Cassie’s Top 10 Foodie Awards of 2023

We feel very fortunate to have the ability to travel around Europe and try some of its incredible cuisines. While we’ve been amazed with most of what we’ve eaten around Europe in 2023, there are some dishes that really stand out from the crowd! Here is my top 10 foodie list of 2023, with Hunter’s following after.

#10 - Käsespätzle at Löwenbräu-Baden-Baden, Germany

Starting off with a bang, the cheese spatzle is to-die-for at the Lowenbrau in Baden-Baden, Germany. It was so creamy and soft with the contrast of fried onions and fresh herbs. As with most of the portions in Germany, it was just a little too big of a portion for me, so I shared… although I wish I had a bigger stomach to enjoy it longer!

#9 - Shepherd’s Pie at Quay’s

Dublin, Ireland

Ireland is also known for super over-the-top massive portion sizes. Shepherd’s pie is no exception. Growing up in a British family, we ate lots of shepherd’s pies and cottage pies. Fun fact: cottage pie was my favourite meal as a kid. My nana made it better than anyone else. So, last year when I went to Quay’s in Dublin, Ireland, I was expecting a standard shepherd’s pie. Well, I was wrong - it ended up being one of the best shepherd’s pies I’ve ever had. Just to make sure, we went back this year to try it again. Honestly, it tastes even better than last year… and actually rivals my nana’s recipe. We think the Guinness and Irish potatoes make a big difference.

#8 - Dolmades at Karamanlidk

Athens, Greece

This was actually the first food I ate when we kicked off our travel journey of 2023. And wow, what a great way to start! The dolmades were so fresh and tangy. I actually felt good after eating them. They were so light, yet they filled me up. It was one of the dishes that I felt brought together a lot of the flavours and aromas of Greece: olive oil, Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, grape leaves, and citrus. Amazing!

#7 - Kapustnica at Food Stalls

Bratislava, Slovakia

When we were reading about traditional Slovakian foods to try, sour cabbage soup came up on the list. I initially hesitated and thought “that sounds weird… that can’t be that good.” But, they were all over the food stalls during the Christmas markets, so I thought I’d have a try. MY GOSH! I was standing at the stall literally dancing! It was so flavourful with the sauerkraut, potatoes, paprika sausage, and fresh herbs. It is something you absolutely have to try, even if you don’t like sauerkraut. I wish I could recreate what I had in Bratislava. I would eat it every week if I could!

#6 - Sticky Toffee Pudding at Dean Street Townhouse

London, England

Honestly, you should just eat here in general. It has become one of my favourite restaurants in London. I’ve brought my mum here, cousins, my husband, and my in-laws. Everybody agrees this is a fantastic restaurant (reservation recommended).

The star of the show is their sticky toffee pudding. It’s essentially a toffee cake with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream. Of all the hundreds of sticky toffee puddings I’ve had in my life, this one tops them all every single time. It is absolutely divine!

#5 - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls at La Mama

Bucharest, Romania

La Mama is technically a food chain in Romania that has a reputation for slow service, hence why you may see lower ratings on Google. However, from our experience, we didn’t have to wait that long and our food came out piping hot. One of the main dishes of Romania is stuffed cabbage rolls. I love cabbage rolls, so I ate my way around Bucharest, devouring as much cabbage rolls as I could handle. They were ALL delicious, but the one at La Mama was exceptional! It was tender, had great flavour, and was very generous with Romanian sour cream. Fantastic!

#4 - Zurek at Restauracja Smakołyki

Krakow, Poland

Ok, here was another traditional dish that I was nervous to try. Sour soup? The concept is similar to the one in Slovakia, except it comes with more vegetables, is a cream-based broth, and is accompanied with a hard boiled egg and bacon. When I tasted it, I couldn’t stop eating it. It was so flavourful and rich. It had just the right amount of spice and creaminess along with a plethora of vegetables, potatoes, and bacon. The egg was a nice touch, too. It was a big surprise for us when we ordered it!

#3 - Moussaka at Strofi

Athens, Greece

Perhaps one of the heaviest dishes on my list is the moussaka at Strofi. Strofi is a high-end dining restaurant that overlooks the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Moussaka is a Greek casserole consisting of lamb, potatoes, aubergine, béchamel sauce, and topped with cheese. It’s a heart attack of a dish, but it is so worth it! Hunter and I together could not finish it, but we tried really hard because it was out of this world! I couldn’t believe they could fit so much into a small casserole dish. The flavours and textures were of the gods!

#2 - Hortobagyi Palacsinta at Menza

Budapest, Hungary

Have to be honest, not a fan of the name. But, the dish itself is extraordinary! Hungary is known for its paprika. It’s on literally everything! So, when you combine a chicken crepe with fiery paprika sauce and topped with freshly whipped sour cream, you get a huge punch of flavour. The best way I can describe it is like a European enchilada. It was SOOOO good!! I had so many of them around Budapest, but the one that takes the medal is at Menza. The only problem I had with the one at Menza is it’s not big enough. I would order 5 of them!

#1 - Perogies at The Black Duck

Krakow, Poland

Well, this was the first time I ever cried while eating a meal. Yes, it really was THAT good. When our friends and family asked us the best thing we ate this year, it is a very easy answer: the perogies at The Black Duck in Krakow, Poland. We weren’t overly hungry when we ordered. I had already had a ton of perogies by that point in our trip, but we thought we’d share the platter so we could sample different ones.

Fast forward to me crying because it’s so good that I literally told the waitress the restaurant made my year. Her response? “Oh, I’m so glad. If only life were that simple!” It was a culinary experience I will never forget. I’ve contemplated traveling to Krakow just so I can eat here again. It was that phenomenal.