Devorah Lev-Tov

Special for USA TODAY

Everyone knows New York and Miami are great food cities. But what about the unsung heroes in cities like St. Petersburg, Fla., or Raleigh, N.C., making incredible food every day, with less national recognition? Now’s the time to add these under-the-radar cities to your East Coast travel plans, before everyone else catches on.

Waltham, Mass., a former factory city that’s now home to two universities, is a worthy culinary contender to neighboring Boston, just 12 miles east. While it’s chock full of old and new school diners and delis, it’s also home to upscale establishments, authentic ethnic eats, craft brew pubs, and even a sake factory, making the diversity of options very impressive for a city this size (just less than 14 square miles).

Baltimore excels at small, chef-owned restaurants and has several homegrown food heroes, like James Beard Award nominee Cindy Wolf, 2015 James Beard Award winner Spike Gjerde, and Food Network star Duff Goldman. “What makes this a great moment in Baltimore’s food scene is that the classic spots that have stood the test of time have finally been joined by a new generation,” says Gjerde. “Faidley’s, which has been around for the last hundred years, has been joined by new raw bars like Dylan’s Oyster Cellar and The Local Oyster. And the uniquely Baltimore Matthew’s Pizza stands alongside newcomers like Verde and Paulie Gee’s.”

Tour Baltimore's new R. House food hall

While Asheville, N.C. gets a lot of foodie love, its neighbor to the east has been quietly upping its culinary game. Raleigh, North Carolina’s capital, embraces its southern heritage while continuing to evolve and grow. A prime example is Ashley Christensen, chef and owner of no less than six bars and restaurants in the city, and other pedigreed creators, like Iron Chef America winner Walter J. Royal and three-time James Beard Award nominee Lionel Vatinet, also call Raleigh home.

St. Petersburg, Fla., may not come to mind when thinking of great food cities but it’s actually where celebrity chef Michael Mina chose to open his multi-concept Locale Market with chef Don Pintabona. It's also home to James Beard Award nominee Zach Gross of Z Grille. “We have come a long way in the past 10 years,” says Gross. “Many may remember St. Pete to be a sleepy city, but there has been a movement with many chef-driven restaurants that have raised the expectation level for the whole city.”

The capital of the USA’s smallest state, Providence, R.I., is a hidden gem bursting with tasty and eclectic eats. And with the renowned Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts continuously feeding new chefs into the city, it’s no wonder that Providence is a favorite destination among food lovers. Derek Wagner, chef and owner of Nick’s on Broadway, has seen the city’s culinary scene evolve. “Fifteen years ago, I would literally have to drive to any farm that I wanted to buy something from," he says. "To get to this place where we have, I think, more farmers markets per capita than anywhere in the country, and so many restaurants — it’s added such breadth and depth to the movement and it’s really part of the culture here.”

Browse the gallery above for standout flavors in all five cities, and see more trademark tastes in Providence below.