Diversity and food are two things that Houston is definitely not lacking in. So you would think the Bayou City would be near the top of any list of cities with an ethnically diverse food scene.
Well, not exactly.
After analyzing restaurants in over 500 cities across the United States, GrubHub.com, a online and mobile food ordering service, determined which cities had the most variety of ethnic takeout cuisines. New York, led the list, which isn't surprising, but Houston barely cracked the Top 10, with 28 different types of ethnic cuisines.
The list, with number of ethnic cuisines, included:
New York City (56)
Chicago (53)
Los Angeles (45)
Boston (44)
San Francisco (42)
Washington (41)
Philadelphia (35)
Miami (35)
Denver (31)
Houston (28)
GrubHub.com's interactive map shows the favorite ethnic foods of Houstonians by comparing the types of restaurants and orders placed on the site. Like the rest of the country, Italian food (we're guessing pizza) was at the top of the list in Houston, followed closely by Chinese takeout.
In Houston, Mexican food ranked third in number of restaurants and orders, with Mediterranean, Latin American, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines trailing behind.
Reflecting the continued diversity of choices, a number of other ethnic cuisines are among the fastest-growing in the nation. Making the biggest jump in the survey are Pakistani cuisine, which has almost doubled in popularity since last year, followed by Caribbean, Halal, Spanish and African.
Italian restaurants top the list as Houston's favorite food.(Shown: A Da Marco Cucina E Vino creation)
