I've eaten my way through all 50 states. These 5 had surprisingly incredible food.

Out of all 50 states, a few have really stood out to me for their culinary offerings.

Abby Price

• After visiting all 50 states, I'd say five have pleasantly surprised me with their local cuisines.
• Oregon, Connecticut, and South Carolina have some incredible local dishes and specialties.
• Wyoming is home to my favorite restaurant, and I've loved checking out the food scene in New Mexico.

Visiting all 50 states was always a dream of mine, but growing up in a small town in Virginia, I never imagined I'd check them all off in my mid-20s.

When my husband and I had the chance to work remotely, we set out to see the entire country, and I had no idea how much food would shape that journey.

States famous for their food scenes, like New York, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas, all lived up to their reputations. However, many of the meals I think about the most came from places I never expected.

These five states gave me some of the best meals of my life — but, in my opinion, don't get enough credit for their food.

I expected to drool over Wyoming's steaks, but left dreaming about its game meat.

Snake River Grill is one of my favorite restaurants of all time.

Abby Price

Wyoming is one of my favorite states I've visited — I've been there several times, and I already plan to return in 2026.

As a lover of the outdoors, I wasn't surprised I fell for the area's incredible skiing, hiking, and horseback riding. Admittedly, though, I didn't have high expectations for the food.

I hadn't heard much about Wyoming's culinary scene beyond its reputation for great steaks and game meat, both of which the area has in abundance.

I'm not usually a huge fan of bison, venison, and rabbit because I prefer sticking with what I know (like chicken, beef, and pork).

Luckily, my husband is the opposite and always encourages me to step out of my comfort zone. Dining with him is how I've come to taste some of the best meals of my life, including the bison chili at Snake River Grill.

The cozy Jackson spot where we got it is now one of my favorite restaurants in the country.

Its steaks and game meats are exceptional and served with just the right amount of rustic elegance. My go-to order these days is the flank steak, but I've heard you can't go wrong with the dry-aged bison ribeye.

A few hours southeast of Jackson, in Laramie, I also highly recommend Buffalo Indian Restaurant, an Indian spot with incredible chicken tikka masala, and Weitzels Wings, which served some of the best Buffalo wings I've ever had.

There's no food scene quite like New Mexico's.

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I first visited New Mexico in 2022, and my husband and I loved it so much that we returned not long after, this time bringing my parents, grandma, and daughter so they could experience it, too.

One of the best parts of the state is its culinary scene — every bite here tells a story of Indigenous heritage, Spanish influence, and deeply rooted traditions that have been passed down for generations.

There, I fell in love with the state's famous "Christmas-style" enchiladas layered with both red and green chile sauce and breakfast burritos smothered in green chile.

I've also enjoyed many memorable glasses of sangria in New Mexico, which isn't surprising, considering the state's home to one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the US.

The capital, Santa Fe, also has several New Mexican restaurants, like The Shed and La Choza, that truly live up to their hype.

Connecticut's food scene surprised me the most.

Abby Price

My sister attended school in Connecticut and often raved about the local cuisine, but I didn't fully understand just how great the food was until I attended her graduation in New Haven.

For starters, New Haven-style pizza, known for its thin and charred crust, absolutely deserves the hype. One of my favorite stops for grabbing a slice is Frank Pepe, a coal-fired pizzeria that's been around since 1925.

Seafood is also a huge deal in Connecticut — it'd be a shame to let the coastal state get overshadowed by nearby Maine or Massachusetts.

Throughout the state, I've had incredible fresh clams and warm, buttery lobster rolls that rival any cold versions of the sandwich I've had in Maine.

Connecticut also has a great ice-cream scene — no surprise since there are several dairy farms scattered throughout the state.

South Carolina's got some incredible dishes.

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I've been to South Carolina more times than I can count, from coastal spots like Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head Island to inland cities, including Greenville and Spartanburg.

The state may just be the best place to visit for home-cooked shrimp and grits, crispy-yet-juicy fried green tomatoes, and mindblowing slow-cooked barbecue.

I highly recommend trying she-crab soup, a creamy local staple, at Hyman's Seafood in Charleston. The popular eatery has been around for over a century and only takes walk-ins, but any wait you encounter will be well worth it.

Oregon has become one of my favorite places to eat in the entire country.

Brandon Olafsson/Getty Images

I first visited Oregon in 2021 for a ski trip, but my husband and I loved Portland's food scene so much that we recently made a special return visit just to eat our way through the city.

The city has great farm-to-table restaurants with menus featuring locally sourced ingredients popular across the Pacific Northwest, like Dungeness crab and marionberries.

However, one of my favorite stops in the state is Matt's BBQ. The food truck's Texas-style barbecue dishes are so good that I once drove from just outside Mount Rainier National Park all the way to Portland, just to eat there again.

I've also been impressed by the area's incredible craft-beer scene. Portland alone has over 50 breweries, and the nearby town of Bend's famous Ale Trail features over 30 breweries and tasting rooms.

While in Bend, I also love grabbing warm scones at The Pine Tavern and flavor-packed dan dan noodles at Spork.

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