9201 Best Restaurants in USA

Waistcoated waitstaff coolly navigate the packed floor of this retro steak house, serving satisfying fare in a swanky, expansive room. Dungeness crab cakes, oven-roasted chicken, crispy Brussels sprouts, and cool tableside Caesar salads (possibly the city's best) all tantalize, but the eatery is best known for perfectly cooked steaks—and the virtuoso presentation seems to make everything taste better. Ritzy yet comfortable, a meal at El Gaucho can make you relax no matter how stressful your day. Of course, you may get heart palpitations once again when you see the prices—just sit back, enjoy your luscious cut of meat, and listen to the live piano music. Valet parking is available for $12.

While you definitely should try the flat shoe-shaped dish El Huarache Azteca is named after—think somewhere between a flatbread and a tostada—you cannot go wrong with any of the other options at this family restaurant that’s been a fixture in the area since the '90s. Be ready to wait for your food to arrive, but all that thick masa tortilla, meat, veggies, crema, and salsa are well worth it.

Locals love this small Mexican joint that serves up big portions at reasonable prices. The menu has such staples as enchiladas, tacos, and burritos, plus a large selection of chicken, beef, and seafood dishes. Expect an extremely casual atmosphere, cheery service, and great chips and salsa.

Since 1975, this family-owned restaurant has been a 40-year favorite for innovative Mexican cuisine. It's tough to choose from the ample menu, with standout specials like chicken mole, portobello mushroom enchiladas, and sizzling shrimp fajitas. Start with the botana (sampler) platter to get a taste of all the flavors.

Most people don’t immediately think of Mexican fare when they envision a hearty meal in the Bluegrass State, but Cave City’s branch of Kentucky’s casual -dining Tex–Mex chain is one of the city’s best spots to grab a quick bite. The huge menu includes everything from fajitas to steak, and there are plenty of options for vegetarians, children, and those who want to stay away from gluten. Come during happy hour and you can get imported beer for less than two bucks.

This is the place to dine—alfresco or in the dining room—on refined Cuban classics. Begin with a megasize mojito while you browse the expansive menu offering tostones rellenos (green plantains with different traditional fillings), ceviche, and more. Choose from Cuban specialties such as roasted pork in a cumin mojo sauce and ropa vieja (shredded beef).

This cafeteria-style, counter-serve spot is a local favorite, serving tacos topped with slaw and a variety of tortilla-based favorites. There are a few tables to enjoy your meal next to murals depicting life in Mexico.

Popular with local families and the business crowd at lunch, this bustling restaurant in Tucson's Barrio Historico neighborhood has been serving topopo salads (a crispy tortilla shell heaped with beans, guacamole, and many other ingredients), huge burritos, and green-corn tamales (in season) made just right for over 50 years. The spicy menudo (tripe soup) is reputed to be a great hangover remedy.

Nuevo Mexican and traditional Tex-Mex flavors collide at this family-owned restaurant, a much-loved King William–district mainstay since 1967. Owner Dona Marie's mole enchiladas shine here, with the extra-sweet but smoky sauce designed to be sopped up by homemade corn tortillas. Shrimp and fish play a major role, bringing new life to tacos, nachos, and chiles rellenos. And if you've never had a breakfast taco, this is the place to try one in any of almost a dozen ways. A full bar during dinner and an outdoor dining patio seal the deal on a quintessential San Antonio eating experience.

The goodness at Karen Waikiki's roadside restaurant, which has more tables outside than in, starts with high-quality ingredients and authentic techniques. The stars include tamales (chicken mole, Niman Ranch pork, and seasonal vegetables), tacos filled with beer-battered fish or crispy beef, ahi tostadas poke style, and enchiladas and burritos.

This tiny café, which looks like a cross between a truck-stop diner and a Tex-Mex joint, serves an outstanding Mexican-style breakfast (and lunch and dinner are just as good). Wait for a space in the tiny dining room, belly up to the counter, or just watch the frenetic activity as everything from soup to salsa is made from scratch. Try delectable pork carnitas; chorizo from the state of Michoacán; mole negro over pork or chicken; rockfish with cinnamon and guajillo chiles; or mouthwatering chilaquiles—tortilla chips cooked in green or red salsa and topped with cream.

This stylish restaurant located in the heart of Tesuque village has a rustic American à la carte menu specializing in items cooked over an open-flame grill as well as a separate Omakase sushi set menu option. Grilled favorites include cast-iron tenderloin, Wagyu burgers, and whole grilled branzino. In cooler months, the old adobe building is cozy and welcoming, and there is a large covered patio for dining in warmer weather. El Nido is hugely popular on summer nights before the nearby Santa Fe Opera performances—reservations are highly recommended at these times.

To the northwest of Coral Gables proper, this small but boisterous indoor-outdoor market is one of the easiest and truest ways to see Miami's local Latin life in action. Besides the rows of fresh, tropical fruits and vegetables—and the shakes you can get with any of them—Miami's original food hall has numerous counters where you can order a wide variety of Latin American food, from pan con lechón (roast pork on Cuban bread) to fried pork rinds.

This no-frills, family-owned local chain might not look like much from the outside, but its fast, fresh New Mexican cuisine is a standard favorite among northern New Mexicans. Consistently praised for its superior chile, tacos, carne adovada, and breakfast burritos by locals and national media alike, it's worth a stop for those looking for a true New Mexican food experience. The Atencio family has been serving straightforward New Mexican classics, in one form or another, since the 1950s, and they have several locations throughout the city.

This bustling café first opened as a full-service fish market in 1974, and has been popular with locals ever since. Step up to the counter and order the chargrilled, locally caught halibut, swordfish, or yellowtail on a toasted torta roll to enjoy in-house or to go for an oceanfront picnic. Other delicious choices include seafood cocktails, ceviche, Dungeness crab and shrimp salad, and fish and shrimp tacos. The fresh, sushi-grade fish arrives daily from local anglers, making it a great spot to grab your catch without getting wet. 

Authentic Mexican flavors are generally well prepared here, especially the tacos—the Brussels sprouts tacos are an inspired take on the usually ho-hum vegetable. But the real draw here is the outdoor seating, which makes this lively and festive spot perfect for gatherings with friends and families, especially with some excellent margaritas.

Sample some of the tastiest Mexican-American fare in the valley at this friendly, no-frills establishment. The savory seafood dishes, such as sautéed prawns with mushrooms and garlic, are among the standouts, and traditional offerings like pork chile verde burritos and shredded-beef chimichangas round out the menu.

For some of the best Mexican food in town, head to this fun, hip spot where the flavors are as vibrant as the turquoise, yellow, and fuchsia decor and the guacamole and salsas are made fresh daily. Wash down achiote-seasoned fish tacos or a citrus-and-cumin-marinated chicken burrito with a lemon-hibiscus refresca (cold drink) or a house margarita. They also have a location in Scarborough.

A trip to D.C. is not complete without tasting pupusas, the El Salvadoran tortillas filled with chorizo, cheese, and chicharrón. El Rinconcito Cafe, a fixture in Shaw for El Salvadoran and Mexican cuisine, specializes in pupusas and also serves quesadillas, tacos, and enchiladas—all at affordable prices.

At this family-style restaurant, the dining room bustles, the food is traditional cubano, the prices are reasonable, and the sangria is muy buena. There are well-seasoned black beans, a memorable paella, traditional ropa vieja, and local seafood served grilled, stuffed, or breaded.

Open daily, and serving fine traditional New Mexican–style enchiladas and the like, El Sombrero is the cozy alternative to Earl's.

With almost 40 years in operation, El Tamarindo, an El Salvadorean and Mexican restaurant, has weathered the neighborhood's many changes. Guests come for their savory pupusas (a thick corn tortilla) with various fillings to satisfy every taste from a vegan to a carnivore. Their late-night menu is popular with the nightlife set, and their lively brunch satisfies those who prefer daytime drinking.

This small, colorful cantina inside a modest-looking former fast-food restaurant is part of an affordable and consistently good chain. Spend any time waiting for a table perusing the astoundingly long menu's mix of Americanized and authentic Mexican dishes, including charcoal-grilled carne asada and mariscada a la diabla (real crab legs, tilapia, scallops, octopus, and jumbo shrimp cooked in a spicy sauce). Mojitos, margaritas, and other colorful cocktails are served, too.

Wildly popular and wildly good, El Tiempo on Washington (there are other locations on Richmond and Montrose) is the go-to Mexican restaurant for socialites, families, singles (check out the swinging bar scene), and serious eaters. The place gets raves for its margaritas, fajitas, guacamole, green sauce, and the whopping, table-filling mixed grill, with beef and chicken fajitas, jumbo shrimp, quail, baby-back ribs, carnitas (spicy roasted pork), and jalapeño sausage. It's open for breakfast on weekends.

Next to the International UFO Museum and Research Center, this Mexican restaurant achieves a kitschy flair with matador paintings, piñatas, and wrought-iron wall lamps. The kitchen uses family recipes in the preparation of ethnic favorites such as fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, and burritos. Cold beer and wine help cool the delicious fire of the spicy dishes.

This snug Lebanese café caters to locals with its popular vegan platters, mixed kebabs for two (with kofta, chicken, and lamb), shawarmas, and more. Seating is limited, but if you can snag a seat at lunch or dinnertime, you’re in for a treat. Try the mint lemonade and falafel sandwich, a house blend of chickpeas and fava beans, topped with turnip and pickles. For a carnivorous option, go for the El Toum sandwich, made with ground beef and pine nuts.

At this popular, family-owned Mexican and Peruvian restaurant, the bright orange exterior and the small, colorfully decorated dining room are secondary to fresh, flavorful dishes that hold to tradition (tacos and fajitas) and add innovative touches (lunch bowls with everything from ceviche to skirt steak). Bring your own wine or beer to pair with Peruvian lamb stew, Mexican seafood chile relleno, or the many kinds of ceviche, or try the delicious fruit drinks. The helpful waitstaff can explain the menu, and you can dine alfresco in season.

This craft brewery serves gourmet Himalayan fare and features live music on the weekends. Staples include tikka masala and momo dumplings, which you should be sure to pair with a pint made on-site. The restaurant is family friendly, though after dark, expect the true ski-town pub experience, as the bar fills with locals and travelers alike toasting the day's turns.

A coffee concept by the owners of The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club, Elegy is a tiny shop with bold flavors on offer. Pop in for a seasonal latte or one of several rotating burritos, like the autumnal Witching Hour burrito with black forest ham and Havarti. And you can't go wrong with the shop's signature Honey Bear cold brew, which you can also purchase in family-sized bottles. Elegy only has outdoor seating, making it more of a to-go spot than a place to hang out.

Aspen's elite book tables at this swanky, highly regarded restaurant in the Little Nell hotel not only for the beautifully presented entrées but also for the glass, ceiling-height wine cases stocked by knowledgeable sommeliers who also make tableside recommendations. The seasonal menu highlights locally sourced produce and game, as well as meat raised on Colorado ranches. For a lighter meal, head to the bar, which features Colorado beers and spirits.