HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi is a location that offers many adventures. And not the least of these are food and cuisine experiences.
A new study has ranked the cities across the United States that have the best and the worst food scenes. Surprisingly, with myriad cultures contributing to some of the most diverse food scenes in the world, no place in Hawaiʻi ranked in the top 10 foodie destinations.
But Honolulu’s and Pearl City’s rankings may surprise you….
Honolulu ranked #57 overall in the 2025 “Best Foodie Cities in America” report; meanwhile, Pearl City landed at the very bottom at #182 out of 182 cities.
The study scored 182 U.S. cities on affordability, diversity, accessibility and quality of food.
Honolulu showed strong performance in food diversity and quality with a ranking at #23. However, it came in at No. 182 for affordability, tied with Pearl City. Both cities shared some of the highest grocery costs in the country.
Honolulu stood out for its gourmet specialty-food stores. It was ranked #1 where it tied with cities like Orlando, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. That category marked a sharp contrast to Pearl City, which ranked last at #182 in the same area.
Pearl City also ranked lowest in other categories. It had the fewest restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream or frozen yogurt shops per capita. It was the only city to land at or near the bottom in four major categories.
For Honolulu, the overall ranking reflects a city where food culture thrives, if you can afford it. Pearl City, on the other hand, offered few options for food lovers at any price point.
“In the best foodie cities… there are tons of unique culinary experiences to try, from food trucks to specialty-food stores,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst for the study.
The difference between the two Hawaiʻi cities highlights a deeper gap in culinary access. You can click here to read the full report.
While Honolulu draws food lovers seeking variety and flair, Pearl City struggles to offer the same, despite being just miles away.