- More than 180 of the largest U.S. cities have been compared across twenty-nine key metrics.
- The data set ranges from affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita to craft breweries and wineries per capita.
- Driven by wavering pandemic guidelines, more establishments have also moved to outdoor areas, which include smaller, more intimate settings, and contactless ordering.
With October 16 being World Food Day and restaurant prices rising 5.4% between July 2020 and July 2021, industry analysts today released their report on 2021’s Best Foodie Cities in America, as well as accompanying expert commentary.
To determine the best and cheapest local foodie scenes, the experts compared more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities across 29 key metrics. The data set ranges from affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita to craft breweries and wineries per capita.
| Top 20 Foodie Cities in America | ||
| 1. Portland, OR | 11. Los Angeles, CA | |
| 2. Orlando, FL | 12. San Diego, CA | |
| 3. Miami, FL | 13. Portland, ME | |
| 4. San Francisco, CA | 14. Oakland, CA | |
| 5. Austin, TX | 15. Washington, DC | |
| 6. Sacramento, CA | 16. St. Louis, MO | |
| 7. Denver, CO | 17. Grand Rapids, MI | |
| 8. Las Vegas, NV | 18. Chicago, IL | |
| 9. Seattle, WA | 19. Atlanta, GA | |
| 10. Tampa, FL | 20. Houston, TX |
Best vs. Worst
- Orlando, Florida, has the most gourmet specialty-food stores (per square root of population), 0.4529, which is 19.4 times more than in Pearl City, Hawaii, the city with the fewest at 0.0234.
- Orlando, Florida, has the most restaurants (per square root of population), 7.23, which is 18.1 times more than in Pearl City, Hawaii, the city with the fewest at 0.40.
- Orlando, Florida, has the most ice cream and frozen yogurt shops (per square root of population), 0.3566, which is 49.5 times more than in South Burlington, Vermont, the city with the fewest at 0.0072.
- Santa Rosa, California, has the highest ratio of full-service restaurants to fast-food establishments, 1.72, which is 3.2 times higher than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the lowest at 0.54.
