5 California metros ranked among the best foodie cities in US

There’s more to this town than sourdough.

WalletHub has dished up its annual list of America’s best cities for foodies, spotlighting destinations where diners can feast on highly rated fare without spending a small fortune.

One Bay Area destination landed at No. 3 — not bad for a place where the cost of living can take a serious bite out of your wallet.

WalletHub compared more than 180 cites nationwide — including the 150 most populated US metros, plus at least two of the biggest in each state — to determine which are most welcoming to foodies.

These people love everything from splurging on a fancy restaurant to hunting down an inventive food truck or experimenting with new flavors and ingredients at home.

The cities were scored across 28 different measures, divided into two broad categories: “affordability” and “diversity, accessibility and quality.”

Affordability looked at things such as grocery prices, the cost of a restaurant meal, sales tax and the average price of beer and wine.

The second category took a wider look at the food scene, including the number of restaurants, food trucks, farmers markets, craft breweries, coffee shops and specialty food stores per person.

And San Francisco served up a strong showing.

The city came in third place, with WalletHub finding that it has a “very high number” of restaurants per capita — along with one of the country’s strongest selections of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 out of 5 stars.

San Francisco also boasts 25 Michelin-starred restaurants, including three restaurants that have earned the coveted three-star rating.

But the city’s culinary credentials don’t stop at fancy dining rooms. The Golden Gate Bridge’s hometown ranked sixth nationally for restaurant diversity and fourth for access to healthy food options.

And there’s plenty on the menu for adventurous eaters, too, with San Francisco boasting a large number of food festivals and cooking schools per capita.

The city also leads the country in herb and spice stores, international grocery stores and craft breweries per capita.

But San Francisco didn’t take the crown. That went to Miami, which claimed the No. 1 spot in WalletHub’s rankings.

The Florida city leads the country in the availability of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 out of 5 stars. It also has an “extremely high” number of restaurants per capita.

Miami ranked 12th for restaurant diversity and ninth for the ratio of full-service restaurants to fast-food chains.

The city has fewer Michelin stars than San Francisco — 12 in total, including one restaurant with two stars — but it’s particularly well stocked for home cooks and market shoppers.

Miami has the third-most farmers markets, 10th-most gourmet specialty food stores, third-most butcher shops and second-most kitchen supply stores per capita.

Portland, Oregon rounded out the list’s top three, coming in second place.

The Pacific Northwest hub offers an impressive number of craft breweries and wineries, herb and spice shops, food and wine tours and food festivals per capita.

It’s also home to a very high number of restaurant choices, particularly eateries rated at least 4.5 out of 5 stars.

There is, however, one glaring hole in Portland’s culinary résumé: The city currently has no Michelin-starred restaurants.

But Portland has a tasty consolation prize — no tax on food, whether you’re grabbing dinner at a restaurant or stocking the kitchen at home.

Other California foodie scenes got some love from WalletHub, too, with three more making the top 20 nationwide.

Sacramento landed at No. 9, followed by San Diego at No. 12 and Los Angeles at No. 17.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters