Delicious bites of every stripe at Taste of North Park. (File photo courtesy North Park Main Street)
In honor of World Food Day on Oct. 16, personal finance company WalletHub released its report on 2025’s Best Foodie Cities in America – and San Diego sits pretty in tenth place.
WalletHub compared 182 of the largest U.S. cities, using 28 metrics based on affordability and accessibility, from high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita to craft breweries and wineries per capita.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 being the most desirable.
San Diego received a total score of 66.35, ranked 10th in diversity, accessibility and quality, but 127th in affordability.
In first place is Miami, with a score of 73.58, only 7.23 points higher than San Diego. Miami earned the top foodie city in America title because of the availability of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5, and the extremely high number of restaurants per capita.
Although this list has St. Louis in 14th place, that city has the most gourmet specialty food stores per capita. Las Vegas, ranked 8th, has the most restaurants per capita – 21.1 times more than Pearl City, Hawaii, the city with the fewest.
“The top cities cater not just to people who enjoy dining out, but also to foodies who enjoy putting their own skills to the test by exploring new flavors in their own kitchens,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
“In addition, these cities make delicious dining affordable for residents and visitors alike.”
Robert Paul Jones, Ph.D., hospitality and retail management chair at Texas Tech University, offers advice for foodies trying to find affordable food trends.
“There are two main strategies for foodies to try when they are looking to score the latest and hottest food trends on a budget,” Jones said.
“The first is to see if the restaurant you are looking for offers lunch or brunch. Often, the food you are looking to try is on a menu other than dinner. Lunch menus generally offer slightly smaller portions and usually significantly lower prices.
“The second option, if you are with a companion, is to split portions. I know that generally, in the U.S., the portion sizes are so large that my wife and I cannot finish our own entrees…. So, think about maybe ordering a couple of appetizers, one entrée, and one dessert.
That will generally result in a considerably lower bill, but more than enough food, he said. “Both strategies work really well in international dining as well.”
The full report can be found here.
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