Those hoping to eat their way across America<\/a> would be wise to travel with their most loose-fitting trousers \u2013 and a taste for adventurous new cuisines.<\/p>\n From farm-to-table fine dining and innovative vegetarian dishes to comforting fast food staples like cheeseburgers and hot dogs, you never have to travel far in the States<\/a> to find temptation. <\/p>\n There are certain places, however, that have developed a culinary world all their own; here are the US cities <\/a>no true foodie should miss.<\/p>\n Read more: Philadelphia is the USA\u2019s ultimate city for food<\/a><\/p>\n The best US cities for foodies <\/p>\n 1. New Orleans, Louisiana<\/p>\n There\u2019s nowhere else on Earth quite like New Orleans<\/a>. The Big Easy is a mind-boggling mix of European<\/a>, Caribbean<\/a> and African<\/a> influences, and it has the wholly unique cuisine to prove it. At restaurants like Cochon<\/a>, you can sample roots Cajun and Southern home cooking as it has tasted for generations, with stand-out dishes including smoked ham hock with red beans and charred radish and chicken hearts. <\/p>\n And where else but at Creole restaurant Jacques-Imo\u2019s<\/a> could you be offered a slice of shrimp and alligator sausage Cheesecake? New Orleans is also home to one of the world\u2019s great sandwiches, the po\u2019boy, a flaky French baguette stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and a plethora of fillings that include shrimp, roast beef and catfish. If you can still find room after all that, an order of doughy beignets from Cafe Du Monde<\/a> should finish you off.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: After Beyonc\u00e9 performed in New Orleans in 2013, she ordered 150 po\u2019boys from Parkway Bakery and Tavern<\/a> for her crew and entourage. That\u2019s America\u2019s equivalent of a royal seal of approval for this popular neighbourhood hangout that dates from 1911.<\/p>\n 2. San Francisco and The Bay Area, California<\/p>\n Given that it\u2019s surrounded by the Napa Valley <\/a>wine country to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and bountiful Californian farm country to the south, it\u2019s no surprise that San Francisco<\/a> is one of the world\u2019s great food cities. Fisherman\u2019s Wharf is paradise for seafood lovers, and is home to famed bakery Boudin Sourdough<\/a> with its mouth-watering bread bowls filled with chowder. However, it\u2019s on the other side of the bay in Berkeley that modern California cuisine was born at Alice Water\u2019s legendary Chez Panisse<\/a>, the original farm-to-table restaurant. Just around the corner is FAVA<\/a>, a delightful organic lunch spot that specialises in flatbread sandwiches and salads. <\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: The world has San Francisco\u2019s historic Mission District to thank for the Mission-style burrito, a super-sized version of the Mexican favourite stuffed with rice, beans, avocado and meat. If that still doesn\u2019t sound mammoth enough, head to the brightly decorated Taqueria Canc\u00fan<\/a> where the signature Burrito Mojado comes topped with extra helpings of guacamole, sour cream, and red salsa.<\/p>\n Read more: The best hotels to stay in San Francisco as an LGBTQ+ traveller<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Memphis, Tennessee<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a barbecue lover, there are few greater pleasures in life than sampling the vast array of hickory-smoked meats on offer across Memphis<\/a>. Payne\u2019s Bar-B-Que,<\/a> located in an old cinderblock gas station, serves up unbeatable chopped pork sandwiches, while even unassuming dive bars like Alex\u2019s Tavern<\/a> can be counted on to deliver first-class ribs (their secret ingredient is a dash of salty Cavender\u2019s Greek seasoning).<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: Even in a city renowned for its barbecue, The Bar-B-Q Shop<\/a> stands out as special. It\u2019s descended from Brady & Lil\u2019s \u2013 a former Memphis joint near Stax Records where legend has it the Beatles once bought out every rib in the place.<\/p>\n Read more: I went on the Graceland tour that allows you to get closer to Elvis than ever before<\/a><\/p>\n 4. New York, New York<\/p>\n It may be a city most closely associated with dollar pizza slices, Nathan\u2019s Famous hot dogs and hulking slices of cheesecake, but the Big Apple<\/a> is also home to some of America\u2019s most acclaimed restaurants. \u00c9ric Ripert\u2019s fish-focused French restaurant Le Bernardin<\/a> earned its three Michelin stars with inventive dishes like tuna tartare with sea urchin toast. Just as satisfying is the pastrami on rye from Katz\u2019s Delicatessen<\/a>, the quintessential New York <\/a>deli, where a prominent sign points out exactly where Meg Ryan sat in When Harry Met Sally. We\u2019ll have what she\u2019s having.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: Forward-thinking Korean restaurant Atomix<\/a> ranked seventh in the United States on the most recent list of The World\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants. Try the Spanish mackerel with turnip and lentil to find out why.<\/p>\n Read more: How Little Syria became New York\u2019s coolest forgotten neighbourhood<\/a><\/p>\n 5. Portland, Maine<\/p>\n Portland<\/a>\u2019s prime location on the North Atlantic coast makes it one of the best places in the world to eat seafood. It\u2019s hard to go wrong with plentiful Maine lobsters, juicy mussels and salty oysters: Eventide Oyster Co.<\/a> offers no less than 18 varieties of them. It\u2019s not all lobster brioche rolls and raw molluscs, however. The city\u2019s foodie reputation has attracted world-class chefs like Thomas Takashi Cooke. His Japanese restaurant Izakaya Minato<\/a> uses the fruits of the sea in endlessly inventive ways, like their bite-size mochi \u201cbacon\u201d and broiled oysters, served with miso custard.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: Seafood doesn\u2019t get fresher than at Harbor Fish Market<\/a>, a New England institution that opened in 1969.<\/p>\n 6. Los Angeles, California<\/p>\n Los Angeles<\/a>\u2019 food scene is as vast and sprawling as the city itself. Beyond fast food favourites like the beloved In-N-Out Burger<\/a> chain and the city’s innumerable, and uniformly excellent, taco trucks, there\u2019s a whole world to be explored. Koreatown\u2019s all-you-can-eat restaurants, like Jjukku Jjukku BBQ<\/a>, are hard to beat, while Jitlada<\/a> is a simple strip-mall joint that promises, and delivers, the spiciest Thai food in town. There are few better cities in the world to be vegetarian, too. Celebrity-favourite Crossroads Kitchen<\/a> serves an astonishing spaghetti carbonara topped with a vegan egg sunny side up. The exact recipe is a closely-guarded secret, but the perfectly runny yolk is said to be made with yellow tomatoes. It has to be eaten to be believed.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss: Downtown\u2019s Grand Central Market<\/a> dates from 1917 and today is home to dozens of stalls offering cuisines from across the city and around the world. The perfect one-stop shop to get your head and mouth around LA\u2019s staggering culinary diversity.<\/p>\nTry a New Orleans po\u2019boy (Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/p>\n
![\"Fisherman\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/iStock-1368461881.jpg\")
Fisherman\u2019s Wharf is paradise for seafood lovers (Getty Images)<\/p>\nMemphis is known for its barbecue (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
New York is famed for its pizza slices (Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/p>\n
Harbor Fish Market in Portland (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/iStock-1222630411.jpg\")
The In-N-Out Burger chain is a fast-food favourite (Getty Images)<\/p>\n