Philadelphia ranked 19th best foodie city in the United States

A recent ranking placed Philadelphia among the top 20 "foodie cities" in the United States. 

WalletHub ranked Philadelphia No. 19 overall for diversity, quality, affordability, and availability of gourmet cuisine. Aside from placing 19th overall, the city was also ranked No. 1 for affordability and accessibility of top-rated restaurants and second for the number of grocery stores in the city, CBS Philly reported. 

The survey ranked 182 of the largest cities in the U.S. in 30 separate categories and aimed to determine which cities have the best and cheapest local cuisine.

Philadelphia was also ranked No. 11 in restaurants per capita, No. 12 in specialty-food stores, and No. 14 for coffee shops, CBS Philly reported. The top three foodie cities according to the study were Portland, New York, and Miami.

In a separate WalletHub survey published on Sept. 24, Philadelphia was ranked as the 11th best coffee city in the United States.

Last year, the marketing agency Digital Third Coast ranked Philadelphia as No. 7 for late-night food out of 20 cities Amazon was considering for its second headquarters. The ranking was based on the number and variety of restaurants, the average Google restaurant ratings, and the amount of 24-hour restaurants available.

In Dec. 2015, Tom Siestema, a reporter for The Washington Post, ranked Philadelphia as No. 6 in best food out of all American cities, topped only by Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland, respectively. Philadelphia earned this standing due to the unique traditions present in its restaurants, food trucks, and markets, the Post reported, citing its cheesesteaks, Italian cuisine, and Reading Terminal Market as contributing factors.

"This much is certain: The City of Brotherly Love knows how to cook, eat and drink," Siestema said.