These Are America’s 9 Best Food Cities

New Orleans has the appeal of an international foodie destination with the advantage of being a three-hour flight from New York City. The "big easy" has culture galore—from Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest—so while you’re in NOLA, check out the Frenchmen Art Market, Pat O’Brien’s dueling piano bar, and live jazz on Bourbon Street. You’re in seafood heaven in New Orleans, so don’t skip charbroiled oysters and crawfish etouffee. (If you go to Antoine’s, try the Oysters Rockefeller, originated here.) Beignets at Café du Monde are a classic, and for a timeless, luxurious New Orleans experience, head to Commander’s Palace in the Garden District.

Yes, L.A. has world-class beaches and Rodeo Drive, but with all the renowned chefs flocking to Southern California, it’s now fully established itself as a food capital. Los Angeles is so much more than Hollywood—in fact, the best L.A. trips are spent taking in the Malibu beaches, poking around the Venice canals, and letting your life slow down to a California pace. For an unforgettable food experience, reserve a seat at Trois Mec or Le Comptoir, both of which feature multi-course, meticulously prepared tasting menus. Street tacos meets haute French cuisine at Guerilla Tacos (a truck worth tracking down), and checking out Grand Central Market is a great way to explore downtown and take in the L.A. food scene.

From country fried steak to "hot chicken," Nashville is a food lover’s dream city. Fried food and barbeque is a true art form in the South, and Nashville is the perfect place to go if you want to be right in the middle of that. The city hits every niche on the dining spectrum—you can get sleek, beautifully-crafted small plates and huge “meat-and-three” platters all in the same town. Hot chicken, mentioned above, is a Nashville staple, and Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack is the place to get it. For dinner, try the 404 Kitchen, home to an exceptional whiskey bar, serving modernized European fare. And if you’re looking for Americana fusion, try Etch, in the Encore Tower in downtown Nashville.

Unsurprisingly, Miami, with its close proximity to Havana, boasts the best Cuban food in the country. You’ll also find plenty of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, so make sure you eat your fill of arepas and empanadas. While here, stroll down Lincoln Road during the day, and at night, head to Ball & Chain for live jazz and salsa dancing. Find a great Cuban sandwich at El Exquisito in Little Havana, and of course, get your hands on as many stone crabs as possible. Prime crab season is from October to March, and you can find them at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach.

Chicago is so much more than deep dish pizza. (Though you really shouldn’t skip the deep dish, we recommend Lou Malnati’s.) Chicago cuisine manages to be simultaneously upscale and rich with culture, unsurprisingly home to 25 Michelin-starred restaurants. For an exquisite meal, try Dusek’s—if you happen to be in town on a Tuesday, they offer a $29 three-course prix fixe. For your fusion fix, check out Fat Rice in Logan Square, which offers European-Asian-hybrid comfort food. If you’re looking for things to do between meals, the Chicago Architecture River Cruise is a must, as long as it’s not too cold out.

In the category of best food cities in America, New York is a given. The only problem is recommending restaurants in New York City is like suggesting the best diamond ring at Tiffany’s—there are way too many good ones to choose from. Ramen and pork buns are two must-haves at Momofoku Noodle Bar. For rustic Italian and classic Brooklyn vibes, head to Frankies 457 Spuntino. And of course, there are five restaurants in Manhattan alone that have the coveted three Michelin stars: La Bernardin, Masa, Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park, and Per Se.

Napa is the undisputed wine capital of the U.S., and though parts of wine country were devastated by wildfires this year, Napa is resilient and looking forward to hosting visitors from around the world this summer. While tasting reds in Napa is a given, their burgeoning food scene is also a draw. Chef Thomas Keller has five (yes, five) Michelin-starred restaurants in Napa, the most famous of which is French Laundry. For an experience,  hop on the Wine Train, which has a luxe vintage feel. The dining car isn’t like anything that you’d find on Amtrak—they’re serving up four-course meals under executive chef Donald Young’s watchful eye.

Portland is a beer and coffee hot spot, and its food scene has pretty well exploded in the last decade. The city is the birthplace of Salt & Straw, the ice cream store that’s now franchised and makes possibly the best "roasted strawberry ice cream" you’ll find. There’s Pine Street Market in downtown PDX, which houses nine restaurants in total. And it’s worth stopping into Ken’s Artisan Bakery to try James Beard semifinalist chef Ken Forkish’s Oregonian croissant, which has local berries and hazelnut cream. Walk off all these quintessential Portland treats at the Portland Rose Garden in Washington Park—it’s the oldest publicly operated rose test garden in the U.S.

Savannah’s food scene has really charmed foodies in the last few years. Called the “hostess city of the South," its rich history helps the city live up to the name: you can get your soul food fix at Narobia’s Grits & Gravy, or try chef Mashama Bailey’s restaurant, The Grey, for Southern cooking with a twist. Bailey is the first African-American woman to be nominated for Best Chef at the James Beard awards, as of this year. And don’t forget that Charleston, another idyllic Southern foodie town, is just a two-hour drive.