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The 10 U.S. Cities With the Most Diverse Food Scenes

Explore America’s most diverse food cities, from San Francisco to New York.
ByCaLea Johnson|
New York‘s Chinatown is a must-visit.
New York‘s Chinatown is a must-visit. | Alexander Spatari/GettyImages

The United States is a melting pot, and this is especially apparent in the nation’s largest cities. One way to determine an area’s diversity is by checking out its food scene. The Escoffier School of Culinary Arts did just that for its latest report, which reveals America’s most diverse food cities. 

  1. The Best Cities For a Global Food Tour

Escoffier began the research by compiling a list of the 38 largest cities in the U.S. The cooking school then used TripAdvisor to determine the number of restaurants serving non-American cuisines in each location to measure culinary diversity. Researchers also considered each city’s density factor, including population as well as restaurant density. Both density and diversity points were calculated into a weighted score for ranking.

According to the analysis, Californian cities are the places to go for sampling different cuisines, taking up three of the top 10 spots. San Francisco received a perfect score in food diversity. The Bay Area city is also a haven for vegetarians and vegans, boasting numerous veggie-forward restaurants.

New York City is right behind San Francisco. The area’s large number of food options is a reflection of its enormous population of over 8 million residents. A city needs a lot of restaurants to feed that many people, and New York has plenty—over 7000, according to the study. If you’re in the area, you may want to grab something at one of the 50 best restaurants in the city, according to TimeOut, such as Rezdôra’s pasta or Theodora‘s dry-aged fish.

Seattle, Washington, claims the bronze medal in this ranking. According to The Truth Traveler, the city has plenty of dishes to brag about, from the wagyu bavette at Cortina to the sushi at Umi Sake House. You can find the rest of the top 10 below.

The Best Cities For a Global Food Tour

  1. San Francisco
  2. New York City
  3. Seattle
  4. Washington, D.C.
  5. Los Angeles
  6. San Jose, California
  7. Portland, Oregon
  8. Chicago
  9. Las Vegas
  10. Boston

Craving something different? You may be interested in the best family-friendly restaurants in the country.

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