South Africa just made the world’s top 10 for food, and we’re also winning on hotels and best (friendliest) cities!
South Africa (20 October 2026) – South Africa has made the top 10 best countries for food in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. We placed 10th with a score of 94.26.
The awards are decided by the magazine’s readers. They were asked to vote for the countries they go back to again and again for the tastiest dishes and the best recipes. Each country’s score is the average level of satisfaction among the people who voted, shown as a percentage.
Condé Nast credits our spot on the list to variety. South African cooking draws on indigenous traditions as well as Indian, Malay and European ones, and the magazine says meat is the centre of most meals. The braai even got a mention of its own.
“Succulent meats are the cornerstone of all meals, so tuck into a traditional ‘braai’, or South African barbecue, to really get under the skin of the foodie culture. Stretching from dawn to dusk, the South African take on barbecuing forces attendees to slow down, enjoying hours of laughter and conversation while refuelled by never-ending plates of flame-grilled chicken, lamb, and beef.”
For restaurants, the magazine’s top pick was Jan Franschhoek, which was also on its 2025 Hot List. The local gem serves family feast-style meals in a quaint little cottage surrounded by the vineyards and lavender fields of the Franschhoek Valley.
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South Africa Reclaims World Record for Longest Freight TrainAt the top of the list, Italy took first place with 96.92. Greece came second on 96.72, and Portugal third on 96.57. That puts the gap between Italy and South Africa at 2.66 points. The scores across the whole list are tightly packed, so we’re only a few points off the very top.
Japan landed in fourth, followed by Turkey, Indonesia, Spain, Thailand and Croatia, with South Africa tucked in just behind at number 10.
South Africa’s good run in the Readers’ Choice Awards didn’t stop at the dinner table. Cape Town came in 15th on the list of the best cities in the world, and it also made the list of the friendliest cities in the world, taking 10th place.
Then there are the hotels. In the best hotels in Africa category, 12 of the 15 top spots for Eastern and Southern Africa went to South African properties. Mount Nelson took first place, Cape Grace came second and Babylonstoren took third.
So we’ve got great food, friendly people, and beds worth sleeping in. All the best things!
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