Online travel guide TasteAtlas recently released its Best 100 Dishes list of 2025, with 11 dishes coming from Southeast Asia. Being near or at the equator has given our region an abundance in nutrients and resources, as well as flavors that hit that unique sweet spot for foodies. Join us as we take a look at the Southeast Asian dishes that made it to the prestigious list.
Indonesia
Indonesia is the only country in Southeast Asia to break through the top five with sate kambing at the fourth spot. This Indonesian skewer is a traditional dish popular in Java. It’s made with goat or mutton and is marinated in a mix of spices like kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), galangal, ground shallots, pineapple juice, and chili peppers, then grilled and served with kecap manis, peanut sauce, or chili sauce.
Soto betawi is another popular Indonesian dish that lands at 29th place. This hearty beef soup is said to have originated in Jakarta, and contains meaty beef and offal chunks simmered in a coconut milk broth, alongside spices like lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, kefir lime leaves, and coriander.
Indonesia’s 42nd placer, sate padang is a skewer best known for its bold, turmeric-infused, and mildly spicy gravy. It’s a dish originating from Padang, West Sumatra and served on banana leaves with steamed rice cakes (ketupat or lontong) and topped with crispy fried shallots for texture variety.
All in all, Indonesia’s dishes highlight savory, spicy and hot flavors that it’s well known for.
Philippines
The Philippines’ highest ranking dish is at 40—the chicken inasal—a marinated chicken dish that’s grilled and served with rice. The dish originates from Western Visayas and has become a favorite, with Bacolod City declaring it as an important cultural property.
Sinigang na baboy takes the 52nd spot. Known for its distinct sour base, the dish is made with various pork cuts that’s simmered alongside tamarind fruit, accompanied by tomatoes, onions, garlic, okra, white radish, water spinach and green long peppers. Meanwhile, the more general sinigang dish takes 60th spot, which can be cooked using various ingredients like fish, milkfish, shrimp, chicken, or beef alongside water spinach, hot peppers, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, diced tomatoes, sliced onions, ginger, garlic, green beans, fish sauce, and salt.
Each dish highlights the richness of Filipino cuisine through the interplay of sweet, salty and sour flavors.
Thailand
At 30th place is Thailand’s Phanaeng curry. The name of the dish is based on an ancient way of preparing chicken, where the legs are crossed and set in an upright position. It’s traditionally made with chicken, but can also be made with beef, duck, or pork stewed in coconut milk, panang curry paste, makrut lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar.
Just one place below at 31 is Northern Thailand’s khao soi—a slightly spicy egg noodle soup combining coconut milk and red curry paste. The dish is topped with chicken, beef, or pork, and with crisp fried noodles and chopped cilantro. Some say that this soup is a fusion of Chinese, Burmese, and Laotian influences from Muslims who have travelled from these areas to Thailand.
Tom kha gai, Thailand’s national dish, takes the 44th spot. Its name translates to boiled galangal chicken soup and is made with coconut milk, chicken chunks or shreds, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, bird’s eye chili peppers, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and shiitake mushrooms. You can make other variants of this dish, including vegetarian, tofu, seafood, and pork tom kha.
The last Thai dish on the list is Phat kaphrao at 92nd place. It’s a traditional stir-fry dish that combines minced meat or seafood with holy basil alongside shallots, garlic, and chili peppers. Phat kaphrao is often served with rice, fried eggs, and fish sauce on the side.
Each dish representing Thailand showcases their versatile use of aromatic herbs and spices.
Vietnam
Vietnam’s bun bo nam bo (Southern Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad) takes the 81st spot. This stir-fry dish consists of beef, rice vermicelli noodles, garlic, cilantro, mint, and vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, bean sprouts, with the option of adding roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
Meanwhile, the pho bo (Beef pho) takes the 83rd spot. This beef-based version of pho is usually served in a bowl along with rice noodles and made with an assortment of beef cuts and parts with the broth made from beef bones, shank, ox tail, and neck. The toppings include thinly sliced fatty brisket (gau), flank, eye-round steak, tripe, cooked and raw beef (tai nạm), tendon (gan), or beef balls (pho bo vien).
These two dishes show Vietnam’s unique take on noodle dishes and toppings, highlighting fresh ingredients and leafy greens.
These dishes showcase the vastness of Southeast Asian cuisine, showing the variety of unique and interesting flavors that the region has to offer. If you want to learn more about each Southeast Asian dish, you can read the full list on the TasteAtlas website.
Have you tasted any of these dishes before? Tell us in the comments!