Food & Drink

Some ingredients do far more than their size or price would suggest. A spoonful can transform a sauce, give a dish unexpected depth or introduce an entirely new dimension of flavour. From fermented pastes and pungent spices to concentrated seafood and chilli oils, these seven ingredients are worth getting to know. They come from different culinary traditions, but share one quality: used well, they can make an ordinary dish extraordinary.

Mexico has inspired a surprisingly broad cocktail culture, from drinks built around tequila and mezcal to modern creations that borrow flavours, ingredients and techniques from across the country. Some are classics; others are much more recent inventions. Here are seven cocktails with a distinctly Mexican connection.

Puebla has a long relationship with mezcal, and its historic centre has plenty of places to explore it — from specialist mezcalerías to atmospheric bars hidden inside old buildings. If you want to discover the city through one of Mexico's most distinctive spirits, these are seven places worth knowing.

Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market is a place to arrive hungry and leave with a new favourite. From the city’s iconic peameal bacon sandwich to Montreal-style bagels, seafood, pierogies and specialist cheese counters, these are seven things worth seeking out at one of Toronto’s great food destinations.

Seven useful French phrases for choosing, buying and enjoying seafood in Marseille.

Seven useful Slovenian phrases for tasting, discussing and buying wine in Maribor.

Seven useful Italian phrases for ordering and enjoying aperitivo in Milan.

Seven useful Greek phrases for choosing pastries, asking questions and paying at a bakery in Thessaloniki.

Seven useful Italian phrases for getting a table, choosing dinner and settling the bill in Naples.

Seven useful Spanish phrases for finding, ordering and enjoying a good coffee in Valencia.

Seven Dubrovnik restaurants worth knowing about.

Seven ways to experience Tasmania's produce, farms, vineyards and distinctive regional food culture.

Saint John, New Brunswick, has more to its drinking scene than a pint and a pub quiz. From Irish hospitality and East Coast craft beer to a whisky specialist, a bar built around vinyl records and a no-frills neighbourhood local, these seven spots offer different ways to spend an evening in the city. The question is not just where to drink, but what kind of night you are looking for.

Saint John’s food scene brings together the flavours of the Bay of Fundy, a strong local dining culture and restaurants that take very different approaches to a good meal. From East Coast Bistro’s seasonal Maritime cooking and Italian by Night’s Tuscan-inspired dishes to waterfront seafood, Turkish mezze and Chinese dim sum, these seven choices offer more than one definition of eating well in New Brunswick’s oldest incorporated city. Whether you’re planning a special evening, looking for local seafood or searching for flavours beyond the familiar, this is a starting point for exploring Saint John one plate at a time. Which restaurant deserves the top spot?

Acadiana is one of America’s great regional food cultures, where Cajun and Creole traditions show up in smoky meats, deeply flavoured gumbos, seafood, rice dishes and the humble po’boy. But eating your way around Lafayette and the surrounding region means discovering more than a single style of cooking. Johnson’s Boucanière carries forward a family tradition of boudin and smoked meats; Prejean’s brings theatrical Louisiana hospitality; T-Coon’s is rooted in the everyday rituals of breakfast and plate lunches; and Olde Tyme Grocery has made the po’boy a destination in its own right. From casual counter-service classics to a more polished dinner, these seven restaurants show why Acadiana deserves to be explored one meal at a time. Which one would you put at number one?

Lafayette is at the heart of Cajun country, where cooking is shaped by the bayou, the seasons and generations of making a great deal out of what is close at hand. The defining flavours are dark roux, the onion-pepper-celery trinity, smoked sausage, seafood and rice — but the dishes that emerge from them are remarkably different. From the slow, deep comfort of chicken and sausage gumbo to the communal spectacle of a crawfish boil, these seven Cajun classics show why south Louisiana has one of America’s most distinctive food cultures. Each entry comes with a recipe video, so you can take the ranking from the screen into your own kitchen. Which dish deserves the top spot?

Marquette’s craft-drink scene is shaped by Lake Superior, the independent spirit of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a community that treats a taproom as more than somewhere to order a beer. Blackrocks has the laid-back energy of a neighbourhood institution; Ore Dock pairs inventive brewing with a strong downtown identity; Kognisjon explores a broad range of styles, while Vierling brings historic character and house-brewed beer to the harbour. Beyond the city, Negaunee and Harvey add their own reasons to explore the region. This ranking takes in classic craft breweries, experimental taprooms and brewpubs worth building a detour around. Seven stops, plenty of different pours, and one question: which deserves the top spot?

Muncie’s food scene is more than a collection of places to eat. In the historic downtown, you’ll find ambitious bistro cooking, craft beer poured in a converted industrial building, and a pub where the food has its own following. Elsewhere, independent food shops champion local and organic ingredients, while a classic steakhouse brings the occasion-worthy dinner. This Top 7 mixes polished dining with places that have a distinct personality — from Vera Mae’s Bistro and Elm Street Brewing to the Downtown Farm Stand’s sourdough pizza and Heorot’s medieval-inspired pub atmosphere. It’s a ranking of different ways to eat your way around Muncie, not seven versions of the same restaurant. Which one deserves the top spot?

Eureka’s food scene reflects its place on California’s rugged North Coast: local oysters, carefully made pizzas, independent bistros and relaxed neighbourhood spots, all within reach of the historic Old Town waterfront. This seven-place shortlist moves from Brick & Fire’s wood-fired cooking to Humboldt Bay Provisions’ local oysters and artisan provisions, with Irish pub classics, waterfront dining and New York-style pizza adding very different flavours to the mix. It also includes two Old Town drinking spots for those who believe a great night out is about more than the plate in front of you. Whether you’re visiting Humboldt County or looking for a reason to explore beyond the obvious tourist stops, these are seven places to consider — and a ranking worth rearranging according to your own appetite.

Seven coffee spots offering different expressions of Hattiesburg's independent café culture.

Seven places that showcase Hattiesburg's Southern food traditions and increasingly diverse dining scene.

Seven local food spots offering different ways to experience Ashtabula's dining scene.

Seven places representing different sides of Letterkenny's local food and dining scene.

Seven places representing different sides of Drogheda's contemporary food scene.

Seven producers and food traditions representing Waterford's local food identity.

Seven producers and food traditions representing the agricultural and artisan character of South Somerset.

Seven pubs and bars in Yeovil, Somerset, worth checking out — from traditional local pubs to welcoming spots for a drink. Where would you rank them?

Seven cider makers and traditions representing the character of Somerset's cider country.

Seven names and traditions connected with Grimsby's distinctive smoked-fish heritage.

Seven places associated with one of Britain's most famous fishing towns and its enduring fish-and-chip culture.

From the pub beside the Racecourse Ground that became part of Wrexham AFC folklore to a Tudor-era countryside inn and a town-centre brewery tap, these seven pubs show different sides of Wrexham drinking culture. Expect football history, historic buildings, locally brewed beer, traditional pub character and a destination worth lingering over. Which deserves the top spot?

RANKD Team Sheffield edition.

RANKD Team Sheffield edition.

Seven things that turn a Sunday roast from a meal into a proper British institution.

Seven things that turn a Sunday roast from a meal into a proper British institution.

RANKD Team Dundee edition.

RANKD Team Swansea edition.

RANKD Team Middlesbrough edition.

RANKD Team Stoke-on-Trent edition.

RANKD Team Derry edition.

RANKD Team Americana edition.

RANKD Team Britishness edition.

RANKD Team Britishness edition.

why did people start eating these it’s grim when you think about it

Food is really good in these countries and I love curry

Discovered through date nights with my omnivore boyfriend

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

Some restaurants are famous for their atmosphere. Others for their chefs, their wine lists or the difficulty of getting a table. But the most compelling reason to cross London for dinner is often something much simpler: one extraordinary dish. Islington has more than its share. There is a pasta dish that customers refuse to let disappear from the menu, a Malaysian laksa that helped build an entire restaurant, and a plate of potatoes that became a destination in its own right. Elsewhere, chefs have made reputations with fiery chicken, enormous fried bread, inventive pub cooking and a seafood dish memorable enough to name a restaurant after. These are not merely seven good things to eat. They are dishes with identities, histories and reputations of their own. From Holloway and Highbury to Barnsbury and Clerkenwell, here are seven things genuinely worth making a journey for. Menus can change, so check availability before travelling specifically for a dish.

Islington is a remarkable place to eat, but some of its most interesting food discoveries are made before anyone sits down in a restaurant. Across the borough, independent bakers, cheesemongers, fishmongers and delicatessens are keeping specialist food retail alive. Their shelves tell stories about traditional techniques, regional ingredients, independent producers and the people who care enough about food to build a business around it. This ranking celebrates seven shops with genuinely different reasons to visit. There is a bakery reviving British seasonal traditions, a cheesemonger championing farmhouse producers, a Holloway Road specialist in European provisions, a French épicerie, an established fishmonger, an old-school London bakery and an Italian delicatessen. These are places to buy something exceptional, learn from people who understand their products or simply discover an ingredient you would never find in an ordinary supermarket. Bring a shopping bag, allow time to browse and ask questions. The best independent food shops offer more than the contents of their shelves.

Islington does brunch in several very different ways. There are destination cafés worth queuing for, ambitious neighbourhood bakeries, colourful Middle Eastern breakfasts and traditional British-Italian caffs where the full English remains king. The best places aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest menus or the most elaborate interiors. They're the ones that do something particularly well: extraordinary French toast, carefully laminated pastries, properly spiced shakshuka or a generous breakfast served without ceremony. These seven places offer different reasons to get out of bed, from Barnsbury and Angel to Chapel Market and Finsbury Park. Each has its own personality, and each deserves to be judged on what it does best. Come hungry. Some of the most popular spots attract queues, while bakery specials can sell out early. Menus and opening hours can change, so check before making a special journey.

A great Islington pub can mean very different things. It might be a Georgian dining room with an extraordinary garden, a basement where punk bands made their names, a traditional local serving Thai food, or a specialist beer bar where the taps change almost daily. These seven pubs represent different sides of the borough's drinking culture, from Barnsbury's residential streets to the bustle of Angel and Upper Street. They have been chosen for their character, atmosphere and distinctive reasons to visit, rather than treated as seven interchangeable places to buy a pint. Whether you're after a Sunday roast, live music, an adventurous beer or somewhere to spend an entire afternoon, this is a guide to choosing the right pub for the occasion. Opening hours, food service and events can change, so check directly before visiting.

Islington's restaurant scene extends far beyond the familiar stretch of Upper Street. From the Southern Italian cooking of Finsbury Park to Ecuadorian specialities on Essex Road and exceptional French food in Clerkenwell, the borough offers an extraordinary range of places to eat. These seven restaurants have been chosen for more than fashionable interiors or critical attention. Each has a distinctive culinary identity, strong customer feedback and a compelling reason to visit. Some are ambitious destination restaurants; others are independent neighbourhood favourites that have built their reputations through years of consistent cooking. The selection deliberately crosses cuisines, price points and neighbourhoods, and avoids repeating the restaurants featured in our separate ranking of Islington's signature dishes. Whether you're looking for an occasion dinner, an affordable vegetarian feast or somewhere genuinely different to explore, these are seven places worth knowing about. Restaurant ratings, menus and opening arrangements can change, so check current details before visiting.

All milk-based drinks made with oat milk, from a vegan.