One of the most exciting things for us when visiting a new country is the opportunity to delve into the local food scene. While each country has a distinct menu, each city in that country will bring its own dishes to the table, and the USA is no exception.
With that in mind, let’s explore some of the best places to visit in the land of the food free.
NYC, New York
Everyone’s heard of New York pizza – a thin crust, a light layer of sauce, and plenty of mozzarella – but The Big Apple actually has a whole host of diverse dishes to enjoy.
This multicultural hub offers everything from Chinese to Guatemalan to Senegalese, all with an NYC twist. In fact, you could live here your whole life and never have the same dish twice.
Portland, Oregon
The city’s unofficial motto is “Keep Portland Weird”, a rallying call about supporting local businesses rather than big chains and promoting individuality over conformism.
This is something that you can see clearly in the food scene, where food trucks dominate the downtown area and upscale restaurants are in abundance. What sets Portland apart the most is probably their dedication to fresh, organic, local ingredients that make incredible meals.
New Orleans, Louisiana
This thriving southern city is famed for its unique blend of Cajun and Creole cuisine, rich in butter, oil, and cream. In the Big Easy, you can enjoy hearty dishes likes jambalaya, gumbo, and po’boys, alongside their signature style of doughnuts, the Beignets.
Warning: Do not visit if you’re on a diet!
Chicago, Illinois
In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a little bit of a rivalry between Chicago and New York over who has the best pizza – Chicago prefers a deep crust with plenty of toppings. Frankly, we don’t think we should stir it up by choosing a victor, so you’ll have to try both for yourself.
However, that’s not all that the Windy City has to offer. They’ve turned the hot dog from street food to fine dining with the addition of poppy seed buns and celery salt, and they have some of the finest steakhouses in the USA.
Must try: The Italian Beef Sandwich – this local favourite is soaked in meat drippings and topped with spicy peppers.
Visiting the USA
If this article haswhet your appetite for visiting the USA, then here are our tips for a smooth holiday:
- Make sure your passport has at least six months left on it
- Apply for a USA visa – remember some countries are part of a visa waiver programme and require the simpler ESTA visa
- Go outside of school holidays as it will be cheaper and less crowded
- To get cheaper flights, book on a Tuesday afternoon and clear your browser history first.
That just about wraps up our list of the best cities in the USA for foodies to visit and now we’d like to hear from you. Have you visited any of these places? Did you love the food? Are there any cities that we missed? Let us know in the commentsbelow.