Riñoncitos al Jugo @ Rinoncitos Julia
This is the ultimate late-night snack - juicy and tasty and best not studied too closely by the light of day. For 26 years, Julia Orillana has taken up her post on the street opposite the open-air theater and a small stadium (Cancha Zapata) to serve hungry taxi and truck drivers and students as they weave home late at night. While a little out of the way, her stall is a block off the main central avenue, Av Arce, and just four blocks from Plaza Bolivia - a short stroll after a long night out for those in the know. The little plate she serves is heaped with little cubes of liver, cooked in her secret “caldo,” which she reveals contains beer and beef stock as a base. The liver rests on a bed of grated carrot and is topped with a fried egg, the famous llajua hot sauce and a couple of bread rolls to soak up the juice.

Anticuchos @ Anticuchos Fatima
Although most associate Peru with anticuchos – flame-grilled beef heart on a skewer - the Bolivian version has a little extra something special that, in many eyes, puts it a little step ahead. The little carts dotted here and there on street corners, with flames bursting up every now and again as sauce and fat dribble onto the coals below, are ubiquitous throughout La Paz, but Fatima Delgadiño - who will without fail be on her corner to welcome you with an evening snack or a late-night or early-morning comfort food - has mastered that Bolivian touch. The meat is top quality and perfect texture, and the potato traditionally speared on the top is a local Andean variety, papa Emilia, and is a treat. But the masterstroke is the aji, the peanut and yellow pepper chili sauce you drizzle on just before eating that elevates Fatima's anticuchos to the divine.

Empanadas de Puerco Barbacoa @ V-Sweet
Empanadas are popular in Panama and can be made of corn or flour dough, baked or fried, large or bite size. At V-Sweet, they serve more than 12 varieties of empanadas: ricotta cheese, buffalo wings, ropa vieja, chopped steak, potato and chorizo and chicken in recao sauce, among others. My favorite and that of many is the one filled with pulled pork in a smoky barbecue sauce. They also have a nice size, making it a satisfying light lunch or snack. Don't wait. Lines form to buy these empanadas and they run out early.

Bacon Chapatti Wrap @ Babu Bombay Street Kitchen
This café-style venue and takeaway cooks up pukka Indian street food and home-style curries. For a delicious start to the day, try the Bacon Chapatti Wrap. This Scottish/Indian fusion will tickle your spice buds with smoked bacon, red onion and lettuce topped with green chilli and coriander mayo wrapped in a chapatti.

Shack Burger @ Rum & Crab Shack
Eight little battered legs poking out of a brioche roll may be slightly off-putting, but I recommend closing your eyes, opening your mouth and sinking your teeth into The Rum & Crab Shack’s sublime soft shelled crab burger. There are at least 10 crab dishes on the menu, including crab on toast, whole spider crabs, and crab claws for the kids. Other mouthwatering dishes include a crab, ling, chorizo and prawn jambalaya; blackened sea bream fillet with sweet potato fries and chargrilled corn; and comforting, yet luxurious lobster macaroni. The Rum & Crab Shack is tucked away upstairs on the harbor front in picturesque St Ives. Cozy and relaxed, it is the perfect spot to while away the hours working your way through the extensive rum list (38 at last count).

Cinnamon sorbet and cheese empanada  @ Helado de Canela
Now an institution, Helado de Canela was started in 1952 by Vincente Costas and a few friends, who learned a simple technique for making cinnamon sorbet from some Italian immigrants. They set up a handful of stalls near the cemetery and are still there today, run by the second generation of “heladeros.” Tucked behind the flower market opposite the cemetery, they offer their bright red towers of icy sweetness up to passersby and mourners alike. The accompanying traditional cheese empanada eases the brain freeze and balances out the sugar high.

Mini Abará @ Cafe do Alto
Café do Alto is situated in the heart of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood and specializes in dishes from Northeastern Brazil. Abará is a classic Afro-Brazilian dish from this region, which takes the form of mini tamales made from a steamed puree of black-eye peas, spiced with fragrant dendê (palm oil) and neatly wrapped in banana leaves. Open up the little packages and then get heavily involved with the delicious side orders of vatapá (a rich and complex dip made from peanuts and dried shrimp) and a zingy Brazilian vinagrete (a rough mix of chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions given a liberal dousing in vinegar and olive oil).

Custard Tarts @ Manteigaria
This small bakery and café in Camões Square only sells addictive custard tarts (pastéis de nata) and it is ruining our waistlines! These tarts are just perfect: buttery and served warm, then sprinkled with cinnamon. It's a small place, but it has a large glass window to the kitchen where you can watch the fabulous bakers do wonders with the puff pastry and the custard. They’ll even pose for photos. It's open every day until midnight and queues are often worse at night.

Crab & Pork Soup Dumplings @ Shanghai Cafe Deluxe
Shanghai Café Deluxe in Chinatown has largely been named as the best place for xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings, in Manhattan. The handmade wrappers are folded around flavorful, meaty fillings to form the familiar purse shape dumplings. The food is cheap, served quickly and tastes great. In particular, the crab & pork soup dumpling boasts a rich interior that combines the delicate ocean taste of crab essence with the heady taste of pork, and when dipped in the black vinegar and ginger elevates the entire experience. Shanghai Café is worth a visit for any soup dumpling aficionado.

Laulau @ Kaaloa's Super J's
Janice cooks this Polynesian masterpiece in her home. Taro leaves picked from her garden and used as little pockets to wrap pork, which is seasoned and steamed to perfection. The Kalua pork and cabbage is great as well, but do not leave the big island without trying this luxurious plate in humble surroundings.