Ten of the world’s greatest experiences for foodies right now

Traveller Awards: Dine and Drink

If you’re the type to curate an entire travel itinerary around your must-eats, then this list is for you. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2024 winners in the Dine and Drink category.

Ayrburn, New Zealand

The bar inside the 160-seater Woolshed.

A 60-hectare farm near Arrowtown, the picturesque gold-rush village near Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, is maybe not the place you’d expect to find a stylish playground for devotees of good food and wine. But developer Chris Meehan has transformed the 160-year-old estate, rebuilding heritage farmhouses to create a suite of sophisticated venues with the Remarkables mountain range a dramatic backdrop. From the dangerously inviting Burr Bar, once the farm’s homestead, to the Manure Room (a secret drinking den during Prohibition), the subterranean Barrel Bar and the 160-seat Woolshed, this is destination dining and drinking at its most irresistible. See ayrburn.com

Chef’s tour of Chinatown, Bangkok

Charcoal-cooked pork satay skewers on a tour of Bangkok’s back-alley gems.Credit: Assada Songjantuek

This intrepid foodie forage showcases the best of Bangkok’s street food and back-alley gems. Plunging into Chinatown’s tangle of alleyways, the tour visits 15 eateries, allowing visitors to sample everything from a Michelin-featured shrimp dumpling and a shot of Black Tiger liquor to pork leg stew and soy sauce ice-cream. Led by a local guide, the tour is capped at eight guests, allowing groups to squeeze into Chinatown’s tiny culinary hot spots and watch the chefs at work. No surprise that it’s Bangkok’s No. 1 rated food and drink experience on Tripadvisor. See achefstour.com/tour/bangkok-food-tour

The Enchanted Fig Tree, Kangaroo Island

Immersive dining experience within the sprawling limbs of a giant fig.Credit: Andre Castellucci/SA Tourism Commission

Lunch amid a massive fig tree sounds like an experience straight out of an Enid Blyton children’s book. But hospitality whizz Nick Hannaford has turned this whimsical idea into an immersive dining experience, placing tables within the sprawling limbs of a giant fig that’s been on his family’s Kangaroo Island property for more than 120 years. After enjoying a welcome craft cocktail and a selection of canapes, guests feast on a sumptuous three-course lunch of seasonal regional produce matched with a selection of South Australian wines. See gastronomodining.com.au

The Big Foody Tour, Auckland

Tasty samples on the four-hour Tastebud Tour.

Few people know Auckland’s food scene as well as Elle Armon-Jones. Her tour company, The Big Foody, has been showcasing the city’s often-underrated culinary gems for more than a decade. On its flagship four-hour Tastebud Tour, you’ll discover some of Auckland’s lesser-known gastronomic delights, such as an artisan coffee roaster, a deli specialising in house-cured New Zealand game and a vegan chocolatier, plus you’ll meet the passionate producers behind these enterprising initiatives. The best bit? Along the way you’ll pick up a wealth of recommendations on everything from the city’s fine diners to its best value food trucks. See thebigfoody.com

Brae, Victoria

The stylish villas come with a record players, a well-stocked wine and spirits collection and breakfast from the Brae kitchen.

It’s not enough that chef Dan Hunter has spent more than a decade perfecting the modern Australian cuisine served at his Victorian fine diner, Brae and, in doing so, becoming one of the few local eateries to make the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. He’s also rounded out the experience by offering accommodation in the form of six studio-style villas a short walk from the dining room. Each feels like a stylish New York apartment transplanted to country Victoria, with original artworks, timber fittings, record players, a well-stocked wine and spirits collection and a supplied breakfast from the Brae kitchen. See braerestaurant.com

Le Doyenne, France

The assiette végétale.Credit: Evan Sung

It’s audacious for a pair of Australian chefs and restaurateurs to settle in France, do up the barn of a historic farmhouse, start a restaurant and auberge and then attempt to wow the French with their produce-driven cuisine. But that’s what old friends James Henry and Shaun Kelly are doing at Le Doyenne, set in the grounds of a chateau 41 kilometres south of Paris. The restaurant was included in 50 Best Discovery, an offshoot of World’s 50 Best Restaurants, while the 11-room auberge is in high demand among both Parisians and those from further afield. This is an impressive story of local boys done good, and any travelling food lover should have Le Doyenne on their list. See ledoyennerestaurant.com

Stay n’ Sip

Now you can hunker down in your accommodation and let the wine-tasting come to you.Credit: Stay n’ Sip

The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region but a new concept is revolutionising how visitors can experience its famous drops. Instead of motoring around far-flung cellar doors (with designated drivers having to watch their intake), you can now stay put in your accommodation and let the wine-tasting come to you. Mercedes Mendoza and partner, Frenchman Pierre Toumanoff, blended their big, bold idea with deep wine knowledge and now travel the region delivering private in-house tastings. The Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association reckons they’re on to something too, naming the pair 2023 and 2024 tourism operator of the year. See staynsip.com.au

Finesse, European Waterways, France

The height of slow travel ... luxury canal barge the Finesse.

One of European Waterways’ 18 vessels, Finesse is a refurbished canal barge that has been transformed into a luxury boat for eight guests. Over five glorious days and six nights it meanders down Canal du Centre via numerous locks through the heart of southern Burgundy, passing historic villages and vineyards. Wine and cuisine are the focus so there’s plenty of time at the table. The onboard chef recreates gourmet French dishes to accompany top-quality drops. Excursions to wineries and historic vineyards, markets and chateaux keep you otherwise occupied. And, to burn off calories, you can cycle or wander along the tree-lined canal paths. See europeanwaterways.com

Oncore by Clare Smyth at Crown Sydney

Oncore Bar has just launched a new four-course tasting menu.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Crown Sydney is home to Oncore by Clare Smyth, which lives up to its three-hatted hype and then some. The bar recently added a non-alcoholic pairing menu to go with the degustation. Using unusual ingredients, these grown-up drinks ooze umami and intrigue, giving the non-drinker that wonderful experience of food and drink matching without the booze. There’s also a new four-course tasting menu at The Bar by Oncore, where you can also dine a la carte. Crown Sydney has so much else to love: the heated Japanese toilets in rooms, the amazing spa and a commendable security staff who kept their cool last summer while Taylor Swift was in the house and the joint was crawling with Swifties. See crownsydney.com.au

Silversea SALT program

The SALT Lab runs cooking classes by day, and a degustation menu in evenings.Credit: Silversea

With SALT (Sea And Land Taste), Silversea has created a deep dive into local food and culture that forms an immersive culinary experience at sea. The program includes cooking classes, memorable excursions and onboard culinary experiences. Overseen by former Saveur editor-in-chief Adam Sachs, SALT takes a holistic approach, from workshops to collaborations with famous chefs. There are daily outings to local restaurants, wineries and farms and experts in each place create meaningful cultural encounters. On board, there’s a state-of-the-art “lab” for cooking classes which by night turns into SALT Lab where a degustation menu deepens the knowledge of destination food traditions. See silversea.com

Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Armstrong, John Borthwick, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Craig Platt, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Tim Richards, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Kerry van der Jagt, Penny Watson, Sue Williams