Food around the World Archives - Traveler Dreams

Montreal’s 38 Must-Try Restaurants, as Seen by a Local Food Writer

Alfie F — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:17:27 +0000

Montreal’s dining culture stands out for its unusual mix of influences, where poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri share space with Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and French-leaning cooking. According to the report, the city’s food identity is shaped not by a single tradition but by a constant exchange between immigrant communities, local ingredients, public markets, rooftop greenhouses, and urban farms. That combination has helped make Montreal a place where culinary traditions are preserved, adapted, and reimagined all at once.

The list was put together by a lifelong Montrealer and local food writer who has been tracking the city’s restaurant scene for the past six years. It brings together 38 restaurants across neighborhoods, cuisines, and price ranges, offering a snapshot of places worth knowing right now. The selection includes newer openings that are generating buzz, restaurants reflecting current dining trends and awards attention, and established names that continue to define the city’s food culture.

According to the guide, the entries also function as a useful introduction to local dining language. One example: in Montreal, ordering an “entrée” means you’ll receive a starter, not a main course. The guide is updated regularly so it can keep pace with the city’s fast-moving restaurant scene, and each listing includes insider notes along with a rough price guide, ranging from inexpensive meals to higher-end dining where mains go above $30. Among the most recent additions are Aylwin Deli & Barbecue at Atwater Market, Chinatown favorite Dobe & Andy, Thai spot Pichai, and Bruce, a newer restaurant drawing attention for Scottish cuisine.

The writer behind the map is Valerie Silva, a Montreal journalist and editor whose work has appeared in several publications. She also previously ran Eater’s Montreal site and continues to contribute to the publication, bringing a local perspective to a city where the restaurant landscape remains as varied and dynamic as the communities that shape it.

Source: eater.com

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Chicago’s All Well Brings Creative Dining to a More Casual Setting

Daisy R — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:16:29 +0000

In Chicago’s West Loop, All Well is taking a broad approach to fine dining. The restaurant opened in April from the team behind Oriole, and it offers a five-course prix-fixe menu alongside à la carte dishes at the bar. That mix gives the space a flexible feel, making it suitable for a celebratory dinner as well as a more laid-back stop for a drink and a bite after a game.

According to the report, chef Larry Feldmeier, who previously served as chef de cuisine at Oriole, and co-partner Noah Sandoval, Oriole’s executive chef, wanted the restaurant to feel welcoming without losing the creativity associated with their earlier work. The kitchen’s approach reflects that balance. One of the standout preparations is stuffed quail in the fourth course, made with freshly ground chicken blended with truffle and mustard, then piped into dry-aged birds before they are left to dry further ahead of service.

Other dishes show the same mix of comfort and technique. A short rib sandwich, brushed with steak sauce, was inspired by Chicago’s recent enthusiasm for upscale burgers, though it is presented as something slightly different. The pasta course centers on mezzelune, half-moon ravioli filled with cheese and potato and served in a creamy beurre monté with fresh peas. Chicken brodo arrives on the side, meant to be poured over the pasta, while puffed grain toast with buckwheat butter rounds out the course.

The opening bites on the prix-fixe menu lean playful and rich. Guests may start with a savory sunchoke beignet filled with truffle and sunchoke custard, followed by foie gras mousse layered inside a stroopwafel with rhubarb jam and strawberries, or a smoked trout tart. Feldmeier said the goal was to create a place with something for everyone, rather than chase awards. At All Well, the emphasis is on doing food the team believes in and is proud to serve.

Source: eater.com

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Three Days of Eating Through London, From Canal Cafés to Indian Feasts

Alfie F — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:34:42 +0000

London’s restaurant scene can feel both enormous and intimate at once, according to the report: a city where centuries-old pubs sit alongside ambitious fine dining, neighborhood bistros, Spanish tapas bars, Italian trattorias, and a particularly strong Indian dining scene. In this account of a three-day food trip, the emphasis is on lingering over meals rather than rushing between them, with a route shaped by reservations, long lunches, and a practical focus on central and east London.

The first day begins with lunch at Towpath, a small café on Regent’s Canal that can be reached only on foot or by bike and has built a devoted following for its produce-led cooking. The meal includes mortadella with cherries, trout with crème fraîche, eggplant dip, chicken salad, and mint soft serve. Later, a stop at The George delivers a very large gin and tonic in a 17th-century pub, before dinner at Brigadiers brings a wide-ranging Indian spread: butter-chicken wings, tandoori lamb chops, prawn biryani, goat vindaloo samosas, chile-paneer lettuce cups, cardamom crème brûlée, and green-chile coriander margaritas. The meal is notable not only for the food but also for the air conditioning, which the writer clearly appreciates after the heat.

After dinner, the evening continues through a string of London institutions and late-night spots, starting with Cittie of Yorke, a dark, vaulted pub with origins reaching back to the 15th century. The night then moves to Trisha’s, a quirky basement jazz club in Soho, where the writer and friends meet other revelers and end up taking strawberry-and-cream tequila shots. From there, the group is escorted around Soho by a man known as “John the Hat,” before heading to Gerry’s Club for a live-violin performance of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” The evening closes at Quo Vadis, where cocktails are served in the upstairs members’ club.

For the second day, the itinerary continues with lunch at Tavern, though the source only notes the start of that meal. Taken together, the trip presents London as a city that rewards planning, patience, and a willingness to let meals stretch into entire evenings, especially when the weather is hot and the dining list is ambitious.

Source: eater.com

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At Eater World’s Fare, Global Street Eats Met Soccer Fever in New York

Daisy R — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:33:37 +0000

On the Saturday before the world soccer finals, Eater turned Pier 36 in New York City into a busy showcase of international eating and sports fandom. Despite rainy weather, thousands of guests arrived in team jerseys and moved from stall to stall tasting dishes from dozens of countries, making the event feel like a lively cross between a food festival and a global match-day gathering.

More than 30 of New York’s most talked-about chefs and restaurants took part, joined by a few names from outside the city as well. The lineup included banh mi from East Village favorite Bánh Anh Em, burritos from Park Slope’s Vato, and pizza from Sally’s Apizza and Frank Pepe in New Haven. The mood stayed upbeat as attendees tried to score goals through an inflatable Lifeway Kefir bottle and sampled the brand’s probiotic drinks and cheeses.

Elsewhere, visitors stopped for photos beside a giant Maruchan ramen cup installation and tasted a ramen trio created by Seattle chef Shota Nakajima, inspired by Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Guests then voted on the version they liked best. At A Taste of NYC, presented by Square, diners tried free bites from Gourmega, the new restaurant from the founders of Ghetto Gastro, along with sweets from Edible such as cheesecake, brownies, and chocolate-covered fruit. Morton Salt tote bags were on hand for carrying extras home.

A Taste of Asia, presented by Cathay Pacific, leaned into travel and culinary discovery with a photobooth and a live demo from Bonnie’s chef Calvin Eng, who made Hong Kong-style French toast. Other offerings there included Filipino beef adobo short rib and Thai massaman duck croquettes. In the VIP lounge, also presented by Cathay Pacific, guests sampled bites from Dominique Ansel, South Philly Barbacoa, Jose Andres’s Mercado Little Spain, and Sushi Noz, while an open bar kept drinks flowing. S. Pellegrino and Aqua Panna served spritzes and seltzers, Dole offered fruit cups and pineapple juice mocktails, and Manhattan Beer Distributors and Milagro tequila added more options to the mix. According to the report, the event underscored how food and sports can bring people together, with everyone leaving a winner at World’s Fare.

Source: eater.com

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The Eater App Adds a New Way to Share Restaurant Notes

Daisy R — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:44:21 +0000

Eater has introduced a new notes feature in its app that gives restaurant recommendations a more personal and specific feel. Instead of limiting restaurant intel to basics like hours, dress code, or cash-only policies, the app now highlights the kind of colorful observations diners often want most: what a place feels like, what to order, and whether it suits a particular occasion.

According to the report, the feature is meant to deepen Eater’s restaurant coverage and make it easier for users to discover standout spots while traveling and eating out. The app already includes tools such as delivery ordering and ride booking, but the notes function is being presented as one of the most useful additions because it captures the details that turn a simple listing into a more helpful dining guide.

The article also points to how user notes can help surface places that might otherwise fly under the radar, from neighborhood bars to taco stands. Eater says those contributions can also signal to editors which restaurants deserve closer attention. To illustrate the feature, the piece shares recent notes from Eater staff about restaurants in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, the Catskills, Portland, and Chicago, each offering a personal take on dishes, atmosphere, and overall experience.

Among the examples are praise for Thai Diner in New York City, a nod to Filipino dishes and tiki drinks at Tiki on 18th in Washington, D.C., and enthusiasm for the late-night energy and cocktails at OyBar in Los Angeles. Other staff notes highlight fish and chips near the Roxbury Motel in the Catskills, a special-occasion meal at Nodoguro in Portland, and a long-running Chicago grocery known for sandwiches and giardiniera. Eater says users can download the app to explore more of these notes and add their own.

Source: eater.com

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Why Booking a Table Has Become a Culinary Travel Maze

Alfie F — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:16:02 +0000

For anyone planning a food-focused night out, making a reservation has become less about choosing a restaurant and more about decoding where that restaurant lives online. According to the report, diners in New York City increasingly have to remember which booking platform each place uses, then jump between apps, websites, Google search results, and email announcements just to check availability. A simple dinner plan can turn into a frustrating scavenger hunt.

The article describes how this problem has grown as restaurants continue moving among reservation systems. Some spots remain on Resy, others have shifted to OpenTable, and a growing number now use DoorDash Reservations through SevenRooms. In some cases, the booking method is buried in an email or only visible after a search, making it harder to find a table even when one exists. The result, the report says, is that diners must keep a mental map of which platform each restaurant uses before they can even begin to book.

That confusion is part of a larger competition among reservation companies. OpenTable drew a wave of restaurants in late 2024 after promising updated technology and, according to rumors cited in the piece, financial incentives. DoorDash entered the reservation business in September 2025 after acquiring SevenRooms, and its platform has since added several sought-after New York restaurants, including the Unapologetic Foods group. Meanwhile, Resy has expanded too, with Amex folding Tock into its network earlier this year and adding thousands of venues. The report also notes that Amex is moving to acquire Europe’s TheFork, a deal that could strengthen its global reach.

Even with the growing number of platforms, the article suggests that the biggest winners are not necessarily diners. The competition has made reservation systems more complicated, not less, especially for people trying to book popular restaurants in major food cities. For culinary travelers, that means the challenge is no longer just finding a table at the right time, but figuring out where the table can be found at all.

Source: eater.com

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How Delivery Apps Are Reshaping the Food Runner Job

Daisy R — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:15:05 +0000

Third-party delivery apps have become a major force in restaurants over the past decade, and according to the report, their influence is now being felt far beyond the drivers and the bottom line. One of the clearest examples is the food runner, a role that has traditionally focused on carrying dishes from the kitchen to the table but is now increasingly tied to the nonstop flow of takeout and delivery orders.

The article opens with a scene from a small Vietnamese restaurant in Brooklyn, where one front-of-house worker was handling several jobs at once: hosting, serving, and running food. While dine-in traffic was light, the worker was still rushing between tables and delivery pickups, with stacks of long receipts attached to to-go bags and a steady stream of orders waiting to go out. That kind of pressure, the report suggests, has become more common as apps such as Grubhub, Caviar, DoorDash, and Uber Eats have expanded.

Food runners are now expected to do much more than simply move plates from kitchen to customer. In many places, they are also assembling, packing, labeling, and handing off takeout orders, while occasionally helping with table service and cleanup. The pay, however, has not necessarily kept pace. According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly wage for food runners in New York City is about $14, and the national average income is around $28,400 before tips.

The report also highlights how tip distribution can leave runners at a disadvantage. At one Brooklyn restaurant group location, staff members other than management and floor captains receive hourly minimum wage plus a share of the tip pool, but bartenders and servers take a larger portion than food runners and barbacks. One runner interviewed for the piece said delivery apps now account for roughly a quarter of the restaurant’s daily revenue and that the rise in Uber Eats orders has significantly changed her workload. She described packaging large and complicated orders, including catering, as time-consuming work that interrupts dine-in service, and said workers have asked management for either a bigger share of tips or a raise in hourly pay. So far, she said, those concerns have been met with sympathy but no change.

Beyond compensation, the article points to another operational strain: the effect of delivery volume on in-person dining. Workers say the extra app orders slow service for guests inside the restaurant, and one possible short-term fix mentioned in the piece is turning off Uber Eats at busy times, though that solution has not been implemented. The broader picture, according to the report, is that food runners are absorbing more of the labor created by delivery apps while remaining one of the least recognized and least rewarded parts of the restaurant team.

Source: eater.com

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Eater Earns 2026 New York Emmy Nomination for Its Food Travel Video Series

Alfie F — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:25:17 +0000

Eater has picked up another New York Emmy nomination, marking the 18th time the brand has been recognized by the awards in the past nine years. The 2026 nominations, announced on July 2, included an episode from Eater’s video series The Experts in the Magazine Program — Single Program category.

The nominated episode, “New York’s Best Porchetta Comes From This Tiny Suburban Deli,” follows chef Angelo Competiello at Alta Irpinia, his small deli in Suffern, New York. The segment centers on the porchetta that has drawn attention for being among New York’s best, while also tracing Competiello’s long familiarity with pork, rooted in childhood visits to local pork shops with his father.

Beyond porchetta, the episode highlights a range of foods that define the shop, from fresh mozzarella, which Competiello calls “the core of the store,” to several kinds of pizza, traditional meatballs, and sandwiches unique to Alta Irpinia. The episode was produced, shot, and directed by Tom Daly, with co-director Stefania Orrù and director Murilo Ferreira. Bill Vella handled production sound, and Howie Burbidge edited the piece.

Eater’s video team has won five New York Emmy Awards over the years, including wins in 2021 and 2022, and was also nominated in 2024 and 2025. The winners of the 2026 New York Emmys are set to be announced on October 10.

Source: eater.com

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Chicago’s All Well Is Recasting Fine Dining as a More Relaxed Prix Fixe Experience

Daisy R — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:24:14 +0000

Chicago’s All Well is drawing attention not just because of who is behind it, but because of the format it is trying to champion. The restaurant comes from the team behind Oriole, the Michelin Guide- and James Beard-recognized fine dining spot, yet All Well is aiming for something distinct: what executive chef and co-owner Larry Feldmeier describes as a more relaxed version of prix fixe dining.

Feldmeier says the atmosphere is meant to feel reassuring from the moment guests walk in, with the food and cocktails already carefully worked out. The restaurant’s name also grew out of the team’s own shorthand. While working together at Oriole, Feldmeier and chef-partner Noah Sandoval would text each other “all well” when one of them was out of town to check in on the restaurant and on everyone there. That phrase eventually became the basis for the new place’s identity.

In an interview, Feldmeier said the opening in April has gone smoothly once the doors were open, even though the lead-up included some supply problems. Items ordered months in advance, including glassware and plates, did not arrive on schedule. Staffing also required improvisation, with much of the team assembled through word of mouth and personal connections from previous jobs. Some employees did not begin until opening day, which made the process feel especially fast-moving.

That speed shaped the way the restaurant was trained. Feldmeier said the space was secured in January, with much of the work happening in February and March, followed quickly by friends-and-family meals and then the opening itself. Rather than long training periods, the team largely learned by doing, adjusting stations and systems as they went. According to Feldmeier, that approach suited a group of experienced people who already knew how to work together.

All Well is also trying to separate itself from Oriole rather than read as a second version of it. Feldmeier said that was one of the biggest conversations before opening, since the two restaurants share a similar culinary sensibility but were meant to serve different experiences. Early on, many guests were Oriole regulars, though the audience is beginning to broaden. For now, the restaurant is still working to make clear that it stands on its own, even as it draws on the same level of precision that made its sister restaurant so well known.

Source: eater.com

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Eater’s Food Videos Are Heading to Netflix

Alfie F — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:37:29 +0000

Eater is set to reach a much wider streaming audience through a new Netflix partnership. According to the report, Netflix is adding videos from dozens of digital publishers to its platform, and Eater is among the food-focused brands joining the lineup alongside Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Delish, Food & Wine, Tastemade, and Buzzfeed’s Tasty.

Beginning August 3, viewers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to find hundreds of Eater videos on the Netflix homepage. The collection will include recent releases, new installments from current series such as Let’s Do Lunch and Chef’s Day Off, and older favorites from the archive, including Handmade, Vendors, and Brent Meats World.

The move also places Eater alongside lifestyle video brands from outside the food world, with titles from Architectural Digest, Allure, Billboard, Variety, and Harper’s Bazaar also coming to Netflix. Stephen Pelletteri, Eater’s vice president of video, said the partnership expands the reach of the brand’s award-winning video work and introduces its restaurant and food-culture storytelling to new audiences. Eater noted that its video programming has received multiple New York and Daytime Emmy nominations and wins over the years, along with other journalism honors.

For viewers, the key point is simple: Eater’s video library will still remain available on its existing platforms, but Netflix will soon become another place to discover the brand’s food travel, restaurant, and culinary storytelling.

Source: eater.com

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