We Requested 6 Journey Consultants Their Favourite Meals Vacation spot—and They All Picked the Identical Area

Meals has change into a journey motivator in its personal proper. A 2025 research commissioned by Go to Anaheim discovered that 21 % of American vacationers have taken a visit particularly to eat native meals, with the common traveler prepared to go almost 500 miles for an incredible chew. However based on cooks and journey specialists, some flavors are price going even farther for—and lots of of them level to the identical place: the Iberian Peninsula.

Meals preferences are extremely subjective, however once we requested culinary insiders the place they’d plan a food-focused getaway, the solutions got here again time and again: Spain and Portugal. (As somebody who’s lived in each nations, I can verify they’re onto one thing.) And so they didn’t cease at normal reward—right here’s precisely the place these specialists say you need to plan your subsequent food-filled trip.

Lisbon 

“Whereas fashionable for tourism, Lisbon’s meals scene usually feels underrated,” Travis Masar, the chef behind Pig and Tiger in Denver, informed Journey + Leisure. “Many affiliate Portugal with easy meat-and-potatoes dishes or pastel de nata, however there’s a lot extra to find.” 

As Masar mentioned, throughout his personal two-week keep, he and his associate “liked beginning our mornings with a pastel de nata and a ginjinha, a bitter cherry liqueur that completely balances sweetness and heat.” A few of Masar’s go-to spots within the metropolis embrace Bonjardim for “distinctive piri-piri hen;” Petisqueira Dos Sentidos, the place you will discover the “greatest octopus, salt cod, and potatoes;” and Casa da India, which “served a number of the greatest gambas we have ever had, ending with a humble but unforgettable steak sandwich.” 

Sid Simone, the host of the Flavafull Vegetarian Journey Present, agreed, noting that Portugal’s recent pastas, sauces, and, after all, the pastel de nata, make my dwelling metropolis shine. However that is not all. “There are indoor restaurant markets (fancy meals courts) the place you’ll be able to choose from a smorgasbord of entrees, desserts, and wines,” Simone mentioned. Her go-to eatery is Seiva because of its “rigorously crafted tasting menu and delicately served wine pairing.” Her pro-tip? Take the bus to benefit from the surroundings, then stroll the waterfront.

San Sebastián

Whereas, like Portugal, all of Spain provides spectacular flavors, San Sebastián, the professionals say, provides one thing further. “The town has an virtually reverent relationship with meals, the place even the informal pintxos bars are run with Michelin-level precision,” Whitney Haldeman, founding father of Atlas Adventures, informed T+L. “Eating there’s much less about indulgence and extra about evolution: wandering from bar to bar, sipping Txakoli and tasting one excellent chew after one other.”

Haldeman mentioned her favourite spot is Bar Nestor for its well-known tomato salad and “melt-in-your-mouth txuleta (Basque-style steak).”

Mohamed Musallam from Discover Worldwide, additionally shared loads of love for the Spanish metropolis. “This coastal Basque gem has extra Michelin stars per capita than wherever besides Kyoto, however what makes it actually particular is the pintxos tradition: these aren’t simply Spanish tapas, they’re miniature culinary masterpieces showcasing the Basque area’s obsession with taste, high quality, and innovation,” Musallam mentioned.

His high suggestions embrace the Previous City’s pintxos bars alongside Calle 31 de Agosto and Calle Fermín Calbetón, the place vacationers can hop between centuries-old institutions, every showcasing its personal signature creations. Standout bites embrace traditional Basque pintxos paired with txakoli, the area’s evenly glowing native wine.

Do not need to wander alone? Tara Busch of the Aware Journey Collective mentioned she books her vacationers on pintxos excursions to allow them to discover the perfect spots alongside an area. “Menus usually change day by day, and even the choices of bars open will fluctuate from night time to nighttime, so every day’s tour actually is exclusive,” Busch informed T+L. “Plus native guides will discover out what is going to pique the curiosity of their group, and remember to discover one thing actually fabulous only for them.” Although in the event you do go it alone, Busch mentioned to verify to attempt a lot of seafood dishes.

And, as chef Mawa McQueen added, due to town’s proximity to Biarritz, France, you’ll be able to at all times hop the border and get a style of each nations in a single journey. “I like to have enjoyable, and I like to eat scrumptious meals, and each of those cities ship each these issues in abundance,” McQueen mentioned. “The meals in each locations is recent, it’s easy, and it’s bought a base of Mediterranean flavors. Their dishes are designed to deliver individuals to the desk, to have dialog, to share, and to savor every chew as they’re serving up tapas and different small plates.” 

McQueen added that what the cooks in each locations are doing isn’t sophisticated. And that is what makes them nice. “They’re utilizing what they’ve—seafood, cured meats, recent cheese, and seasonal produce— however that’s what makes it stand out far past the opposite massive cities in these nations. The individuals there are actual, and they’re those really making your meals from scratch, which isn’t at all times the case in different massive ‘foodie’ locations.”