Best Credit Cards for Dining & Restaurants (2026)
Whether you're a foodie hitting restaurants 4 times a week or someone who grabs takeout twice a month, dining is one of the most generous rewards categories in credit cards. The best dining cards earn 3-4% back — compared to the typical 1% on most purchases, that's 2-3x more value on every meal.
The average American spends $300-500/month on dining (restaurants + takeout + delivery). At 4% back, that's $144-240/year in cash back — enough to cover an annual fee and then some.
Dining includes restaurants, takeout, bars, and food delivery apps (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub). Here are the cards that earn the most on every bite.
Test your monthly dining spend below or use our full rewards calculator.
Top Cards for Dining & Restaurants
What Counts as "Dining" on Credit Cards?
Most credit card issuers use the same merchant category codes (MCC) for dining rewards:
- Restaurants (sit-down): MCC 5812 — Always counts as dining ✓
- Fast food: MCC 5814 — Counts as dining ✓
- Coffee shops (Starbucks, Dunkin'): Usually MCC 5814 — Dining ✓ (some cards exclude)
- Bars & nightclubs: MCC 5813 — Dining ✓ on most cards
- Food delivery apps (DoorDash, Uber Eats): Usually dining ✓, but occasionally codes as marketplace
- Caterers: MCC 5811 — May or may not count depending on issuer
- Grocery store hot bars: Usually codes as groceries, not dining ✗
The Best Dining Strategy
Use two cards for maximum dining rewards:
- Primary dining card — Capital One Savor (4% cash back) or US Bank Altitude Go (4x no-AF) for all restaurant and takeout purchases
- Backup category card — Citi Custom Cash (automatic 5% on top category) for months when dining is your #1 spend
In months where dining exceeds $500 (your Custom Cash cap), switch to Savor or Altitude Go for the overage.
Want to compare all categories? Try our full rewards calculator.