In the realm of America’s top food destinations, the usual suspects of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago often dominate the conversation. However, a recent revelation from WalletHub has thrown an unexpected contender into the mix.
WalletHub’s latest report, titled “2023’s Best Foodie Cities in America,” takes a unique approach to ranking culinary meccas. Instead of focusing solely on the abundance of high-end dining establishments, it considers factors such as affordability and culinary diversity.
The study encompassed over 180 cities across the United States, scrutinizing data points like grocery prices, restaurant density, and the prevalence of food festivals.
So who came out on top? Surprisingly, Orlando emerged as the nation’s top foodie destination, securing its position due to its diverse and high-quality dining scene, a plethora of ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, an abundance of coffee establishments per capita, affordability, and a wealth of specialty food markets.
Following closely behind, WalletHub ranked Portland, Oregon as the second-best foodie city, with Sacramento, California claiming the third spot. Meanwhile, culinary giants like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City found themselves further down the list, at positions 13, 14, and 20, respectively.
The full comprehensive breakdown of available on WalletHub’s website.