16 Cities With the Most Restaurants for People Who Love Dining Out (2024)

For new college grads or older workers thinking about retirement, trying to decide where to live means considering all aspects of lifestyle. There’s the cost of living and housing, of course. But you also want to relocate to a city with amenities to enhance your life. And for many, that means food choices.

FinanceBuzz recently conducted a study to identify the most laid-back cities in America. One of the criteria was restaurants, from sushi to comfort food to coffee shops. The data team looked at the number of restaurants per 100,000 people to determine which cities offer the most dining options.

Some cities provide more ways to save money eating out, while some give you more diverse dining options to choose from.

As a result of this research, we’ve got the top 16 cities for you to tantalize your taste buds in.

Chicago is known for deep dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, like the ones at Portillo’s, and Italian beef sandwiches. You will find pockets of incredible Greek food in the West Loop, Chinese and Irish cuisine on the South Side, and many more incredible options scattered around Chicagoland.

Austin is celebrated for its award-winning queso dips, chicken-fried steak restaurants, and Texas-style barbecue. You can find many different dining options as you approach Red River and Rainey Streets, since convention center visitors don’t stray far from the downtown area.

When you think of Los Angeles, incredible Mexican food and delicious sushi probably come to mind. But this city is fully immersed in every type of cuisine from every corner of the earth.

Check out LA when you need a new food truck to rave about, decadent french dip or cheeseburger to enjoy, or a sweet treat from almost 1,500 independent donut shops.

With a population of 3.8 million in New York City, 219.5 restaurants per 100,000 people means you have a lot of places to eat.

There are over 2,000 pizzerias in New York City alone, and that’s not counting restaurants that serve pizza on the side. The city is known for its takeout slice, which you eat folded in half while walking.

Jewish delis serve up pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup, and bagels. There are more than 300 restaurants in Chinatown in Lower Manhattan. And due to its diverse population, you can find just about any type of cuisine in the five boroughs.

If you cross the Hudson River to Newark, New Jersey, head to the Ironbound for outstanding Spanish, Portuguese, and Brazilian restaurants.

San Diego is a multicultural mecca, known for CaliBaja-style food. Visit Old Town to eat authentic Mexican cuisine in one of the most haunted areas of the state. Grab seafood and incredible ocean views by the marina. Don’t forget to order a California burrito on the boardwalk in Mission Beach.

Rhode Island has their own take on clam chowder that is particularly noteworthy. Foodies will find Rhode Island-style calamari and clam cakes for seafood of note. For dessert, baklava is a favorite in the city. Be sure to try a coffee milk, an interesting caffeinated shake beverage that is the official drink of Rhode Island.

With a population of about 370,000, New Orleans hosts over 19 million tourists each year. People flock to the Cajun and Creole capital of America.

Taste the city’s French roots in the French Quarter with a coffee and beignets at the storied Café Du Monde. All around the city you can find a perfect gumbo or shrimp po’ boy. Bourbon Street restaurants will serve you hurricane beverages any time of day.

Honolulu offers 261.4 restaurants per 100,000 people, topping our list of best cities for diners. Its 350,000 population is dwarfed by the 9.6 million tourists who visit each year.

Honolulu offers tourists some incredible cuisine. Poke, Spam musubi, and Kalua pig are popular dishes. For a sweet treat, you must try shave ice or Dole Whip, which originated here. Honolulu’s Kona coffee is considered by some to be the most delicious in the world.

If you are a true foodie, consider one of these cities as your next travel destination or a place to retire in. Eating out can be a luxury and a cultural experience.

Of course, you can always try making these regional dishes at home using ways to save on grocery bills. And then you can travel anywhere right in your own kitchen.