Orlando named ‘Best Foodie City in America’ in recent report — do locals agree?

Color us flabbergasted. Well, some of us.

After weighing data that included 28 metrics from Michelin stars to cost of groceries, WalletHub has determined that of 182 cities, including the 150 most populated in the nation, Orlando deserves the No.1 slot on its 2023 list of Best Foodie Cities in America.

The City Beautiful edged out Portland, Oregon, which took the No. 2 spot.

More surprisingly, in particular to locals out in force on social media, was Orlando’s supremacy over other legendary food cities.

“So, New York City, LA, Vegas, Chicago, NOLA and DC fell off the map when I wasn’t looking??” wrote one poster on the Orlando Foodie Forum presented by Tasty Chomps Facebook page, where many others were triggered far harder by the news, citing Orlando’s dearth of quality cuisines of all stripes.

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“Our food is 95% garbage. Not even one decent Mexican restaurant. And yes, I’ve lived here 25 years,” opined one.

“I find California and New York has more diversity in food that (sic),” said another. “Definitely more Asian foods in those states than here, I can’t even get a decent Filipino food over here.”

Orlando native and industry pro J. Travis Smith, co-owner/operations manager of Uncommon Catering admits he, too, felt an immediate adverse reaction. But then he read past the headline and decided that he agreed with the math — to an extent.

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“I think most people didn’t actually read the parameters,” he says. “I didn’t, either. But when you do, you see that things like affordability — you can certainly find cheaper cocktails and high-end dishes here than you would in other major food cities. And variety of cuisine? Definitely! But we do have a huge issue with transplants moving here and constantly comparing us to the city they came from,” Smith notes.

This isn’t the first time the city’s ranked this high. Back in 2016, Orlando came in tops on the same study, though there were about 30 fewer metros in the mix. Even the most cynical resident would be hard-pressed to refute the city’s culinary growth since then, let alone the past two decades.

“When the Main Street District programs really got going, they began to identify all of our great little areas around downtown,” Smith notes. The WalletHub survey noted that in determining its sample, they considered only “the city proper” in each case and excluded surrounding cities in the metro area.

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The study also looked at the term “foodie” in a broader sense, noting not just gourmands for whom dining out was the focus but also those who “enjoy discovering new and unique flavors wherever they can find them, including in their own kitchens and less prominent establishments like street food stalls.”

Not everyone was so up in arms, though. More than a few stepped up to defend Orlando’s seat at the table of great food cities.

“I’m not mad at this at all,” wrote one. “I can name 50 incredible restaurants here, off the top of my head. Food in other major cities is also incredible for its own reasons; Nola, NYC, DC all have great food, but those are obvious choices. Anyone who disagrees that Orlando has a great food scene must just not know how to find good restaurants, bc Orlando is full of them.”

Smith reiterated that many don’t read past headlines to consider the multiple metrics in this particular survey but also feel positive about the scene overall.

“I think we do a really solid job of representing almost every cuisine that you could ever possibly want, all within our city limits.”

And though the survey took into account with specificity several types of businesses per capita, including craft breweries and wine bars, coffee and tea shops, butcher shops and gourmet specialty food stores (each was given the same weight), most latched on to another metric in the same stratum: ice cream and frozen yogurt shops.

Admittedly, the results were comical. Even former Orlando Sentinel food critic Scott Joseph got his snark on.

“Suck it, NOLA,” he wrote in a post on his website, “Maybe try extruding some soft serve on your precious beignets next time.”

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.