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Dining out is getting increasingly more expensive, but which cities are particularly high-priced?
According to Yelp data shared with Food & Wine, New York City, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston have the largest concentration of expensive restaurants in their respective metro areas, as determined by Yelp dollar signs that categorize the average cost of a restaurant meal.
Conversely, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Minneapolis metro areas have the largest concentration of least expensive restaurants, according to Yelp data.
New York City has the highest concentration of expensive restaurants in the US, Yelp data shows.
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Yelp uses dollar signs to signal a restaurant’s average cost per person. A single dollar sign ($) represents meals at less than $10. Two dollar signs ($$) signal meals from $11 to $30, while three ($$$) classify meals $31 to $60, and the top category, four, ($$$$) represents meals above $61. The rankings are reported by Yelp users and the businesses themselves, according to Tara Lewis, Yelp’s vice president of community expansion and trends.
The cities with the most expensive restaurants are packed with examples that far exceed the $61 minimum for the top range. At Thomas Keller’s three–Michelin–starred Per Se in New York City, the nine-course tasting menu costs $425 for the baseline experience.
A tasting menu in the dining room of San Francisco’s Saison, recipient of two Michelin stars, starts at $368 per person sans drinks, 20% service charge, sales tax, and the San Francisco Mandate that contributes to restaurant workers’ healthcare costs. A 20-course omakase at Boston’s James Beard Award–winning O Ya is $383, which includes taxes, tip, and fees, but before beverages or add-ons.
Yelp declined to share publicly the total number of restaurants on its platform in each of the ranked cities. However, all five of the cities are among the top 10 most expensive in the country, according to The Global Statistics. New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have among the top 10 highest costs of living in the world, per Economist Intelligence.
Atlanta is a great place to find a solid restaurant meal on a budget, according to Yelp data.
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On the other end, Yelp claims that budget-conscious diners have access to the largest percentage of restaurants that offer meals under $10 in the metro areas of Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Minneapolis.
Atlanta is home to the world’s largest drive-in, The Varsity, where it costs $4.14 for a chili cheese dog and just $2.72 for hamburgers dressed with mustard, ketchup, and pickles. Likewise, Bomb Biscuit Co., run by 2024 F&W Best New Chef Erika Council, sells fried chicken biscuits for as low as $9.75, and a scrambled egg and cheese sandwich is $6.
Related: The Menu Items That Keep Getting More Expensive — and the Surprising One That Isn’t
In Minneapolis, a relatively low cost of living can also translate to more affordable options, such as DelSur Empanadas, a fast-casual Argentinian restaurant, where empanadas sell for less than $4 apiece. Al’s Breakfast, located on the University of Minnesota campus, won a 2004 America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation. It serves French toast and pancakes starting at $4.25.
The price of dining out matters more than ever. About one-third of U.S. adults expect their finances to worsen in 2026, according to a recent YouGov consumer spending report. The majority of consumers say that they plan to cut back on drinking and eating out, regardless of whether they expect their finances to improve. Only 10% of the survey group say that they plan to spend more at bars and restaurants this year.
“Diners are actively seeking out affordable options,” says Yelp’s Lewis. She cites a surge in price-related search terms on Yelp like “meal deal,” currently up 117%; “value meal,” up 22%; and “cheap eats,” up 21%.
Related: Why Dining Out No Longer Feels ‘Worth the Money’ for Millions of Americans
But while diners across the country, including those in cities known for high-end dining, seek out affordability, Lewis sees indications that consumers want more than just food, with personalized value and entertainment top of mind as well.
She points to growing interest in solo dining (searches up 271%), dining experiences like the 3D-animated Le Petit Chef meals (up 509%), dinner theater events like Medieval Times (up 40%), and immersive chef’s table experiences (up 36%) like that at Restaurant Naides, a new Filipino fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco.
Places that can offer a unique experience to price-conscious customers may be well-poised for the current moment.
Top 5 Metro Areas with the Largest Percentage of $$$$ Restaurants, According to Yelp
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Boston-Cambridge, Newton, MA-NH
Top 5 Metro Areas with the Largest Percentage of $ Restaurants, According to Yelp
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
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