It may not surprise you that the most disproportionately popular genre of food in Hawaii is, in fact, Hawaiian, but would you expect Hawaiian food to be first on the menu in Utah? The restaraunt-rating website Yelp.com teamed up with HuffPost to find the most popular restaraunt category (like Mexican, buffet, BBQ, and gluten-free) in each state. The quirky study examined which states stick to the traditional fare of the locale and which ones, like Virginia, have a unique hankering for Peruvian food.

Predictably, the South remains fiercely proud of their own brand of cuisine, with all states but Louisiana and Florida listing “Southern” as the most sought-after genre of restaurant. Similarly, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma all prefer Tex-Mex or Mexican eats.

Other States, like the Pakistani-food-fanatics of Illinois, have a hankering for the exotic. Even New Jersey jumped on the foreign-gastro train, listing Portuguese food as the most disproportionately popular choice.

Particular dietary choices also appeared on the list. New York’s rank for kosher restaurants was 414 percent higher than the national average, followed by Halal at 233 percent. You’re sure to find plenty of soymilk and grape nuts in crunchy Colorado, where gluten-free is the gastronomic category of choice.  


Montana sticks to its roots with the clear selection of a certain delicious entree it (arguably) produces the best of: steak. Though residents may boast about fresh local trout or baby-back ribs, it remains evident that tender beef, venison, and bison steak excite the palate of locals and tourists alike. Montana’s steak restaurant listings were 141 percent higher than the national average.

The diversity of dining options around the country speaks to America’s melting-pot origins. With fifteen different nations represented as the most popular choice of food of various states, we can almost forget that West Virginia’s highest-listed restaurant category is hot dog… almost.