40 Local Food Blogs to Follow Around the World

If you're anything like us, food is a very important part of your travel plans. Whether we're on the road for work or flying halfway across the world for fun, we always try to sample the best local food.

That's why the coolest thing about traveling to London, San Francisco and New Orleans with Chowzter over the past two years has been meeting all the other contributors from around the world. They write blogs, run tours and share incredible photos of the local food/culture that we're dying to experience.

Even better, we've realized that they are just like you and me - regular people who love to eat/drink, love their cities and love the communities that are built around food. That's the perspective we trust and want to lead us to our next meal.

If you're traveling to any of the following cities this summer, please check out these great local writers we've met for their posts, videos, podcasts, tweets, instagrams, etc. with ideas on what to eat. And remember that much of what they write about are "fast feasts" - not fast food and not fine dining, but all the great local, affordable dishes in between (can you say Rotolo?) And if you don't see your destination city here, check out Chowzter.com and their new video site www.foodiehub.tv for quick suggestions in about 100 other cities.

Best croissant in Paris at Grenier a Pain,
as told by Paris blogger Mathilde!

North America:

Austin - Man Up Texas BBQ
(great name! he does BBQ tours too)

Buffalo - Buffalo Eats

Charleston - Charleston Food Bloggers
(check out his video of San Francisco, too)
Chicago - Roam & Home
Dallas - FoodBitch
Detroit - The Hungry Dudes

Houston - Urban Swank
Los Angeles - Gourmet Pigs  

New York - Feisty Foodie

Orlando - Tasty Chomps

Portland - Talk. Eat. Drink. Portland.
(middle school teachers write on happy hours!)

Queens - Chopsticks & Marrow
San Diego - Kirbie's Cravings   

San Francisco - FoodHoe's Foraging

Savannah - Savannah Foodie
Seattle - The Gastrognome
St. Louis - St. Louis East and Drinks

Toronto - Food Junkie Chronicles  

Vancouver - Follow Me Foodie
Washington, DC - Capital Cooking

Around the World:

Bankok, Thailand - Thai Street Food
Barcelona, Spain - Forever Barcelona (hosts food tours!)
Baja California and western Mexico - A Gringo in Mexico
Beirut - No Garlic No Onions
Bristol, England - Bristol Bites
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Pick Up the Fork
Caracas, Venezuela - Milsabores
Dubai - Ishita Unblogged
Glasgow, Scotland - The Glasgow Food Blog
Hanoi, Vietnam - Sticky Rice
Istanbul, Turkey - Istanbul Food
Jakarta, Indonesia - Eats and Treats
London, England - Eat Like a Girl
Manila, Philippines - Our Awesome Planet
Mumbai, India - Finely Chopped
Paris, France - Mathilde's Cuisine
Puebla, Mexico - All About Puebla
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Eat Rio
Seoul, South Korea - Seoul Eats
Singapore - Camemberu
Sydney, Australia - Simon Food Favourites
All around Latin America - New World Review

Can Philadelphia Win the Best Sandwich in North America?

Exciting news, Philadelphia. The Lasagna Bolognese sandwich from Paesano’s has been nominated for the 2015 Chowzter Awards as one of the Tastiest Fast Feasts in North America!

We rallied hard for Philadelphia to be represented in the Best Sandwich category, given that (in our humble opinions) Philly is the greatest sandwich town in America. Next weekend we're off to New Orleans to eat our faces off with our fellow Chowzter contributors from the U.S. and Canada, and to cheer on Paesano's at the annual awards. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Instagram feeds on January 10th for the results.

It was VERY hard for us to pick a single nominee from Philly. Bradd actually went on a two-day sandwich spree to retry favorites, including the fearsome foursome of the cheesesteak at John's Roast Pork, the roast pork at John’s, the Italian hoagie at Salumeria and the Bolognese at Paesano’s. All of them, plus many others, are deserving of a nomination.

Ultimately, Paesano's thick hunk of lasagna, breaded, fried and slipped between a sesame seed roll with sweet peppers, extra sauce and a fried egg won out in our hearts. Perhaps more important, we've been saying for years that Paesano’s is one of those special places that represents the rich food culture of Philadelphia - simple, unpretentious and delicious. Both the South Philly and Girard locations are always packed with locals and out-of-towners alike waiting for one of Chef Peter McAndrews' stuffed sandwiches (but note that the Bolognese is only available in South Philly).

This nomination for the Bolognese is another push to tell the world that Philly is more than just a cheesesteak town.

What is Chowzter, by the way?

It all starts with a simple question: When you're getting ready to travel to a new city, what is one of the first questions you ask? If you're anything like us, it is... What should I eat? Where do the locals like to go to avoid tourists? I just want something simple, where can I get a good sandwich? That's where Chowzter comes into play. It gives visitors and residents alike a quick n' easy list of what to eat in cities across the globe, all hand-picked by local bloggers.

If you've been following our Chowzter adventures, last April we traveled to London to meet up with about 50 other food bloggers from around the world for the 2nd Annual Global Chowzter Awards. We've been contributing to the site for more than 2 years now, helping advise visitors to Philly on what to eat here that's affordable, authentic and really shows off Philly as a great, underrated food city. For us, the Bolognese was just that.

Here are all the nominees for this year's Tastiest Fast Feasts:

 

Looks like we've got a lot of traveling ahead of us to try all these great nominees. Next time you're on move, take a look at www.chowzter.com for short, easy-to-digest lists of the best local dishes and fast feasts in 100+ cities around the world. And let us know before you go - we might be able to introduce you to a local foodie for tours and other helpful ideas.

Street Food, Steak and The Shard: One Weekend in London

In April we had the chance to return to London for the 2nd annual Chowzter Tastiest Fast Feast Awards, where 50 food bloggers from around the world helped count down some of the best sandwiches, burgers, noodles, pizza, pastries and more. Check out the winners from as near as Di Fara pizza in Brooklyn (had it!) to a roast goose in far away Hong Kong, and all our photos of the awards on Facebook.

Next time you travel, take a look at www.chowzter.com for where to get the best local dishes and fast feasts at affordable prices. About 100 cities are currently populated with short, easy-to-digest lists of recommendations from a local blogger. We are the Philly contributors and can vouch that the other city representatives we've met are both awesome and legit sources of what to eat in their hometowns.

As for the London trip... no surprise, we spent just about all our time eating. So what's good to eat in London these days? Wow. A lot. 

Street Food. Last year, we spent an afternoon each strolling the Borough Market, the oldest market in London, and the Sunday Up Market, an endless maze of crafts, vintage vendors and food from every culture imaginable. This year we did the 100+ year old Broadway Market. It's smaller than Borough but less crowded and just as plentiful with amazing food. Some of the best below, with lots more pics posted to our Facebook page. These markets might be our favorite thing about London. They are everywhere, offering tons of delicious things to buy and eat on the spot, ingredients to take home and cook with, and a showcase for the global food city the London really is.

Buttermilk fried chicken, scotch eggs, pho, meringue, salmon toasts... this isn't even a fraction of what we ate that day. Plus there was an albino dog chilling in a suitcase.

Slideshow: Reading Terminal Market is Philadelphia's Hub for History and Food

Reading Terminal Market is one of our favorite places to eat in Philadelphia. It's been the centerpiece of Philadelphia's food community since opening in 1892, now with more than 100,000 people passing through each week.

We've written several posts on 22nd & Philly about what to eat in Reading Terminal Market and recently published a slideshow on Chowzter.com. Check it out for the quick history of Philly's most famous market as well as some of Reading Terminals' best sandwiches, desserts, produce stands and festivals.

Thanks Chowzter for giving Philadelphia and Reading Terminal Market a spot on the international food stage! Check out the site for other food recommendations in 100+ cities around the world.

Trip to San Francisco to Count Down the 7 Tastiest Feasts in North America

Just before Thanksgiving we traveled to San Francisco with Chowzter, a cool new website/startup that helps you figure out what to eat as you travel across the globe. The mobile app is coming soon, so stay tuned...

Foodies from around the continent, chowing
down (and taking photos, of course) at
Mission Chinese

Chowzter simplifies your dining options down to the 7 "tastiest fast feasts" in each city, as recommended by a local foodie. Not necessarily the top rated restaurants or fanciest fois gras dishes, but a quick, trustworthy list of affordable eats that anyone should check out while in town.

We are the Philadelphia contributors so on the Philly page you'll find several of our current favorites, which will evolve over time as we try new things. 

There are recommendations listed for more than 100 cities on the website: http://www.chowzter.com. 

In San Francisco, we joined an awesome group of food bloggers from around the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the 50 tastiest fast feasts in North America and help build excitement for the app launch. (Last spring we went to London for the worldwide awards.) Three Philly items were part of the top 50 countdown: the Lasagna Bolognese at Paesano's, the Millers Twist Cheesesteak Soft Pretzel at Reading Terminal, and the Signature Pie at Tacconelli's.


The #19 Pastrami Sandwich at Langer's Deli in Los Angeles was named #1 - who knew?? Guess we have to try it. The others in the top 7 were:

• Poutine at Poutini's House of Poutine in Toronto, Canada
• Oyster Sliders at The Ordinary in Charleston, SC
• Buffalo Wings at Nine Eleven Tavern in Buffalo, NY
• The Tipsy Texan at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX
• The California Burrito at Super Sergio's in San Diego, CA
• Wontons with Hot Chili Oil at White Bear in Flushing, NY

Check out Chowzter's quick videos on each of these 7 dishes. They will absolutely make your stomach growl.

... and to see where we actually ate in San Francisco, check out all our photos on Facebook! Below are four of the best things we ate. Stay tuned for a post all about the lunch date we squeezed in with Google while on the west coast. 

Dungeoness crab at Crustacean - just a week after SF's crab season opened!

one of seven delicious burritos we tried at Farolito, supposedly the best in San Francisco. 

MeMeli food truck's greek honey balls, drizzled with Nutella and peanut butter. WHAT.
As seen at StreatFood Park, a very cool roundup for food trucks.

La Taqueria. This is how many tacos our group ate AFTER lunch at Mission Chinese AND all those burritos.

Headed to London for Chowzter's International Food Awards

We are continually honored to know that people read our posts and thrilled to have met so many others through this blogging experience who are just as passionate about Philly and its good eats as we are. It’s why we write a Philadelphia food blog in the first place.

www.chowzter.com

When we launched 22nd & Philly, however, we would have laughed at the idea that one day we'd have the chance to travel overseas and meet bloggers from all around the world.

Well, laugh no more since we’re off to London this week after being invited to a big awards party honoring the tastiest food items from around the world. The event is hosted by a new website and mobile app called Chowzter. We'll get to meet bloggers from Milan, Edinburgh, Ho Chi Minh, Paris, Mumbai, New York, Brussels, Seoul, Mexico City and more. Keep an eye out for tweets from across the pond all weekend (#ChowzterAwards) and photos when we get back.

If you know anyone in London, pass on the word or have them get in touch with us. Hosted by British comedian, Alexander Armstrong, the Chowzter awards are Sunday, April 28th at the Village Underground, London, EC2A 3PQ. Tickets are £25. Food will include dishes from London's best street food vendors, Big Apple Hot Dogs, Pizza Pilgrims, The Rib Man and Yum Bun, plus drinks of course.

So, what is Chowtzer?