025.

Great food, art scattered around the city – from fantastic museums and ornate subway stations to public squares and alleys – and its inhabitants' warm and joyful temperament all make Naples one of the most loved destinations in Italy. The city is busier than ever, but its also starting to feel the strain of its popularity, crowded with tourists looking for the best selfie spot and the most delicious sfogliatella or pizza a portafoglio. Our recommendation: slow down the pace, skip the interminable queues and overhyped spots, and search for quieter ones to savor a few blissful bites.

2024 was, for me, a year of travel, with just about as much time spent outside of Lisbon as inside. When I spend a lot of time on the road, I feel even more compelled to cook when I’m at home, so some of my best bites this year were things I prepared myself. But in the course of reporting for Culinary Backstreets and other outlets, I visited Lisbon restaurants both new and familiar, and scanning through an iPhone library of dishes both homemade and cooked by the pros, the following stood out. - Austin Bush

There’s no denying 2024 has been a year of political discontent that has permeated into all aspects of life in Tbilisi – including the culinary. Massive protests against the incumbent Georgian Dream party started in spring when it pushed forward a controversial law that many saw as emulating a Russian one and pushing the country towards Moscow-style autocracy. Even bigger protests broke out more recently when the ruling party announced they are suspending Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union, further fueling fears about the country’s orientation. For the CB crew, the political turbulence made this year one to revisit small backstreet joints that have withstood the test of time, such as Old Time Pub, the watering hole serving sausages and beer from Soviet times, and the pelmeni stronghold of Dumplings N1 that’s been serving some of the city’s best Slavic dumplings for over a decade.

2024 was another challenging year for Turkey and Istanbul, as the ongoing economic crisis and ensuing rampant inflation made it increasingly difficult for many locals to get by in the city and for foreigners to find bargains, even if they are arriving with dollars or euros. Nevertheless, Istanbul's dining scene remains as vibrant as ever, with exciting new spots opening in addition to the discovery of places that had been waiting for us for years. In an always-fascinating city with infinite possibilities, Istanbul proved once again why it is one of the world's premiere culinary destinations.

In New Orleans, everything is rich… the soil, the architecture, the music, the revelry, as well as the food. Ignatius J. Reilly, the city’s great fictitious antihero in John Kennedy Toole’s novel A Confederacy of Dunces, reflected, “When I go to lunch, I must have something substantial. This business of having a light lunch is a thoroughly alien concept to me. My being recoils at the thought of a salad or any other such abomination. I am a medievalist, not a Calvinist. Lunch must be rich, satisfying, and caloric to sustain me through the afternoon.” When we went out for a New Orleans meal over this past year, we heeded the words of Ignatius. It's best you do the same. - Lev Thibodeaux

Over the course of any year, I enjoy food from hundreds of establishments – white-linen restaurants and elbows-on-the-table eateries, as well as street food stands, fairs, festivals, grocers, and greenmarkets – throughout the five boroughs of New York City, and occasionally farther afield. Queens, which embraces innumerable small neighborhoods within neighborhoods, is one of my richest territories for tracking down good food. These "best bites" – most are snack-sized, though some might be considered full meals –could easily be an endless scroll. In this short list, I'll offer only a handful of suggestions for sharing in the deliciousness; with one ephemeral exception, all of them are available year-round. If you're still hungry for suggestions, my Queens colleagues at Culinary Backstreets can offer many more.

It can be hard to narrow down our notable Marseille food memories from the year into a finite list. This dynamic port city makes for a colorful culinary destination, a place where traditional Provençal cuisine coexists alongside – and at times, is infused with – the many international influences brought here by travelers, immigrants, and creative chefs alike. From Colombian bakes to Medjool dates, sit-down dinners to fresh market finds, these are just a few of our favorite bites from 2024 in Marseille. We return again and again to À Moro for the dreamy vitello tonnato, which is a standard on their menu. Vitello tonnato is an unexpected surf and turf recipe from the 18th century, originating in the Piemonte region of Italy.

The award for “Europe's Best Emerging Culinary City Destination," granted to Porto by the World Culinary Awards this year, could not have come at a better time. The city is truly "emerging" as a gastronomic hotspot, with an increasingly diverse array of restaurants and concepts opening their doors in response to growing tourism and a steady influx of new residents. Porto has never felt more dynamic. The latest wave of local projects further underscores this evolution. Chefs, baristas, sommeliers, and other culinary professionals from various nationalities have chosen Portugal's second-largest city to lay down roots, enriching its food scene and adding new dimensions to a city that still has much more to reveal.

It has been another great year of dining in Los Angeles, with new restaurants to explore and old favorites to revisit. The L.A. food scene is going as strong as ever and we’ve had a lot of outstanding meals this year. It’s always a difficult task to narrow down the best bites of the year, but looking back at the past year, these are the dishes that left a strong impression and live rent free in my head. Los Angeles has a dearth of Portuguese restaurants, but that changed with the opening of Barra Santos, a tiny restaurant in the Cypress Park neighborhood. I would happily return to Barra Santos for one thing on the menu: bifana, the classic Portuguese pork sandwich.

It’s that time of year: when we share our Spotify Wrapped, post our favorite memories of the year on Instagram and, of course, reminisce about the incredible things we ate and drank over the past 12 months. Living (and eating) in Mexico City means there’s plenty to be grateful for – from revitalizing seafood cocktails to fluffy pancakes to, of course, fabulous tacos. Join us as we remember our Best Bites of 2024. It’s that time of year: when we share our Spotify Wrapped, post our favorite memories of the year on Instagram and, of course, reminisce about the incredible things we ate and drank over the past 12 months. Living (and eating) in Mexico City means there’s plenty to be grateful for – from revitalizing seafood cocktails to fluffy pancakes to, of course, fabulous tacos. Join us as we remember our Best Bites of 2024.

This past year has been an exciting one in San Sebastián. The emergence of new projects, driven by young talented people – some bringing ideas and flavours from abroad – makes even more thrilling the adventure of dining out in a city celebrated for its deep-rooted traditions and extraordinary gastronomy. While enjoying some of the iconic local dishes remains a must, it’s also a nice time to delve into what it's being offered by this new wave of talent, whether you’re up for some pintxo hopping or are looking to enjoy a nice time with friends or family at some of the city’s finest tables.