New Haven is Number One - Best Foodie City in America

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New Haven is the number one “foodie city” in America, according to a new analysis published on the website Livability.com The site reports that “New Haven residents spend more on eating out than most Americans. Many frequent neighborhood bistros and cafes that get their ingredients from nearby farms. The city's farmers markets make it easy for home cooks to prepare fresh meals.”foodie

The Elm City outpaced cities including Boston in New York in the newly announced top 10 list, with New Haven praised for supporting local farmers, showcasing regional cuisine and providing residents with “bountiful opportunities to discover new flavors, textures, cooking techniques and healthy foods.”

To determine the top 10 “foodie” cities, editors analyzed data from Esri about how frequently families eat at locally owned restaurants and how much the average resident spends eating out. They also examined the accessibility residents of each city have to healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and quality meat with data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.pepes

Also taken into account were cities with established farmers markets and restaurants that use locally grown ingredients, as well as critically acclaimed restaurants, successful chefs and winners of James Beard Foundation Awards.

“There’s a real foodie renaissance going on in U.S. cities,” says Livability.com Editor Matt Carmichael. “You’re seeing that coast to coast, but these cities really stand out as great places to live and eat.”

The site’s write-up of New Haven’s foodie choices noted that “restaurants cover the gamut of food genres. From Louis' Lunch to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana to Claire's Corner Copia, it’s no wonder New Haven residents spend more on eating out than most Americans.” Also among the New Haven restaurants mentioned in the profile of New Haven’s eateries are Sandra’s Next Generaclaire'stion, Mamoun’s, Prime 16, Skappo, Bella’s Care and Da Legna.

The 2014 list is quite different from a year ago. In 2013, the top city was Decatur, Georgia. Also reaching the top ten were Hoboken, New Jersey; Bloomington, Indiana; Berkeley, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Lafayette, Louisiana; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Sante Fe, New Mexico; Alexandria, Virginia; and Burlington, Vermont. The only cities to reach the top 10 in both years were Berkeley and Burlington.  The 2014 list is the third annual developed by Livability.com.

Top 10 Foodie Cities, 2014louis lunch 1

  1. New Haven, CT
  2. Scottsdale, AZ
  3. Boston, MA
  4. Asheville, NC
  5. Traverse City, MI
  6. Berkeley, CA
  7. Boulder, CO
  8. Burlington, VT
  9. Omaha, NE
  10. Washington, D.C.