Food is one of the best ways to explore a city’s culture — and across the U.S., countless destinations have made a name for themselves because of the iconic dishes that were invented there.
From comfort food classics like deep-dish pizzas to creative local dishes that were invented to get rid of leftovers, each of these dishes has a unique origin story we think you’ll love.
Whether you’re craving a hearty stew, looking for an iconic sandwich recipe to try at home, or just curious about what’s out there – here is your roadmap to America’s most famous culinary cities.
Are you ready to eat your way across the country?
20. St. Louis, MO – Toasted Ravioli
Don’t leave St. Louis without trying toasted ravioli. They take breaded ravioli, stuff it with meat or cheese, and fry it until it’s crispy. Dip it in marinara—trust me, it just works.
Everywhere you look, from old-school Italian joints to classic diners, you’ll spot their version. Some folks claim it started when a chef accidentally dropped ravioli into hot oil instead of water. Who knows if that’s true, but the city’s definitely proud of this crunchy, snackable dish.
19. Austin, TX – Breakfast Tacos
Wake up in Austin and you’ll spot breakfast tacos on every corner. They’re not just a trend—they’re a way of life, coming out of food trucks, bakeries, you name it.
Eggs, cheese, bacon, beans, potatoes—sometimes all at once. Veracruz All Natural and Joe’s Bakery always have a line for a reason. Tortillas are fresh, fillings are generous, and honestly, you’ll probably want seconds.
Vegans, vegetarians, meat-lovers—everyone gets in on the action. Austin’s breakfast tacos just make mornings better, plain and simple.
18. New York City, NY – New York-Style Bagels
Walk through New York City and you’ll see bagel shops everywhere. People line up early for those fresh, hot, chewy bagels—the city’s kind of obsessed.
There’s something about the crust—chewy outside, soft inside. Classic toppings? Cream cheese, lox, maybe some capers or tomato if you’re feeling fancy.
Places like Absolute Bagels or Murray’s Bagels have their loyal fans. Most shops stick to the basics, but everyone swears their favorite is the best.
Sometimes you’ll get a bagel straight out of the oven. Locals grab them on the way to work or just hang out in a deli with a coffee and a bagel sandwich. It’s a New York thing.
17. New Orleans, LA – Beignets
New Orleans and beignets go hand in hand. These square, puffy doughnuts get fried up and hit with a blizzard of powdered sugar.
Most people end up at Café Du Monde in the French Quarter—it’s been serving beignets since 1862, and the line proves it. But you’ll find plenty of other bakeries and coffee shops putting their own spin on them. Some places even stuff them or go savory, which honestly sounds wild but kind of great.
Pair a beignet with a café au lait, and you’re set. If you’re in New Orleans, don’t skip this one. It’s sugary, tasty, and worth every bite.
16. San Francisco, CA – Sourdough Bread
San Francisco just smells like fresh sourdough, especially near the water. The city’s been making sourdough since the Gold Rush—yeah, it’s that old-school.
Boudin Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf has been cranking out loaves since 1849, and Tartine Bakery is a modern favorite. Each bakery has its own starter, so every loaf has a little personality.
If you’re curious, some places will even share their starter culture so you can try baking at home. But honestly, you don’t need to be a bread nerd to appreciate it. Grab a slice, eat it plain, or dunk it in clam chowder—either way, it’s unforgettable.
15. Boston, MA – Boston Cream Pie
Boston cream pie is a must if you’re in town. It’s really a cake, but locals call it a pie anyway.
Omni Parker House invented it back in 1856. Two layers of sponge cake, thick custard in the middle, and a smooth chocolate glaze on top—simple but ridiculously good.
Bakeries all over the city do their own versions. Some go heavy on the chocolate, others mix up the filling. You can try it at Parker’s Restaurant or just grab a slice from a local bakery. It’s sweet, creamy, and pure Boston.
14. Seattle, WA – Seattle-style Hot Dog
Seattle’s hot dog isn’t your average dog. Instead of just ketchup and mustard, you get a swipe of cream cheese and a pile of grilled onions. Sounds odd, but stick with it.
Street carts pop up outside bars and stadiums, especially late at night. Vendors started selling them in the late ‘80s to keep up with the nightlife. Now? It’s a local classic.
Add jalapeños, sauerkraut, maybe some Sriracha if you’re feeling bold. Toasted bun? Even better. If you’re wandering Seattle, grab one and see what the fuss is about.
13. Los Angeles, CA – French Dip Sandwich
French dip sandwich? That’s pure L.A.—not France. Both Philippe’s and Cole’s claim they invented it, but honestly, who cares? Both are worth a stop.
Picture thin-sliced roast beef piled on a soft French roll. The best part is dunking it in savory beef jus—messy, juicy, and so satisfying.
Locals love it for the simplicity and big flavor. If you’re in L.A., you kind of have to try one. It’s just the rule.
12. Portland, OR – Voodoo Doughnuts
These fun and colorful doughnuts were the brainchild of Kenneth ‘Cat Daddy’ Pogson and Tres Shannon. They’re a pretty recent creation and didn’t hit the streets of Portland until 2003.
The ambitious entrepreneur duo realized there wasn’t a single doughnut shop in downtown Portland, and took it upon themselves to change that!
They never imagined they’d open 19 doughnut shops across the country. The doughnuts are so tasty there are often queues that stretch around the block – but they’re worth the wait.
11. Baltimore, MD – Crab Cakes
In Baltimore, crab cakes are everywhere, but they’re not like the ones you find elsewhere. They’re packed with fresh jumbo lump crab and barely any filler. Locals will tell you—less bread, more crab, always.
Family restaurants and old seafood shacks both serve them, sometimes big and shareable, sometimes small but loaded with flavor.
Faidley’s Seafood at Lexington Market is legendary—people swear by their recipe, and it’s been the same for ages. You’ll usually get local blue crab, and prices jump around, but that’s just how it goes. Squeeze a little lemon, maybe some tartar sauce, and you’re set.
10. Nashville, TN – Nashville Hot Chicken
In Nashville, you can’t miss the hot chicken. This spicy fried chicken comes out crispy and juicy, blasted with a good hit of cayenne pepper for some serious heat.
Places like Hattie B’s and Pepperfire Hot Chicken dot the city. Each spot dials the spice up or down, from gentle to “what was I thinking?” hot.
Locals claim the dish started as a wild revenge recipe, but now it’s just part of life in Music City. Most joints slap it on white bread with a few pickles—simple but, honestly, it works.
9. Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Wings
Sticky and finger-licking good, buffalo wings are named after their birthplace. While no one would question whether they were created in Buffalo City, there is a bit of a debate about the food’s origin story.
Created by the legend Teressa Bellissimo who worked at the Anchor bar, her husband claims that buffalo wings came about when she had to improvise after they were sent an order of chicken wings they hadn’t ordered.
Her son isn’t so sure about this, and claims his mom made them one day for him and his hungry friends! Regardless of how they came about – boy, we’re glad they did.
8. Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Barbecue
No US city does a BBQ quite like Kansas City. Grilled to a juicy and tender slab of perfection, their BBQ meats will get all your taste buds tingling.
The original Kansas City barbecue can be traced back to Black entrepreneur Henry Perry. He set up a little outdoor BBQ pit next to his streetcar barn in the 1920s and served his mouth-watering BBQ treats wrapped in newspaper.
It’s hard to believe that such an iconic culinary creation comes from such humble origins. The recipes and BBQ dishes you can get your hands on today have also been shaped by BBQ legends like the Gates and Fiorella families.
7. Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati Chili
Originally created to make food budgets stretch, this tasty dish was created by Tom Kiradjieff in 1922. Along with his brother, the Greek immigrant opened a restaurant called the Empress. Business wasn’t going very well until they came up with the iconic Cincinnati chili!
Served on a mound of spaghetti, the chili dish has a combo of Middle Eastern spices and a mountain of cheese piled on the top.
It’s so delicious that soon the whole city was chili-crazy. There are close to 200 chili parlors in Cincinnati now, so it’s hard to walk a block without ending up at one!
6. Miami, FL – Cuban Sandwich
Miami claims to be the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich, but it isn’t the only city that claims this iconic sandwich as its own. Tampa Bay rivals the city for the title, but it’s very likely the sandwich was first created in Cuba itself.
Brought over in the late 1800s and early 1900s by Cuban cigar factory workers, the sandwich quickly skyrocketed in popularity because it’s cheap and tasty!
Over time the sandwich’s original recipe evolved and changed, and different areas have slightly different ideas of what the perfect Cuban sandwich looks like. La Tampa loves it with salami – how do you like yours?
5. Milwaukee, WI – Cheese Curds
Cheese curds are a tasty snack that gets served at bars, clubs, farmers markets, and festivals in Wisconsin. They’re so popular among locals that you can even get them at gas stations and the Milwaukee Airport.
The best thing about them is that no two cheese curds are the same. You can eat them fried, marinated, or as a topping on your pizza.
Did you know they’re a by-product of the cheesemaking process? We sure are glad these delicious balls of cheesy goodness aren’t ending up in the bin anymore!
4. San Diego, CA – Fish Tacos
The exact origin of fish tacos is a little murky. We know that the first people to make it were the local fishermen in San Felipe, a small coastal town in Baja California. Looking for new and creative ways to use up the fish they had caught that day, they improvised the delicious fish taco.
But the dish didn’t really take off until Ralph Rubio, who had tried them in San Felipe, brought the tacos to San Diego.
He opened a small stand on Mission Bay called Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill, and the rest is history.
3. Santa Fe, NM – Green Chile Stew
One of the many tantalizing flavors you’ll come across in New Mexico, green chile stew is a mix of green chiles, potatoes, and pork that is slow-cooked to perfection. The dish has become a lot more popular since the invention of refrigeration.
Before that, the chiles would quickly ripen from green to red, so the green chile stew season was very short. Today, you can enjoy a spicy bowl of the stew year-round.
If you’re in the area and you want to try it for yourself, you can get the tastiest green chile stew at The Shed! You’ll need to reserve a table well in advance though.
2. Chicago, IL – Deep-Dish Pizza
Just when we thought pizzas couldn’t get tastier, the deep-dish pizza came along. The chewy bread-like dough is filling and delicious, and the layers of mozzarella and toppings make it pop with flavor.
There’s a bit of debate about who really invented the deep-dish pizza. But who better to look to than pizza history expert Peter Regas? He believes the dish was invented at Pizzeria Uno back in 1943 as they claim, but not by the restaurant’s owner Sewell.
He thinks the real mastermind behind this mouth-watering pizza was Ric Riccardo. Whoever it was, they did us all a big favor bringing the deep-dish pizza to life!
1. Philadelphia, PA – Philly Cheesesteak
Wondering how this moreish classic came about? When Pat Olivieri invented the Philly cheesesteak in the 1930s he was only hoping to bring in more customers. But word of this mouth-watering steak sandwich quickly spread and it became a Philadelphia staple in no time.
You can get a Philly cheesesteak across the city, and choose from different toppings like mushrooms and all kinds of cheeses. The most popular cheese is still Cheese Whiz.
If you want to have the most authentic hilly cheesesteak on the market then you’ll have to eat one at Pat’s and one at Geno’s and decide which is best for yourself. The rival companies have been battling it out for years!
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