Rockville Lands on 10 Best Foodie Cities List

Fresh food and inventive chefs have earned Rockville a reputation as a go-to spot for eating out, and now a mention on the 10 Best Foodie Cities in the country.

Livability.com compiled the list, and gave the top spot to Coral Gables, FL, which the authors praised for holding its own against Miami chefs.

What’s your favorite Rockville restaurant? Or who is your favorite local chef? Tell us in comments.

To come up with small- and medium-sized cities with a tasty dining scene, the editors crunched Census data to find cities with high concentrations of restaurants and bars, then looked for cities whose residents spend money eating out at independent restaurants rather than chains or fast food.

Livability’s editors also mixed in factors like James Beard Award winners, Michelin stars and Yelp reviews.

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Other cities in the top five were: Omaha, NE; Pittsburgh, PA; and Duluth, MN.

The writers say of Rockville’s food scene:

“The emergence of Rockville, Md., as a dining destination in the D.C. area occurred more than a decade ago. Back then, food critics gave props to a handful of restaurants steered by chefs willing to test the culinary waters. Today, restaurants in Rockville make weekly agendas for those living in both Washington D.C. and Baltimore. The food scene in Rockville has exploded and now includes dozens of eateries that get four or more stars on sites like Yelp.

What further cements Rockville as one of the Top 10 Foodie Cities is the easy access residents have to healthy foods and fresh ingredients along with a preference for locally owned restaurants over fast-food places or chains. A low obesity rate - well below the national average - shows Rockville residents care about what they’re eating and/or they are burning off those high-calorie meals.”

Restaurants the authors say to try include Pizza CS, Yuan Fu Vegetarian, which serves a variety of Chinese-inspired dishes, and Kielbasa Factory, which offers Polish meals. Others earning a mention are Il Pizzico, which is known for its homemade pastas, plus La Brasa Latin Cuisine, which serves sophisticated versions of Cuban, Mexican and Peruvian meals.