When it comes to visiting Atlanta, “come hungry” might be the best advice.
The city was just ranked No. 11 out of 182 U.S. cities for foodie friendliness by WalletHub. In an analysis, the personal finance company gave Atlanta high marks for the number of restaurants and food trucks per capita, ranking it first in that metric.
WalletHub analyzed 182 cities in its study, ranking them on two main criteria: affordability and diversity, accessibility and quality. These two factors were then broken down into 28 different metrics, such as restaurants per capita, restaurant diversity, the cost of groceries and restaurant meal costs, among others.
Atlanta was credited for its large collection of affordable highly rated restaurants, ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, food festivals, and food and wine tours per capita. Atlanta also ranked No. 13 for restaurant diversity and has several Michelin-starred restaurants, showing that the city offers foodies a broad range of experiences, from casual and mobile dining to higher-end options, WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said.
“In the best foodie cities, including Miami; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco, there are tons of unique culinary experiences to try, from food trucks to specialty-food stores to, in some cities, Michelin-starred restaurants,” Lupo said. “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. In addition, these cities make delicious dining affordable for residents and visitors alike.”
The cost of food and dining is where Atlanta fell short.
“Atlanta’s ranking is held back primarily by affordability,” Lupo said. It ranks No. 89 for grocery costs, No. 150 for restaurant meal costs, No. 145 for its sales tax and No. 160 for its food tax. It also ranks No. 148 for access to healthy food options. Still, its strong performance across many of the study’s diversity, accessibility and quality measures, including a No. 1 ranking for restaurants per capita, helps Atlanta secure a place in the top 15 foodie cities overall.”
The top 10 cities were:
- Miami
- Portland, Oregon
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Austin, Texas
- Orlando, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Las Vegas
- Sacramento, California
- Denver