Gastro Obscura
Just Released! The second edition of our bestselling book.
What's near me?
Gastro Obscura
Sate & Sake, opened two years ago, is quite likely the only Malaysian food truck in Italy.

Italy's Only Malaysian Food Truck Draws an Unlikely Crowd: Italians

Justin Yip's satay is winning over nationalistic eaters.

BY Luke Fater
The interior of Elsie's Tavern, made of wood, paper, glass, assorted trash, an incandescent bulb, and acrylic paint.

This Artist Builds Tiny, Lifelike Replicas of Beloved Dive Bars

Santa Barbara's weird underbelly, in miniature.

BY John Paul Titlow

The Biryani Cooked Inside Bamboo

Picturing China's Bamboo Chopstick Industry From the Sky

Blank
The Gastro Obscura Newsletter

Updates from Gastro Obscura, delivered twice a week.

Blank
Blank

Food & More

Place

Ear Inn

One of the city’s oldest watering holes was originally the home of a famous James Brown (not that one).
Drinks

Hot Springs Beer at Superior Bathhouse Brewery

This Arkansas town is known for its gangster history, its healing waters, and now its brews.
Place

Davies' Chuck Wagon Diner

One man's love for East Coast diner culture brought an entire eatery all the way from New Jersey to Colorado.
Prepared Foods

Our Lady of Lourdes French Meat Pie

This French Canadian classic is a specialty of the oldest continually used church in Minneapolis.
See All Food & Drink
Know about a wondrous food or drink? Add it to Atlas Obscura! »

Stories

A close-up of the coffee berry borer, guaranteed to haunt your dreams.

Solved: The Mysterious Origins of Your Coffee's Worst Nightmare

Researchers inspected 18,667 plant specimens to track down a caffeine-eating beetle.
BY Reina Gattuso
A baker makes fortune cookies at Hougyokudo in Kyoto, Japan.

The Japanese Bakeries Still Selling Fortune Cookies

Although widely considered Chinese American, the well-known treat was invented in Japan.
BY Selena Hoy
Neff's Diner in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was Gutman's go-to source for "Allentown-style" steak sandwiches.

America's 'Diner Man' Is Donating His Life’s Work to the Henry Ford Museum

Half a century of menus, matchboxes, and postcards finds a home.
BY Luke Fater
An aerial view of a massive collection of red chili peppers drying in the sun on October 7, 2019, in Xinjiang, China.

The Gobi Desert Is a Red Sea of Chili Peppers

They dry in the sun every autumn in China's Uyghur Autonomous Region.
BY Reina Gattuso
Antonio López de Santa Anna in his days as a dashing soldier, before his unglamorous exile.

How a Mexican General's Exile in Staten Island Led to Modern Chewing Gum

He captured the Alamo, lost Texas, and helped invent Tutti Frutti.
BY Will Conant
In the World Championship of Pâté-Croûte, aesthetic helps contestants stand out.

This Fraternity of Frenchmen Is Reviving the Beloved Pâté-Croûte

A foodie brotherhood launched a world competition dedicated to their favorite meaty pastry.
BY Emily Monaco
Archaeologists found these Late Bronze Age feeding vessels in Vösendorf, Austria.
Found: Milk Residue That Proves Ancient Europeans Used Cute-as-Heck Baby Bottles

The clay vessels are shaped like mythical animals.

BY Reina Gattuso