Miami Beats New York and Chicago As Top Foodie City in the U.S.

Women drink cocktails at Rosa Sky Rooftop in Miami, a hotspot for foodies. Rosa Sky Rooftop photo

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When most people think of U.S. cities known for incredible dining experiences and hole-in-the-wall gems, most people think of cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Charleston, or even Asheville.

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, things have changed for foodies looking to score incredible dishes, wild cocktails, and "food porn."

According to a new study by WalletHub, the Sunshine State is the latest top spot where foodies are flocking to — and if this story were published a decade ago, it would be preposterous. But things have changed down in Florida, and the culinary scene here is going through a complete renaissance, with fun and exciting restaurants opening across the state almost daily.

The study finds that Miami is the number one foodie destination in the United States, with Orlando snagging the third-best spot, followed by Tampa at number five.

What makes these rankings so shocking is that Orlando and Tampa even beat Las Vegas (at number seven), Denver (number nine), and Los Angeles (number 13). New York City didn't even make the top ten — it was ranked at number 16, while Chicago was ranked number 18.

click to enlarge

Omakai sushi is a popular sushi spot in Miami.

Omakai photo

To determine the best and cheapest foodie scenes, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 28 key foodie-friendliness indicators, including making sure the cities were reasonably priced.

While this would put New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles at a disadvantage in this particular study, given it's quite costly to dine out in these cities, New Times staffers are confused — have they dined out in Miami? The average cocktail in Miami costs $14.

Nevertheless, Miamians are honored to receive the new title — more than ten new restaurants are opening in Miami each month, with the most recent bunch opening this past September.

This means there is always a new spot for foodies to check out in the Magic City.