Best American Cities For Food (Slideshow)

If Portland (the other Portland) doesn't immediately make you think of food, you might need to rethink your assumptions. Recently included on Condé Nast Traveler's list of Best American Cities for Foodies, Portland has come a long way from the lobster roll (though you can still find those, too). The city is currently offering up some of the country's best and most innovative seafood.  

Okay, so most folks don't go to Hawaii for the grub, but according to Travel + Leisure's list of best food cities in America, great food is an unexpected bonus on these volcanic islands. Don't miss the raw poke, a local delicacy, or any of the amazing, fresh-from-the-ocean sushi that the city has to offer. 

While most visitors come to Vegas for the gambling, they stay for some of the most extravagant restaurants in the world. Name a celebrity chef, including Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Mario Batali, and it's a safe bet he or she has a restaurant in Vegas.

Franklin Barbeque rightly tops just about every travel magazine's list of best barbeque joints in America, but the city is also a treasure trove of food trucks, trendy foodie spots, and first rate Tex Mex. 

Don't let the flying fish at Pike Place Market fool you, Seattle's food scene is as sophisticated as it comes. Practically every restaurant you stumble upon has a James Beard Award nominee in the kitchen, from Renee Erickson's oysters at The Walrus and the Carpenter to Ethan Stowell's simple Italian at Staple & Fancy. 

You might be surprised to find this sleepy Southern hamlet near the top of everyone from Condé Nast to Travel + Leisure's lists of best American food, but the city does Southern cooking proud at myriad cafés, diners, and fine dining establishments alike. 

Deep-dish pizza! Chicago dogs! Who doesn't love this city's signature comfort food? But the Chicago is also home to a great foodie scene as well. So much so that this year's James Beard Awards (the Oscars of food) were held in the heart of The Windy City. 

Take a stroll though the city's cobblestone French Quarter, and you'll feel as if you're in another country. Try the food and you might feel as if you're in several. New Orleans cuisine takes the best of the city's Spanish, French, Creole, Italian, and even Cuban heritages and serves up rich, spicy flavors as complex as the city's history. 

You're not going to find many cities in America with more diverse eats in the city that's home to both the famous Mission burrito and the oldest Slow Food chapter in the U.S. In fact, the city is home to more restaurants per capita than any other major city in the country.

This town is pretty much synonymous with food — New York strip, New York slice, even The Big Apple. New York City has some of the most renowned (and pricey) restaurants in the world, but it's also a city where visitors and locals alike can easily find delicious cheap eats like pizza and falafel on virtually every street corner.