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By now, you'd think New York had an iron grip on the title of most diverse food city in America. After all, where else can you grab halal cart chicken, Neapolitan pizza, Tibetan momos and Trinidadian doubles all before noon? But according to a new ranking from culinary school Escoffier, the crown belongs to San Francisco. Yep—Gotham got gobbled!
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The study analyzed restaurant data across U.S. cities with populations over 500,000, evaluating 46 cuisines and factoring in both population and restaurant density. The final results were crunched using the Shannon Diversity Index—math speak for “how much global flavor can you access nearby.”
San Francisco came out sizzling with a perfect 100 score. With about 2,700 restaurants packed into just 47 square miles, the Bay Area beauty serves up more culinary variety per capita and square foot than anywhere else in the country. Think dim sum in Richmond, Afghan fare in the Tenderloin and Michelin-starred sushi, all within walking distance (and often in fog).
New York City, meanwhile, came in second with a still-impressive 92.58. We have more restaurants—around 7,000—but they’re spread out across five boroughs and hundreds of neighborhoods. That gives us street cred, but fewer points for density and accessibility.
Rounding out the top five were Seattle (91.69), Washington, D.C. (83.08) and Los Angeles (82.62). All saw high marks for cuisine variety and ease of access, especially compared to sprawling cities with more culinary monocultures.
And speaking of culinary monotony: Detroit landed at the bottom of the list, with nearly two-thirds of its restaurants serving only American food. No shade to burgers and wings, but it's slim pickings if you're craving, say, jollof rice or laksa.
Interestingly, California dominated the top ranks with six cities in the upper tier, reinforcing its rep as a flavor-forward state.
While New York still reigns supreme in many ways (bagels, anyone?), it might be time to admit that when it comes to diversity per bite, San Francisco has officially stirred the pot.