If you’re in the mood for some delicious street food, you’ll have no shortage of options. This week, we asked our readers on social media to tell us which cities had the best street food in the United States. We received more than 200 responses and compiled them into this ranked list:
These five cities have the best street food in the U.S., according to a poll last week.
- San Francisco
- New York City
- Seattle
- Los Angeles
- Providence, R.I.
San Francisco
The most obvious answer would be San Francisco. The city has the largest number of street food vendors in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants serving up food on the side of the road. There are so many different types of food available—from pho and burritos to hot dogs and donuts—and they’re all delicious! And if you’re looking for something late-night after dinner or a drink at night when most other places have closed up shop? The streets are still buzzing with activity from super cheap tacos to fancier options like ramen noodles with pork belly and beef brisket sandwiches.
New York City
New York City is known for its street food. The city has the most street food vendors of any American city and its cuisine is diverse, with offerings ranging from hot dogs and pizza to bahn mi sandwiches and roasted chestnuts.
This culinary tradition extends back to when Dutch immigrants brought their waffles, ice cream cones, bagels and pastries to the streets of New York in the early 1900s. Today you can find everything from Asian-inspired fried chicken sandwiches on Bowery Street in Manhattan to a classic lobster roll available at Red Hook Lobster Pound in Brooklyn. There are also several vendors selling fried chicken nuggets made with Korean spices or Korean fried chicken wings called jollae – named after their creator Jollae Lefevre who started serving them outside of her family’s restaurant during Harlem’s thriving jazz years.
Seattle
Seattle is known for its coffee and its rain, but what many people don’t realize is that it also has some of the best street food in the country. The grilled cheese sandwich at Tallulah’s (a restaurant named after a Seattle neighborhood) is worth a trip all by itself. There’s nothing better than waking up hungover and scarfing down this grilled cheese sammie.
The fish taco at Tacos Chukis on Beacon Hill may not be spicy enough for those looking to sweat out last night’s partying, but they’re perfect if you just want something light. The secret sauce that makes these tacos so good can be found at any of their locations around town, including Fremont and Ballard.
If you’re trying to avoid carbs or dairy products altogether (weirdo), check out Mee Sum Pastry for their hangover hash instead! This delicious breakfast dish comes with scrambled eggs mixed with ground beef and tofu patties served over rice noodles—you’ll never look back!
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a city of immigrants, and street food is a reflection of that. The city has a long history of street food dating back to the early 20th century and has been influenced by Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and Jewish cultures.
In Los Angeles you can find street food from all over the world; some of our favorites include Korean BBQ tacos at Kogi BBQ Truck or bánh mì sandwiches from Banh Mi My-Tho. If you want something sweet try Churro Co’s churros topped with Mexican chocolate sauce or soft serve ice cream from Smorgasburg LA.
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Providence, R.I.
Providence is a city that’s full of history and culture. It was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams and named after his father, Providence Plantations. The capital of Rhode Island, it’s also the second-largest city in New England (after Boston). Home to Brown University and Johnson & Wales University, Providence sits on seven islands along the coast of Narragansett Bay. It has several neighborhoods worth visiting: College Hill (full of historic houses), Federal Hill (known for its Italian restaurants), the East Side (which has some great food trucks), and Federal Hill South (with good coffee shops). In addition to all this delicious food from around the world, Providence has some amazing sports teams as well: The Providence Bruins are an American Hockey League team that plays at Dunkin Donuts Center; Brown Bears football plays at Brown Stadium; and basketball fans watch games at both men’s and women’s Division 1 programs played in downtown venues such as Ryan Center or Alumni Hall.
The best street food in the U.S., according to Thrillist, is found in San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles and Providence, R.I. These five cities have the best street food in the country according to a poll last week conducted by Thrillist on their website and with over 6500 votes from people who live there or visited recently. They went through each city’s most popular types of cuisine (like pizza or tacos) and then ranked them based on taste and price.