Why Philadelphia bombed this ‘Foodie Cities’ ranking

If Philadelphia prides itself in being a “foodie” city, then this one is going to hurt.

In its latest list, 2016’s Best & Worst Foodie Cities, WalletHub analyzed 150 metropolitan cities in the nation, Philly ranked No. 41—nowhere near the top.

The ranking looked at two key dimensions—affordability and diversity, accessibility and quality—and measured metrics like the average cost of groceries, sales and restaurant taxes, access to craft breweries, farmers markets, food trucks and other establishments, and the ratio of full-service to fast-food restaurants.

So where did Philly go wrong? WalletHub ranked Philly No. 131 when it came to the average cost of groceries, and No. 114 for the number of craft breweries and wineries per capita.

If a basket of groceries on the national average costs $100, Philadelphia’s index at 115.80 means that same basket costs nearly $16 more in Philly, WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez explained to the Philadelphia Business Journal earlier this week.

To be fair, Philadelphia doesn’t even have wineries within its city limits. If you’re looking for a vineyard tour, head on out to Chester, Delaware or Montgomery counties.

That said, Philly earned major points for not levying a grocery or restaurant tax, and its high number of food trucks and grocery stores per capita.

Orlando,Portland, Miami, Tampa and San Francisco swept the Top 5 spots on WalletHub’s study. While the Bay Area ranked 77th in affordability (Philly all around came in No. 33), the city pulled higher in diversity, accessibility and quality.

Still, foodies around the country disagree with WalletHub’s assessment. The Washington Post, Thrillist, Travel + Leisure, Zagat, Frommers, GQand the New York Times have continuously sung the high praises of our foodie (and boozy)scene, from East Passyunk to West Philly.