The ultimate ranking – The best BBQ cities in the US

A new study has revealed the cities with the best all-round barbecue (BBQ) throughout the United States.

Online ordering system Owner.com analyzed Tripadvisor data, looking at the number of BBQ restaurants in each city, their average ratings, and the average number of restaurants that have solid five-star reviews. Cities without at least five or more BBQ restaurants with at least 20 Tripadvisor reviews were omitted from the ranking to avoid skewing the resulting rankings.

The 10 cities with the best BBQ restaurants in the United States

In first place is St. Louis, Missouri, with a BBQ index score of 91.6 out of 100. The city has 18.84 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents–the highest rate of any city in the ranking, followed by Orlando, Florida at 17.08 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents.

In St. Louis 55% of the BBQ restaurants have five-star reviews–the third highest of any city in the nation. The average rating for BBQ restaurants in St. Louis is 4.26 out of five.

Orlando, Florida, comes in second with a BBQ index score of 75.23 out of 100. It has 17.08 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents, the second highest rate of any city on the list. On average, 46.9% of Orlando's BBQ restaurants receive five-star reviews. The average rating is 4.03 out of five.

Las Vegas, Nevada, ranks third with a BBQ index score of 74.44 out of 100. Las Vegas has 16.15 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents, and 47.3% of its BBQ restaurants boast five-star reviews. The average rating for BBQ restaurants in Las Vegas is 4.06 out of five.

Las Vegas has the third-most restaurants analyzed, with 40, behind only New York City at 43 and Los Angeles at 44.

Richmond, Virginia, takes fourth place with a BBQ index score of 68.88 out of 100. Richmond has 9.15 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents, with 55.3% of BBQ restaurants receiving five-star reviews on average, the second-highest percentage of any city on the list, only behind Cleveland, Ohio, at 58.8%.

Richmond’s average BBQ restaurant rating is 4.22 out of five, again among the top ratings of any city, ranking third behind St. Louis, Missouri, at 4.26 out of 5, and Cleveland, Ohio, at 4.3 out of 5.

Cleveland, Ohio, is in fifth place with a BBQ index score of 66.49 out of 100. The city features 6.08 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents.

58.8% of the BBQ restaurants have five-star ratings in Cleveland, with the city’s average BBQ restaurant rating being 4.30 out of five – both the highest percentage and average rating of any city on the list

Honolulu, Hawaii, ranks sixth with a BBQ index score of 66.28 out of 100. Honolulu has 13.39 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents, with an average BBQ restaurant rating of 4.02 out of five, with Honolulu seeing 45.9% of its BBQ restaurants feature five-star reviews.

Miami, Florida, holds the seventh spot with a BBQ index score of 63.75 out of 100. The city has 8.23 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents, and 53.1% of its BBQ restaurants boast five-star reviews. The average rating for BBQ restaurants in Miami is 4.17 out of five.

Nashville, Tennessee, comes in eighth place with a BBQ index score of 61.04 out of 100. The average rating for BBQ restaurants in Nashville is 4.19 out of five, with 7.12 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents. 51% of the city’s BBQ restaurants are rated at five stars.

Austin, Texas, ranks ninth, scoring 60.72 out of 100. The last city to feature over half of the analyzed restaurants being rated five stars (50.4% of BBQ restaurants within Austin). Austin has 7.70 BBQ restaurants per 100,000 residents and an average BBQ restaurant rating of 4.16 out of five

Tampa, Florida, rounds out the top ten, scoring 56.95 out of 100. For every 100,000 residents in Tampa, there are 8.29 barbecue restaurants, with the city seeing an average rating of 4.05 out of five, and just 47.8% of analyzed restaurants being rated a solid five stars

Interestingly, 65 cities made the final ranking, with an average of 40.05% of all restaurants nationwide being rated five out of five stars, and the average rating out of five nationally found to be 4.05 out of five.

A spokesperson for Owner.com commented on the findings, saying,

“These findings shed light on the vibrant and varied BBQ culture across cities, highlighting differences in the number of establishments, their quality as reflected in customer ratings, and the prevalence of top-rated restaurants.

“This analysis emphasizes the importance of maintaining high standards in food quality, service, and overall dining experiences to meet customer expectations and stand out in a competitive market–especially one as passionate as the barbecue industry.”