According to our #WillFlyforFood survey of OpenTable diners, you will — and do — fly for food. Pointing to growing interest among Americans in culinary travel, the results indicate that two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans would select a travel destination based solely on its culinary offerings, while more than half (52 percent) have already traveled to the country of origin of their favorite cuisine.
“When in Rome” – An Appetite for Authentic and Local
Travelers are experiencing leisure destinations via their palate, with a majority (58 percent) “significantly” associating a destination’s culture with its culinary scene and dining customs. When deciding on where to dine, nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) Americans prioritize restaurants that offer “authentic, local flavors.” Further underscoring a strong desire to dine like the locals do, fifty-two percent of Americans say they’ve flown to the country of origin of their favorite cuisine, and nearly 9 in 10 (87 percent) admit they feel more inclined to make adventurous ordering decisions while traveling for leisure.
Dream Dining Destinations – A Top 10 Look
Vacation planning is not something Americans take lightly, especially when it comes to food. An impressive three-fourths (75 percent) of Americans have booked a reservation in advance of a leisure trip. As far as where they’d like to book their next dream foodie trip, the beloved “City of Lights” – Paris, France – takes top prize, followed closely by Florence, Italy. Rounding out the top five dream dining destinations are Barcelona, Spain; New Orleans, Louisiana; and New York, New York.
The top 10 dream dining destinations cited by American diners in rank order are:
- Paris
- Florence
- Barcelona
- New Orleans
- New York City
- Tokyo
- Bangkok
- San Francisco
- Madrid
- Chicago
Culinary Passport – 25 Fly to Try Dishes
Just in time for summer travel, OpenTable has curated a list of must-try dishes from dining destinations from around the globe. Those hoping to stamp their culinary passport with new and exciting “dish-tinations” this season might find the below well worth the flight.
- Bangkok – Coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab at Nahm
- Chicago – Spinach margherita deep dish pizza at Gino’s East
- Dublin – Whole split lobster at Lobstar in Monkstown
- Florence – Tagliatelle al sugo at Trattoria Sabatino
- Guanacaste – Trilingual ceviche at HiR Fine Dining
- Hong Kong – Sunday brunch dim sum at Duddell’s
- London – Sunday roast at Roast
- London – Meat fruit at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
- London – Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
- Los Angeles – Zucchini lasagna at Plant Food + Wine
- Madrid – Jamón joselito at TATEL Madrid
- Melbourne – Sticky pork belly at Red Spice Road
- Mexico City – Mole madre at Pujol
- Munich – White sausage and pretzel at Wirtshaus zum Straubinger
- Montreal – Disco poutine at Deville Dinerbar
- New Orleans – Oyster po’boy at Emeril’s New Orleans
- New York City – Porterhouse steak at Keens Steakhouse
- Oranjestad – Scallops tempura at The Kitchen Table by White
- Paris – Steak frites at Le Relais de l’Entrecote
- San Francisco – Roast chicken with bread salad at Zuni Cafe
- Shanghai – Double boiled fish maw soup, crab claw, sea whelk in coconut at Jin Xuan
- Singapore – Beef buah keluak at Candlenut
- Sydney – Wood-roasted moran family lamb at CHISWICK
- Tokyo – Kobo rainbow sushi at Itamae Sushi Edo
- Vancouver – Chilled seafood platter at COAST
For more culinary travel inspiration and to enter OpenTable’s #WillFlyforFood social media contest, click here. Prize includes dinner for two at the legendary Pujol restaurant in Mexico City, a walking culinary tour of Mexico City, round-trip airfare and three-nights of hotel accommodations for two. To enter, share a photo of a delicious dish you flew for. Post it on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or visit our blog for more options and tell us where else you dream of flying for your next culinary adventure. And, if entering on Instagram or Twitter, be sure to follow and tag @OpenTable and use the hashtag #willflyforfood so your entry is visible.
About the Survey:
The survey was conducted online by more than 3,400 OpenTable diners aged 18 and older across the US from April 14 through May 16, 2017.
