Street food

Colourful and diverse, street food is an experience you can find in cities and towns all around the world. It's generally convenient and cheap, but its appeal goes far beyond that. Street food can be simple yet utterly delicious, and it's often a great way to sample some authentic local cuisine. Joining locals around bustling little street stalls can open doors and lead to memorable encounters. In some countries, whether you're a typical foodie or not, you may find that your search for great street food turned out to be among the best experiences of your trip.

Understand

While available pretty much anywhere, street food is most commonly associated with hot climates in general and Asian countries in particular.

This type of food is sold in urban environments and in, some parts of the world, along highways—in other words, places where people are moving. Markets are a good place to find a range of vendors selling street food, especially in warmer countries. There you can often go from stall to stall sampling hundreds of different kinds of food—spicy, sweet, salty, hot and cold—and a range of drinks.

In colder parts of the world street food is less common, usually in the form of single food trucks, carts or kiosks where you can often choose only among variants of the same dish, e.g. hot dogs and sausages with different toppings. There, street food is almost always designed to be eaten by hand and there are seldom designated seats and tables like the ones you would find, e.g. in a Singapore hawker's centre. On the other hand, at market-like events there is usually more to choose from, especially if the event is centered on food!

Read and watch

Books and documentaries on street food have boomed in the 21st century, reflecting the worldwide craze for authentic food and genuine culinary adventures. Gone are the days when tourists travelling to lesser developed countries would stay confined within 5-star resorts and only eat at the fine dining restaurants. To experience street food is to experience the heart and soul of the city.

Books on street food

MasterChef: Street Food of the World (2017) by Genevieve Taylor
The World Atlas of Street Food (2017) by Sue Quinn and Carol Wilson

Documentaries on street food

Street Food premiered on Netflix in April 2019

Eat

Street food is often not limited to just one country or region: for example, hamburgers can be found almost everywhere in the world. That does not mean that they are the same everywhere, though: street food dishes often come with a local twist. The listed foods are generally only a small sampling of what is available on the street in each place. Foods are listed according to the country or region of origin—often they can be found in the surrounding regions too. Specific dishes are often also available where large immigrant communities congregate and a few dishes have gone global.

Africa

Central Africa

Angola

The staples of Angolan cuisine are cassava (both its roots and leaves) and dendém, the fruit of the palm tree, which is also used to make oil. As expected, these ingredients are ubiquitous in its street food.

Bombó Assado - grilled cassava root which has been dried and fermented
Banana Assada - toasted banana/plantain often eaten as a side dish or a dessert when combined with glazed with honey
Paracuca – sugar-coated peanuts, often with a touch of cinnamon or vanilla added

Eastern Africa

Mandazi – triangular-shaped fried bread with coconut milk, eaten as a snack or dessert. Generally less sweet than a doughnut.
Nyama choma - grilled beef or goat meat
Ugali - maize porridge eaten as a staple throughout East Africa, in particular around the Great Lakes region. The way to eat ugali is to roll a lump into a ball with your palm and then dip it into a side dish sauce, soup or stew.

Kenya

Kachi Keri - raw, green-skinned mango seasoned with chilli, lime and salt. It has a crunchy, tangy taste. Popular in Kenya's urban areas including Nairobi and Mombasa.
Mutura - Kenya's traditional blood sausage. Meat (a combination of goat, beef, and lamb), blood and offal are stuffed into a goat's intestine. It is more seasoned than the blood sausages you would find in Europe.

Madagascar

Kobo Akondro – a steamed mass of ground peanuts, sugar and flour which is sliced and eaten as a sweet
Mofo – bread made of rice flour, many different variants

Mauritius

Dholl puri - flatbread filled with lentils that accompanies all savory and sweet dishes in the country.

Tanzania

Chipsi Mayai – the name translates to chips and eggs, and this is the Tanzanian version of the potato omelette

Uganda

Nsenene and nswaa – grasshoppers and ants, respectively, eaten as seasonal snacks

Northern Africa

See also: North African cuisine

Sfenj – oil cooked doughnuts, common all over North Africa known by various names across the region. It is called Sfenj in Morocco, Khfaf in Algeria, bambalouni in Tunisia and Sfinj in Libya

Algeria

Garantita - a pie made with chickpea flour and egg, sprinkled with cumin on top

Egypt

Hawawshi – minced meat
Fiteer – sweet or savoury pancake

Morocco

Bessara (also bsarra) – spicy fava bean soup
Brochettes – skewered meat
Crumbed Liver
Spicy sardines - deep-fried sardines packed with the flavors of tomatoes, cilantro, paprika, garlic, chili, olive oil and lemon

Tunisia

Brik – a triangular deep-fried pastry, typically filled with egg

Southern Africa

Mozambique

Peri-peri prawns - shrimp marinated in lemon, garlic and Mozambique's own peri-peri chili peppers. Often served with french fries or rice.

South Africa

Amagwinya / vetkoek - translates to fat cake, it's a deep fried savoury snack made with flour dough. It can be served plain or with a filling such as mince, or polony.
Boerewors – translates to farmer’s sausage, boerewors is grilled and served in a bread roll or with pap (maize porridge)
Bunny chow – invented by the Indian South African community in Durban, bunny chow is a bread loaf stuffed with different kinds of curries and usually eaten by hand
Chicken dust or Walkie talkies – barbecued chicken feet
Gatsby – originally from Cape Town, it’s a sandwich filled with french fries and some kind of meat, fish or seafood

Western Africa

Akara - peeled beans rolled into a ball which are then deep fried. Slaves from West Africa took the dish to Bahia in Brazil where it evolved into acarajé.
Fufu – a kind of sticky porridge, usually made of cassava. It’s eaten by hand; formed into small balls, and dipped into an accompanying soup or stew.
Jollof rice – fried rice dish with tomatoes, red palm oil, onions and spices. The tomatoes and red palm oil gives the rice a deep reddish color.

Benin

Yovo doko - sweet fritters spiced up with nutmeg and vanilla

Gambia

Ebbeh - spicy cassava and seafood soup

Ghana

Banku - starchy balls made from a proportionate mixture or corn flour and cassava flour. Has become a staple among all tribal communities in Ghana. Often served with grilled tilapia.
Chichinga - meat skewer flavored with peanuts and spices. Can be any meat though goat, beef and chicken are most common.
Kelewele – diced, fried and seasoned plantains, eaten as a night or breakfast snack
Kenkey – sourdough dumplings served with soups and sauces
Waakye – a stew or rice and beans, usually served with some kind of meat, fish or egg

Ivory Coast

Alloco – fried plantain with chili pepper and onions

Nigeria

Chin Chin – a fried hard doughnut, popular as a snack
Kilishi – the Hausa version of beef jerky, can be made of many types of meat and is coated with a peanut paste known as Labu. Common in Hausaland (Northern Nigeria and Southern Niger)
Suya – shish kebab made of meat or shrimp, also commonly served by the Hausa

Senegal

Ndambe - a sandwich containing spicy black-eyed peas with pieces of beef typically eaten for breakfast

Asia

Central Asia

Kabuli palaw - steamed rice mixed with meat (goat or lamb traditionally though nowadays beef and chicken can be substituted) along with sliced carrots, raisins which provide a sweet touch, and slivered almonds and pistachios. The national dish of Afghanistan but also popular in neighboring countries.

East Asia

See also: Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Korean cuisine

The tradition of street food in East Asia, China in particular, is very old and dates back to the Tang Dynasty, if not earlier. Chinese immigrants brought this tradition to Southeast Asia and the rest of East Asia, and left an everlasting legacy. Ramen, for instance, was a street food dish introduced by Chinese merchants to Japan a hundred years ago, which has over time become the national dish of Japan.

China

Banmian – a soup from the Hokkien speaking area made of fish stock, noodles and fish or meat. Also common in Malaysia and Singapore.
Baozi – steamed buns with different fillings. Just the buns themselves are called Mantou, and the version filled with soup is called tangbao.
Bindae-tteok - mung bean pancake filled with vegetables and meat
Bing – a flatbread or pancake. A popular version is cong you bing with scallion and spices
Chuanr – meat barbecued on skewers. This can include meats you may have never eaten before like starfish, seahorse or scorpion, but usually it's lamb or chicken.
Douhua – tofu pudding, eaten with soy sauce in the north and with sugar in the south.
Eggette – originating in Hong Kong, these a cross between a pancake and a waffle with spherical bubbles, eaten as a snack, plain or with fruits.
Fish balls – balls of fish paste, common in Hong Kong and in the southern Sinosphere and often accompanying other dishes
Jiaozi – boiled, fried or steamed dumplings typically filled with meat. Popular elsewhere in Asia too.
Laping – a mung bean noodle dish with chilli pepper native to Tibet
Malatang – grilled meat skewers, popular in Beijing
Shahe fen – wide rice noodles, accompanying many dishes
Spring rolls – fried rolls with different kinds of filling and wrapping material. Common in many parts around East and Southeast Asia. Lumpia and popiah are variants of the spring roll.
Stinky tofu – fermented tofu, usually served fried, most common in Taiwan and Hunan.
Youtiao – long deep-fried spongy breakfast donuts, vaguely similar to churros, popular with soymilk in northern China. Rice noodles wrapped around youtiao are known as zhaliang.

Macao

Pork chop bun – exactly what the name says, pork chop in a bun without any additional condiments
Macau egg tart – a variation on the egg tart which features a caramelized browned top

Japan

In Japan, eating on the street is normally outside the bounds of etiquette. If you do eat food from the occasional street food stand, stand or sit while you eat. Don't walk while eating. The tremendous food courts in the basements of department stores are excellent places to get snacks, but you are expected to either eat them there or at home, not on the street. Perhaps surprisingly, convenience stores also sell good snacks in Japan, if you don't need anything fancy.

Chikuwa — steamed sticks of ground fish, eaten as a snack
Oden — a winter dish consisting of fish cakes, vegetables, boiled eggs etc. warmed in broth with soy sauce flavor
Okonomiyaki — savoury pancake containing various ingredients. Some shops offer it as one-hand food
Taiyaki — fish-shaped cake containing red bean paste. A variation is drum-shaped Imagawayaki.
Takoyaki — battered and fried balls of octopus and vegetables
Yaki-imo — baked sweet potato, a winter specialty sold at food cars and supermarkets.
Yakitori — skewered chicken. There are many different versions made of different parts of the animal

Korea

Street food in Korea is traditionally sold in small tents or stalls called pojangmacha. The most famous district in Seoul for pojangmacha is Jongno.

Anju — blanket term for snack foods enjoyed with alcohol
Beondegi — steamed silkworm pupae
Bungeoppang — a pastry formed like a fish that can be plain or filled; sold during the winter.
Ganjang Gejang — raw crab marinated in soy sauce
Gimbap — Korean style seaweed rice roll containing a variety of meat and vegetable fillings. Unlike sushi which is seasoned with vinegar, gimbap is seasoned with sesame oil, pickled radish and is sweeter.
Goguma twigim — fried sweet potatoes served with a dip
Hotteok — no, it isn't a hotdog but a sweet pancake.
Jeon — pancakes that can be made with meat, seafood or vegetables.
Mandu — large steamed Chinese style dumplings filled with meat
Odeng — fish cakes cooked on skewers in broth, a variation of Japanese Oden
Sundae — no, not a dessert but blood sausage
Tteokbokki — chewy rice cakes (tteok) with fish cakes and sweet chili sauce poured over

Mongolia

Buuz — mutton or beef filled steamed dumplings, a kind of hybrid between the Chinese baozi and Russian pelmeni
Khuushuur — fried buuz

Taiwan

Taiwan is famous for its bustling night markets full of street food stalls.

Fan-tuan — sticky rice tightly packed around a stick of deep fried batter and spices — usually served as a breakfast dish.
Shaved ice mango — shaved ice mixed with chunks of fresh mango and sweetened milk.
Stinky tofu (chou dofu) — fermented chunks of tofu, deep fried and served with a dip.
Turkey rice — originating in Chiayi, this deceptively simple and bland-looking dish has subtle flavors and is the comfort food of Taiwan

Middle East

See also: Middle Eastern cuisine

Falafel – deep-fried seasoned chickpea or fava bean balls, commonly eaten as a sandwich in a pita, with a variety of sides and sauces.
Hummus – a dip with a very long history, made of chickpeas, sesame, lemon and garlic.
Haleem – a stew of wheat, barley, meat, lentils and spices, which you can encounter from the Middle East to Bangladesh.
Kebab – sliced meat (beef, chicken or lamb). It's commonly served with a bread roll, rice or salad. It is popular both throughout the Middle East and in the Western world. There are many different versions of kebab.
Kibbeh – baked croquettes of ground meat and bulgur
Murtabak – pancake stuffed with mutton, garlic, egg and onion and served with curry. It originated on the Arabian Peninsula but is popular in the Muslim world all the way to Indonesia.
Qatayef – usually served during Ramadan, these are sweet dumplings with different fillings from cheese to raisins and vanilla
Sfiha – the nickname “Arab pizza” is very accurate, it is defined as an open faced meat pie
Shawarma – Slow-baked seasoned pressed meat, often chicken or lamb, which is cut into strips and commonly eaten as a sandwich including sides, as is the case with falafel.

Egypt

Ful medames – cooked and mashed fava beans, usually served with vegetables and spices
Kushari – the national dish of Egypt consisting of rice, macaroni, lentils, beans, onions and a flavorful tomato sauce. It is always vegetarian and can be vegan if no animal-based oil is used.

Israel

Jerusalem mixed grill – barbecued and seasoned chicken offal and lamb, can be served in a bread.
Sabich – a sandwich of egg, eggplant and hummus in a pita bread. Also available elsewhere in the Middle East, but originally from Israel.

Lebanon

Samke harra – spicy fish, eaten as a wrap on the streets. A specialty from Tripoli.

Turkey

Börek – a pastry filled with cheese, minced meat or vegetables. It’s popular also on the Balkan, Caucasus and in parts of the Middle East, however böreks there look a little different.
Gözleme – a stuff flatbread/pastry dish cooked over a griddle. Fillings include meats, cheeses, vegetables such as spinach and zucchini, and mushrooms.
Kokoretsi – skewered lamb and goat offal served in or on a bread
Köfte – Turkish meatballs
Kumpir – originally from Istanbul, this is a baked potato filled with cheese or vegetables
Lahmacun – a round bread topped with meat, sometimes called the “Turkish pizza”
Lokma – dessert syrup doughnuts, which can be fried or deep-fried
Simit – sesame pretzels, also popular in nearby countries

South Asia

See also: South Asian cuisine

Bhutta/Challi/Makka - Indian-style corn on the cob, roasted and coated with a spice mixture, salt and lime juice or tamarind chutney for tartness
Biryani – a South Asian rice dish, believed to have originated during the rule of the Mughal Empire. As with other dishes in this region, there’s a wide variety in the meats, vegetables and spices used.
Chaat is a catch-all term for small savory and tangy dishes either eaten as a snack or entré. Chaat comes in many varieties and regional variations and is sold on the street throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. One common version is aloo chaat, where small pieces of potato are fried till crisp and served with chutney.
Jalebi – deep fried batter in a pretzel-like shape coated in rose syrup eaten as dessert, a bit similar to the American funnel cake or Finnish tippaleipä
Panipuri/phuchka/golgappe – deep fried flour balls with a hole on top that are dipped fully into a spicy liquid or sauce, which is absorbed by the ball, and then eaten whole

Aloo tikki - a spiced potato patty or cutlet, similar to a hash brown. Served with yogurt and tamarind or mint chutney.
Flatbreads – naan, chapati, paratha, puri and roti are common types of flatbread, which you will encounter at many meals in South Asia as a side or as a wrapper.
Samosa – fried or baked pastries identifiable by their pyramidal shape. They are filled with a mix of vegetables (potatoes and peas is most common) or some kind of mince meat. Can be served with chutney or yogurt. Eaten from Bangladesh to the Middle East and East Africa.

Eastern India and Bangladesh

Kati roll – today almost anything wrapped in a flatbread can be called a kati roll, however when the dish was invented in Kolkata it was filled with skewered chicken and mutton meat.

Nepal

Momo – a type of steamed or fried dumpling, similar to the Chinese jiaozi. Originally a delicacy among the Tibetan diaspora and Nepalese Newar community, momos have gripped the entire South Asian region as a must-have when it comes to street food. They are most often served with a tomato-based sauce or chutney.

Northern India and Pakistan

Chole bhature – spicy chickpeas and bhatura, a large deep-fried leavened bread made from white flour
Kachori – flour balls filled with beans and spices eaten as a snack
Kulfi – ice cream which has not been whipped and is therefore denser
Pakora – deep fried snacks (fritters) coated in chickpea batter usually with vegetable fillings. Popular types of filling include potato, onion, paneer and bread
Papri chaat – fried flour wafers with boiled potatoes, yoghurt, chutney and spices
Tandoori chicken - chicken marinated in yogurt and spices roasted in a tandoor (cylindrical clay oven)

Southern India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Appam/hoppers – pancakes made of fermented rice batter and coconut milk
Dosa – a fermented pancake of rice and black lentils, stuffed with different vegetables and served with chutney. While its origin is South India, dosas have become mainstream across the subcontinent.
Garudhiya - Maldivian tuna broth served with rice, roshi (flatbread) or breadfruit
Kottu – a Sri Lankan flatbread mixed with egg, meat, vegetables and spices

Western India

Bhelpuri – puffed rice topped with sev noodles, masala and chutney. Popular in Mumbai.
Dahipuri – puri bread stuffed with mashed potatoes or chickpeas and served with chutney
Pav bhaji – buttered bread rolls with a mixed and mashed vegetable curry originating from Mumbai. A fusion of Portuguese and native Indian culinary traditions.
Sevpuri – puri stuffed with diced potatoes and onion and served with chutney. Garnished with sev noodles.
Vada pav – a kind of vegetarian burger with deep fried potato croquettes and chili

Southeast Asia

See also: Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Filipino cuisine, Indonesian cuisine, Thai cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine

Cendol – a dessert based on coconut milk and jelly rice noodles, ice and sugar. You can either drink it in a glass through a straw or eat it in a bowl.
Char kway teow – translating to stir-fried ricecake strips, it also contains seafood, chives and bean sprouts
Otak-otak – a grilled fish cake, served wrapped in a banana leaf
Pisang goreng – Malay for "fried bananas": battered, deep-fried bananas
Rojak/rujak – translating to “mixture”, this is a fruit or vegetable salad of which there are countless versions
Sup kambing – goat soup

Indonesia

Asinan – pickled salty vegetables or fruits, eaten as a snack
Bakwan – battered and fried vegetables
Bakso – “Indonesian meatballs”, usually served with rice noodles. There are different variants; for instance, they can be made of shrimp or fish, filled or skewered.
Bubur ayam – rice porridge with shredded chicken and topped with various condiments
Bubur cha-cha – a sweet soup made with palm sugar and coconut milk, including sago and starchy vegetables like beans, sweet potatoes, and purple yams and popular for breakfast or dessert.
Bubur kacang hijau – a dessert porridge of mung beans, coconut milk and sugar
Gudeg – sweetened jackfruit braised in coconut milk and spices, especially common in Yogyakarta
Kerak telor – spicy rice omelette with coconut, shallots and shrimp
Mie rebus – boiled noodles with a spicy sweet gravy and garnished with different vegetables
Nasi goreng – fried rice with a range of condiments, usually served with an egg and some kind of meat and vegetables.
Pempek – fish cakes
Sate ayam – chicken satay
Siomay – fish or seafood dumplings
Soto mie – spicy noodle and beef tendon soup

Malaysia

Ais kacang, also called ABC (short for air batu campur, Malay for "mixed ice") – shaved ice traditionally flavored with red beans (kacang=bean) but there are other flavors too
Curry puffs are little deep-fried savory pastries with chicken-and-potato curry stuffing. These are very popular in Malaysia.
Kuih pinjaram – a flour and coconut milk snack
Laksa – spicy noodle soup, of which many kinds exist. The most common versions are curry laksa with coconut curry, asam laksa with sour fish, and Sarawak laksa with chili, omelette, chicken strips, and prawns.
Maggi goreng – instant noodles cooked with a stock of the Maggi brand
Mee goreng are literally "fried noodles." These are typically accompanied by strips of plain omelette, bean sprouts, scallions, shrimps, and chicken or beef, but most any good ingredient on hand can be used. Various flavors exist, but in general, they are all spicy and tasty.
Nasi goreng – fried rice, made with similar ingredients to mee goreng, or whatever good ingredients are on hand
Nasi kandar – steamed rice served with curries
Nasi lemak – rice cooked in coconut milk with different toppings and side dishes
Pasembur – a seafood salad
Roti canai – flat bread, which is typically accompanied by chicken/potato curry sauce. Roti telur has more eggs in the batter. Capati (also spelled chapatti) is also made similarly in Malaysia. There is also a sweet flatbread called roti tissue.
Satay – usually meat (most often, chicken or beef) that's been roasted over a wood fire and put on a skewer; commonly accompanied by pressed rice (ketupat) and spicy/sweet peanut sauce. Also popular in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Singapore
While street food used to be common in Singapore, vendors were moved into purpose-built coffeeshops and hawker centres starting from the 1960s and today, the only true street food available in Singapore is ice cream.

Durian pancake – a pancake filled with fresh durian, the signature fruit of Southeast Asia
Hainanese chicken rice – exactly that, boiled and sliced chicken served with a ball of rice and a chili dip. Regarded as one of Singapore’s national dishes.
Ice cream burger – a slice of ice cream wrapped in a large white bread loaf. Be sure to try the version with durian ice cream

Laos

Green papaya salad – popular in Thailand as som tam, but originally from Laos. In addition to papaya it includes lime, chile, fish sauce and palm sugar
Kuy teav – a noodle soup with meat and various vegetables, usually eaten for breakfast
Num banh chok – rice noodles with curry gravy

Myanmar

Mohinga – a fish soup with fritters and noodles, traditionally eaten as a breakfast

Philippines

Balut – boiled egg with a developed chick embryo inside
Banana cue – bananas coated with sugar and deep fried on skewers
Camote cue – sweet potatoes coated with sugar and deep fried
Ginanggang – grilled skewered bananas covered in margarine
Fishball-a type of processed fish, served on a stick with a variety of dipping sauces
Isaw – barbecued pig or chicken offal
Kikiam – a type of processed chicken and pork, served on a stick with a variety of dipping sauces
Lomi – a noodle soup with sauteed meat, garlic and shallots
Maruya – battered and deep-fried banana pieces
Proben – deep fried chicken pieces with a vinegar dip
Sinangag – fried rice with garlic, usually accompanies meat dishes
Taho – a tofu and syrup snack served in a cup
Tokneneng – hard boiled eggs battered and deep fried. The version where quail eggs are used is known as kwek kwek.
Turon – a sweet kind of spring roll, eaten as dessert. It is filled with bananas, jackfruit and brown sugar

Thailand

Khanom bueang – crepes filled with coconut cream
Khao soi – “cut noodles” is a soup of noodles and meat in curry sauce, native to the northern parts of Thailand plus Laos and Myanmar
Pad Thai is the most famous street food of the Chao Phraya Valley and Bangkok. It consists of noodles with pieces of plain omelette, bean sprouts, peanuts, birds eye chilis, shrimp, and various other ingredients.
Phat si io – a stir-fried noodle dish, somewhat similar to char kway teow further south
Tom yum – a spicy and sour salad-based soup with fish sauce and herbs
Khanom Pang Ai Tiim – ice cream sandwich on a hot dog bun

Vietnam

Bánh canh – its name translates to "soup cake". The “cake” part is a lump of noodles in the middle of the soup, which can be made with meat, seafood or fish.
Bánh hỏi – bundles of rice noodles topped with garlic and scallions
Bánh mì — This uniquely Vietnamese sandwich, typically of roast pork with various vegetables, cilantro, birds eye chilis, paté and mayonnaise on a baguette made with mixed wheat and rice flour and also available with chicken instead of pork and several other variations, is a common street food in Vietnam.
Bánh xèo – pancakes made of rice flour and turmeric and stuffed with pork, shrimp, onion and bean sprouts.
Bún chả – grilled pork with rice noodles
Chè — a sweet dessert drink which can include coconut milk, sweetened beans, glutinous rice, colourful jellies, fruits
Gỏi cuốn and Chả giò — fresh or deep-fried spring rolls: meat, vegetables, shrimps wrapped in rice paper
Phở (pronounced "fuh", and never "foe") — the classic Vietnamese dish: rice noodles in hot savoury broth with tender slices of beef or chicken and topped with crunchy, spicy, herby garnishes

Europe

Benelux

Belgium

Frikandel – a deep-fried sausage of minced meat
Mitraillette – a baguette stuffed with meat, french fries and sauce
Pommes frites (sometimes called "French fries" in other countries) – so-called "French fries" actually originate in Belgium. In Belgium they can be served together with a sauce or mayonnaise or with mussels (moules-frites). For a really local fast food experience, head to a friterie kiosk with a variety of foods served deep fried.
Waffles

Netherlands

The Dutch have adopted several types of foreign street foods as their own, and Vietnamese spring rolls, Döner kebab and falafel are available from small stalls in most cities.

French fries are highly popular as food to go, available from small restaurants as well as street stalls. Sometimes covered with sauces or even as kapsalon, which means covered with sliced meat, cheese and salad. Fries are typically accompanied by a wide range of deep fried snacks, such as kaassoufflé (a bread-roll filled with cheese), berenklauw (deep fried skewer with meatballs and onion rings served with satay sauce) and many others.
Salted herring – salted herring that is served as such or in a sandwich. With or without diced onion
Stroopwafel – the syrup waffles are a dessert snack and originate from Gouda

British Isles

Cornish pasties are a type of meat pie, traditionally made with steak, potatoes, and plenty of onions
Fish & chips – deep fried battered fish pieces (usually cod) and potatoes (French fries)
Sandwich – originally named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, today few know that one of the most widespread street foods in the western world originates in England.
Sausage roll – exactly what the name says, a sausage baked into a pastry

Ireland

Breakfast roll - The famous Full Irish Breakfast squished into a bread roll
Chicken Fillet roll - Fried Chicken Breast with lettuce cheese and mayonnaise in a bread roll
Spice Burger - A bean and spice burger deep fried

Caucasus

Khorovats – Armenian barbecued meat skewers

Central Europe

Austria

Bosna – the local version of the hotdog made with grilled white bread, a bratwurst and more spices

Czech Republic

Smazeny syr – breaded and fried cheese, sometimes served in a bun and usually accompanied with a tartar sauce dip

Germany

Currywurst – boiled sausage cut into slices and drowned in a sauce of ketchup and curry, often served with a bun. Invented in Berlin still popular there and anywhere, where a large crowd of blue collar workers may be found, such as the Ruhr area
Döner – Döner Kebab originates from Turkey, but since the arrival of Turkish "guest workers" in Germany in the 1960s, this savory sandwich or platter of slow-roasted pressed, seasoned lamb and various sides has been embraced by practically the entire German nation.
Sandwiches (German: Belegtes Brot; American-style sandwiches are called "Sandwich" in German as well) – great almost everywhere in Germany, including most shops in airports and train stations, because they are made on German bread, which is among if not the best than certainly the most varied in the world, and almost always use fresh ingredients for filling. They can however be a bit expensive (even for local tastes) at some bakeries in "strategic locations".
Sausages – Many types of Wurst (sausage, German plural "Würste") are frequently sold on the street and in informal eateries called Imbiss (sometimes spelled Imbiß) in Germany. Bratwurst (there are several subtypes named for the region where they originate, the most common being Thüringer [from Thuringia] and Nürnberger [from Nuremberg]) is fried while Bockwurst and Weißwurst (literally white sausage. Traditionally eaten before noon in a "Weißwurstfrühstück") are boiled. The latter is native to Bavaria and is often served with a pretzel instead of a bun. The traditional condiment for a Weißwurst is "sweet" mustard.

Hungary

Kürtöskalacs – a sugar-coated pastry, baked on a spit, also known as “chimney cake”
Lángos – deep fried flatbread with garlic and different toppings. Originally from Hungary, they can now be found in Austria, Slovakia or even Germany as well. In some places they are only available on special occasions

Poland

Pierogi – baked or fried dumplings filled with meat, potatoes, cheese or vegetables. Common all over Central and Eastern Europe.
Zapiekanka – a grilled baguette with cheese, mushrooms, ketchup and sometimes ham

Slovakia

Richman – this specialty from Bratislava is a sandwich with cheese, cabbage, mayonnaise and sometimes meat

Former Soviet Union

See also: Russian cuisine

Chiburekki – a half-moon shaped meat-filled pie, encountered as street food in the western half of the former Soviet Union.
Pirozhok (pl. pirozhki) – small pies (pirog are the larger ones for sharing) that can be filled with either meat, vegetables, cheese, cabbage or various sweeter stuff. In Russian cities like St. Petersburg there are kiosks selling these in addition to donuts, other snacks and various beverages.
Shashlik – skewered meat and vegetables, Cossack style. Common also in Western and Central Asia.

Latin Europe

See also: French cuisine, Italian cuisine, Spanish cuisine

France

Crêpes – these fine pancakes are not just a dessert at fine dining places. You can get it from street stalls with a variety of toppings, both sweet and salty, or plain if you wish.
Galette-saucisse – a grilled sausage wrapped in a galette (a kind of crepe). Native to the Brittany region.

Italy

Arancini – a Sicilian specialty, fried balls of rice filled with meat and tomato sauce
Calzone – this is a folded pizza, resembling a half moon. A smaller version is known as panzarotti.
Farinata – chickpea pancake from Liguria
Gelato – the Italian version of possibly the most popular street snack in the world contains more sugar and fat and is softer than ordinary ice cream.
Pani ca meusa – another Sicilian specialty, a sort of meat pie of vastedda bread with offal filling
Panino – a grilled sandwich. A variety of different fillings are possible, but a classic combination could include some type of meat (such as mortadella, prosciutto crudo, salami or bresaola), cheese (such as fresh mozzarella, provolone or a local type of pecorino) and vegetables (such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, fresh basil)
Piadina – flatbread filled with cheese, meat, vegetables or jam. Native to the Romagna region.
Pizza – a flat bread baked in an oven, usually topped with at least tomato sauce and cheese, but you can find pizzas with almost anything on them. However, pizza is traditionally eaten in Italy in sit-down establishments, with knife and fork, and Neapolitan pizza is too saucy to attempt to eat on the street. The same may not be true of some of the pizza further north, like for example the Genovese sardenara. Hand-sized takeaway pizza is referred to as pizza al taglio—pizza by slice.
Scaccia – a folded Sicilian flatbread commonly stuffed with cheese, tomato sauce and onions
Stigghiola – seasoned lamb guts grilled on skewers

Malta

Pastizzi – savory pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas

Spain

Buñuelo – fried donut balls, popular all around Latin America and in Morocco too.
Churros – deep-fried long “doughnuts”, served for breakfast with chocolate sauce
Empanadas are stuffed dumplings made from wheat flour. Apparently invented in Leon, they can be encountered in all of the former Spanish Empire and beyond, with different kinds of stuffings.
Paella – rice with seafood, fish, meat and spices—it's made in a large pan and there are many different versions of it

Southeastern Europe

Greece

Gyro – the Greek variant of kebab, served in a pita bread with vegetables and tzatziki sauce.
Souvlaki – meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer, can also be served with or in a pita bread

Serbia

Pljeskavica – large beef patty, often served as a hamburger in pita bread, sometimes accompanied by fries
Raznjici – grilled kebab meat on skewers

Nordic countries

See also: Nordic cuisine

Denmark

Pølse – Hot dog-like sausages were invented in Germany and Austria, not Denmark, but hot dog wagons (pølsevogn) are ubiquitous. A typical Danish hot dog is topped with mustard, ketchup, remoulade sauce, roasted onions and pickle relish. Fransk hot dog (French hot dog) is a version where the sausage is stuffed from the end into a small baguette so that just a part of it is visible and has less toppings. In Sweden a hot dog is called varmkorv (hot sausage) and is a popular street food. A special greaser-version (a subculture of people driving American cars from the 50's, 60's and 70's) is hot dog with a shrimp sallad topping.
Smørrebrød – literally buttered bread, but much more than that. A Danish smørrebrød is a slice of bread topped with either fish, seafood or meat plus various vegetables and sometimes remoulade or sliced boiled egg. On fine versions of smørrebrød, the toppings are normally overflowing the bread, wherefore it should be eaten by fork and knife. The street food version can be bought at butchershops and specialised stores (smørrebrødsforretning) where the customer can combine a lunchbox to go.

Finland

See also: Finnish cuisine

Street food and fast food are overlapping concepts in Finland. The best place to find Finnish street food would be at "grill" kiosks that you usually find in both in bigger cities and smaller towns. Their menus usually include different versions of hotdogs, meat pies, hamburgers, chopped sausage with fries (makkaraperunat), the porilainen and such.

In the summer, market squares in mid-sized and small cities usually have a market day every week or even more often where you can have some fried sausages, fried vendace and sometimes Middle Eastern and Asian street food. Other typical meals at such events include salmon soup, fried herring with mashed potatoes, and pancakes with jam. Some of these are eaten at tables. There are bigger markets such as on May Day, the herring markets along the coast once or twice a year, the "[name of town] day" in many towns etc., which may have a larger assortment than the weekly markets.

Four days a year an event called the Restaurant day takes place. For one day, anyone is allowed to open a pop-up restaurant without the otherwise strict restrictions to open a restaurant which in practice means a lot of small street food tables popping up in city parks.

Kuuma koira – literally "hot dog". It consists of a sugar-coated doughnut filled with jelly. This speciality is regionally served in Nokia with a slice of steamed sausage.
Lihapiirakka – literally "meat pie". The Finnish version is deep-fried and flat, filled with minced meat and rice, sometimes a sausage is added.
Mustamakkara – literally "black sausage", and as you might guess it is made of blood. This specialty of Tampere is enjoyed with lingonberry jam and milk.
Paistettuja muikkuja – fried vendace is a frequent encounter on summer markets, especially in the Finnish Lakeland.
Porilainen – a fusion of Pori and hamburger, this consists of two slices of bread and a thick slice of sausage as a "beef". It's usually served with a mix of ketchup, mustard, diced onion and cucumbers.

Iceland

Kjötsúpa – often signposted with its English name "meat soup", you can get this piping hot soup from food trucks around downtown Reykjavik. Made with lamb meat, they also offer a vegetarian version of it which is the same soup without the meat.

Sweden

Tunnbrödsrulle – traditional “thin bread” wrapped around a sausage and potato mash.

North America

See also: American cuisine, Mexican cuisine

In some cases the boundary between street food and fast food in the United States and Canada is fluid.

Canada

Beaver tail – a fried flat pastry which is topped with sweet condiments. Originated (with that name) in Ottawa; might not be available elsewhere.
Donair - the East Coast variation of the döner kebab, adapted to regional tastes and with its special "donair sauce". Popular in Halifax and to a lesser extent throughout Eastern Canada.
French fries – thick cut and deep-fried, sold from the ubiquitous "chip wagons".
Garlic fingers – a kind of pizza topped with cheese and garlic and cut up in strips instead of slices. Common in Halifax, less common as you move west.
Poutine – French fries with gravy and cheese curds poured over them. Originated in Quebec, but now popular throughout the country.
Shawarma - Just like the döner kebab in Europe, its popularity has spread throughout Central Canada.

Caribbean

Aruba

Keshi yena – steamed or baked cheese balls stuffed with meat, typically chicken

Dominican Republic

Yaniqueques – deep fried cakes, a derivative of the johnnycake from New England and a popular beach snack

Jamaica

Jerk Chicken – chicken rubbed with jerk spice mix and cooked over fire
Patties – savory pastries filled with chicken/potato curry, beef, callaloo, mixed vegetables, or other fillings

Puerto Rico

Alcapurria – balls of dough of tubers, bananas and plantains stuffed with meat and fried
Bacalaíto – battered and deep-fried cod
Sorullos – fried cornmeal sticks

Trinidad and Tobago

Aloo pie – a samosa pastry filled with mashed potatoes and other vegetables and served with a chutney
Doubles – flatbread filled with curried chickpeas and topped with fruit

Central America

El Salvador

Pupusas – Salvadoran tortillas filled with cheese, pork meat and beans, cooked folded over into a hot, gooey pancake

Honduras

Baleada – the Honduran version of the tortilla, traditionally filled with fried beans and folded in half

Nicaragua

Quesillo – tortillas filled with cheese, onions and sour cream
Food that you can get at a fritanga sometimes simply called frito usually including grilled meat (beef, pork or chicken) tajadas or tostones (made from plantains) and coleslaw

Mexico

Aguas frescas – translating to “fresh waters”, these are sugary water flavored with various fruits, seeds, cereals and flowers.
Bionico – a Mexican fruit salad
Chalupa – a platter of tostada (fried tortillas) formed into a cup and filled with meat, onion and salsa
Elote – boiled or grilled corn on a cob
Empalme – this Nuevo León specialty is a grilled sandwich of two tortillas with lard, beans and salsa
Enchilada – a tortilla wrap covered in spicy sauce
Esquites – boiled corn topped with cheese, chili and sour cream and served in a cup
Gordita – maize cake stuffed with cheese and meat
Menudo – a soup made with beef tripe and chili
Paleta – ice pops of fresh fruit
Pozole – a stew of maize, meat and chili
Tacos exist in many varieties, with al pastor (made with marinated pork) perhaps the most famous, but also including chivo (goat), lengua (tongue), carne asada (shredded beef), and quite a few others. Taco trucks also exist in the United States, especially those portions that were part of Mexico before the Mexican-American War (including California, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado). A burrito is not very different from a taco, but the contents are completely enclosed. Stuffed with cheese, they are known as quesadillas. Smaller versions that are fried, remotely reminiscent of spring rolls, are known as taquitos.
Tamale – masa dough dumplings cooked in banana leaves. Also common in Central America and parts of the Caribbean
Tlayuda – a dish with a tortilla used as a plate, on which there’s meat, vegetables, beans and avocado
Torta – the Mexican expression for “sandwich”, with the second part of the name revealing what it’s filled with, commonly some kind of meat, egg or avocado
Tostilocos – tortilla chips topped with pork, peanuts and various spices

United States

In Manhattan, hot dogs, pretzels and dollar slices aren't hard to find

Chimichanga – deep-fried burrito, originating in Arizona or New Mexico
Dollar slice - single slice of pepperoni pizza or plain cheese pizza for $1, ubiquitous in New York City
Fried scallop rolls
Frybread – flat dough bread
Hamburger a sandwich consisting a cooked patty placed inside a bread roll or bun
Honey-roasted nuts
Hot dog cooked sausage served in a partially sliced bun
Knish – baked, grilled or deep fried pies that can be filled with potatoes, kasha (buckwheat), meat, cheese or vegetables. Popularized by Eastern European immigrants in New York.
Korean taco – truly a fusion street food, tacos filled with bulgogi, kimchi and other Korean food
Lobster roll – like a hot dog, but with lobster meat and mayonnaise instead of the sausage and mustard
Pilgrim – a sandwich with turkey, cranberries and cheddar cheese
Po’boy – a submarine sandwich from Louisiana consisting of baguette topped with roast beef or fried seafood
Salt pretzels
Steak sandwich – a bread roll with steak and different kinds of toppings. One of the best known versions is the Philly Cheesesteak with steak and melted cheese, often topped with diced onions, mustard and ketchup.

Oceania

Australia

Australian meat pie – a pie filled with minced meat and gravy, often topped with mashed potatoes and peas.
Pie floater – when the above meat pie is served floating in a bowl of pea soup, common in Adelaide
Sausage sizzle – the hot dog has an Aussie cousin too. The sausage sizzle is barbecued sausage served on slice bread with different toppings.

Polynesia

Ota ika/ika mata – raw fish that’s been marinated in citrus juice, spices and coconut milk, similar to the Peruvian ceviche

South America

Andean countries

Bolivia

Salteña – the Bolivian version of the empanada stuffed with beef, pork or chicken and a spicy sauce.
Tawatawa – sweet fried dough with syrup, served cold

Ecuador

Hornado – roast pork served with fried potato cakes (llapingacho) and maize
Tripa mishqui - barbecue beef tripe

Peru

Anticuchos – the Peruvian version of satay
Humita – paste made from fresh grated maize corns, boiled wrapped in corn husks, and turned into a dumpling. It can be combined with lard and salt and fresh cheese for a savory dish or with sugar, cinnamon and raisins for a sweet dish. Savory humitas may also be prepared with anise.
Papa rellena – stuffed potatoes, commonly stuffed with beef, onions, eggs and vegetables
Picarones – donuts with squash and sweet potato
Salchipapa – a mix of fried sausages and potatoes with coleslaw and chili

Brazil

Açaí na tigela – a smoothie of the thick creamy purple juice from the grated fruit of the açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea), topped with other fruits
Acarajé – deep-fried balls of black-eyed peas, originating in Africa.
Cachorro Quente – hot dog, often topped with green peas, maize and french fries
Coxinha – meat (usually chicken meat) formed into a cone and deep-fried
Pamonha – made with grated maize, identical to Peruvian humita
Pão de queijo – these “cheese breads” are eaten for breakfast
Pastel: deep-fried pastry filled with cheese, minced meat or ham
Tapioca (or more precisely, "beiju de tapioca"): made with the cassava starch, also known as tapioca starch. When heated in a pan, it coagulates and becomes a type of pancake or dry crepe, shaped like a disk. Some will serve it folded in half, others will roll it rocambole-style. The filling varies, but it can be done sweet or savory, with the most traditional flavors being grated coconut/condensed milk (sweet), beef jerky/coalho cheese, plain cheese, and butter (savory). It has become a "gourmet" food item, to be treated with creativity; nutella, chocolate, napolitano (pizza cheese/ham/tomato/oregano) and shredded chicken breast/catupiry cheese being almost standard options nowadays.

Northern South America

Colombia

Aborrajado – deep fried plantains stuffed with cheese
Almojábana – corn and cheese bread
Natilla – a custard dessert, usually eaten around Christmas

Guyana

Egg ball - a boiled egg encased in cassava and batter which is then deep fried. A version of the snack without the boiled egg in the middle also exists and is called cassava ball.

Venezuela

Arepas, which are essentially stuffed corn-flour dumplings, are a specialty of Venezuela and Colombia.
Cachapa – corn pancakes, traditionally eaten with queso de mano (“hand-made cheese”)

Southern Cone

Lomito - a lightly toasted streak sandwich originally from Argentina which has become popular in Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay too

Argentina

Choripán can be considered the hot dog's South American cousin. It is a grilled lengthwise cut chorizo in a baguette with chimichurri sauce poured over it.
Tortilla – in northern Argentina, this word refers to a sort of large, flat empanada

Chile

Completo – a Chilean version of the hot dog with chopped tomatoes, mayo and sauerkraut
Sopapilla – fried flat donuts that are also popular elsewhere in Latin America

Uruguay

Churro – often filled with jelly or dulce de leche
Garrapiñada – sugar-roasted peanuts and sometimes almonds found in Argentina and Uruguay
Torta frita – a Uruguayan sort of fried pancake, not totally dissimilar from Chilean sopaipilla

Drink

Street food is often eaten in warm climates, hence cooled soft drinks, water, fruit juice or beer are the most common beverages to drink together with this kind of food. Some drinks can also be considered street foods in themselves, for example Kvas, a fermented beverage with low alcohol content sold from stalls in Russia, Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe. Warm beverages such as coffee or tea are common with pastries or when it is cold outside. In Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States, a highlight of Christmas markets are the stalls selling Glühwein (mulled wine) to warm you up.

Africa

Asia

East Asia

Bubble tea (zhēnzhū nǎichá) - Originating from Taiwan, bubble tea or boba usually refers to sweet, milky tea containing chewy tapioca balls. Nowadays there are many varieties of bubble tea and it is popular with the East Asian diaspora all over the world.

Middle East

Boza – a thick, fermented beverage found in Turkey and neighboring countries in Southeast Europe and Western Asia. It is made from various grains such as wheat, corn, millet or barley and has a slight sweet-acidic flavor. It has a low alcohol content (1%) but has been tolerated to varying degrees by Islamic countries in this region.

Southeast Asia

Teh tarik – Malaysian black tea with milk poured several times to give it a distinct consistency and cool it

Southern Asia

Coconut water is found everywhere, but especially in the tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia. It is freshly made and seeing the vendor easily cut a coconut open in a matter of seconds is a part of the experience.
Falooda – a cold beverage made of syrup, vermicelli, basil, and tapioca
Lassi – a yoghurt-based beverage. Comes in salted and sweet forms. Mango and Rose are the most common sweet flavors.
Masala chai - literally meaning "mixed-spice tea", a concoction of black tea, a range of spices (most often at least continaing cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves), a sweetener (sugar, jaggery or honey) typically brewed in milk (water buffalo or cow). Masala chai is found nearly everywhere as a street drink in the subcontinent and has caught on elsewhere (and adapted to local tastes), particularly in the Gulf countries, East Africa and some Western countries.
Shikanjvi - a traditional lemonade drunk in Northern India and Pakistan. It is made from lemons, drinking water, sugar, ginger, salt and pepper.
Sugarcane juice is ubiquitous through the subcontinent.

Europe

Kvas – an Eastern European drink of fermented bread with low alcohol content. Popular on hot summer days.

North America

Tejuino – a Mexican, fermented corn beverage served cold with sorbet on the top

Oceania

Coconut water – is a staple across the Pacific Islands
Flat white – one of the most popular coffees in Australia and New Zealand. It is an espresso with milk but unlike a cappuccino, has no froth, and compared to a latte, has less microfoam. This results in a coffee which is velvety and smooth, strong but not bitter.

South America

Chicha – a fermented, generally alcoholic drink drunk throughout South and Central America. The most common type is chicha de jora, a type of corn beer.
Granizado – a Colombian drink of shaved ice, sweet milk and syrup
Salpicón – a refreshing Colombian fruit cocktail

Stay healthy

Understand that street food vendors do not necessarily have the same standard of hygiene as sit-down restaurants and cafés. Food that has been handled carelessly can carry bacteria, Hepatitis virus and other things that can upset your stomach and possibly even develop into something worse. You should be careful with food that has been sitting around for a long time. It is best if your food is prepared after you've ordered it and served hot. Generally speaking stalls with a high number of customers in a given time are more likely to serve fresh produce and less likely to have the food lying around too long.

Respect

It's a good idea to look at how other people eat; otherwise, the food might end up everywhere but in your mouth and/or you will make a spectacle of yourself. The latter would include eating with chopsticks with absolutely no prior experience, eating with your hands when nobody else does or eating with your left hand in Muslim countries where it is considered dirty.

This travel topic about Street food is a usable article. It touches on all the major areas of the topic. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.