Johannesburg has placed eighth in Time Out’s global ranking of the 20 Best Cities in the World for Street Food in 2026. The ranking puts Johannesburg alongside cities including Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, Hanoi, and Bangkok. Johannesburg scored 56 percent overall. Ho Chi Minh City topped the list with 63 percent, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 62 percent, and Jakarta and Taipei, both at 59 percent.
The ranking is based on Time Out’s global survey of city-dwellers.
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Aisha Mohamed, general manager of Time Out South Africa, said the publication’s focus is on amplifying the people, places, and food cultures that make cities distinctive. She said Johannesburg’s street food scene has always stood out, and that the city’s guides document the communities behind the food and the recipes that have shaped generations of South Africans.
Time Out Johannesburg’s Nhlalala Mthembi highlighted Amanda’s in Soweto, where a R14 kota – a quarter loaf filled with chips, polony, special sauce, and achaar — is served without pretense but with the consistency of a vendor who has mastered the dish.
Time Out Culture Connector Nick Hamman pointed to The Hot Pot Kitchen in Midrand, a food truck founded by TK and Pablo Tshiololi after both lost their jobs. Its menu includes grilled mala and masonja cooked with tomato and onion, and flame-grilled tilapia served with pap and sides. Hamman said the truck serves South African food rooted in indigenous ingredients, township taste, and home-style cooking, and that it belongs in the “serious” food conversation.
World’s 10 best cities for street food in 2026
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 63%
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 62%
- Jakarta, Indonesia – 59%
- Taipei, Taiwan – 59%
- Mexico City, Mexico – 58%
- Manila, Philippines – 58%
- Hanoi, Vietnam – 57%
- Johannesburg, South Africa – 56%
- Bangkok, Thailand – 56%
- Mumbai, India – 55%
