Though South Korea is wedged between the tea producers of Japan and China

Though South Korea is wedged between the tea producers of Japan and China, Seoul’s coffee culture has blossomed into one of Asia’s most thrilling and fastest-growing markets. According to Pil Hoon Seu, the city’s first Q Grader (similar to a sommelier) and founder of Coffee Libre, Seoul boasts one of the highest number of certified graders per capita in the world. The city has countless cafés ranging from indie roasters to sprawling, multi-level spaces that offer denizens a “third living room,” or a place where young people can socialize. In fact, coffee in Korea isn’t just morning rocket fuel. It’s a lifestyle drink, reflected in cafés that often open as late as 11 a.m. For an immersive sensorial experience, Anthracite merges minimalist design with outstanding brews in reimagined industrial spaces.
To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of all 165 winners,