I ate my way through 3 European countries. Here are the 8 best things I tasted, from kebab in Vienna to cannoli in Rome.

On a two-week trip to Europe, I ate my way through Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.

I recently left my home in NYC to spend two weeks traveling by train through Europe, and the food was one of the best parts of my trip.

From Vienna, Austria, to Venice, Rome, and Milan, Italy, to Roggwil, Switzerland, I indulged in everything from extravagant restaurant dinners, to snacks I’d never seen before, and even cooked my own dishes using fresh ingredients.

I got my fix of seafood, pasta, and endless coffee while searching for the best cannoli in Italy. I stumbled upon grocery stores with unique offerings and delectable food carts on the streets of Vienna. And I cooked one of my favorite meals with food I bought at a gas station in Switzerland.

By the end of my trip, I found that there was delicious and amazing food to be had across price points in Europe, from nice restaurants and family-owned bakeries to street snacks and home cooked meals.

Here are the most memorable foods, drinks, and snacks I had the pleasure of tasting during my trip.

I tried a delicious Döner Kebab from a street cart in Vienna and couldn’t believe it only cost me $5.

Döner Kebab is a Turkish dish made of meat cooked and shaved from a vertical rotisserie and served in a sandwich with vegetables, Culture Trip reports.

According to the same source, many people believe a Turkish worker in Germany transformed the traditional Turkish meal of meat skewers served with vegetables and rice into an on-the-go street food in 1960, while others believe it originated in the Middle Ages.

Regardless of how it came to be, Culture Trip reports that Döner Kebab is a popular street food throughout Europe today, and I got a chance to try one when I stumbled upon a kebab cart outside of a park in Vienna.

I was already hungry, and when I saw the vertical rotisserie of chicken inside the cart, I decided this would be my lunch. I ordered a kebab sandwich with chicken, lettuce, tomato, red cabbage, and yogurt sauce for about $5.

Within two minutes of ordering, I had the sandwich in my hand. I took it to a bench in the nearby park and took a bite. It reminded me of a greek gyro, except instead of pita, I bit into perfectly toasted bread. I thought the chicken was well seasoned, giving it a ton of flavor, while the vegetables and yogurt gave the sandwich a refreshing contrast.

I thought the kebab was delicious, filling, and satisfying that I couldn’t believe it only cost me $5.

Then, I got some of freshest-squeezed orange juice I’ve ever tasted from a grocery store.

Later that same day, I stopped inside a Viennese grocery store to get some snacks to bring back to my Airbnb.

The store had an orange juice station where customers could grab a bottle and fill it with juice squeezed straight from an orange. I love orange juice, so this excited me as I explored the store.

I grabbed a bottle, placed it underneath the machine, and pressed the big, orange button to watch my bottle fill up with juice as it was squeezed right out of an orange. I had never seen a machine like this, and thought it was fascinating to watch. Later, I learned that orange juicing machines are a common sight in Europe, according to Fresh Plaza.

I thought the juice tasted as fresh as it looked, and was the right combination of sweet and tart. Since I wasn’t expecting to find the orange juice machine, I thought it was a sweet surprise to end my day of exploring Vienna. Next time I’m in Europe, I’ll seek out more grocery stores with these machines.

When I arrived in Italy, I picked up Nutella Biscuits from the train station in Venice, and it’s my new favorite snack.

I had a little bit of time to kill when I arrived in the Venice train station, so I looked for snacks that aren’t available in the US. These Nutella Biscuits I found in a convenience store stood out to me because I love Nutella, and I had never seen it sandwiched between biscuits before.

According to Bakery and Snacks, the shortbread biscuits filled with Nutella originated in France in April 2019 and expanded to Italy seven months later.

I’m a Nutella fanatic. I’ve paired Nutella with a wide variety of snacks in the past, from pretzels and pita chips to apples and toast, but none of those combinations were as delicious as these biscuits. I thought they had the perfect ratio of Nutella to biscuit, filling my mouth with two sweet textures: crunchy cookie crumbles and buttery hazelnut chocolate cream. I munched on these biscuits throughout the day and couldn’t stop myself from making it a midnight snack, as well.

My heart sank as I ate the last Nutella biscuit, wondering when I’d be able to taste them again since I haven’t seen them in my grocery stores in NYC. Luckily, I found them on Amazon for $10.99, so I won’t have to wait for my next trip to Europe.

During my first night in Venice, I had the best scallops I’ve ever tasted.

I was craving seafood during my first night in Venice, so I went to Rio Novo, a seafood restaurant right on the canal. I picked this restaurant because it’s known for having really good seafood, according to Trip Advisor.

For me, the highlight of the meal was the appetizer. I ordered the Capesante alla griglia con rucola, which translates to grilled scallops with arugula, for about $20. The scallops were served in shells with olive oil and a drip of balsamic vinegar over a simple salad with arugula and cherry tomatoes.

I knew from the first bite that these were the best scallops I’d ever had. They were moist, soft, and tender with a sweet, buttery taste, which I thought contrasted perfectly with the bitter arugula. And a squeeze of lemon added an acidic tang that topped off the flavor perfectly, in my opinion.

Located near the taxi pick-up lot in Venice, I think Rio Novo is a solid dinner spot for seafood-loving travelers on their way out of the city.

In Rome, I cooked freshly-made pasta for the first time, and I thought it tasted like it came from a nice restaurant.

I knew I wanted to try cooking fresh pasta while in Italy, so when I stayed at an Airbnb in Rome with a kitchen, I thought it was the ideal time to make my own meal.

In Vatican City, I found a store selling freshly-made pasta, Pasteria di Ludovica Rossi. For about $10, I got a portion of tagliolini for two people. After heading to a nearby market for some marinara, parmesan, and basil, I went back to the Airbnb to cook it.

Directed by the seller, I boiled the pasta for only three minutes to get that perfect, al dente cook. I cut up some garlic provided by my Airbnb host and added it to the sauce before topping it off with ripped up basil chunks and a sprinkle of parmesan.

As I began dining, I couldn’t believe this home-cooked meal cost me less that $20. To me, it looked and tasted like something I could get at a nice restaurant that would cost much more.

I thought the fresh tagliolini was chewier and lighter than other pasta dishes I’ve had in the past. It’s distinct texture and fresh taste made me want to go back to the Pasteria and try to make other pastas, like ravioli and tortellini. I thought it was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever cooked.

I did my research to find the best cannoli in Italy, and I tasted it in Rome.

Cannolis are an Italian staple dessert, and they’re one of my favorite sweets of all time that I’ve been eating since I was a kid. In my experience, cannolis typically consist of a crispy shell filled with mascarpone cream.

When I visited Italy, I knew I had to try as many traditional Italian cannolis as possible, and ate one in each city I visited. When researching pastry shops in Rome, I came across Regoli Pasticceria. According to their website, Regoli Pasticceria is a family-run operation that opened in 1916, so I thought it would be a great place to get a traditionally-made cannoli. The store was filled with a variety of Italian pastries, and I ordered a few, but none were as good as the cannoli, in my opinion.

After taking one bite of the cannoli, I could already tell it was the best one I’ve ever had. I thought the shell wasn’t as crispy as its New York counterparts. This was a good thing: instead, it was light and soft, but not mushy. The cream had a subtle hint of pistachio and citrus with just the right amount of sweetness. I savored every last bite, knowing that I probably wouldn’t have another cannoli this good for a long time.

In Milan, I drank a cafe shake made with fresh gelato, and it was the best coffee drink I had in Europe.

I tried coffee drinks every day while I was in Europe, thanks to the continent’s rich cafe scene, according to National Geographic.

I drank lattes, cappuccinos, and cold brews while exploring every city I visited. But the Starbucks Roastery Reserve in Milan served me a drink that stood out from the rest — the cafe gelato shake made with espresso and vanilla gelato using an affogato machine.

Affogato is a dessert coffee drink with espresso poured over a scoop of ice cream or gelato, according to Food Network. Italian food writer Anna Del Conte called affogato “one of Italy’s most delectable modern dishes” in her book “Gastronomy of Italy,” The New York Times reported. According to the same article, affogato can be made with chocolate, vanilla, dulce de leche, or cherry amaretto ice cream.

At the Starbucks Roastery Reserve in Milan, fresh gelato is made for each order, using an affogato machine, according to Starbucks. The Reserve collaborated with Italian gelato artisan Alberto Marchetti to create a nitrogen-infused gelato, according to the extensive menu.

When I took a sip of the cafe gelato shake, I found it to be light and creamy with a strong vanilla bean flavor complimenting the coffee taste. I thought the fresh gelato made it fluffier than other shakes I’ve had.

Back home in New York, I still think about this shake every day while I’m drinking my morning coffee, longing for the rich, creamy, vanilla taste of fresh gelato to pair with my caffeine addiction.

I spent my last night in Europe cooking sausages over a fire in the village of Roggwil, Switzerland, and it was a major highlight.

My last stop in Europe was Zurich, Switzerland, and I stayed in an Airbnb in the nearby village of Roggwil.

The Airbnb came with a fire pit and I picked up some sausages from a gas station to try it out, since Roggwil’s grocery store wasn’t open.

Sausage, known in Switzerland as “wurst,” is a popular food in the country, according to Food and Travel. So I was excited to try some for myself.

I wasn’t expecting the sausages to be anything special, since I got them from a gas station. But they were absolutely delicious.

Paired with hard rolls and pickles, I felt the sausage pop in my mouth as I took my first bite. Cooking them over the fire gave the sausages a smoky flavor that contrasted well with the refreshing crunch of the pickles.

I was surprised to find that even when shopping for food in the most unexpected places in Europe, like a gas station, I was able to find fresh, local ingredients to make really great meals.

Of all the delicious food I ate in Europe, I was the most surprised to find that the meals I made myself were some of the best.

While enjoying my last dinner in Europe, I reflected on all the food I ate during my journey.

I was fortunate to taste many wonderful prepared foods throughout my trip, but I was also proud of myself for choosing to cook on a couple of occasions. I was even more proud to find that the meals I cooked were some of the best I ate in all of my travels, thanks to all the readily available, fresh ingredients.

Next time I’m in Europe, I hope to cook more of my own food and shop at the many farmer’s markets I saw in each city.