There are some dishes like Caesar salad or Oysters Rockefeller that originated at a particular restaurant but are now known everywhere. I would consider them world-famous, although most people don’t know the name of the originating restaurant. And there are some individual restaurants that are well-known (at least among the foodies) around the world, such as the French Laundry, El Bulli or Tour d’Argent. But if you want to limit the discussion to food and drinks that are famous and widely associated with a particular restaurant, I can’t think of any, except for trademarked things like a Big Mac. The reason, of course, is that people copy recipes.
Yes, I think Coca-Cola is the only food product around I’ve never encountered someone not knowing. In China, a relatively restricted country just a few years ago, they’ve had Coke forever.
That and McDonals are pretty much the only “world famous” food.
Beijing Duck(Peking Duck) is also quite famous, but most people haven’t had it. The duck from Quanjude in Beijing is one of the best meals I’ve had in the world.
“WORLD FAMOUS” scallops from Digby, Nova Scotia.
I live around the corner from one of the few (or perhaps the only) Five Guys in New York City. For a fast-food burger, they’re fantastic. I’m addicted.
Do they make a really good hamburger? For five bucks, sure. For about twenty bucks, there is (or was – haven’t been there in more than a year) a place on Stone Street, in the Wall Street area, that makes the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life. It’s called Nebraska Beef. It isn’t nearly as famous as Five Guys.
A Singapore Sling - for example.
Everytime I had one here, it was made with orange juice. At Raffles, in Singapore it was pink and kind of foamy
The first thing that came to mind was a Hurricane from Pat O’Briens. Course that might just be nationally famous, especially considering our hurricanes are called something different entirely in other parts of the world.
It took me ages to think of a truly “world famous” food item from a restaurant that is NOT a large chain.
What about the beignets at the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans?
Practically anyone who’s familiar with New Orleans pictures people munching beignets while guzzling chicory coffee at the Cafe du Monde.
Mexican water ?
Personally, I doubt that any hamburger could be worth twenty bucks. Especially considering that you could go home and cook the same thing for a fraction of the price in under 15 minutes.
The reason for hamburgers is that they’re cheap and fast.
No… if a restaurant advertises “OUR world famous garlic fries”, they’re not claiming garlic fries are world famous… they’re marketing the idea that around the world people know Joe Blo’s garlic fries for their quality.
How universal is Spam? If you were to refer to it in, say, Sri Lanka would they know what you’re saying?
Next time you’re in Seattle, please allow me to provide a counterexample.
I would think Jack Daniels is more recognized than Johnnie Walker?
I’ve never eaten it, and I don’t even know if it’s good… but it’s definuitely famous:
The Navy Bean Soup served each day at the U.S. Senate cafeteria is very famous, if only as the answer to a trivia question!
Lipton is all they served in some hotels in Beijing and Shanghai. I argued that it was ridiculous that with all the good and inexpensive tea available, they would choose to serve much more expensive and famously bad tea. They do the same in Viet Nam though. They see it as sophisticated, maybe even partly because it is so bad.
I’m not sure it counts as a brand, but Mr. Bean is a phenomenon around the world, to the point now that kids in Viet Nam will call out Mr. Bean to me when I go by. (Though I look nothing like Rowan Atkinson, I swear!)
You’re right about Kobe - I’ve only ever encountered it online. I’ve no idea what the other ones were in that list, either!
Hershey’s is considered garbage in much of the world outside North America.
Heh. The Mr. Bean thing is bizarre and I can only think it is one of the mysteries of the East.
Not in Cameroon. Johnnie Walker was the liquor bottle to put in china cabinets and sell your peanuts from. The hard liquor people could actually afford to drink was sold in small single-shot plastic bags- like large soy sauce packets. One popular brand was “Johnny Walter.” Always got a chuckle out of me.
For Lipton, yeah, I’m a long way from Beijing.
I can’t recall seeing Spam any place.
Heinz ketchup seems to be pretty widely available. At least, I’ve seen it in China and now and then you could find it in Cameroon.
Do sloppy joes count as world famous?
Not to belabor the obvious but brand names are world famous when they are marketed around the world. Coca-Cola is generally considered the world’s most famous brand.
What I find interesting is when a specific location makes a recipe famous without necessarily branding it. Two examples come to mind.
Waldorf Salad. From the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC
Ranch dressing – The original was developed at Hidden Valley Ranch. The dressing was always a branded side business later expanded by a national marketer, but today anything “ranch” flavored derives its name from HVR.
Or Cobb Salad, named for the former owner of the Brown Derby.