The 18 most underrated, and nine most overrated, things in global food
SOURCE:Sydney Morning Herald|BY:Traveller Team
Non-alcoholic drinks and Australian chefs get a big tick in our underrated and overrated foodie travel list, while QR codes and kids’ menus are given the thumbs down.
Traveller Team
December 29, 2025 — 5:00am
Non-alcoholic drinks and Australian chefs get a big tick in our underrated and overrated travel list, while QR codes and kids’ menus are given the thumbs down.
UNDERRATED
Amsterdam’s brown cafes
Anything but boring, despite the name: A brown cafe in Amsterdam.Alamy
Amsterdam is so popular that it’s hard to get an authentic taste of Dutch life. However, the city’s “brown cafes” – simple old-school cafe-bars with notably brown decor – offer a glimpse of life beyond canal cruises and art museums. Traditionally local hangouts, they have a relaxed vibe and serve a range of drinks and food (including the classic bar snack bitterballen), and have loads of atmosphere. For a starter, try canalside Cafe ’t Smalle, which dates to 1780. Seet-smalle.nl
Michelin’s Green Star rating
Foodies obsess about Michelin starred-eateries but often overlook the Green Star, introduced in 2021 to promote restaurants that “combine culinary excellence with outstanding eco-friendly commitments”. In London you’ll find four Green Star eateries, including St Barts, a stylish space overlooking the cloisters of London’s oldest church, and Silo, the world’s first “zero-waste” restaurant in hipster hotspot Hackney Wick. All serve fabulous fare that can be enjoyed with a clean conscience. Seeguide.michelin.com
Dining in Helsinki
The Finnish capital may only have five Michelin-starred restaurants compared to Copenhagen’s 20, but you’ll find a similarly high standard of cuisine, with a comparable focus on foraged ingredients and hyper-seasonal produce. The big difference? The price tag. Check out Flor, a Michelin-recommended restaurant that serves innovative share plates (think sauna-smoked perch in a rich bourguignon sauce), and Skord, an intimate nine-table eatery where every ingredient apart from the salt is from Finland. Seemyhelsinki.fi
The Dubai food scene
Spices in Deira: The magic of old Dubai still exists.Getty Images
If your idea of good food is three-star, fine-diners and big-name celebrity chefs, then yes, you will find that in Dubai. The city is famous for it. If, however, your idea of an amazing meal is affordable, authentic cuisine from around the Middle East – everything from Lebanese to Persian, Iraqi to Palestinian – then you will also , though not in the glam hotels, but on the low-key, low-rise streets of the likes of Deira and Al Satwa. See
Plenty of Japanese convenience store staples have become firm favourites with travellers (in particular the practice of taking a packet egg sandwich and adding a hot “famichiki”, or fried chicken fillet, for the ultimate budget-meal hack). Don’t forget, however, that “konbini” stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart also stock a range of seasonal snacks, everything from chestnut-rich Mont Blancs in autumn, to hot, filling oden in the winter. And they’re incredibly affordable.
The Loire Valley, France
Amazing, accessible wine: The Loire Valley in France.Getty Images
You will rarely find the Loire Valley mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Bordeaux or Champagne; however, this region in the heart of France has an amazing, accessible wine scene that’s vastly underrated. This is the land of chenin blanc, itself an underrated varietal, and in the likes of Saumur, Vouvray and Anjou you will find affordable drops of the highest quality, served at cellar doors, wine bars and restaurants that are also accessible and enjoyable. Seefrance.fr
Remote cellars of note
Oenophiles might love the idea of hunkering down for a secluded stay and opening a bottle of something special – but often the cellar’s offerings are unimpressive or come with a huge mark-up. Neither of those things is true at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat, which is snuggled up against the NSW-Queensland border. Its newish bar lounge includes a cellar of more than 1500 reasonably priced bottles. See ccrr.com.au
Fun farm tours
In-season produce at Tropical Fruit World in Duranbah, NSW.
Tropical Fruit World’s oversized tractor-train tour is proof that wholesome family activities can be fun for big kids as well. This Tweed Valley institution in lush far-northern NSW nurtures more than 500 fruit species from around the globe. Tour the hillside orchards, stop to crack open as many macadamia nuts as you like, and sample exotic produce such as the chocolate pudding fruit. See tropicalfruitworld.com.au
Australian chefs overseas
Dubai’s Dinner by Heston, where Chris Malone is head chef.
It might feel weird seeking out Australian chefs when you’re overseas, but our compatriots are doing amazing things in around the globe. London-based Brett Graham is probably the leader, the only Australian at the helm of a three-Michelin-star restaurant (the Ledbury). But then there’s Shaun Kelly and James Henry at France’s Le Doyenne, Dave Pynt at Singapore’s Burnt Ends, Chris Malone at Dubai’s Dinner by Heston, and many more whose work is worth experiencing.
Australia’s wine regions
McLaren Vale in South Australia.Getty Images
While we tend to thirst for the Old World classics when it comes to wine, Australia’s own regions – particularly the likes of Tasmania, the Mornington Peninsula, Beechworth, Margaret River and Adelaide Hills – are producing some of the most exciting wines in the world, and they should form part of your next domestic holiday. Cellar doors in this country are relaxed and friendly, and the quality of the product is sky-high. See australia.com
Buenos Aires food (that’s not steak)
For the steak-lover it can be difficult to move past the parrillas in Buenos Aires and consider cuisine that’s not meaty and fire-grilled. But you should because this is a city that has top chefs pushing the boundaries with thoughtful, delicious, non-beef cuisine – some of it even vegetarian. Check out Crizia, Aramburu, Chui and MARTi as a good taster. See argentina.travel
Sandwiches in central Europe
Travelling in central Europe is fun, but it can also be expensive, considering the cost of accommodation and museum-entry fees. Luckily, this part of Europe is particularly good at producing tasty breads, meats and cheese, which means its takeaway sandwiches are a cut above. There’s no shame in dropping into the likes of convenience stores Zabka in Poland, Migrolino in Switzerland, or any German bakery chain to pick up an affordable, delicious lunch.
Non-craft beer
As travellers, we’re supposed to be obsessed with the local and the artisanal, which goes for beer too. That’s why you’ll often find yourself nursing American pale ales, IPAs, NEIPAs and the like on your travels. And they’re all great. But still, there’s something to be said for a plain, ice-cold, mass-produced lager after a long day travelling. A Sapporo on tap, or a frosty Peroni? Few things are better.
Micro-menus
Rather than big menus which don’t change, many restaurants are cutting the number of core items and rotating in small mini-menus or limited-time offers to keep the offering fresh and lean, and to reflect produce that is in season. Simpler menus reduce waste, streamline operations and tend to make their offerings feel more special. We don’t need American-style menu mini-novels.
Non-alcoholic drinks
Cocktails without the alcohol.Getty Images
As younger people drink less, the world has undergone an increase in the offerings of non-alcoholic drinks. No longer just given an uninspiring option of water or soft drinks at bars or restaurants, there are now plenty of choices – from mocktails (using distilled non-alcoholic spirits, like Seedlip, which taste like the real thing) to great non-alcoholic wines (from what once tasted like grape juice) and as many beer choices as regular drinkers.
Austrian wines
Whoever heard of Austrian wine? Have you ever tried it? Indigenous grape varieties such as Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankisch are delicious. But Austria’s small production scale and smaller family-run vineyards mean less global marketing and not so many export chances. So when you get a chance to drink one, go for it. And any Austrian wine region visit will always give you the chance to meet the families who make the wine – and have done for hundreds of years. See austrianwine.com
Singapore hawker centres (with kids)
Singapore’s hawker centres are child- friendly.Getty Images
Are you really going to take your young kids to a Singapore hawker centre? A place filled with spicy, unfamiliar street food? I’m here to tell you that yes, that’s exactly what you should do. As intimidating as these places may seem for children with picky palates, there is something to suit almost everyone at these Singaporean institutions (Hainanese chicken rice is a perfect, approachable local dish, and there is also nasi lemak, kaya toast, and even waffles and pancakes). And the price is right. See visitsingapore.com
Hotel dining
Would you really want to eat at your hotel (see overrated, below)? Would you hope to find an authentically local, high-quality, enjoyable dining experience with good atmosphere and excellent service in the same building you’re sleeping in? The answer, not so long ago, was no. But things have changed in hotels around the world for the better, and the restaurants at many establishments now offer some of their destination’s finest food. Japan and France are excellent for this, though Australia is catching up.
OVERRATED
Automated ordering
Is ordering by QR code really easier? And how do you keep the personal touch?Getty Images
Tech is inevitable, of course. Travel and you’ll find mobile ordering, kiosks and QR-code menus … every kind of AI imaginable. But what about old-fashioned service? What happened to the human side of eating overseas? Wasn’t that part of why we travelled? To meet all these kinds of people – not just hotel staff and guides. You try asking a mobile kiosk what it’s really like living where you’re travelling.
Premium water
Cactus water, electrolyte popsicles, hydrogen water, alkaline, loaded water – you name it and your boutique hotel probably has it: they charge big time for it. But most of us don’t need super-charged hydration drinks. Plain water will do us fine, thanks – and might we have it filtered please, and served in a glass, or in our water bottle to take with us to cut down on all the plastic or cardboard?
Fusion everything
Pan-Asian meets Mexican tacos, Italian pasta fused with Cambodian spices: sure, it can sound fun and experimental, but it comes at the cost of authenticity. The combinations often exist as much for Instagram as for regular diners anyway. And what happened to wanting a local chef show the best of their cuisine?
Expensive non-alcoholic alternatives
Alcohol is expensive because it’s taxed higher, as a luxury good – it’s even given a “sin” tax in certain countries. While the rise of non-alcoholic alternatives is great, why do they have to be so expensive when there are far fewer duties and taxes on the primary ingredient? Tell us why a mocktail has to cost as much as a cocktail in so many bars and restaurants?
Sugar rocks
Sugar rocks… no, it doesn’t.Alamy
Often found in fancier establishments, these rustic, cube-shaped rocks (and sometimes the even more annoying swizzle stick version) are not only impossible to measure accurately (do I need one lump or two?), but take forever to dissolve and are horribly unhygienic (just watch someone rummaging around in the bowl as they pick one). Just give us granulated sugar and a spoon, please.
Kids’ menus
Let’s see: nuggets and chips, burger and chips, fish and chips on every single menu. Children’s meals for travellers are so disappointing, offering nothing local, nothing interesting, nothing you would actually feel excited to order for your child. Sometimes there’s a place for nuggets – but a little creativity would also be welcome.
Degustation menus
If you’ve ever sat, jet-lagged, through a seven-course degustation (plus amuse-bouche and palate cleansers) and not face-planted, exhausted into one of the later courses, congratulations, you’ve survived gastronomic hell. It’s a classic first-world problem, but travel and tasting menus often don’t mix. We may be excited to dine at that highly reviewed restaurant, but if only it would offer the option of a simple entree, main and dessert, we could sample its magic before going to bed satiated, not stuffed, and the experience would end up in the happy holiday memories – not the horrible ones.
Gourmet in-house hotel restaurants
Don’t we travel to explore cuisine and culture? Unless we’re really strapped for time, wouldn’t you rather travel up the street and experience food in a local setting that looks nothing like the lobby of where you’re sleeping? And you know all those extra charges hotels add on is going to make the convenience of eating downstairs cost you dearly.
Flat whites overseas
Aside from iron ore, this is one of Australia’s prolific exports. Pity most cups made overseas taste nothing like a flat white from the land in which they were invented. One exception: New Zealand, and that’s where the origins of the drop get complicated, seeing the Kiwis cheekily claim they invented it.
Contributors: Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Brian Johnston, Kristie Kellahan, Katrina Lobley, Rob McFarland, Julie Miller, Tim Richards, Craig Tansley, Sue Williams
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.