• Covington, Kentucky, has been named one of the best small cities for food and drink in the U.S. by Food & Wine magazine.
• The city was recognized for its unique blend of Appalachian, German, and Southern culinary influences.
• Several local restaurants and Covington's annual Goettafest were highlighted in the magazine's article.

Here's a "cheers" for the little guys.

Covington, Ky., was named as one the country's best small cities for food and drink, according to Food & Wine magazine.

Among 11 standout cities, only one Kentucky town made the recently-dropped list of top non-metro areas for dining.

Released June 4 as part of Food & Wine’s 2025 Global Tastemakers awards, the list spotlights places with less than 100,000 residents and was curated by Ohio-based travel writer Wendy Pramik.

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Along with Covington, Food & Wine recognized small cities in alphabetical order including Asheville, N.C., Bozeman, Mont., Burlington, Vt., Fredericksburg, Texas, Greenville, S.C., Healdsburg, Calif., McMinnville, Ore., Oxford, Miss., Santa Fe, N.M., and Traverse City, Mich.

"Just across the river from Cincinnati, Covington is where smooth bourbon meets savory goetta, and North meets South," Pramik wrote. "This walkable river town blends Appalachian, German, and Southern influences into a culinary identity all its own."

Staple restaurants in Covington such as Anchor Grill, Otto’s, Bouquet, and Carmelo’s got shout-outs in the Food & Wine story, as did Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s B-Line and the city's annual Goettafest, a multi-day celebration of the beloved breakfast sausage dish.

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Put all of this together and "Covington combines small-city soul with big character," Pramik wrote.

Along with Pramik's experience, destinations for the "Top Small US Cities for Food and Drink" were "chosen through research, local insights, and recommendations from fellow travel writers and editors at the magazine and beyond," according to the story.

Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.