Yelp and Lyft name the Top Foodie Cities of 2026
From beloved neighborhood spots to buzzy new openings, Americans are hungry to dine out — and cities from New Orleans to San Diego are leading the charge.
September 1, 2026
Key Takeaways:
- Foodie Cities kicks off Yelp’s inaugural Foodie Week (September 1-7), a week-long celebration encouraging consumers to dine at restaurants in their communities
- The South dominates the list: Eight of the 20 metros (40%) hail from the South or Southeast region, with New Orleans claiming the #1 spot
- America’s eating earlier: Breakfast & Brunch is the #1 most-searched restaurant cuisine in every single Foodie City — Americans aren't just hungry to dine out, they're starting earlier in the day
Which American cities are most obsessed with dining out right now? Yelp and Lyft teamed up to find out — analyzing restaurant search volume, Collections list activity, and rideshare data to reveal the Top 20 Foodie Cities for 2026. The result: a list that spans coast to coast, skews Southern, and kicks off Yelp's inaugural Foodie Week.
The Dining Trends Driving 2026
You don’t need to travel far. Some of the best meals are right in your city, often at a restaurant you've saved on Yelp but haven't yet visited.
“Breakfast & Brunch” is the most-searched restaurant cuisine on Yelp in every Foodie City — proof that great dining can start early. In fact, 2026 Lyft data shows that nearly one in five rides to restaurants occur before 12 noon.
Searches for restaurants with reservations are also increasing, up 145%, comparing June 2025-May 2026 to the year prior. And, recent Yelp research found that 45% of Gen Z spent more money on restaurants than they did one year ago. America’s dining out appetite is real — and in some cities it’s stronger than ever.
America’s top foodie cities
Southern cities reign supreme with 8 spots on the list. See the most saved restaurant in every metro.
New Orleans claims the top spot on Yelp’s 2026 Foodie Cities list. And 40% of the list hails from the South and Southeast, a testament to the region’s deep-rooted food roots and booming restaurant scenes. Booming is the key word: two thirds of the regions growing fastest in Lyft rides to restaurants are in the South and Southeast.
Virginia is having a moment. Richmond (#17) and Virginia Beach (#20) both earned a spot, plus DC metro (#6) which touches Northern Virginia. That's three list placements adjacent to a state that’s not traditionally known as a "foodie" destination. But that’s changing: Lyft data suggests that rides to restaurants are nearly twice as frequent as rides to other forms of entertainment in Virginia.
The West Coast remains a powerhouse. Five West Coast metros, including three in California alone, confirm that the Pacific Coast continues to dominate in dining enthusiasm. In California, this trend is true for both locals and tourists — Lyft data suggests that tourists dominate the Napa and San Luis Obispo food scene while locals are more present at restaurants in Fresno, Stockton, and Vallejo.
Where foodie culture is booming
Here are the cities that made the list:
1. New Orleans, LA
Dining in New Orleans isn’t just a hobby — it’s a way of life. Seafood is the #2 most-searched local cuisine and Yelp users love spots like Heard Dat Kitchen. From po’boys and gumbo to modern Creole tasting menus, food here is the culture. Whether you’re grabbing beignets at Cafe Du Monde or sitting down for a multi-course dinner in the French Quarter, New Orleans diners show up and share their opinions. Top Lyft destinations include the iconic Commander's Palace and Michelin hotspot Cochon Restaurant.
2. Charleston, SC
This charming Southern destination has evolved into a top-tier restaurant city. Seafood and Italian are some of the most searched cuisines on Yelp for Charleston, and the city has previously ranked as a Yelp destination for top BBQ. It’s also home to some of Yelp’s most prolific Elite users. Meanwhile, Lyft data suggests that upscale pubs like Blind Tiger and Henry’s on the Market draw the most riders.
3. San Diego, CA
San Diego's food scene embraces out-of-the-box concepts. Trailer Park After Dark — featured in Yelp’s Outrageous Restaurants 2026 — captures the city’s appetite for boundary-pushing dining. Also beloved by Lyft riders: the buzzy PB Shore Club (famous for fish tacos) and the whimsical Flamingo Deck.
4. Portland, ME
Home to one of the most distinctive food identities in the country, this small-but-mighty New England city has become a national destination for seafood — one of its most searched cuisines on Yelp. Seafood hotspots Scales and Eventide Oyster Co are two of the hottest Portland destinations in Lyft data and two of the most-saved restaurants by Yelp users in the city.
5. Miami, FL
Miami doesn’t have just one food scene – it has five: The Cuban ventanitas in Little Havana, the Haitian griot in Little Haiti, the Venezuelan bakeries in Doral, and now, a growing wave of chef-driven openings pulling national attention southward — like Bad Bunny’s Japanese-inspired steakhouse Gekko. Lyft data reflects the diversity: trending restaurants this year range from garden Italian (Call Me Gaby), to down-to-earth Jamaican (Dukanoo), and chic Asian (Sexy Fish Miami).
6. Washington, DC
The nation's capital has quietly evolved beyond its power lunch reputation to become one of America's most exciting food cities, fueled by the diverse cuisines of its international community. DC is home to celebrated restaurants like Dōgon, ranked #1 on Yelp's Best New Restaurants of 2025, and James Beard Award-winning concepts Causa and Perry’s. At the same time, Lyft data points to Chai Pani and Dlena as the fastest-growing restaurants. This isn't just a government town anymore — it's a foodie town.
7. San Francisco, CA
The Bay Area has been a dining powerhouse for decades, with sushi and Chinese among its most-searched cuisines on Yelp. From innovative tasting menus in the Mission to Oakland's thriving independent restaurant scene, this metro's food-obsessed population keeps it at the top. Lyft users are particularly drawn to rustic concepts like Rich Table and State Bird Provisions, which are growing fastest in 2026.
8. Nashville, TN
Nashville’s food scene has expanded far beyond hot chicken – though the spicy bird is still a must-try. The city’s rapid growth has brought a wave of new restaurants, including Noko Nashville and Fonda On 12th, a Latinx and LGBTQ-owned Mexican restaurant from the Fonda Mexican restaurant group which also ranked on Yelp’s Best New Restaurants 2025. Brunch is also the rage here, with places like Butter Milk Ranch leading the pack in Lyft rides and the most-saved restaurant on Yelp.
9. Los Angeles, CA
LA is home to some of the most-saved restaurants on Yelp, including Holbox, a Michelin Guide-rated seafood spot and previous Top 100 Places to Eat winner. From neighborhood taco trucks to celebrity-driven concepts, Koreatown late-night spots to beachside seafood, Yelp users are constantly exploring dozens of distinctive food neighborhoods. Currently trending in Lyft rides: upscale Mexican (Javier’s) and coastal Italian favorite (Elephante).
10. New York, NY
The city that never sleeps also never stops eating – whether it’s a $3 egg sandwich at 2 am or a $300 tasting menu in Tribeca. The region is well-represented across many of Yelp’s annual lists — with Theodora in Brooklyn ranked #3 on the Best New Restaurants of 2025 and Ci Siamo in Manhattan topping this year’s Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat for 2026. Meanwhile, Lyft data reveals dining habits as eclectic as the city itself: top ride requests include the Katz's Delicatessen (of Harry Met Sally fame), Taiwanese soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung, and the french classic Balthazar.
More Foodie Hot Spots
- 11. Boston, MA
- 12. Las Vegas, NV
- 13. Portland, OR
- 14. Dallas, TX
- 15. Austin, TX
- 16. Seattle, WA
- 17. Richmond, VA
- 18. Tucson, AZ
- 19. Chicago, IL
- 20. Virginia Beach, VA
Top searched cuisines on Yelp
How Yelp is celebrating Foodie Week
Yelp's Community teams are celebrating Foodie Week with events across the country. In Charleston, Yelp users will gather to cheer on the Charleston RiverDogs and enjoy their favorite ballpark bites while Seattle Yelp users will dine on delicious desserts at Molly Moon’s and Boston Yelpers will enjoy seasonal sips at Boston Harbor Distillery at The Greenway. These are just a few of the events happening during the week.
Want in? Follow your local Yelp Community handle on social media and connect with your city's Yelp Elite Squad to stay in the loop on all the latest events in these cities and beyond. Whether it's a curated tasting, a neighborhood restaurant crawl, or something unexpected, Foodie Week is your excuse to finally get out and eat.
Explore Your City
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Planning to visit one of these dining destinations? Use Yelp Assistant to help you find the best bites and save your favorites to Yelp Collections, keeping your recommendations all in one place. Not sure what to order? Use Yelp Menu Vision to find the must-try dishes. Your saves and reviews help support local businesses and guide others to new favorites.
How we did it
In partnership with Lyft, Yelp's data team analyzed restaurant search volume, page views, ratings, bookmark/save activity, photo uploads, and Lyft rideshare destination data across the top US CBSAs to determine where consumers are most actively discovering and traveling to restaurants.
To determine the most saved restaurants, we identified businesses in the Restaurants category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including total number of saves and ratings of reviews.
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