CHARLESTON — The Holy City’s foodie reputation continues to shine under the spotlight.
Charleston was named the second-best foodie city in the country this year after Yelp and Lyft teamed up to find out which American cities are the most obsessed with dining out. Based on analysis of restaurant search volume, collections list activity and rideshare data, the two businesses compiled a Top 20 list.
Charleston was outranked only by New Orleans.
The South dominated the list, with eight cities hailing from the Southeast — including the top two and Miami in fifth.
“Breakfast and Brunch” was the most-searched restaurant cuisine on Yelp in each ranked foodie city, like Charleston. There are a variety of brunch spots here, ranging from classics to more nuanced approaches with international flavors. Lyft data showed that nearly 20 percent of the rides to restaurants occurred before noon.
The list said Charleston has evolved into a “top-tier restaurant city,” with seafood and Italian as some of the most-searched cuisines on Yelp in the area. The city had previously ranked as a Yelp destination for top barbecue.
Lyft data showed that places like Blind Tiger on Broad Street and Henry’s on the Market draw the most riders.
Charleston and its restaurants are familiar with high rankings. It ranked second best on Travel + Leisure’s annual list of America’s Best Cities this year, bested by Santa Fe, N.M. Last year it ranked third, though before 2025 Charleston held the top spot for 12 consecutive years.
