2023’s Best Cities for Fast Food Lovers

From the drive-in to the drive-thru, America loves finger-lickin’ good fast food. 

But which cities are best for satisfying on-the-go hunger (or on-the-couch cravings)? 

LawnStarter compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities to rank 2023’s Best Cities for Fast Food Lovers.

We looked for cities with access to plenty of fast-food establishments. We also considered affordability and quality, including Thrillist’s Fasties Awards. 

Have it your way on National Fast Food Day (Nov. 16) with the help of our ranking below, followed by some highlights, lowlights, and expert tips.

Contents

• City Rankings
• Highlights and Lowlights
• Fast Food by the Numbers
• Ask the Experts
• Behind the Ranking
• Eatin’ Good in (and Outside of) the Neighborhood

City Rankings 

See how each city fared in our ranking:

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	Overall Score	Access Rank	Quality Rank	Affordability Rank
1	Orlando, FL	67.37	2	1	146
2	New York, NY	66.34	3	2	91
3	Miami, FL	61.16	1	93	147
4	San Francisco, CA	59.00	10	14	15
5	Chicago, IL	58.91	9	9	69
6	Philadelphia, PA	58.79	11	4	127
7	Huntington Beach, CA	56.99	33	6	32
8	Washington, DC	56.89	6	22	28
9	McAllen, TX	56.24	91	3	62
10	San Diego, CA	55.60	47	7	41
11	Los Angeles, CA	54.51	26	10	96
12	Las Vegas, NV	54.46	14	13	128
13	Scottsdale, AZ	54.09	142	11	6
14	Chandler, AZ	53.54	71	17	4
15	Killeen, TX	52.53	76	5	149
16	Boston, MA	52.32	4	48	76
17	Torrance, CA	51.95	24	23	42
18	Glendale, AZ	51.20	31	12	160
19	Atlanta, GA	50.89	20	43	20
20	Austin, TX	50.77	41	28	33
21	Palmdale, CA	50.61	152	8	75
22	Pasadena, CA	49.91	36	37	29
23	Seattle, WA	49.24	39	44	26
24	Long Beach, CA	49.01	28	25	124
25	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	49.00	108	26	25
26	Tempe, AZ	48.20	25	42	85
27	Orange, CA	48.06	32	62	21
28	Tampa, FL	48.04	17	47	104
29	Phoenix, AZ	48.02	55	18	141
30	Mesa, AZ	47.84	82	33	43
31	Pomona, CA	47.75	87	24	82
32	Glendale, CA	47.64	106	46	12
33	Peoria, AZ	47.51	157	16	71
34	Escondido, CA	47.49	107	30	49
35	San Antonio, TX	47.23	61	20	143
36	Plano, TX	47.19	73	57	13
37	Anaheim, CA	47.01	37	50	68
38	Moreno Valley, CA	46.97	132	21	66
38	Corona, CA	46.97	84	45	27
40	Naperville, IL	46.91	65	75	3
41	McKinney, TX	46.14	102	65	11
42	Oceanside, CA	45.80	103	35	90
43	Louisville, KY	45.50	5	117	112
44	Dallas, TX	45.36	19	86	70
45	Charlotte, NC	45.24	150	29	81
46	Fontana, CA	45.20	79	59	44
47	Olathe, KS	45.19	171	32	38
48	Henderson, NV	45.04	170	34	39
49	Santa Ana, CA	44.74	21	95	45
50	Denver, CO	44.67	40	79	58
51	Fort Lauderdale, FL	44.64	12	131	51
52	Thornton, CO	44.61	100	58	57
53	Fullerton, CA	44.59	46	88	35
54	Salt Lake City, UT	44.59	90	53	72
55	Norfolk, VA	44.56	49	51	135
56	Lexington, KY	44.51	176	31	52
57	Portland, OR	44.48	121	60	34
58	St. Louis, MO	44.33	43	55	140
59	Sunnyvale, CA	43.40	29	157	2
60	Springfield, MO	43.20	159	15	181
61	Jersey City, NJ	43.16	8	160	50
62	Sacramento, CA	42.54	15	137	99
63	Frisco, TX	42.49	67	132	8
64	Riverside, CA	42.30	113	74	60
65	Waco, TX	42.07	93	68	105
66	Garden Grove, CA	42.03	80	63	137
67	Eugene, OR	41.98	173	38	117
68	Winston-Salem, NC	41.92	195	41	47
69	Hampton, VA	41.87	75	52	170
70	Fresno, CA	41.87	52	72	152
71	Chula Vista, CA	41.56	122	130	5
72	Overland Park, KS	41.48	174	76	16
73	Pittsburgh, PA	41.38	16	147	110
74	Columbus, OH	41.33	85	66	153
75	Raleigh, NC	41.31	168	80	24
76	Little Rock, AR	41.21	133	61	122
77	Houston, TX	41.14	35	103	121
78	Roseville, CA	41.09	57	138	23
79	Lincoln, NE	41.04	162	56	106
80	North Las Vegas, NV	41.02	196	27	134
81	Colorado Springs, CO	40.96	83	78	129
82	Modesto, CA	40.81	38	133	61
83	Knoxville, TN	40.69	45	87	163
84	Fremont, CA	40.58	148	124	7
85	Santa Clarita, CA	40.42	144	77	74
86	Richmond, VA	40.40	18	112	171
87	Nashville, TN	40.26	172	64	84
88	Baltimore, MD	40.25	27	104	162
89	Ontario, CA	40.23	86	106	73
90	Alexandria, VA	40.06	7	195	17
91	Tallahassee, FL	39.95	50	96	151
92	Tulsa, OK	39.87	136	70	133
93	Virginia Beach, VA	39.73	97	98	98
94	Kansas City, KS	39.73	192	19	184
95	San Jose, CA	39.63	62	164	9
96	Rockford, IL	39.58	164	40	177
97	Clarksville, TN	39.52	191	54	108
98	Amarillo, TX	39.32	58	122	100
99	Kansas City, MO	39.20	197	36	145
100	St. Paul, MN	39.20	98	148	22
101	Fort Worth, TX	39.19	101	119	65
102	Lubbock, TX	39.18	66	94	156
103	Salinas, CA	38.93	30	176	14
104	Tacoma, WA	38.88	64	110	136
105	Providence, RI	38.80	105	91	154
106	Elk Grove, CA	38.76	115	143	30
107	Columbus, GA	38.59	146	90	103
108	Irving, TX	38.26	77	161	18
109	Bellevue, WA	38.09	95	177	1
110	Laredo, TX	38.08	158	82	138
111	Jacksonville, FL	38.07	69	107	158
112	Oxnard, CA	38.00	81	154	46
113	Durham, NC	37.89	175	102	54
114	Madison, WI	37.76	178	89	92
115	Lakewood, CO	37.69	180	71	142
116	Greensboro, NC	37.66	161	101	93
117	Surprise, AZ	37.65	114	111	132
118	Rochester, NY	37.63	13	128	191
119	Fort Collins, CO	37.53	112	150	48
120	Murfreesboro, TN	37.51	120	156	31
121	Omaha, NE	37.51	149	100	109
122	Chesapeake, VA	37.24	183	114	36
123	Augusta, GA	37.17	165	84	157
124	Mobile, AL	37.13	194	49	172
125	Indianapolis, IN	37.07	140	109	119
126	Wichita, KS	37.03	124	120	107
127	Hialeah, FL	36.91	23	124	185
128	Milwaukee, WI	36.90	118	81	180
129	Baton Rouge, LA	36.80	111	108	168
130	Corpus Christi, TX	36.80	134	134	77
131	Anchorage, AK	36.78	199	85	67
132	Carrollton, TX	36.76	59	173	40
133	Cincinnati, OH	36.56	60	146	148
134	Buffalo, NY	36.55	44	73	196
135	Tucson, AZ	36.52	95	69	190
136	Hollywood, FL	36.41	34	183	37
137	Santa Rosa, CA	36.34	116	152	79
138	Lancaster, CA	36.20	154	129	95
139	Albuquerque, NM	36.17	143	121	115
140	Stockton, CA	36.08	94	118	169
141	Vancouver, WA	36.02	53	167	89
142	Bakersfield, CA	36.01	92	153	111
143	San Bernardino, CA	35.84	182	67	179
144	Denton, TX	35.82	188	105	97
145	Arlington, TX	35.70	74	159	102
146	Oklahoma City, OK	35.65	193	83	150
147	Warren, MI	35.64	160	163	19
148	Oakland, CA	35.59	63	174	53
149	Sioux Falls, SD	35.36	166	141	78
150	Boise, ID	35.34	137	158	64
151	Grand Rapids, MI	35.29	51	151	173
152	Shreveport, LA	35.23	134	92	182
153	El Paso, TX	35.20	117	144	144
154	Dayton, OH	35.16	70	97	188
155	Fort Wayne, IN	34.71	151	115	161
156	Irvine, CA	34.69	138	182	10
157	Aurora, CO	34.50	123	113	176
158	Huntsville, AL	34.50	190	142	59
159	Midland, TX	34.15	131	171	56
160	West Valley City, UT	34.14	189	123	113
161	Macon, GA	33.93	155	135	155
162	Minneapolis, MN	33.34	72	180	80
163	Grand Prairie, TX	33.29	127	170	86
164	Newport News, VA	33.27	99	139	183
165	Des Moines, IA	33.25	163	155	125
166	Akron, OH	33.17	167	39	200
167	Memphis, TN	33.16	156	140	167
168	Yonkers, NY	33.12	48	189	87
169	Fayetteville, NC	32.96	179	127	165
170	Garland, TX	32.83	78	184	83
171	Hayward, CA	32.76	89	175	130
172	New Orleans, LA	32.64	184	149	118
173	Birmingham, AL	32.04	147	116	187
174	Salem, OR	31.71	145	168	139
175	St. Petersburg, FL	31.24	68	194	101
176	Reno, NV	30.88	153	178	114
177	Savannah, GA	30.76	56	181	174
178	Toledo, OH	30.71	141	99	198
179	Springfield, MA	30.55	119	136	193
180	Spokane, WA	30.45	54	179	178
181	Mesquite, TX	30.41	130	185	116
182	Paterson, NJ	30.30	126	186	123
183	Pembroke Pines, FL	30.26	139	187	94
184	Pasadena, TX	30.14	169	165	164
185	Port St. Lucie, FL	30.13	110	191	126
186	Worcester, MA	29.92	109	193	131
187	Cleveland, OH	29.74	125	126	199
188	Chattanooga, TN	29.25	177	169	159
189	Cape Coral, FL	29.06	104	190	166
190	Montgomery, AL	28.58	181	166	175
191	Aurora, IL	28.45	129	199	63
192	Charleston, SC	27.68	198	188	55
193	Detroit, MI	27.29	185	145	194
194	Jackson, MS	27.14	187	162	186
195	Joliet, IL	27.06	128	172	192
196	Newark, NJ	26.62	42	197	189
197	Brownsville, TX	26.05	186	196	120
198	Syracuse, NY	24.94	22	198	195
199	Miramar, FL	24.59	200	192	88
200	Bridgeport, CT	20.43	88	200	197

Highlights and Lowlights

Happiest Meals

What better place to hold the fast-food crown than Burger King’s backyard? Florida cities topped our ranking, with Orlando reigning supreme for the second year in a row. 

Miami (No. 3) might not have the most affordable or highest-rated fast food, but it has the most fast-food establishments per square mile of all the cities we ranked. Such easy access to fast food was enough to push Miami to third place overall.

Orlando, however, comes out on top with the highest-quality to-go meals. O-Town has the most Fasties Award-winning food brands, too, followed by Tampa, which is tied for the No. 2 spot. 

Fast food is a great option for Floridians and tourists who are busy riding roller coasters or soaking up the sun. 

The Golden (Arches) State

California is a beacon for commuters and road-trippers, so it isn’t surprising that the state is full of drive-thrus. Over 30 Golden State cities landed in the better half of our ranking, with San Francisco (No. 4), Huntington Beach (No. 7), and San Diego (No. 10) sizzling to the top. 

Cali-founded chains — McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Carl’s Jr., and Jack in the Box — cook up many fast food favorites. Even Gordon Ramsay can’t help but indulge in high-quality, Animal Style eats.

West Coast cities fared well overall, with only Spokane, Washington, ranking in the bottom 25.

Burgers, Barbecue, and Biscuits

Southern cities may be slow-paced, but they love their fast food. 

Despite having fewer fast-food joints, McLovin’ McAllen, Texas (No. 9), has the second-highest average consumer rating for fast-food establishments and third-best Quality rank overall. Other Lone Star cities like Killeen (No. 15) and Austin (No. 20) scored well, thanks to their high-quality eats. 

San Antonio (No. 35) ties for the second-highest number of Fasties Award-winning brands. SA is also where Texas chains Taco Cabana, Church’s Chicken, and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q began. 

Car-friendly comfort food is popular in Atlanta (No. 19), Louisville, Kentucky (No. 43), and Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 45). Louisville has the second-highest access to restaurants recognized by the Fasties Awards. Atlanta has similarly high access to fast-food joints, while Charlotte impressed in quality.

Fast Food for Fast Cities

Busy cities like New York (No. 2), Chicago (No. 5), and Washington (No. 8) snacked their way to the top of our ranking. It’s easy to grab a quick bite between meetings or before a show in these three cities, which all scored high in Access.

Quality meals helped boost these cities, too, each boasting big shares of highly rated establishments. There are also plenty of food delivery services to meet the demand in NYC and Chicago (tied for No. 1 in this factor).

On the flip side, smaller cities and suburbs didn’t fare so well. With little access to quick eats, places like Miramar, Florida, Brownsville, Texas, and Charleston, South Carolina, took the slow route in our ranking, landing at the bottom.

Fast Food by the Numbers

Behind the Ranking

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below. 

We then grouped those factors into three categories: Access, Quality, and Affordability.

Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category. 

Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across all categories.

The city that earned the highest average score was ranked “Best” (No. 1), while the city with the lowest was ranked “Worst” (No. 200). (Note: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be 200 due to ties among cities.)

Sources: Beyond Menu, ChowNow, Delivery.com, DoorDash, Foodie Call, Grubhub, Instacart, Numbeo, Postmates, Seamless, Thrillist, TripAdvisor, and Uber Eats

Eatin’ Good in (and Outside of) the Neighborhood

Fast-food restaurants have taken over the streets. They’ve also infiltrated our Twitter timelines and the Metaverse. McDonald’s even hacked into our childhood nostalgia by releasing limited-edition adult Happy Meals. 

Today, many fast-food joints offer vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-adjacent options. There are even plant-based fast-food chains like Project Pollo popping up around the country. 

No matter your diet, fast food is easy when you don’t have the time or the kitchen skills like Joshua Weissman’s to cook at home. 

Fast food is seemingly everywhere in America, but some regional favorites have yet to reach all 50 states. Don’t get fast food FOMO — add these chains to your fried chicken-filled bucket list. 

Wisconsin

Cheese is an essential ingredient when it comes to making fast food favorites, and Wisconsin is one of the cheesiest states. Culver’s started in Sauk City in 1984, and it’s the place to be when you’re craving cheese curds, butter burgers, and frozen custard — stat!

North Carolina

Southeasterners know “It’s Bo Time” anytime Bojangles is open with fresh biscuits and fried chicken. The biscuit fascination continues at Biscuitville, which has been serving scratch-made biscuits since 1966. Popular chains Cook Out, Hardee’s, and Krispy Kreme originated in North Carolina cities. 

Kansas

Kansas isn’t just great for tasty BBQ. It’s home to America’s first fast-food chain, White Castle. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers also got its start in Wichita in 2002 and now feeds 36 states.  

Tennessee

Whether you’re craving burgers or biscuits and gravy, you can get a quick bite at Pal’s Sudden Service. Another locally loved franchise is Fat Mo Hamburgers (aka Fat Mo’s), which has been stacking up burgers for over two decades. 

Louisiana

New Orleans has delicious beignets and boozy brunches and is also home to one of America’s favorite fast fried chicken spots, Popeyes. Dat Dog is another beloved local institution that’s starting to expand its franchise territory beyond Crescent City and Louisiana. Raising Cane’s traces its roots to nearby Baton Rouge. 

Main Photo Credit: Shutterstock