Tripadvisor Announces The Top US City Foodies Should Visit For 2023

If you are a self-proclaimed foodie, there's a good chance you've dipped your toes into the world of food tourism. According to the World Food Travel Association, 53% of leisure travelers are intrepid foodie explorers – and, if you fall under that category, Tripadvisor just dropped some big news for you. Tripadvisor is the largest travel guidance platform in the world, and this week, it announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Destination Awards 2023. According to a press release, the winners are based on millions of reviews from real travelers, which the platform analyzes to uncover what the best destinations in the world are — and the results for Top Global Food Destinations are in. Perhaps predictably, Rome and Paris cinched some of the top five spots, but some American dining destinations weren't far behind. 

The top U.S. city Tripadvisor says foodies should visit in 2023, coming in at number nine in the ranking is New Orleans. The outlet describes the vibe as "full of life but with a laid-back energy that sets it apart from other cities." Here's what all the hype is about.

Anthony Bourdain once named New Orleans as the one city all Americans should visit for its food. "There's no explaining it, no describing it. You can't compare it to anything," Bourdain said to local news outlet, WDSU. The celebrity chef first visited the city for "A Cook's Tour" in 2003, and 20 years later, it looks like the rest of the world is finally catching up.

In other cities, you can expect to find loaded fries or buffalo wings as typical bar fare — maybe a pickled egg, if you're lucky. But, on Mondays in New Orleans, bars are serving up red beans and rice (via Punch); the aptly-named Monday restaurant and bar can more than satisfy your weekly craving. Liuzza's By the Track serves up a killer bowl of gumbo, and it's just down the road from the fairgrounds where the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is held. Indeed, New Orleans may be the birthplace of jazz, but it's also the birthplace of beignets, jambalaya, po' boys, and remoulade.

After a hearty Creole meal, stop by a historical bar like Napoleon House, which has been around for 200 years and even dared to serve alcohol during Prohibition. The city also invented iconic cocktails like the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, per Liquor.com. (But, a key ingredient in the latter is 15 minutes of vigorous shaking, so if you want a happy bartender, order a Sazerac.) You could even have shots of bourbon on the city's famous Bourbon Street.