Saveur

By SAVEUR Editors Published on July 30, 2026 Want to know where to eat and drink in Ho Chi Minh City (commonly still known as Saigon)? Don’t miss “The Tasting Menu: Saigon,” our new four-part video series that explores the Vietnamese city’s culinary landscape through the local chefs and experts who know it best. Moving seamlessly between beloved street-food stalls and buzzy contemporary restaurants, the series aims to bridge the past, present, and future of dining in Saigon.

By Dan Q. Dao Published on July 30, 2026 Ho Chi Minh City, commonly still known as Saigon, is a breakfast-lover’s paradise where mornings can begin with anything from steaming bowls of noodle soup and crisp bánh mì to sizzling Vietnamese steak and eggs, or bò né. But to understand the city’s culinary identity, follow the unmistakable smell of pork fat hitting hot charcoal to find yourself a plate of cơm tấm.

By Anya Tchoupakov Published on July 28, 2026 In Scotland—like the rest of the U.K.—the pub is thoroughly woven into daily life. It’s where friendships are built, enemies avoided, and favors exchanged. Whether it’s a postwork pint, a catchup over a soda and lime, or an unexpected adventure, the pub is where that all too elusive “community” is forged. And with the Scottish capital’s history of whisky-making, bottle-forging, and international trade, you can find every kind of spot in Edinburgh.

By Farideh Sadeghin Published on July 24, 2026 Popular throughout Arizona, especially in Tucson, this bacon-wrapped, topping-heavy hot dog originated in the 1970s in Hermosillo, the capital of the Mexican state of Sonora. Its special bolillo-style roll is incredibly soft and usually steamed, and it comes with a couple of charred chiles güeros on the side.

By Nick Gillespie Published on July 23, 2026 In Providence, Dune Brothers Seafood serves this Italian American poached squid salad—packed with Genoa salami, Castelvetrano olives, and briny giardiniera—on a slab of toasted sourdough smeared with garlic aïoli. A drizzle of Agrumato olive oil, co-pressed with lemons, brings a citrusy brightness to the finished dish. If you don’t have Agrumato, you can substitute with some extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh lemon zest.

By Barton Seaver Published on July 23, 2026 This piece originally appeared in SAVEUR’s Spring/Summer 2026 issue. See more stories from Issue 206. Ten-armed and otherworldly, squid loom large in literature and lore, often imagined as fin-soldiers of misfortune for cantankerous gods. Captains Nemo, Ahab, Sparrow, and Zissou were all haunted in some way by these avatars of the unknowable sea. One autumn midnight in Maine, while meditating on the eventide waters, I experienced my own haunting.

By Sonoko Sakai Published on July 23, 2026 This sashimi-style dish originates in Hakodate, a city in Hokkaido on Japan’s Tsugaru Strait, which is famous for its rich bounty of seafood. Sliced into thin ribbons, raw squid (ika) mimics the appearance and slippery texture of traditional somen noodles while retaining its natural sweetness and subtle salty flavor.

By Alexander Smalls Published on July 23, 2026 A cluster of islands off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar is famous for its fragrant spiced stews and diversity of local seafood, including this squid curry. In this part of the Indian Ocean, bigfin reef squid are most common—a variety with a large, round fin similar to their cuttlefish cousins, but any small-to medium-size squid will work in this recipe from cookbook author Alexander Smalls.

By James London Published on July 23, 2026 Herb-packed green harissa brings a vibrant edge to this grilled squid dish from James London, the chef behind Chubby Fish and Seahorse in Charleston, South Carolina. Balanced by buttery Yukon Gold potatoes and the gentle brine of Castelvetrano olives, the results are bright, smoky, and colorful. For extra depth of flavor, London suggests grilling the squid over hardwood charcoal.

By Ros Rotanak Published on July 23, 2026 One of Cambodia’s cherished delicacies, this dish from chef and educator Ros Rotanak features tender, smoky grilled squid stuffed with minced pork and kroeung, a foundational Khmer ingredient made from lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves. Balanced with a sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce and drizzled with aromatic oil, this dish “reflects the coastal abundance and love for harmony in Cambodian cuisine,” Rotanak says.