Posted on January 21st, 2022

"Part of the joy of traveling is tasting the local cuisine of the place that you are visiting. But due to global expansion, you can also find restaurants of many different cultures in those key travel destinations. Essentially, you don't have to go to Greece for Greek food, or Spain for Spanish food. You can get great representations of both in London, New York City, and Paris.

A recent study by Radical Storage took a look at the Tripadvisor data in the top 50 most visited cities in the world and analyzed over 500,000 restaurants for the type of cuisine served to find out which types of food had spread the most over the globe. The study discovered the most popular restaurants in these select cities and then ranked a #1 cuisine in the world.

Read on for the five most popular types of restaurants in the world and find out what type of food people can't resist even when far from home.

5. Spanish

Spanish cuisine was the fifth most popular cuisine found in restaurants across the world. When you think Spanish food, tapas, shrimp, and other delicious bites probably come to mind. Spain is a Mediterranean country on one side, but it also borders Portugal, France, and is a hop, skip, and jump from Morocco on its Southern border. The food of Spain, therefore, varies wildly. It is packed with seafood (hello, paella) cured meats, lots of rice, and of course, fresh vegetables and fruits. And, let's not forget wine. Spain is filled with wonderful wine and sangria is a must during the hot summers.

4. American

American cuisine is the fourth most popular food across the world's cities. So-called ""American"" cuisine can be hard to pin down because it is argued that American food doesn't really exist. The food of the U.S. is an amalgamation of different countries' traditions that have used North American products and have evolved.

This Tasting Table article delves into some of the cultural forces and historical events that have shaped American food. From soul food to California cuisine, to burgers and fries, and everything in between, American food is a shape-shifting cuisine that is constantly evolving. But whatever it is, or claims to be, people love it across the world. Check out this list of some common American foods you need to try.

Fun fact: London was named the most diverse city for food in the world with 123 different cuisines to choose from. The other cities included Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, and New York, respectively.

3. Japanese

When you think of Japanese food, sushi is probably the first thing that comes to mind. The diet in Japan consists of lots of fish, vegetables, and rice. Japanese restaurants are the third most popular across the world.

2. Mediterranean

Widely considered one of the healthiest diets in the world, Mediterranean cuisine is typified by lots of vegetables, beans, olive oil, fish, yogurt, chicken, and fruit. A moderate amount of wine is also acceptable. Interestingly, it is also the only restaurant type on this list that isn't based in a country. The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by many different countries that add their own touch to this healthy way of eating. And though it's healthy, it is also beloved. Mediterranean restaurants are the second most popular type of restaurant across the world.

1. Italian

Many great types of cuisine abound across the world, but none can hold a candle to Italian. Italian food is the most popular restaurant cuisine across the world's top 50 most visited cities. For a country roughly the size of California, the cuisine of Italy embraces lots of different flavors and techniques. But whether you crave the red sauces of Southern Italy or the butter and cheese of Northern Italy, you probably won't object to a romantic evening at an Italian restaurant wherever you are.

In terms of what people are ordering, pizza is the meal that dominates, beating out seafood in second and steak in third.

And while Italian is the most popular meal to grab across the world, there are more Chinese restaurants. The data shows that on average 10.14% of all restaurants you'll find in the world's top cities will be Chinese restaurants, though Chinese is the sixth most popular food to grab in those cities. However, Italian restaurants, which are only slightly less common, follow close behind.

Source: Eat This, Not That

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