10 Street Foods Worth Every Bite & 5 Most People Avoid

Street food is an adventure but for your mouth. Every taste reveals culture and local pride. The thing about street food, though, is that some will change your life, while others might ruin your stomach. So, which ones should you hunt down around the globe—and which should you run from? Let’s find out. 

Mexico’s Tacos Al Pastor

Close your eyes and take a bite. The smoky sweetness of roasted pork melts into the warmth of a fresh tortilla. Pineapple adds a juicy kick, while cilantro and onion tie it all together. It’s a handheld masterpiece, a perfect balance of flavors. You’ll definitely want another.

Thai Fried Chicken

It is golden-brown perfection with shatteringly crisp skin and an aroma that stops you in your tracks. Marinated in garlic, coriander, and fish sauce, this isn’t your average fried chicken. It’s juicy, it’s bold, it’s addictive—just one bite will make you rethink everything you knew about fried chicken.

India’s Pani Puri

Crunch. A tiny, hollow puri cracks open, releasing an explosion of spicy, tangy tamarind water. The mashed potatoes, chickpeas, and chutneys fuse into a perfect storm of flavors. When you eat pani puri, you find yourself chasing the thrill of the next bite. If you can only eat one thing in India, let it be this. 

Japan’s Takoyaki

A cast-iron mold sizzles, filling the air with the aroma of batter and seafood. Inside, tender chunks of octopus lay in a creamy, custardy center. Takoyaki, brushed with sweet-savory sauce and sprinkled with bonito flakes that dance in the heat, is proof that simple ingredients can create pure magic.

Vietnam’s Banh Mi

French baguette meets Vietnamese soul. There’s no better way to enjoy different textures and flavors than with this food. The crisp crust gives way to soft bread loaded with pork, pate, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs. Every bite is a contrast: rich yet refreshing, crunchy yet tender, bold yet balanced.

Turkey’s Kumpir

Take a fluffy, steaming baked potato. Mash it right inside its crispy skin and blend in butter and cheese until smooth. Now, pile on olives, corn, pickles, and spicy sausage. The result? A glorious, over-the-top street food feast that proves even the humble potato can become something extraordinary. 

Peru’s Ceviche

A forkful of citrus-marinated fish, a bite of crunchy red onion, a hint of chili’s fiery kick—it’s pure, ocean-fresh perfection. The acid “cooks” the fish to create a dish that’s refreshing and intensely flavorful. If you love bright, bold flavors, ceviche is your dream on a plate. 

Spain’s Churros

Freshly fried churros—crisp and hot—are street food at its finest. They are rolled in sugar and dunked in thick, velvety chocolate to offer the perfect mix of crunch and indulgence. You take one bite, then another, and you can’t stop. Suddenly, the whole thing is gone. No regrets.

South Korea’s Tteokbokki

These chewy rice cakes swim in a fiery, sweet-savory red sauce, daring you to take another bite. Spicy? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely. The heat builds slowly and the sauce clings to your fingers, and before you know it, you’re hooked. South Korea knows how to make comfort food right. 

Argentina’s Choripan

Smoky, juicy chorizo fresh off the grill in a warm, crusty roll. Slather on chimichurri—garlicky, tangy perfection—and take a bite. The fat from the sausage melts into the bread, the flavors explode, and you realize something: this is the best sandwich you’ve ever had.

Filipino Balut

Onto the ones you should think twice about before consuming. Filipino balut is… daring. Sure, eggs are a delight, but not all eggs are what you’re used to. Inside this one is a partially developed duck embryo. Feathers, bones, beak and all. Some call it a delicacy. Others call it a hard pass.

Taiwanese Tofu

Deep-fried or grilled, this tofu is actually flavorful. However, the first thing you notice isn’t the tofu. It’s the smell. A pungent, overpowering wave of fermented funk that lingers in the air. Can you get past the scent? That’s the real test. This snack isn’t for the faint of heart.

Sweden’s Surstromming

In defense of this snack, many say it tastes better than it smells, but are you willing to find out? You open a can, and a wave of rotten fish scent hits you like a punch in the face. This isn’t an exaggeration—Surstromming is notorious for its intense odor.

Italy’s Casu Marzu

The softness of the maggot cheese is liked, but it combines that with pungency, and it is literally crawling with live maggots. This cheese is banned in many places. The larvae help ferment the cheese, and here’s the catch: you have to eat it while they’re still moving. What happened? Lost your appetite?

Japan’s Tuna Eyeballs

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to eat a gelatinous, fishy eyeball,” then Japan has the dish for you. Boiled and served whole, these massive tuna eyes are chewy, fatty, and a bit unsettling to look at. They supposedly taste like squid, but you’re still eating an eyeball.