So last night I did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on my Instagram stories and one of the questions someone asked me was “what city haven’t you been to yet for the food?”. Of course, I thought of all the major food cities I’ve somehow not made it to yet (like New Orleans😳) but what I really started thinking about was all the underrated and overlooked food destinations in America. So I want to know: what are the most underrated food cities in the US??
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Starting us off: I think my hometown of Columbus, OH is highly underrated. There's a really vibey/hipster/"cool" food scene and there's also an INSANE amount of immigrant-owned restaurants showcasing a huge range of regional cuisines. Some of my local favorites: Bangkok Restaurant & Grocery, Indochine, Restaurant Silla, Akai Hana, Momo Ghar, Mi Li Cafe - with so many more on my list to try.
Milwaukee is very cool and has a lot of great food places and concepts. The third ward has great selections and it’s not too expensive like other cities are.
Another place is Asheville, North Carolina. The vibe is amazing, very hippy and hipster and you can find a lot of farm to table options
Detroit and Milwaukee jump to mind not just for trending spots but for tried-and-true spots that surround the main metro areas. My death-bed meal is a coney dog from Monroe Coney about 40 miles south of downtown Detroit. Been there forever, never gonna change.
Birmingham, AL is up and coming! Some of the freshest fish, seafood straight from the gulf, and home to some of the best cocktail bars in the country. Multiple chefs have been James Beard nominated for everything from southern cuisine to fine dining. There is a #2 in the world bartender (or truly, cocktail) who owns her own incredible bar. There is a penchant for independent, local restaurants that make everything from scratch. Among my favorite restaurants are Automatic Seafood, Ocean's, Chuck's Fish, Saw's BBQ (get the sweet tea fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese and fried okra), The Essential, and more. I spent one year there for my dental residency and was floored. The city does lack authentic ethnic cuisine, but it's still a gem for what it has.
Louisville, KY!!! I moved there for grad school completely unaware of all the incredible food! My husband and I have traveled quite a bit and some of my favorite meals remain to be in Louisville. One dish that I dream of still (we’ve since moved😭) is from Cafe Classico, their saffron risotto cakes are just perfection! Top chef choose it as their host city a few years after we left and I couldn’t have been more happy that the city was finally getting the recognition it deserved!! There is almost every type of cuisine you can think and all done incredibly well. Never thought I’d find Ethiopian, Cuban, African, and so many other worldly restaurants in Kentucky but how wrong I was!
Living in Pittsburgh, PA we are definitely an underrated food city now. A decade ago there was only a couple of fancy but not exciting restaurants. The food scene has expanded so much to include great restaurants like some of my favorites Gi-Jin (sushi), Gaucho Parrilla Argentina (wood fired meats), Meat & Potatoes (upscale American), & Casbah (Mediterranean). We have a lot of great fast casual places like Bae Bae's Kitchen (Korean) & Nanban (Japanese, Korean and South American). Our food truck scene is awesome with ones like Blue Sparrow, Bridge City Brinery and PGH Sandwich Society. There's an incredible brewery scene now. This doesn't even include our classics like Pamela's and Primanti Bros. It's easy to find a great meal here now.
Apr 15, 2022·edited Apr 15, 2022Liked by Emily Fedner
I think most small cities have at least a few great food spots. When my husband was at grad school in Indiana, we were always discovering new spots in Indianapolis, Muncie, and the surrounding area. One of my favorite finds was Gulzar's Indian Cuisine in Richmond, IN. You'd never know such a gem was located just off I-70 between Indianapolis & Dayton, OH.
Southwest Michigan also has a slew of wonderful restaurants! Many farm to table concepts, cute road side cafes/small grocers, everyone is very excited to support local. Bridgeman, St. Joe, South Haven, and Saugatuck are some of the best beach towns to stop in.
Baltimore, for sure! There are a ton of small neighborhoods with some of the most eclectic food options! Want a fancy dinner from a James Beard nominated chef? We got you…check out the Forman Wolf restaurant group! Want a dive bar converted into a three’s company style restaurant with the most delicious food, Sally O’s has you covered! How about a fast casual Asian and Ethiopian fusion place that does more takeout business that you could imagine? Give Ekiben’s neighborhood bird a shot! And it wouldn’t be Maryland without a crab cake and some old Bay…you can find these at a lot of place but if you’re not getting the Crabcake Eggroll from Papi Cuisine, you’re missing out. I could go on for days about the cool waterfront, rooftop, and hole in the wall places you’ll find here! Baltimore won’t disappoint!
Asheville, NC, 100%! I'm from Chicago and some of my favorite places are in Asheville. I have an endless list of food & bev places that I always recommend people go to -- dinner faves are Vivian, The Admiral, Sovereign Remedies, Rhubarb, Curate. Drink faves are Crow & the Quill (it's a prohibition era speakeasy with dark wood and swing dancing!), the Alchemist, and Funkatorium. I don't really love beer so I've never capitalized on the beer scene there, but their cocktails and other bars are fab!
Houston!! More and more critically acclaimed chefs are opening up spots and it’s been a brewing food hub for a long time!! Def underrated. I’m from HTX and live in NYC but still miss certain places bc they just do it better! The food is seriously on par with other major cities if not better.
Cincinnati!! Next time you go home to visit, come down to Cincy! Over the rhine, northside, walnut hills, Clifton, and more! All have so much to offer! I think you'd like Sotto!
Chicago is actually incredible lived there for almost 10 years and was in the restaurant industry (grew up in NY & CT now live in SFBAY)—and I have to say I really miss Chicago’s food/bev scene and find it far superior to the Bay Area!
I am from Columbus, Ohio as well and I agree that they have AMAZING food. I also lived in Boulder, Colorado for a couple years and the food in Boulder/Denver never disappointed. They have so many cool and unique restaurant concepts. My favorite has to be a little burger shack in Boulder called Snarfburger...I still think about that place everyday.
Tucson! A UNESCO City of Gastronomy and recently named by Food and Wine Magazine a “Next Great Food City”. The Mexican food is incredible, obviously, but there’s a very strong Sichuan scene!
Madison, WI! Farm to table was a way of life there long before a trend. Amazing farmers market scene that supplies some of the best restaurants. Also lots of Taiwanese, some incredible ramen, and strip mall birria quesotacos with consommé that make me lose my mind. Can't forget Paul's Pelmeni!
Starting us off: I think my hometown of Columbus, OH is highly underrated. There's a really vibey/hipster/"cool" food scene and there's also an INSANE amount of immigrant-owned restaurants showcasing a huge range of regional cuisines. Some of my local favorites: Bangkok Restaurant & Grocery, Indochine, Restaurant Silla, Akai Hana, Momo Ghar, Mi Li Cafe - with so many more on my list to try.
Milwaukee is very cool and has a lot of great food places and concepts. The third ward has great selections and it’s not too expensive like other cities are.
Another place is Asheville, North Carolina. The vibe is amazing, very hippy and hipster and you can find a lot of farm to table options
Detroit and Milwaukee jump to mind not just for trending spots but for tried-and-true spots that surround the main metro areas. My death-bed meal is a coney dog from Monroe Coney about 40 miles south of downtown Detroit. Been there forever, never gonna change.
Birmingham, AL is up and coming! Some of the freshest fish, seafood straight from the gulf, and home to some of the best cocktail bars in the country. Multiple chefs have been James Beard nominated for everything from southern cuisine to fine dining. There is a #2 in the world bartender (or truly, cocktail) who owns her own incredible bar. There is a penchant for independent, local restaurants that make everything from scratch. Among my favorite restaurants are Automatic Seafood, Ocean's, Chuck's Fish, Saw's BBQ (get the sweet tea fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese and fried okra), The Essential, and more. I spent one year there for my dental residency and was floored. The city does lack authentic ethnic cuisine, but it's still a gem for what it has.
Louisville, KY!!! I moved there for grad school completely unaware of all the incredible food! My husband and I have traveled quite a bit and some of my favorite meals remain to be in Louisville. One dish that I dream of still (we’ve since moved😭) is from Cafe Classico, their saffron risotto cakes are just perfection! Top chef choose it as their host city a few years after we left and I couldn’t have been more happy that the city was finally getting the recognition it deserved!! There is almost every type of cuisine you can think and all done incredibly well. Never thought I’d find Ethiopian, Cuban, African, and so many other worldly restaurants in Kentucky but how wrong I was!
Chinatown in Houston!!
Living in Pittsburgh, PA we are definitely an underrated food city now. A decade ago there was only a couple of fancy but not exciting restaurants. The food scene has expanded so much to include great restaurants like some of my favorites Gi-Jin (sushi), Gaucho Parrilla Argentina (wood fired meats), Meat & Potatoes (upscale American), & Casbah (Mediterranean). We have a lot of great fast casual places like Bae Bae's Kitchen (Korean) & Nanban (Japanese, Korean and South American). Our food truck scene is awesome with ones like Blue Sparrow, Bridge City Brinery and PGH Sandwich Society. There's an incredible brewery scene now. This doesn't even include our classics like Pamela's and Primanti Bros. It's easy to find a great meal here now.
I think most small cities have at least a few great food spots. When my husband was at grad school in Indiana, we were always discovering new spots in Indianapolis, Muncie, and the surrounding area. One of my favorite finds was Gulzar's Indian Cuisine in Richmond, IN. You'd never know such a gem was located just off I-70 between Indianapolis & Dayton, OH.
Southwest Michigan also has a slew of wonderful restaurants! Many farm to table concepts, cute road side cafes/small grocers, everyone is very excited to support local. Bridgeman, St. Joe, South Haven, and Saugatuck are some of the best beach towns to stop in.
Baltimore, for sure! There are a ton of small neighborhoods with some of the most eclectic food options! Want a fancy dinner from a James Beard nominated chef? We got you…check out the Forman Wolf restaurant group! Want a dive bar converted into a three’s company style restaurant with the most delicious food, Sally O’s has you covered! How about a fast casual Asian and Ethiopian fusion place that does more takeout business that you could imagine? Give Ekiben’s neighborhood bird a shot! And it wouldn’t be Maryland without a crab cake and some old Bay…you can find these at a lot of place but if you’re not getting the Crabcake Eggroll from Papi Cuisine, you’re missing out. I could go on for days about the cool waterfront, rooftop, and hole in the wall places you’ll find here! Baltimore won’t disappoint!
Asheville, NC, 100%! I'm from Chicago and some of my favorite places are in Asheville. I have an endless list of food & bev places that I always recommend people go to -- dinner faves are Vivian, The Admiral, Sovereign Remedies, Rhubarb, Curate. Drink faves are Crow & the Quill (it's a prohibition era speakeasy with dark wood and swing dancing!), the Alchemist, and Funkatorium. I don't really love beer so I've never capitalized on the beer scene there, but their cocktails and other bars are fab!
Houston!! More and more critically acclaimed chefs are opening up spots and it’s been a brewing food hub for a long time!! Def underrated. I’m from HTX and live in NYC but still miss certain places bc they just do it better! The food is seriously on par with other major cities if not better.
Cincinnati!! Next time you go home to visit, come down to Cincy! Over the rhine, northside, walnut hills, Clifton, and more! All have so much to offer! I think you'd like Sotto!
100% Wilmington, NC. So many good local spots here!
Chicago is actually incredible lived there for almost 10 years and was in the restaurant industry (grew up in NY & CT now live in SFBAY)—and I have to say I really miss Chicago’s food/bev scene and find it far superior to the Bay Area!
I am from Columbus, Ohio as well and I agree that they have AMAZING food. I also lived in Boulder, Colorado for a couple years and the food in Boulder/Denver never disappointed. They have so many cool and unique restaurant concepts. My favorite has to be a little burger shack in Boulder called Snarfburger...I still think about that place everyday.
Albuquerque New Mexico and there green chili.
Tucson! A UNESCO City of Gastronomy and recently named by Food and Wine Magazine a “Next Great Food City”. The Mexican food is incredible, obviously, but there’s a very strong Sichuan scene!
Madison, WI! Farm to table was a way of life there long before a trend. Amazing farmers market scene that supplies some of the best restaurants. Also lots of Taiwanese, some incredible ramen, and strip mall birria quesotacos with consommé that make me lose my mind. Can't forget Paul's Pelmeni!
Surprisingly St Louis and Memphis TN having amazing and diverse food scenes!
I haven’t been in a minute, but Durham (and the research triangle area) have a lot of buzz. In North Carolina too, Asheville deserves some love!