Montreal ranked among the best international cities for food — here's who beat us

It's no secret Montreal restaurants are among the best in all of North America. In fact, Montreal's food scene is often classified as the best globally and Food and Wine magazine would agree.

Montreal was recently ranked among the best international cities for food and drink and while this may not come as a surprise to those of us who live here and enjoy the gastronomical culture, not everyone knows just how tantalizing Montreal's food options are.

Food and Wine dropped its list of winners of the 2024 Global Tastemakers awards, which highlight the top culinary experiences around the world from the best food cities, international restaurants, cafés and bars, and Montreal has much to be proud of after landing an honourable mention in its recent ranking of the best food cities across the globe.

Food and Wine asked more than 180 international food and travel journalists to nominate their favourite restaurants, bars, bakeries, markets, cities, hotels, airports, airlines, and cruises around the world. The feedback is then given to Food and Wine's "expert panel of judges" to rank each category's winners.

So, how did Montreal measure up? The Canadian city ranked 13th overall. While the ranking listed the top 12, Food and Wine opted to include an honourable 13th spot for Montreal's impressive food scene.

"This food-forward city goes deep, specializing in delights that have come to include iconic bagels, smoked meats, and poutine. Whether it's a day of browsing the markets or sharing a bottle of wine and local fare at places like Vin Mon Lapin, this city offers flavour in spades," Food and Wine said.

While we Montrealers would argue we're easily a top-five foodie city, the competition made it a tough one to argue against. Nevertheless, we'll take any glowing recognition when it comes to our culinary skills.

As for the cities that managed to score higher than Montreal, it's hard to get mad at 'em when the top 12 are made up of cuisines that are simply delectable. In fact, Japan scored the most entries with not one, not two, but three cities making the top 12. Portugal also has much to celebrate with two entries on the list.

As for North American cities, Montreal is, in fact, the only one to have made the cut.

Here's the complete top 12 of the best international cities for food and drink in 2024, per Food and Wine:

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Istanbul, Turkey
3. Mexico City, Mexico
4. Paris, France
5. Lima, Peru
6. Rome, Italy
7. Singapore, Singapore
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Osaka, Japan
10. Madrid, Spain
11. Kyoto, Japan
12. Lisbon, Portugal
13. Montreal, Canada

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.