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America’s 35 Best Cities for Foodies

America’s 35 Best Cities for Foodies

Everyone who enjoys fine dining knows that cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle are playgrounds for foodies — particularly those who have the dough to support high-quality eating habits. In a ranking of best foodie cities, then, what edge would Midwestern hubs like Cincinnati or Grand Rapids have? According to financial consultancy site WalletHub, the answer is: affordability. (These are America’s cheapest cities where everyone wants to live right now.) 

24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a recent WalletHub study evaluating the 182 most populated cities in the country (adding two of the most populated cities in each state, where necessary) by 29 relevant metrics in two key categories: a combination of diversity, accessibility, and quality, and the aforementioned affordability. 

Among the metrics used were the cost of groceries and of restaurant meals; the number of restaurants, food trucks, and grocery stores per capita; the presence of Michelin-starred restaurants; and — a sign of the times — the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated. (These are the states where the most people are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.)

In compiling the data, WalletHub drew on 11 sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Council for Community and Economic Research, Numbeo, and Yelp

While New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and other cities well-known for their restaurant culture (San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, etc.) all scored in the top 10 for diversity, accessibility, and quality, they did less well in affordability — in fact, the Big Apple took 181st place out of 182 cities — ultimately ceding the No. 1 spot to a city known both for its food and its comparatively friendly pricing: Portland, Oregon.

Source: NicolasMcComber / Getty Images

35. San Jose, California
> Total score: 53.60
> Affordability: #165 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #21 highest out of 182 cities

Source: jamesvancouver / iStock via Getty Images

34. Vancouver, Washington
> Total score: 53.73
> Affordability: #139 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #26 highest out of 182 cities

Source: f11photo / Getty Images

33. Indianapolis, Indiana
> Total score: 53.83
> Affordability: #4 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #50 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

32. Richmond, Virginia
> Total score: 54.67
> Affordability: #46 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #36 highest out of 182 cities

Source: StevenGaertner / Getty Images

31. Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Total score: 54.84
> Affordability: #66 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #33 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Ron Reiring / Wikimedia Commons

30. Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Total score: 55.18
> Affordability: #8 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #43 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

29. Louisville, Kentucky
> Total score: 55.56
> Affordability: #18 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #37 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

28. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Total score: 55.58
> Affordability: #22 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #38 highest out of 182 cities

Source: 4kodiak / Getty Images

27. Salt Lake City, Utah
> Total score: 55.97
> Affordability: #87 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #24 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Jacek_Sopotnicki / Getty Images

26. Buffalo, New York
> Total score: 56.22
> Affordability: #43 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #30 highest out of 182 cities

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25. Rochester, New York
> Total score: 56.63
> Affordability: #62 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #25 highest out of 182 cities

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

24. Charleston, South Carolina
> Total score: 56.64
> Affordability: #96 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #23 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Chaay_Tee / iStock via Getty Images

23. New York City, New York
> Total score: 56.87
> Affordability: #181 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #6 highest out of 182 cities

Source: HaizhanZheng / Getty Images

22. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
> Total score: 56.97
> Affordability: #91 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #22 highest out of 182 cities

Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

21. Cincinnati, Ohio
> Total score: 57.04
> Affordability: #23 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #31 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

20. Houston, Texas
> Total score: 57.32
> Affordability: #15 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #32 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

19. Atlanta, Georgia
> Total score: 57.68
> Affordability: #140 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #17 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Ron_Thomas / Getty Images

18. Chicago, Illinois
> Total score: 57.68
> Affordability: #143 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #16 highest out of 182 cities

Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

17. Grand Rapids, Michigan
> Total score: 57.69
> Affordability: #1 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #39 highest out of 182 cities

Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

16. St. Louis, Missouri
> Total score: 57.88
> Affordability: #127 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #18 highest out of 182 cities

Source: f11photo / Getty Images

15. Washington, D.C.
> Total score: 57.96
> Affordability: #155 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #15 highest out of 182 cities

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14. Oakland, California
> Total score: 58.46
> Affordability: #172 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #7 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

13. Portland, Maine
> Total score: 58.81
> Affordability: #57 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #20 highest out of 182 cities

Source: jhlau / Flickr

12. San Diego, California
> Total score: 60.01
> Affordability: #134 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #31 highest out of 182 cities

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11. Los Angeles, California
> Total score: 60.17
> Affordability: #149 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #10 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

10. Tampa, Florida
> Total score: 62.17
> Affordability: #73 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #12 highest out of 182 cities

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9. Seattle, Washington
> Total score: 62.91
> Affordability: #178 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #4 highest out of 182 cities

Source: f11photo / Getty Images

8. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Total score: 62.93
> Affordability: #100 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #9 highest out of 182 cities

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7. Denver, Colorado
> Total score: 62.98
> Affordability: #45 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #14 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images

6. Sacramento, California
> Total score: 63.59
> Affordability: #85 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #8 highest out of 182 cities

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5. Austin, Texas
> Total score: 64.91
> Affordability: #14 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #11 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Nicolas McComber / Getty Images

4. San Francisco, California
> Total score: 67.89
> Affordability: #173 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #1 highest out of 182 cities

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3. Miami, Florida
> Total score: 68.85
> Affordability: #153 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #2 highest out of 182 cities

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2. Orlando, Florida
> Total score: 70.67
> Affordability: #26 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #5 highest out of 182 cities

Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images

1. Portland, Oregon
> Total score: 70.77
> Affordability: #56 highest out of 182 cities
> Diversity, accessibility, and quality: #3 highest out of 182 cities

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