For those who can afford to dine out, Richmond, VA is grabbing some well-deserved attention in WalletHub’s just-released 2024 Best Foodie Cities in America report.
Landing at the 17th spot on a “people who love to eat” list about those who appreciate good food. It’s nice we’re recognized as a top 20 destination by folks who don’t even live here—just some internet dwellers cranking out lists all day. But hey, we’ll take the praise and keep enjoying the vibrant food scene that makes Richmond truly unique.
What Is a Foodie?
While we are not a big fan of the term itself, let’s define what a “foodie” is. It’s become a marketing term that describes anyone with a keen interest in food, particularly those who seek out diverse and high-quality culinary experiences. Foodies aren’t just diners; they’re explorers of flavor, enjoying everything from gourmet dining to casual street food. This culture encourages individuals to appreciate not just the taste of food but the stories and experiences behind it, often transforming meals into meaningful experiences.
Richmond’s Standout Rankings
In WalletHub’s comprehensive analysis of over 180 of the largest U.S. cities, which considered 28 metrics—from grocery costs to the number of food festivals—Richmond’s rankings are noteworthy, especially given our population size. Here’s a closer look at our performance:
- Cost of Groceries: 81st
- Restaurants per Capita: 25th
- Affordability & Accessibility of Highly Rated Restaurants: 1st
- Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita: 23rd
- Craft Breweries & Wineries per Capita: 13th
- Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita: 1st
- Number of Grocery Stores per Capita: 1st
Richmond’s top rank in the affordability and accessibility of highly-rated restaurants is pretty impressive. For a mid-sized city, it showcases a thriving dining scene where quality doesn’t come at a steep price.
However, it’s a bit surprising—and honestly a little disappointing—to see Richmond take the number one spot for coffee shops and grocery stores, especially when most of them seem clustered in just a few areas. Let’s not forget that we still have several food deserts within city limits that need attention. It’s a reminder that while our culinary scene shines, there’s still work to be done to ensure everyone has access to quality food options.
What This Means for Locals
For Richmond residents, these rankings keep rolling in, serving as a constant reminder that our city is growing at a pace that many might not feel comfortable admitting. We’ve been featured on so many of these lists that it feels like we’re consistently scoring high every couple of months.
The high marks in coffee shops and grocery stores highlight that residents have plenty of options to explore culinary experiences right at home or in their neighborhoods. While grocery costs remain a concern—coming in at 81st overall—Richmond’s vibrant café culture and local markets provide solid alternatives for those who prefer to dine in or grab a quick pick-me-up without venturing too far. It’s a mixed bag of progress and challenges, but one thing’s for sure: our food scene is thriving, even as we work to address those lingering disparities.
Conclusion
While it’s encouraging to see our city ranked among the best for foodies, it also highlights the disparities that still exist within our neighborhoods. Our thriving restaurant scene and abundance of coffee shops are commendable, yet we must remain aware of the food deserts that persist in our midst.
This acknowledgment serves as both a celebration of our progress and a call to action. As Richmond continues to evolve, we have the opportunity to not only enjoy our vibrant food culture but also to advocate for greater accessibility to quality food for all residents.
Methodology FROM WALLET HUB
In order to determine the best and cheapest local foodie scenes, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Affordability” and “Diversity, Accessibility & Quality.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions and costs for foodies. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities in our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the “city proper” in each case and excluded surrounding cities in the metro area.
Affordability – Total Points: 30
- Cost of Groceries: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)
- Accessibility & Affordability of High-Quality Restaurants: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Note: This metric measures the prevalence of affordable restaurants with ratings of at least 4.5 stars. - Restaurant Meal Cost: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)
- Sales Tax: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
- Food Tax: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
- Average Beer & Wine Price: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Note: “Average Beer Price” refers to the average price, excluding any deposit, of a six-pack of 12-ounce Heineken containers, and “Average Wine Price” refers to the average price of a 1.5-liter bottle of Chablis or Chenin Blanc or any white table wine.
Diversity, Accessibility & Quality – Total Points: 70
- Restaurants per Capita*: Triple Weight (~8.08 Points)
- Ratio of Full-Service Restaurants to Fast-Food Establishments: Triple Weight (~8.08 Points)
- Growth in Number of Full Service Restaurants (2022 vs 2017): Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Restaurant Diversity: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Presence of Michelin-Starred Restaurants: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Average Ranking of Restaurants on Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.” List: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Food Trucks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Access to Healthy Food Options: Double Weight (~5.38 Points)
- Farmers Markets & CSA Programs per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
Note: “CSA” refers to community-supported agriculture. - Food Freshness: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
Note: The share of workers involved in agricultural activities was used as a proxy for this metric. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Craft Breweries & Wine Bars per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
Note: “Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores” includes, among others, candy stores, chocolatiers and cheese shops. - Grocery Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- International Grocery Stores per Capita*: Half Weight (~1.35 Points)
- Butcher Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Herbs & Spices Stores per Capita*: Half Weight (~1.35 Points)
- Kitchen Supplies Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Food Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Cooking Schools per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
- Food & Wine Tours per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.69 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of September 2, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, Federation of Tax Administrators, Tax Foundation, County Health Rankings, Avalara, Wikipedia, Numbeo, TripAdvisor and Yelp.
