Austin’s coffee scene has officially moved from local obsession to national benchmark. In its latest round of global travel awards, Food & Wine named Austin the No. 1 Best U.S. Coffee City.
The annual rankings are built from a survey of more than 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers and wine professionals around the world. Those results are then handed to the publication’s Global Advisory Board, which ranks finalists across categories spanning restaurants, hotels, bars, bakeries and even airports to identify destinations where food is driving travel decisions.
For Austin, the top coffee ranking reflects a scene that has deepened in both quality and ambition, with roasters, baristas and cafés treating coffee like craft.
Coffee isn’t the city’s only showing.
Canje — featured in our 2025 dining guide — ranked No. 3 for Best U.S. Restaurant, while Austin landed at No. 4 among Best U.S. Pastry Cities and No. 7 overall on the list of Best U.S. Cities.
The broader takeaway from this year’s list is that food is no longer a side attraction. Food & Wine frames the awards as a snapshot of a travel economy increasingly shaped by what and where people eat and drink, whether that’s a destination restaurant, a hotel bar or a standout cup of coffee.
For Austin, that shift reads less like a trend and more like confirmation. The city has long been a place where lines form early and opinions run strong. Now, a No. 1 ranking makes it official.
Dining and Cooking