6 Amazing Beaches for Street Food
Nothing sounds tastier after a long day of surfing and swimming than a plateful of tacos or pad thai washed down by the waters from a freshly cut coconut. If you love beaches and authentic flavor, look no further than these six amazing beaches chock full of food trucks, stalls, markets and wagons.
Phuket, Thailand
Thailand is famous for its delectable and affordable street food. However, Phuket is the mecca for beach street food. Day and night, keep a look out for hawker stalls that sell everything from fresh fruit to meat skewers. Many stalls sell and serve Indian, Thai, Malay and Chinese cuisine. Near the beach you’ll find endless fruit stalls, motorbike meat vendors, rattan barbecue baskets and mobile pancake (roti) stands.
Zanzibar, Africa
Along with white sandy beaches, Zanzibar is known for its street food throughout Stone Town. Look out for the street side barbecue meat stands serving up hot skewers of grilled chicken and vegetables. Another notable and native specialty is the local coffee infused with ginger and spices. Locals serve this drink from massive tea kettles alongside the road.
Riviera Maya, Mexico
From Akumal to Tulum, visitors can explore a myriad of beaches and street food. Locals roam the beach selling chilled tropical fruit and stalls serving freshly cut coconut. The most popular spot in Tulum is by far Antojitos La Chiapaneca. Antojitos—meaning snack in Spanish—offers incredibly cheap tacos where you can add your own toppings at the fixings bar. Many people order the carne carved off a spit with grilled pineapple. The tacos are not large but cost around 50 cents each.
Sicily, Italy
If you want the best of both worlds—quintessential beaches and authentic cuisine—look no further than Sicily. Italians know how to live and eat. Here you can find an assortment of savory and sweet street foods including the popular pani ca muesa (veal lung and spleen sandwich) and stigghiola (grilled sheep on a stick). If boiled octopus isn’t your thing, try the historic cannolo (cannoli) or arancina (rice ball).
Mauritius
Although known for its honeymoon resorts and vacation packages, Mauritius is the perfect place to explore cheap beachside eats. The island comprises of 80 percent Indian natives along with colonized Madagascans and French, which creates an eclectic mix of local fare in this east African island. This is the perfect spot for vegetarians since most stalls serve meatless food. From mobile bikes to steel carts, these stalls serve everything from fresh fruits to rice dishes to pickles. Other notable specialties include sugar cane juice, farata gajacks (fried snacks), dholl puri (flat bread), biryani (rice dish) and Archards Victorian Pineapples. The Port Louis Market is the best spot for an introduction to Mauritian street food.
Goa, India
Goa is the place where the ocean, backpackers and cheap eats unite. Up and down the shoreline visitors can find stalls and stands serving up everything from bags of cashews to mango lassi (a fruit yogurt drink). Goa serves up plenty of affordable and local eats at open-air restaurants. Many claim the vindaloo is extra spicy, but well worth trying.
