Diego Eats

Where to actually eat. Ranked, no fluff. Mexico City to Istanbul.

Places Diego Eats recommends

• L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (Forcella, Naples, Italy): Two pizzas on the menu, both perfect. Take a ticket and wait with the locals.
• El Vilsito (Narvarte, Mexico City, Mexico): Auto shop by day, the city’s best al pastor by night. Order the gringa.
• Van Kahvaltı Evi (Cihangir, Istanbul, Turkey): The full Turkish breakfast. Go with friends and order the whole table.
• Phở Gia Truyền (Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam): The pho the whole street queues for. Go before 8am or it sells out.
• Jay Fai (Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand): The crab omelette is worth the wait and the price. Cash, and patience.
• Central (Barranco, Lima, Peru): A tasting menu through Peru’s ecosystems by altitude. Book months ahead.
• Spice Bazaar (Eminönü, Istanbul, Turkey): Saffron, lokum, and dried everything. Taste before you buy, always.
• Or Tor Kor Market (Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand): Cleanest fresh market in the city. Mango sticky rice, then everything else.
• Pujol (Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico): The mole madre is aged for years. Book the bar seats six weeks out.
• Bún Chả Hương Liên (Hai Bà Trưng, Hanoi, Vietnam): Yes, the Obama one. Order the "combo" and ignore the fame — it’s genuinely great.
• Gino Sorbillo (Via dei Tribunali, Naples, Italy): The other temple. Lighter, blistered cornicione. Go at opening to skip the wait.
• Maido (Miraflores, Lima, Peru): Nikkei genius — the 50-step pork belly is the dish you’ll talk about for years.
• Sfogliatella at Pintauro (Via Toledo, Naples, Italy): Crisp shell, warm ricotta. Eat it on the street, the only way.
• Mercado de San Juan (Centro, Mexico City, Mexico): Go hungry. Graze the stalls, finish with a quesadilla de huitlacoche.
• Thip Samai (Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand): Pad thai wrapped in egg, since 1966. Order the superb one with prawns.
• Balık Ekmek at Eminönü (Eminönü, Istanbul, Turkey): Grilled mackerel in bread off the bobbing boats. A few lira, a perfect lunch.
• La Mar Cebichería (Miraflores, Lima, Peru): Lunch only, no reservations. The ceviche mixto at its absolute peak.
• Giảng Café (Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam): The birthplace of egg coffee. Climb to the tiny upstairs room and sip slow.
• Contramar (Roma Norte, Mexico City, Mexico): Long lunch institution. The tuna tostadas and pescado a la talla, always.
• Chinatown (Yaowarat) (Samphanthawong, Bangkok, Thailand): After dark the whole street becomes a wok. Follow the longest local queues.
• Mercado de Surquillo (Surquillo, Lima, Peru): Where the chefs shop. Aji peppers, fruit you’ve never seen, a cheap menú.
• Spaccanapoli (Centro Storico, Naples, Italy): The dead-straight street that splits old Naples. Pure, loud, edible chaos.
• Karaköy Güllüoğlu (Karaköy, Istanbul, Turkey): The baklava benchmark since 1949. Pistachio, warm, with a tea.
• Train Street (Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam): Coffee inches from a passing train. Check the timetable, mind the gap.
• Panadería Rosetta (Roma Norte, Mexico City, Mexico): The guava-and-cream roll is worth the queue. Grab a cardamom bun too.
• Sky Bar at Lebua (Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand): Touristy, sure — but that golden-dome river view at sunset earns it once.
• Hanky Panky (Juárez, Mexico City, Mexico): A hidden speakeasy behind a taquería door. Ask for the daily mezcal flight.

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