Is NYC A Top Foodie City? Nope, Says A New Ranking

NEW YORK CITY — Chew on this: is New York City a top foodie city?

If your gut says yes, then it’d be wrong — or so says a new ranking.

The Big Apple ranked 18th on WalletHub’s new “2022’s Best Foodie Cities in America” list.

That’s right — all the Michelin stars, top-quality pizza and cuisines as diverse as anywhere on the planet didn’t put New York City onto the list’s top 10. Instead, the top prize went to Portland, Oregon:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Miami, Florida
4. San Francisco, California
5. Austin, Texas
6. Sacramento, California
7. Seattle, Washington
8. Tampa, Florida
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. San Diego, California

What sank New York City to a slot sandwiched between Portland, Maine and Charleston, South Carolina was a factor of utmost important to a personal finance company such as WalletHub: affordability.

Out of 180 cities on the list, New York City ranked dead last for affordability, according to ranking.

Being a foodie can be expensive at the best of times, but it’s an even pricier proposition as inflation hits highs, the study pointed out.

Restaurant prices across the nation rose 8 percent from August 2021 to this year, while grocery costs increased 8.3 percent, according to the ranking.

“Fortunately, culinary hotspots across the U.S. offer plenty of affordable options for cash-strapped foodies,” the ranking states. “These wallet-friendly cities cater to diners who prefer to cook at home, explore the local flavors or both.”

The study took into account the cost of groceries, the affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants, and food festivals per capita

To rank cities, WalletHub considered the cost of groceries, wine and alcohol; restaurants per capita; the ratio of full-service and fast-food restaurants; the number of ice cream and frozen yogurt shops per capita; the number of craft breweries and wineries per capita; the number of coffee shops per capita; and the number of gourmet or specialty food stores per capita.

The lesson for New York gourmands here is that all the quality cuisine in the world means nothing if you can’t afford.

Read the full ranking here.