20 Best Hostels Around The World For Food Slideshow
19) Kex Hostel in Reykjavik, Iceland
Kex is a new, modern concept for a hostel that inserts luxury standards into the hostel experience. Their onsite café is no exception. Explains food and beverage manager Ólafur Ágústsson, "It´s very important for us to serve food which is super tasty, super simple and super local." Their seasonally changing menu might include fresh fish, lamb, or vegetarian dishes, and many of their meals are prepared to pair well with their selection of beers.
18) Oasis Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal
Like its sister hostel in Granada, Oasis Hostel in Lisbon recognizes that a stay in a foreign city isn't complete without a taste of the local food scene. Twice a month, the hostel leads gastronomic tours of the city's culinary specialties. To get your day started, Oasis cooks up a standout breakfast every morning. Choose from tosta mista (grilled ham and cheese sandwich), muesli with yogurt and homemade jam, or scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.
17) Betel Box in Singapore
Like any good hostel, Betel Box offers free breakfast and a fully equipped kitchen, but they also offer free food tours to its guests of the surrounding Joo Chiat neighborhood, a district known for its outstanding cuisine. The tours last anywhere from three to 12 hours, and during one record-breaking tour participants consumed a total of 36 dishes. Be prepared to be overfed with dishes like curry puffs, durian, or chili crab.
16) Hostel Nari-Nari in Marrakech, Morocco
Visitors to Hostel Nari-Nari in Marrakech rave about the delicious free breakfast, which includes an assortment of breads and "honey to die for." Moroccan cooking classes are available to guests for an additional price, and there's plenty of mint tea on hand to make you feel like a local.
14) Villa Saint Exupéry Gardens in Nice, France
Villa Exupéry is located within a converted monastery and filled with art from the likes of Chagall and Monet, but the real draw is the food: Recent specials at the hostel's restaurant included chile lime salmon with minted couscous, stir-fry vegetables, and chicken with potato purée and honey roasted carrots.
13) Green Tortoise Hostel in San Francisco, CA
Green Tortoise Hostel has been providing healthy meals to its guests for decades. According to Lyle Kent, president of Green Tortoise Adventure Travel, "Cooking and eating... offers more than just satisfied appetite but a social experience as well." The hostel provides a hearty and healthy free breakfast every day of organic oatmeal and fresh fruit, and free dinner three times per week including dishes like pasta primavera and Thai curry.
12) Canadiana Backpackers Inn in Toronto, Canada
The breakfasts offered in most hostels are letdowns, and backpackers are usually lucky to leave with enough food to fuel their morning. Not so at Canadiana Backpackers Inn in Toronto, which includes a complimentary all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and around-the-clock coffee and tea.
11) Mosquito Hostel in Krakow, Poland
Along with the price of your stay, Mosquito Hostel in Krakow includes free breakfast and dinner. It's no homemade pierogies — think spaghetti and hot dogs — but the portions are hearty and, like any good Eastern European host, they pour vodka on the weekends.
10) Hostel Pangea in San José, Costa Rica
Hostel Pangea in Costa Rica holds hostel dining to a high standard. Their restaurant uses only organic ingredients bought at the local market, according to co-owner Andres Poveda Solano. The burgers are popular around the city, and guests demand to know the secret ingredient to their fresh ceviche and quesadillas.
9) Hostel Tevere in Warren, VT
Hostel Tevere offers more than comfortable lodging in Vermont's scenic Mad River Valley; their in-house restaurant cooks up breakfast and dinner at affordable prices. Highlights of a recent menu included winter salad, poutine, and a maple whiskey mousse.
8) Menaggio Youth Hostel on Lake Como, Italy
Breakfast is included with a stay at Menaggio Youth Hostel, but you can also enjoy lunch and dinner (think bruschetta, pizzas, and salads) at the hostel's restaurant, which overlooks Lake Como. For further cultural immersion, you can learn to cook Italian cuisine yourself at one of the hostel's cooking classes.
7) Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio
The Malabar Farm youth hostel is located on a working farm in Ohio's Malabar Farm State Park. For a taste of the harvest, you can visit the farm's onsite restaurant that serves dishes like herbed goat cheese and onion soup using products from the farm. For those who prefer to catch their own food, you can fish for bluegill and catfish from the farm ponds.
6) Be Hostels in Barcelona, Spain
All visitors to one of Be Hostel's five locations in Barcelona receive a free drink and classic tapa. Each hostel also offers free breakfast, a fully equipped kitchen, and arranges culinary activities such as a tapas and flamenco tour.
5) Ostinatto Hostel in Buenos Aires, Argentina
The complimentary breakfast at Ostinatto Hostel in Buenos Aires goes above and beyond, including multiple kinds of fruit, cereals, bread, and "dulce de leche butter" (that in itself may be worth the trip). Every week the hostel hosts asado, or BBQ, nights where you can meet fellow backpackers and partake in an Argentinean tradition.
4) La Hamaca Hostel in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
"Eating is one of traveling's most celebrated experiences, " claims La Hamaca Hostel, and the hosts take that to heart by including homemade food as part of their hostel's experience. Along with cold beer and cocktails, meals prepared by the house cook Tesla Oviedo contribute to the homey atmosphere at La Hamaca.
Recent meals have consisted of beef stir-fry, ceviche, and waffles with ice cream for dessert.
3) Villa Salis Hostel in Sète, France
This youth hostel is located on the top of a steep hill overlooking the seaside town of Sète and the Mediterranean Sea. The hostel takes advantage of the view by serving delicious free breakfasts and affordable evening meals on the outside terrace. Meal options in the past have included kebab, grilled Merguez sausages with fries, salad, and pie with ice cream for dessert.
2) Esencia Nativa Hostel in La Libertad, El Salvador
Esencia Nativa makes backpackers and surfers feel at home in their small Central American beach town with fresh fruit smoothies. Their onsite restaurant overlooks the ocean and serves traditional breakfasts, fresh seafood, pizzas, and veggie burgers.
1) Oasis Hostel in Granada, Spain
Located in Granada, Spain's historic Albaicín district, Oasis Hostel welcomes backpackers with a complimentary drink and breakfast. Even better are the tapas tours held each Tuesday and Thursday, where guests are guided through a visit of the best bars in one of the last cities in Spain where the tapas are still free.