Which Street Food Destination Matches Your Personality?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
8 min
Which Street Food Destination Matches Your Personality?
Image: svetikd/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

There's something about street food that's satisfying on a level you can't get with the food you prepare yourself or even food from a typical restaurant. There's an authenticity to street food, a realness that doesn't have the veneer and polish of restaurant food but has more flair and excitement than dishes you make yourself. Street food has a reputation, a feeling that you just can't get anywhere else. It's genuine and delicious and speaks to the heart of the city from which it was born. 

For years street food had a maligned reputation in some circles. People looked down their noses at it as though it wasn't as respectable as "real" restaurant food. That was until people started giving it the respect and recognition it deserved. The fact is street food is made to be delicious. It's not pretentious, overdone, ostentatious, or factory-produced and processed. It's what you sometimes crave when you have no idea what you crave. 

Part of what makes street food amazing is that you can find it all around the world, in every city. The people who make it are using traditional recipes with creative flair, giving you food you'll never experience anywhere else. Street food is a completely valid reason for going on vacation because it's a unique experience all on its own. But which destination is the one for you? Let's find out!

1 Craving street food
Aja Koska/E+/Getty Images
There's street food for every meal out there. What time of day do you find yourself craving street food the most?
Late night
Literally all the time
Lunch
Dinner

Advertisement

2 Spices
fcafotodigital/E+/Getty Images
You know how sometimes you catch the scent of spices and it just sets your mouth watering? What seasoning has a scent that gets you craving more?
Chili
Basil
Garlic
Turmeric

Advertisement

3 Food options
Nora Carol Photography/Moment/Getty Images
In a big city, you could have dozens of street food options. What's going to attract you most?
Portion size
Something I haven't tried before
High-quality ingredients
Exotic flavors

Advertisement

4 Brazil Street food
Kim Carson/Photodisc/Getty Images
Two of the largest cities in the world are in Brazil so it shouldn't be any surprise they've mastered street food. What sounds most delicious?
Pastel de queijo — fried puff pastry stuffed with savory cheese and meat
Some simple, salty fried cassava chips
Coxinha — crunchy, fried balls of shredded chicken and creamy catupiry cheese
Kibe — spiced ground beef and bulgur wheat patties formed on a stick and deep-fried

Advertisement

5 Big messy portion
Simon McGill/Moment/Getty Images
The experience of eating is sometimes as satisfying as what you eat. What food is worth having especially if it's a big, messy portion that's going to get all over you?
Sweet and tangy tacos al pastor
A rich and spicy green curry
Rice and beans with andouille sausage
A smokey grilled kebab with harissa

Advertisement

6 Different country cuisine
Alexander Spatari/Moment/Getty Images
When you're in the mood for something a little different, what country's cuisine is calling your name?
Spain
Korea
France
Turkey

Advertisement

7 Other country cuisine
John Seaton Callahan/Moment Open/Getty Images
Odds are there are some countries whose cuisines you know little about. What country's cuisine would you like to know more about?
Bolivia
Laos
Haiti
Jordan

Advertisement

8 Street Tacos
rudisill/E+/Getty Images
Tacos are one of the most popular street foods in America, but there's more to tacos than meets the eye. What kind would you want to order?
Carne asada tacos
Saucy tacos de canasta
Meaty alambres
Spicy tacos de longaniza

Advertisement

9 Noodles
Quynh Anh Nguyen/Moment Open/Getty Images
Noodles haven't caught on as street food in the Western world, but that's due for a change. What flavor do you crave in a noodle dish?
Something with a tomato-based sauce
I'd like something with a peanut sauce.
I like a creamy, cheesy sauce.
Anything spicy

Advertisement

10 Vacation street food
FilippoBacci/E+/Getty Images
When you go on vacation, how do you figure out where the best street food is going to be?
Ask the locals
I'd check it out on a website ahead of time.
Talk to friends who have been there before
I'd try it all for myself and figure it out on my own.

Advertisement

11 Street burger
visualspace/E+/Getty Images
Fast food is built on a mountain of hamburgers, but a well-made burger can be sublime. What burger variety is worth your time?
Pickled jalapeno, guacamole and Havarti cheese
Sriracha mayo, slaw and spinach
Caramelized onions and sausage chili
Baba ganoush, grilled peppers and artichoke

Advertisement

12 Poutine
LauriPatterson/E+/Getty Images
Head to Canada and the ultimate street food is poutine; hand-cut french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy. But that's just the basic version. Which of the following is the best kind?
Taco poutine with seasoned beef, sour cream, green onion and tomato
Korean steak poutine with flat iron steak, shallots, bulgogi sauce and sambal
Bacon pulled pork poutine
Butter chicken poutine with grilled, seasoned chicken, butter chicken sauce and fresh green onion

Advertisement

13 First street food
Carlina Teteris/Moment/Getty Images
What was the first street food you can remember trying that you absolutely loved?
Tacos
Banh mi
A hot dog
Falafel

Advertisement

14 Miami
ContemporAd/Moment/Getty Images
Miami is greatly underappreciated as a street food location but it has some incredible selections. What would you grab before hitting the beach?
A few handmade chicken or beef empanadas
Deep-fried alligator bites with a spicy garlic aioli
A nice, meaty Cuban sandwich with ham, braised pork shoulder, gruyere cheese, and pickles
A flaky, guava and cream cheese pastelito

Advertisement

15 France
swissmediavision/E+/Getty Images
Paris is often considered the most romantic city in the world, but it's also one of the greatest food destinations. Treat yourself to some of France's best street food!
A chicken and plantain arepa
A cool ad refreshing Sicilian pistachio gelato
Just a simple cheese crepe
A jambon-buerre butter and ham baguette sandwich

Advertisement

16 British cuisine
Alexander Spatari/Moment/Getty Images
For a long time Britain was considered to have a weak culinary scene but that's no longer the case. Which of these British favorites would you try?
Yorkshire steak pie with mushed peas and mint sauce
A savory, spiced-sausage encrusted Scotch egg
Golden fried, masala-marinated haddock and chips with malt vinegar
Homemade crumpets served with blackberry jam and frangipani

Advertisement

17 Comfort food
Lauri Patterson/E+/Getty Images
Street food often works best when it's simply comfort food. What kind of comfort food are you a sucker for?
An ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich
Simple, flavorful steamed dumplings
Ice cream. Any kind of ice cream.
A big, homecooked breakfast like eggs and bacon and hashbrowns

Advertisement

18 Food truck
Vladimir Vladimirov/E+/Getty Images
Half the work in a food truck is giving it the best name possible. Which one of these trucks would you visit based on the name alone?
Guac N' Roll
Pimp My Rice
Grillenium Falcon
Curry Up N' Go

Advertisement

19 Mexican
MiguelMalo/E+/Getty Images
Head down to Oaxaca, Mexico with us for a snack with a twist. You can't choose tacos! What will you order?
Refried beans and chicharron tlacoyos
Fresh, handmade tamales with spicy salsa
A sweet and tangy mangoyada raspado or shaved ice
Some salty, cheesy elote corn with crema fresca

Advertisement

20 Johannesburg
mapodile/E+/Getty Images
Ever been to Johannesburg? They have some amazing street food. What sounds most delicious to you?
Bunny chow - a hollowed loaf of bread stuffed with curry
Gatsby sandwich - massive chicken sandwich stuffed with fries, sauce and salad
Boerie roll — sausage on a bun with chutney and tomato sauce
Vetkoek — deep-fried dough balls filled with curried vegetables

Advertisement

21 New Zealand
alle12/E+/Getty Images
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful counties in the world. To get the full experience you'll want to try at least one of these dishes, but which one first?
Hokey pokey ice cream made with caramelized honeycomb
Fried, whitebait fish fritters
A Kiwi burger made wth beetroot and a fried egg
Maori hangi - meat and vegetables slow-cooked in an underground oven

Advertisement

22 Italian Arancini
sbossert/E+/Getty Images
When you think of Italian cuisine no doubt images of a wood oven pizza and slow-cooked pasta sauce served over handmade capellini come to mind, but Palermo has some amazing street food, too. Which of these would you try?
Arancini — breaded rice balls stuff with meat and cheese and sauce
Pani ca meusa — slices of deep-fried beef spleen served on a roll with salt and lemon
Sfincione - an oily sort of pizza topped with a rustic tomato sauce and caciocavallo cheese and onions
Savory, fried chickpea fritters called panelle served on a sesame bun with a squeeze of Sicilian lemon

Advertisement

23 Hot dog
LauriPatterson/E+/Getty Images
A hot dog is the quintessential American street food from Chicago to New York to Houston. What would you top yours with?
Elote corn with cotija cheese, tomatillo relish and cilantro
Grilled pineapple, jalapeno, onion and teriyaki mayo
Roasted red peppers, grilled onion, cheese and chipotle mayo
Fennel, hummus, onion and harissa

Advertisement

24 Saigon
Reed Kaestner/Corbis/Getty Images
It'd be bizarre to visit Saigon and not take in the local food scene because there's just so much of it. What dish is calling your name?
Banh cuon —steamed crepe stuffed with seasoned pork and mushrooms, served with sprouts and fried shallots
Bun bo hue — a rich, red, spicy and citrusy soup
A classic, traditional banh mi sandwich
Cuon diep — noodles, mushrooms and tofu wrapped up in mustard leaves like a fresh roll and served with peanut sauce

Advertisement

25 Istanbul
ediebloom/E+/Getty Images
When it comes to exotic flavors and rich history, is there any place better than Istanbul? What food is going to entice you the most?
Lahmacun — a Turkish pizza-like snack made of dough topped with minced peppers, onions and meat
Kumpir — a baked potato topped with kasar cheese, corn and veggies
Simit — a freshly-baked bagel-like dough dipped in molasses and sesame seeds
Durum — a lavash wrap stuffed with barbecued meat and veggies

Advertisement

26 Moscow
CliqueImages/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Russia often gets overlooked in the world culinary scene but Moscow has a ton of street food if you're looking to try something new. What will you try?
Blini — a thin pancake stuffed with anything from ham and cheese to luxurious red caviar
Pirozhki — small hand pies stuffed with rice, mushroom, onion and meat
Kvas — a malted rye drink best served cold from a barrel and flavored with herbs and berries
Cheburek — fried dough triangles stuffed with minced meat and spices

Advertisement

27 Traveling
Asia-Pacific Images Studio/E+/Getty Images
How likely are you to travel to a country if you're completely unfamiliar with that country's cuisine?
I don't think I could do that.
I don't know if there is any cuisine I'm not familiar with.
I'm sure I'd learn about it ahead of time.
That'd be half the fun in going there.

Advertisement

28 Street food vendor
valentinrussanov/E+/Getty Images
Many cities have streets or districts that are jam-packed with street food vendors. How do you decide which one you need to visit?
Whatever smells best
Pick the one with the longest line of locals
Google it
Start at one end and make my way to the other

Advertisement

29 Universal ingredient
haoliang/E+/Getty Images
There are some flavors and ingredients and preparations that are almost universal. What do you know you can count on to be delicious in any part of the world?
Hot peppers fit into food all over the world and always add a nice kick.
Rice. You can find delicious rice dishes everywhere.
Anything deep-fried is probably delicious no matter what.
Anything grilled. From vegetables to meat, the grilled flavor never fails you.

Advertisement

30 American street food
nycshooter/E+/Getty Images
What seems like the most iconic American street food of all? Oh, and no hot dogs.
A hot, cheesy, gooey, Philly cheesesteak packed with green peppers and onion
Two scoops of ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone
Deep-fried, handmade beignet donuts dusted in sugar
Fresh-baked pretzels with those thick, rocky salt crystals and some homemade mustard for dipping

Advertisement

You Got: