2027 Food Rankings · Food State Index
Best U.S. States for Food Lovers in 2027 (Top 10 Ranked by MICHELIN Stars and James Beard Awards)
Where should food lovers travel in 2027? We scored every contender on MICHELIN stars, James Beard Awards, food culture, value and momentum. Here are the 10 states that rank highest, with every score shown and where to book in each.
America has never had more great places to eat, or more ways to measure them. The MICHELIN Guide now covers California, New York, Chicago, Texas and a fast-growing slice of the South, and the 2026 James Beard Awards spread their top honors from Philadelphia to Houston to Portland, Maine. For 2027, we combined both into one ranking of the best states to plan a food trip around.
As with our 2027 Authority Index of the world’s best destinations, every state is scored on five weighted pillars, and every number is published below.
The best food trips in America now run from Napa to New Orleans to Portland, Maine.
The 2027 Top 10 at a glance
| # | State | MICHELIN 30% | Beard 20% | Culture 20% | Value 15% | Momentum 15% | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 99 | 88 | 95 | 62 | 90 | 89.1 |
| 2 | Louisiana | 82 | 92 | 99 | 82 | 92 | 88.9 |
| 3 | New York | 95 | 92 | 95 | 58 | 88 | 87.8 |
| 4 | Texas | 76 | 88 | 90 | 86 | 86 | 84.2 |
| 5 | Illinois | 85 | 84 | 88 | 74 | 80 | 83.0 |
| 6 | Georgia | 82 | 70 | 88 | 84 | 92 | 82.6 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 76 | 74 | 88 | 84 | 84 | 80.4 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 55 | 96 | 90 | 86 | 90 | 80.1 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 76 | 62 | 90 | 84 | 84 | 78.4 |
| 10 | Maine | 40 | 92 | 92 | 80 | 80 | 72.8 |
Pillar scores are 0–100 editorial ratings by 5 Reasons to Visit editors, informed by the 2026 MICHELIN Guide and 2026 James Beard Awards; the Food Score is their weighted total.
1. California
Food Score: 89.1Category leader: Most MICHELIN Stars
5 Reasons to Visit California to Eat
- Two new three-star restaurants in 2026: Enclos in Sonoma and Californios in San Francisco
- Three-star icons including The French Laundry, SingleThread, Quince, Benu, Atelier Crenn, Providence and Addison
- 2026 James Beard Best Chef: California went to Dave Beran of Seline in Santa Monica
Where to book: The French Laundry, Yountville, Californios, San Francisco, Seline, Santa Monica.
Toast the San Francisco skyline at Weather Permitting, 40 floors up.
2. Louisiana
Food Score: 88.9Category leader: Best Food Culture
5 Reasons to Visit Louisiana to Eat
- Emeril’s holds two MICHELIN stars
- New MICHELIN star for Dakar NOLA’s Senegalese tasting menu
- Starred Saint-Germain and Zasu, plus 40 Louisiana restaurants in the guide
Where to book: Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, Emeril’s, New Orleans, Saint-Germain, New Orleans.
3. New York
Food Score: 87.8Category leader: Best for Fine Dining
5 Reasons to Visit New York to Eat
- Three-star dining at Per Se, Jungsik and Sushi Sho
- Best New Restaurant in America: Lei, Chinatown
- 2026 Best Chef: New York State, Hooni Kim of Meju in Queens
Where to book: Lei, Chinatown, Meju, Queens, Jungsik, Tribeca.
4. Texas
Food Score: 84.2Category leader: Best Value
5 Reasons to Visit Texas to Eat
- Emerging Chef of the year: Adrian Torres, Maximo
- Best Chef: Texas for JŪN in Houston
- Barbecue, Tex-Mex and a fast-growing fine-dining scene
Where to book: Maximo, West University Place, JŪN, Houston, Mixtli, San Antonio.
5. Illinois
Food Score: 83.05 Reasons to Visit Illinois to Eat
- Three-star Alinea, one of America’s most famous tasting menus
- 2026 Best Chef: Great Lakes for Feld’s Jacob Potashnick
- Host city of the James Beard Awards
Where to book: Alinea, Chicago, Feld, Chicago.
6. Georgia
Food Score: 82.6Category leader: Fastest-Rising Food State
5 Reasons to Visit Georgia to Eat
- Nine MICHELIN stars across metro Atlanta
- A first star for Uberto in rural Gay, Georgia
- A dining scene you can walk between on the Atlanta Beltline
Where to book: So. Fox, Atlanta, Uberto, Gay.
7. Tennessee
Food Score: 80.45 Reasons to Visit Tennessee to Eat
- Three starred Nashville restaurants
- A James Beard Outstanding Restaurant finalist in The Catbird Seat
- Hot chicken to tasting menus
Where to book: The Catbird Seat, Nashville, Bastion, Nashville, Locust, Nashville.
8. Pennsylvania
Food Score: 80.1Category leader: Best James Beard Year
5 Reasons to Visit Pennsylvania to Eat
- America’s Outstanding Restaurant of 2026: Kalaya, Philadelphia
- Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic for Jesse Ito’s omakase
- Historic dining rooms and markets across Philadelphia
Where to book: Kalaya, Philadelphia, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, Philadelphia.
9. South Carolina
Food Score: 78.4
5 Reasons to Visit South Carolina to Eat
- Starred Malagón, Vern’s and Wild Common in Charleston
- New Bib Gourmands Palmira and Rivayat
- Lowcountry cooking in one of America’s most walkable cities
Where to book: Vern’s, Charleston, Wild Common, Charleston, Malagón, Charleston.
Make Mount Pleasant your base for Charleston’s dining scene.
10. Maine
Food Score: 72.8Category leader: Best Small-State Food Scene
5 Reasons to Visit Maine to Eat
- America’s Outstanding Restaurateur of 2026: Dana Street
- Lobster shacks, oysters and wood-fired cooking
- Inn dining along the coast, from Portland to Kennebunk
Where to book: Fore Street, Portland, Scales, Portland.
Category leaders for 2027
- Most MICHELIN Stars: California
- Best Food Culture: Louisiana
- Best for Fine Dining: New York
- Best Value: Texas
- Fastest-Rising Food State: Georgia
- Best James Beard Year: Pennsylvania
- Best Small-State Food Scene: Maine
How the Food State Index works
- MICHELIN depth (30%)
- Stars and selected restaurants in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide
- James Beard (20%)
- 2026 Restaurant and Chef Award winners and finalists
- Food culture (20%)
- Regional cuisine, food traditions and how much there is to eat
- Value and access (15%)
- What a great meal costs and how easy it is to get there
- Momentum (15%)
- New stars, new openings and rising chefs
The pillar scores are editorial judgments, not a statistical survey, which is why we publish them in full. States without a MICHELIN Guide can still rank on the strength of their James Beard results and food culture, as Maine does.
Also worth a food trip
Just outside the top 10: Oregon, where Portland’s Scotch Lodge won the 2026 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar and Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro won Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific; North Carolina, with 58 restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide American South; and Florida, with MICHELIN coverage across its biggest cities.
Plan Your 2027 Food Trip
The best tables book weeks or months ahead. Lock in reservations first, then compare hotels and flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best state for food in the U.S. in 2027?
California ranks number one in the 2027 5 Reasons to Visit Food State Index with a score of 89.1. California is home to 10 of the 16 three-MICHELIN-star restaurants in the United States, the most of any state, and its 2026 MICHELIN selection lists more than 500 restaurants.
What are the top 10 states for food lovers?
According to the 2027 5 Reasons to Visit Food State Index, the top 10 states for food lovers are California, Louisiana, New York, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Maine.
Which states have three-MICHELIN-star restaurants?
As of the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, the 16 three-star restaurants in the United States are in just three states: California, New York and Illinois. California has 10, the most of any state.
Which restaurant won Outstanding Restaurant at the 2026 James Beard Awards?
Kalaya, the Thai restaurant in Philadelphia from chef Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, won the 2026 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant.
What was the best new restaurant in America in 2026?
Lei, a wine bar and restaurant in New York’s Chinatown, won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
Which Southern states are in the MICHELIN Guide?
The MICHELIN Guide American South covers Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, alongside the separate Atlanta selection in Georgia. The 2026 edition names 265 restaurants, with new stars for Dakar NOLA in New Orleans, So. Fox in Atlanta and Uberto in Gay, Georgia.
How does the 5 Reasons to Visit Food State Index rank states?
5 Reasons to Visit editors score each state from 0 to 100 on five pillars: MICHELIN depth (30%), James Beard recognition (20%), food culture (20%), value and access (15%) and momentum (15%). The weighted scores are added to produce each state’s Food Score. MICHELIN and James Beard results come from the 2026 MICHELIN Guide and the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards; the pillar scores themselves are editorial judgments, published in full.
Which state is best for food on a budget?
Texas offers the best value on the list, pairing two 2026 James Beard wins in Houston with barbecue, Tex-Mex and generally lower prices than the coastal dining capitals.
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This article may contain sponsored or partner content and affiliate links; see our Editorial Policy & Advertiser Disclosure. Rankings are editorial. MICHELIN and James Beard results reflect the 2026 editions; restaurants and awards change, so confirm before you book.
