What if you could only eat food from one state for the rest of your life? The question is complex, influenced by top-tier restaurants, unique regional specialties, and the abundance of fresh seafood and local produce. Obviously, opinions will vary widely. After all, one person’s love for Maine lobster might be another’s shellfish allergy nightmare. Nevertheless, our fearless and unbiased panel (we eat everything!) has ventured forth to create this definitive ranking of state-by-state deliciousness. Enjoy, and feel free to disagree (and tell us why) in the comments.
The Bottom of the Barrel: States 50-41
50. West Virginia: Forget “almost heaven.” This is a state where the signature food is a pepperoni roll (a glorified Hot Pocket) and roadkill probably cracks the top five.
49. North Dakota: Buffalo burgers! Fargo jokes! It makes South Dakota look like France.
48. Nebraska: Home of Runza (a damn-fine chain that could be described as selling gourmet Hot Pockets), claims to have invented the Reuben, and delivers steak by mail. But… so much corn. Still, you have to go to South Dakota for a Corn Palace.
47. Delaware: The signature food of Delaware is… Okay, it’s not untoasted white bread with mayonnaise. But you believed it for a second, right?
46. New Hampshire: The Arkansas of New England, but with free political T-shirts instead of possum pie.
45. Iowa: America’s largest pork producer doesn’t have a better barbecue scene? And that unwieldy pork tenderloin sandwich?
44. Utah: We love “fry sauce” (ketchup and mayo), but it’s easy to make elsewhere. Sweet Jell-O molds, though!
43. Wyoming: Some great food in the cities (both of them!) and Pitchfork Fondue is amazing. But for a state with double the cattle population of humans, too many restaurants serve thawed-out Sysco patties and frozen steaks.
42. South Dakota: South Dakota is underrated overall. But the distances between the fried steak tips, amazing steaks, great subs, and the country’s best Indian tacos don’t make for an amazing food state.
41. Idaho: Boise’s becoming the Portland of Idaho, meaning great food. So potato jokes be damned. The rest of the state… something something potato joke.
Middling Meals: States 40-31
40. Kansas: Kansas is lucky to have the Kansas City metropolitan area and BBQ spots like Joe’s. Without it, there’s not much going on.
39. Alaska: It’s not all reindeer sausages and akutaq. Juneau and Anchorage have fantastic dining scenes. King crab rules. There’s even a good Thai scene in Fairbanks.
38. Montana: A rich man’s Wyoming.
37. Arizona: They supposedly invented the chimichanga, and we love Pizzeria Bianco. But it’s hard to get excited about all the chains.
36. Indiana: Indianapolis has improved, with places like Milktooth injecting life into the chain-dominated dining scene. Look for sugar cream pie outside Indy. Maybe skip the fried brain sandwich.
35. Oklahoma: What’s Oklahoma’s signature dish? Onion burger? BBQ? Fried catfish? The indecision keeps OK down the list.
34. Rhode Island: Del’s frozen lemonade, grilled pizzas, generally serviceable Italian food, and the worst clam chowder.
33. Connecticut: More than just a rich hamburger history and New Haven’s pizza culture, maybe the Whalers wouldn’t have left.
32. Nevada: Las Vegas offers every food and drink imaginable, making it a Disney theme park of world cuisine. Great for high rollers, but leaving others with questionable shrimp cocktails.
31. Arkansas: Arkansas lacks the signature dishes of its neighbors, making it the southern state perpetually just off the podium of culinary achievement.
Rising in the Ranks: States 30-21
30. New Jersey: New Jersey is a poor man’s New York, especially for Italian food. Which is better than being a poor man’s Wyoming.
29. Kentucky: Kentucky’s bourbon culture helps. Chefs like Edward Lee have made Louisville a dining destination. But the Hot Brown is just a turkey sandwich that quit midway through being made.
28. Virginia: Northern Virginia benefits from DC’s dining scene. Country ham has been excellent for centuries. However, better things are happening in the states that follow.
27. Minnesota: The Twin Cities have vibrant Korean, Somali, and Hmong food scenes. Truly exceptional wild rice. Hot dish. Butter coffee. But the Jucy Lucy is not that good.
26. New Mexico: Everyone makes a big deal about the green chiles.
25. Vermont: You could subsist solely on maple syrup, ice cream, and cheeses. Burlington’s a good place to start.
24. Ohio: Cleveland is a Midwestern leader in the Rust Belt food revival. Dishes like the Polish Boy and Columbus-style pizza hold their own. Plus ice cream from Jeni’s and Graeter’s.
23. Mississippi: Mississippi reps great deep-fried Southern and soul food gems. Pecan trees, caramel cakes, and Gulf crabs and shrimp. Award-winning barbecue. An active hot tamale trade in the Delta.
22. Florida: Florida has oranges, key limes, starfruit, stone crabs, and conch fritters. Miami’s Cuban influence means glorious sandwiches, pastelitos, and coffee.
21. Maryland: Crab cakes and football! Baltimore’s pit beef is underrated. There’s also Smith Island Cake.
The Top 20: States 20-11
20. Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis boast damn fine BBQ joints. Some say burnt ends are the finest meat you can eat.
19. Colorado: Craft beer would skyrocket Colorado’s rank. You can eat weed! Denver, Boulder, Breck, and Aspen all have great food. They’re big on green chile with meats like buffalo and Colorado lamb.
18. Hawaii: Polynesian, East Asian, and mainland cultures create a singular American cuisine. Seafood is incredible, and Kalua pork rivals Carolina BBQ. Hawaiian cuisine makes Spam dolled up like sushi something you’ll crave for life.
17. Alabama: White sauce barbecue is delicious. Frank Stitt and the Highlands Bar and Grill finally won most outstanding restaurant at the James Beard Awards. The farm-raised oyster movement has produced incredible oysters. Also, Alabama peaches are better than Georgia peaches.
16. Wisconsin: Wisconsin is cheese and sausages and fried things and sausages topped with cheesy fried things. Milwaukee and Madison’s restaurant scenes are sophisticated. Lakeside fish fry. Kringle.
15. Massachusetts: New England clam chowder, lobster rolls at Neptune Oyster, the cannoli triangle in Boston’s North End, fried full belly clams in Ipswich and Cape Cod, Kelly’s roast beef… Massachusetts’ food scene is complicated, polarizing, frustrating, and beautiful.
14. South Carolina: Charleston held a Hot New Food Town crown for years. Rodney Scott’s barbecue and John Lewis’s Central Texas brisket. Greenville is creeping into the world food conversation. Frogmore stew. They claim their peaches are much better than Georgia’s.
13. Georgia: Atlanta has had a cultural moment. There’s more than lemon pepper wet wings, pecan pie, and peach cobbler. Contemporary dining in Atlanta holds its own. Savannah deserves its own shout-out.
12. Maine: Portland is one of the finest food cities in North America. Blueberries! Lobster rolls! Clambakes! Blueberries and lobster rolls and clams stuffed into LL Bean boots and then baked!
11. Michigan: The original home of the coney hot dog, pasties, and Detroit-style pizza. Detroit has a wealth of Polish, Greek, and Middle Eastern food. Traverse City and Grand Rapids are fast becoming food destinations.
The Best of the Best: States 10-1
10. North Carolina: North Carolina has TWO great barbecue traditions. Abundant seafood shacks along the coast. Asheville’s food scene is catching up with its beer. Charlotte’s food scene is consistently underrated.
9. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia boasts an incredibly rich eating scene. Cheesesteak and roast pork. Pittsburgh has became a national food darling. The farmlands of southeastern PA are increasingly impressive. Amish foods.
8. Washington: This state’s a produce powerhouse. Their oysters are delicious, and the state overtakes the entire western seaboard when it comes to seafood. Seattle’s basically Portland’s more-refined older brother.
7. Illinois: Any top-five list of American cities to eat in that doesn’t include Chicago is wrong. The rest of the state lags behind a bit, but has the horseshoe and a better-than-you-realized barbecue culture in the southern portion of the state.
6. Oregon: Portland has food carts, donuts, and endless brunch lines. Central and western Oregon has prized beef. The coast has Dungeness crab and famous tuna.
5. Tennessee: Nashville’s food scene is hot right now, and Memphis is arguably better for fried chicken. Joints like Martin’s are elevating Nashville’s barbecue profile.
4. Louisiana: If New Orleans was its own state, it would still end up in the top 10. Legendary restaurants and a modern food scene. There is a uniqueness to Louisiana’s food culture.
3. New York: The Big Apple has advantages from being a major immigration hub for generations. Any cuisine you can crave can be found somewhere in the state. Buffalo wings. Fresh Long Island seafood. Great bagels.
2. California: An incredible agriculture and farming system provides the staging ground for every imaginable food culture. Sizzling Sonoran hot dogs and fresh fish tacos drizzled with crema and burritos stuffed with fries. Soba and udon noodles and karaage and gyoza. Mapo doufu and lazi ji and soup dumplings and egg tarts. The food scene in Los Angeles is currently the hottest in the nation.
1. Texas: Houston has one of the most diverse immigrant populations in the country. The best places to eat are where the most different folks collide. A barbecue scene that is the best in the world. A Tex-Mex style of food that is admittedly delicious. Four substantial cities with their own unique food scenes and styles. Texas is having its national food moment.
