Local

Sacramento is among top 10 cities for foodies in US, study says. Here’s where it ranked

Sacramento is one of the best places for foodies in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub study.

The personal finance website recently ranked the Best Foodie Cities in America in 2024, highlighting the top spots for both quality and affordability in dining scenes across the United States.

“While being a foodie can be quite expensive, culinary hotspots across the U.S. offer plenty of affordable and delicious options,” WalletHub said in the report, published Sept. 30. “These wallet-friendly cities cater to diners who prefer to cook at home, explore the local flavors or both.”

Guests talk before the start of the Farm-to-Fork’s Tower Bridge Dinner on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
Guests talk before the start of the Farm-to-Fork’s Tower Bridge Dinner on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Lezlie Sterling lsterling@sacbee.com

According to WalletHub, the No. 1 best foodie city in the country is Miami, thanks to its abundance of high-quality, affordable restaurants.

The site gave the Florida city an overall score of 74.37 out of 100.

A total of three California cities — including Sacramento — landed on WalletHub’s list.

Here’s what makes them the best:

Source: WalletHub

Why is Sacramento one of the best foodie cities in US?

Known as the farm-to-fork capital of California, Sacramento was No. 6 on WalletHub’s list of the top foodie cities in the country.

WalletHub gave the capital city an overall score of 66.79 out of 100 for its affordability, including groceries, high-end restaurants and meal costs, and the diversity, accessibility and quality of food options.

The city ranked No. 8 for diversity, accessibility and quality, and No. 68 for food affordability.

Char Market chef and co-owner Shane Cichy, right, uses a torch to melt cheese on the bone marrow Charplate in Carmichael on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2024.
Char Market chef and co-owner Shane Cichy, right, uses a torch to melt cheese on the bone marrow Charplate in Carmichael on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2024. Lezlie Sterling lsterling@sacbee.com

What are the best California cities for food lovers?

San Francisco was the second-best city for foodies, earning a total score of 71.66 out of 100, WalletHub said.

The Bay Area city ranked in second place in terms of diversity, accessibility and quality, but was No. 173 for food affordability.

San Diego was No. 10 on WalletHub’s list of the top 10 cites for food lovers.

The Southern California city scored 63.74 out of 100 overall. It came in 10th place for diversity, accessibility and quality, and No. 147 for food affordability.

Jace Santos, 8, center, eats Spam musubi along with his sister Arya Santos, 7, right, and neighbor Dominic Pudwill, 7, all of Roseville, during the second of four nights at FoodieLand Night Market for an Asian inspired pop-up festival at Cal Expo on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Sacramento.
Jace Santos, 8, center, eats Spam musubi along with his sister Arya Santos, 7, right, and neighbor Dominic Pudwill, 7, all of Roseville, during the second of four nights at FoodieLand Night Market for an Asian inspired pop-up festival at Cal Expo on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Sacramento. Xavier Mascareñas xmascarenas@sacbee.com

Where are the top 10 foodie cities in the US?

These are the top 10 foodie cities in the country, according to WalletHub:

  1. Miami
  2. San Francisco
  3. Orlando, Florida
  4. Portland, Oregon
  5. Tampa, Florida
  6. Sacramento
  7. Las Vegas
  8. Seattle
  9. Denver
  10. San Diego
Katerina Balagian, the executive chef at Seasons Kitchen and Bar, prepares her fourth course dish, goat tagine, during this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner menu preview at the Central Kitchen in Sacramento on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. “Growing up in the United States, I always had my mom make food that was from my culture: Armenian food, a little bit of Baltic food,” Balagian said. “And the one thing that my mom would make that was super American … was shepherd’s pie. So I decided to do a little bit of a play on shepherd’s pie but also keep the elements of a goat tagine.”
Katerina Balagian, the executive chef at Seasons Kitchen and Bar, prepares her fourth course dish, goat tagine, during this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner menu preview at the Central Kitchen in Sacramento on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. “Growing up in the United States, I always had my mom make food that was from my culture: Armenian food, a little bit of Baltic food,” Balagian said. “And the one thing that my mom would make that was super American … was shepherd’s pie. So I decided to do a little bit of a play on shepherd’s pie but also keep the elements of a goat tagine.” Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com

How did WalletHub come up with rankings?

To find the top foodie destinations that offer both quality and affordability, WalletHub analyzed more than 180 cities in the United States using key indicators.

WalletHub looked at affordability — including groceries, high-end restaurants and meal costs — and the diversity, accessibility and quality of food options. This includes restaurants per capita, access to healthy foods and grocery stores per capita.

Angela Rodriguez
The Modesto Bee
Angela Rodriguez is a service journalism reporter for The Bee. She is a graduate of Sacramento State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her time there, she worked on the State Hornet covering arts and entertainment.
Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
#ReadLocal

Only 44¢ per day

SUBSCRIBE NOW