Food Scenes for Your Next Route
Tour these emerging culinary destinations, from California to Connecticut, on a road trip.
© Helena Goessens Photography / Getty Images
We asked travel writers around the country what up-and-coming food scenes are on their radar for road travel, and eight emerging culinary destinations proved worth extra exploration. Diversity is the draw in these lesser known towns and cities, with flavor packed in from the mountains to the coasts.
In Colorado, detour from Denver or alternate from Aspen toward the suburb of Aurora and pair a celebration of lights with shining examples of a population that speaks more than 150 languages. Curate your itinerary with an Ethiopian cafe; the state's first Burmese restaurant; a refugee-run food hall serving Syrian, Nepalese, and Somali food; and a Korea Town with seemingly endless options. If that wasn't enough, the city offers an array of outdoor activities outside of the dining rooms, marketplaces, and bakeries.
Add North Dakota to your travelogue with an I-94 journey from Fargo to Bismarck and Medora. Amid street art and stunning landscapes, you'll have access to true farm-to-table dining, European fare, and local traditions in each town. Or buck the tradition of Reno casinos in the Nevada hub that's upgrading its culinary reputation with soup dumplings, bibimbap, and chic cocktails.
Down South, choose Louisiana's fourth-largest town for true Cajun and Creole cuisine that you won't find on Bourbon Street. Lafayette's culture celebrates family and food, so picture evening porch visits and crawfish boils, and follow your cravings.
In the Northeast, a coastal Connecticut town that headlined a Julia Roberts film is serving sustainable local seafood, sourdough made with regional grains, and pizza amplified by fermentation. There's something mystical about Mystic, and a drive up to Maine adds to the magic with a special sandwich, waterfront seafood, a noodle bar, and more in South Portland's next big neighborhood.
Outside the other Portland, an Oregon town offers Shakespeare fans a book-themed sandwich shop, a British-style tavern, and flavors from Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines. Ashland has something for everyone, paired with theater and the outdoors, off Interstate 5 on the way to or from California.
Take the scenic route between San Jose and San Francisco for the town with a destination goat farm and grocery store off Highway 1. Pescadero has drawn travelers for artichoke bread alone, and Guy Fieri came for the cioppino at a tavern named as the James Beard Foundation's American Classics. You might just try olallieberry for the first time in a cocktail or a pie.
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