This is the best and most unexpected foodie city in America, according to Yelp

Prepare to feel hungry

breakfast flatlay
(Image credit: Alexander Spatari)

Food and travel go hand in hand, which is why getting to grips with local dishes while exploring new and fascinating destinations is one of my favourite things to do. From incredible seafood hot pots in the Florida Keys to fresh and zingy ceviche in Lima and Havana’s cerdo asado (roast pork), food while travelling brings nothing but pure mouth-watering joy. 

Luckily, Yelp have scoured their data and crunched the numbers to reveal which American cities foodies should be booking for their next trip - and the results are pretty surprising...

New York City and LA are nowhere to be seen, but coming in at the top spot and taking the crown for best US destination for food lovers is Asheville, in North Carolina.

The city is known for its creative scene with an abundance of galleries, but it turns out Asheville is pretty tasty too. Top foodie destinations to check out include White Duck Taco Shop for, you guessed it, tacos; French Broad Chocolates for incredible truffles; and Jargon for their global inspired menu. 

Yelp looked at cities that had the highest restaurant ratings from out-of-towners and then calculated their findings to reveal the top foodie cities. As well as Asheville, Portland also made the list for the city’s artisanal vegan donuts made with locally sourced ingredients including flavors like french toast, pink lemonade and pumpkin s’more. While Charleston and Honolulu both featured for sweet and savoury options including Biscuits with Pimento Cheese and Macadamia Nut Pie - yum!

Lydia Swinscoe
Travel writer & editor

Lydia is a travel writer and editor, based mostly in London. Her work has been published in print and online for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, Town&Country, BBC Good Food, Oh magazine, MailOnline, and woman&home.


A solo trip to Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico aged 19 kickstarted her travel addiction and she's since gone on to explore parts of 58 countries, returning to many often. Solo travel is her specialty, and she's happiest when hunting out great food while wearing flip-flops, preferably somewhere hot. Her award-nominated blog Lydia Travels documents artistic intimate hotels and brilliant restaurants across the globe. 


She began her career compiling fashion and beauty pages for teen magazines at the BBC where she interviewed and styled some of the world's biggest pop acts—from Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato to One Direction—before joining celebrity magazine Now, as Fashion and Beauty Director, and later Woman magazine as Lifestyle Director.


Follow Lydia on Instagram @lydiaswinscoe