Culinary Backstreets

Step off the train at Atocha and Bar El Brillante is waiting: cold cañas, fast service and a bocadillo de calamares that delivers exactly what Madrid has always promised. Writer Leah Pattem on the perfect station bar. hubs.la/Q04pjl6H0

Whether you call it a hero or a sub, there are lots of great sandwiches to snap up in Queens. Here’s our guide to a few favorites: hubs.la/Q04pj6Hv0

A prize-winning flan, black sesame pastries and polished viennoiserie where Korean flavors and French technique meet in the 6th arrondissement. Rachel Naismith on Mille & Un, one of Saint-Germain's most compelling new addresses. On Culinary Backstreets → hubs.la/Q04pj7kC0

You hear the sizzle before you see it. A swirl of smoke, the flick of a wrist, and then…there it is. The best tacos de cabeza (head tacos) in the country, so-called for their use of each and every bit of this part of the cow. hubs.la/Q04nFzj90

Japan is famous for its bullet trains, and any ride on the Shinkansen is the perfect opportunity to enjoy an ekiben, the iconic bento filled with an assortment of delicacies tucked into a container and eaten in bite-size pieces. hubs.la/Q04nF7FB0

In Palermo, we don’t need a time machine to travel to the past. Stepping into Trattoria Altri Tempi, it’s possible to be transported by the nostalgia of classic flavors from a time when Sicilian cuisine still retained its distinct identity. hubs.ly/Q04nFwP-0

Not much has changed at John's Pizzeria in Queens, where the Bagali family serve up best-in-town slices in a nostalgia-inducing setting. hubs.la/Q04nFgpW0

At Nunduvé in Oaxaca City, a biologist leads honey tastings, from wild sunflower to Melipona beecheii, the ancient stingless bee honey the Maya once considered sacred. hubs.la/Q04nyDnD0

In Korea, soy-marinated raw crab is called "rice thief," because once it arrives at the table, the rice disappears faster than you planned. At Jinmi Sikdang in Seoul's Mapo district, writer Yeonjoo Jung finds one of the city's finest versions. hubs.la/Q04nzd9P0

The pho and egg rolls made Golden Deli a legend — but don’t sleep on the cookies. Buttery, delicate, and always selling out, they’re a quiet obsession in the SGV. hubs.la/Q04ny9Ww0

Near Exposition Park, just down the road from some of the World Cup's biggest matches, Fuegos L.A. is serving Argentine empanadas, wood-grilled meats and medialunas in a South LA space that was already a neighborhood fixture before the tournament arrived. hubs.la/Q04nzcS70

There's a World Cup match in LA this week. Don't waste the hours between arrival and kickoff eating badly! Writer Danny Jensen has mapped the essential addresses near SoFi Stadium: hubs.la/Q04nyn1z0

Near Bangkok's Chinatown, a young noodle shop is already drawing a loyal lunch crowd with handmade egg noodles in aromatic garlic oil, BBQ pork and crispy pork belly. → hubs.la/Q04nymH90

Summer is heating up, and we’re still looking for the best cold noodles to slurp. With all the world’s cuisines represented here in Los Angeles, there are a number of places to grab a bowl. hubs.la/Q04nzwqM0

Since 1888, Casa Mingo on Paseo de la Florida has been doing exactly two things: roast chicken and Asturian cider. Writer Leah Pattem on one of Madrid's most enduring institutions → hubs.la/Q04nyz4R0

In Palermo, we don’t need a time machine to travel to the past. Trattoria Altri Tempi is a cornerstone of authentic Sicilian tradition, where it’s possible to be transported by the nostalgia of classic flavors from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. hubs.la/Q04mXsn10

Pad kaprao might be Thailand’s true national dish—spicy, fragrant, and found everywhere from breakfast stalls to office lunchboxes. Now, you don’t have to be in Bangkok to try it. Grab the recipe and bring this holy basil stir-fry into your own kitchen. hubs.la/Q04mXx-80

Bruno Ribeiro and Francisco Bernardo set out to make the perfect ham-and-cheese sandwich, and they really committed: tweaking cheese, bread, ham and even slicing by hand. hubs.la/Q04mXzfy0

When we crave an island escape this summer, we head to To Hohlidaki, an ouzeri experience that feels like a tour of Greece from the comfort of a quaint Athenian neighborhood. hubs.ly/Q04mX21C0

On a sidewalk on Calle García Vigil in Oaxaca, Antonia Santos cooks chiles rellenos, milanesas and handmade tortillas the way she learned at home, and has been doing so long enough to have regulars who wouldn't eat anywhere else. hubs.ly/Q04mX0Jl0