The Best Food Cities For A Weekend Getaway
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It’s time to plan your next weekend getaway. If you organize your vacations around the best culinary and cocktail scenes, then these booming cities will be right up your alley. Explore the culinary terrain of James Beard award-winning chefs like Renee Erickson, who are blazing the oyster trail in Seattle, dive into some real-deal hot chicken in Nashville, or head to the sunny beaches of San Diego for the freshest fish tacos. Here’s a list of the best food cities for a weekend getaway.
Seattle, Washington
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Coffee and seafood lovers listen up! Whether Seattle is your kickoff point for a Caribbean cruise or it’s your destination, this seaport city doesn’t disappoint when it comes to finding a well-rounded weekend escape. As Washington’s largest city, Seattle is surrounded by water, mountains, and evergreen forests. Caffeine aficionados should flock to the “Emerald City” for its hard-earned reputation as the specialty coffee center of the country, packed with industry veterans and roasters popping up on every corner. There’s the famous Pike Place Market (home of the very first Starbucks) overlooking Elliott Bay, where you can find literally anything and everything you want or need. It stands as one of the oldest continuously operated public farmer’s markets in the United States. Seattle has ethnic food, high-end dining, and some of the best food trucks in the country. Be sure to check out The Walrus and the Carpenter — this restaurant from the James Beard award-winning chef Renee Erickson, who almost single-handedly put Seattle on the food map, was dubbed the best oyster bar in America.
San Diego, California
This SoCal city is known for its miles and miles of white sand beaches, surfing, sunny weather, and most importantly fish tacos, which happen to be the quintessential San Diego food (check out Oscars Mexican Seafood for some top-notch fried fish). The destination-worthy culinary pockets of San Diego include Pacific Beach, La Jolla, North Park, Hillcrest, and the Gaslamp Quarter.
If your budget allows, watch the sunset at George’s At The Cove, a seafood-centric restaurant right on the coastline in La Jolla. Baja cuisine reigns supreme here but there’s also an emerging brunch scene, craft breweries, and surfer-approved California burritos which have made a pretty big splash in the area — this beast of a burrito usually involves carne asada, french fries, cheese, salsa fresca, and guac. Little Italy is also poppin’ with Juniper & Ivy and the popular Bracero Cocina, where chef Javier Plascencia pays homage to the history of Mexican farm workers.
Louisville, Kentucky
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You might immediately think of comfort food and bourbon when you hear Louisville, and you’re right on the money, but in recent years the culinary scene has soared to new heights. This mid-sized city is a melting pot of cultures from the South and Midwest with a surprising number of New York transplants. Old Louisville is filled with victorian architecture, traditions tied to the Kentucky Derby (pastels, big hats, and mint juleps) and passionate college basketball fans. It’s also home to the classic American dish, the Hot Brown sandwich — the sandwich was invented at Louisville’s Brown Hotel and it involves sliced turkey, Mornay sauce (béchamel sauce with shredded Gruyere cheese), bacon, and tomatoes, and it’s served on thick-cut toast.
You can hit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour to learn firsthand the art and science behind crafting Bourbon and the culture that surrounds the spirit. The biggest restaurant scene can be found along Frankfort Avenue, a common ground between the Clifton and Crescent Hill neighborhoods.
New Orleans, Louisiana
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When someone mentions New Orleans a couple of things come to mind — Emeril, crawfish boils, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, Creole vs Cajun cuisine, beignets from Cafe du Monde, and most of all, jazz. New Orleans, AKA The Big Easy, has an eclectic appeal unlike any other city with a distinct architectural style that encompasses French and Spanish elements. NOLA (another nickname for the city) was discovered by the French and then ruled by the Spanish for 40 years. The food scene takes inspiration from Southern traditions and the Creole culture. After Hurricane Katrina, the city went through some kind of a culinary renaissance and the restaurant scene has become exponentially more innovative since then. When you’re creating a dining bucket list for your weekend getaway make sure to incorporate these necessities: Fried catfish at Middendorf’s, the Half and Half Po-Boy from Domilise’s, Fried Chicken at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, and the powdered sugar-topped beignets from the famous Cafe du Monde.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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The City of Brotherly Love is home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Reading Terminal Market (America’s oldest farmers market), and most notably, Philly cheesesteaks. Philly’s food scene has come a long way over the years with an emphasis on modern Israeli food and vegan cuisine. We can thank pioneering chefs like Michael Solomonov for the modern Israeli cuisine (Zahav and Dizengoff). There’s also Solomonov’s James Beard award-nominated restaurant Abe Fisher, that focuses on the diverse culinary landscape of the Jewish diaspora. Pizzeria Beddia, dubbed the “best pizza in America” by Bon Appétit, should be high on your to-do list. Let’s not forget the group of Italian restaurants from the highly acclaimed Philly chef Marc Vetri and the award-winning rustic American eatery, High Street on Market from chef Eli Kulp. On the most fundamental level, if you’re making the trip here you should probably explore these top hoagie shops or go on a self-guided cheesesteak crawl of Pat’s, Geno’s, and Jim’s to see what all of the fuss is about.
Austin, Texas
If it’s your first trip to Texas, Austin is the best place to start. This vibrant city is known for its booming live-music scene that’s centered around country, blues, and rock. Austin is an active city with plenty of places for hiking, biking, swimming, and boating. Plan your meals around the barbecue, Mexican food, and food trucks. A trip to Frankin BBQ is a must, with arguably the best barbecue in the country, but factor in at least a few hours just for the line. Order the sought-after juicy brisket and sausage links created by the expert pitmaster Aaron Franklin. For tacos, Torchy’s has one of the most innovative taco menus in town. If you give into your carb cravings, which you probably will cause it’s Texas, check out Gourdough’s for donuts. Food Trucks are one of the mains staples of Austin, with over 1,000 and growing, and they serve up everything from barbecue to lobster rolls to breakfast tacos. This city has a little bit of everything, so escape the cold and eat your heart out.
Nashville, Tennessee
Hope on a plane and head to Tennessee for the weekend. The food scene in Nashville is quickly catching up to the music scene — be sure to check out the Grand Ole Opry House where so many country music legends got their start — resulting in some pretty amazing collaborations like the Music City Food + Wine Festival. Explore craft breweries and go on a guided food tour with Walk Eat Nashville. Acclaimed chefs like Sean Brock have expanded the city’s culinary horizons. Chef Brock’s evolving vision of new Southern cuisine at Husk is something to relish — inside a historic 19th-century mansion, the chef cooks regionally sourced cuisine, which changes daily, on an ember-fired grill. For complete transparency, Husk displays the local farms and purveyors on the chalkboard. Aside from a whole slew of celebrity chefs opening up shop in Nashville, there’s always hot chicken from Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, biscuits from Loveless Cafe, and fruit tea from Bread & Company (the Nashville version of sweet tea made with orange, pineapple, and lemonade).
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