9201 Best Restaurants in USA

Perched on the side of Camelback Mountain at the Sanctuary resort, this stylish modern restaurant offers breathtaking desert-sunset and city-light views. They're the perfect complement to the culinary delights that fuse hearty American traditions and Asian flavors.

You could easily while away an entire day at this cozy spot. Enjoying Elements' own Biddeford-roasted coffee is a great way to start the day, to fuel an afternoon of reading, or to perk up in the early evening, especially on nights when there's crafts or a silent book club meeting.

A self-taught cook who grew up on the island of Crete, chef-owner Eleni Touhouliotis serves up flavorful Greek fare in this unassumingly romantic neighborhood bistro where lamb, rabbit, and shellfish figure prominently on the menu. Share a variety of the more than 40 tapas-size dishes, from traditional dips to refreshing salads to hearty pastas, and note the well-chosen selection of wines, including a number of Greek favorites.

Excellent, somewhat affordable sushi is the main event at this locals' favorite, so get ready to add your name to the waiting list; then watch the cable cars go by on Hyde Street. Luckily, post-wait, the creative sushi rolls and excellent, high-quality fish, as nigiri or sashimi, are always a delight.

Since 1977 this venerable ice-cream parlor and candy shop has been a fixture downtown, doling out small-batch ice creams and Italian ices, and always featuring at least 30 flavors—many, such as pink gooseberry and strawberry-rhubarb, featuring ingredients sourced from local farms. If it's a warm day, bring your cone, shake, or sundae (or box of handmade chocolates) next door to Pope Marine Park and enjoy your dessert while watching ships in the bay.

One of Connecticut's original beer bars has been drawing guests to its location atop Middletown's iconic Main Street since 1994. The food is mainly bar standard with a twist here and there (gochujang Nashville hot chicken, banh mi turkey burgers), bowls, and nachos, but the stars are the tremendous cross section of Connecticut brewing, and the funky vibe. It's eclectic in a truly 90s sense, with walls festooned with stickers and graffiti, comfortable booths, a muralized back patio, and a bartop covered in pennies facing 35 taps worth of outstanding craft beer. 

Creative cuisine emerges from the kitchen of this intimate bistro—the fare changes seasonally but may include pan-seared halibut, vegetable and rice sofrito, and the mouthwatering Eli's burger with seasoned fries. Arrive before opening and join the queue for a table; if they're all taken, dining at the bar, accompanied by excellent craft cocktails, is a small compromise.

This softly lighted, conversation-filled space inside a converted freight warehouse just across the river from New Hampshire, is a refined yet unpretentious bistro and has helped turn White River Junction into a foodie hub since it opened in 2009. The kitchen sources significantly from local purveyors to create satisfying dishes like duck-confit strudel, mussels in a red coconut curry, and cocoa-dusted sirloin. 

An enjoyable stopover between Westport and the Long Beach Peninsula, this airy café with three walls of windows has panoramic views of the Willapa River and is decorated with colorfully painted chairs, hanging plants, and potted flowers. First-rate espresso drinks, chai teas, and light snacks—black currant scones, lavender-honey toast with goat cheese, bacon-tomato-avocado sandwiches—are offered.

This casual eatery in the relaxed Browne's Addition neighborhood serves tasty pub food like grilled lamb sandwiches, blackened chicken alfredo, and a Korean pork bowl, and you can wash it all down with one of the 16 beers on tap. A copper bar stands along one wall, backed by a mirror and lots of memorabilia, giving the interior a saloonlike appearance.

You'll often see cyclists sitting on benches outside Elk's general store, wolfing down well-made salads and deli sandwiches after scaling the coastal highway's hills. The staffers at this modest pit stop for all travelers are consistently welcoming, and the ocean views is a bonus.

Tucked off the lobby of The Hyatt Centric, Ella's is open just about any time you're hungry (it's also where guests at the hotel get room service from). The California-inspired, Italian fare–focused menu has something for everyone: dinner highlights include crab risotto, braised short ribs, and pan-seared salmon piccata, while breakfast and lunch offer classics like lemon-ricotta pancakes and a grilled chicken Caprese sandwich.

Relaxed, affordable Ellen's, an area institution for more than 50 years, serves breakfast and lunch daily to families and other beachgoers. Come hungry, and be sure to try the Hippie featuring two poached eggs served on an English muffin with toppings.

Broadway lovers hungry for more music and dance will get a kick out of Ellen's, a 1950s-style, multilevel diner with a singing waitstaff and all-day breakfast. The menu focuses on all-American classics like meat loaf and chicken potpie, and the servers serenading you on roller skates dazzle with Broadway-caliber talent. It's the kind of over-the-top family fun that makes sense in Times Square, so expect a vivacious dining experience.

The trendy, rough-hewn microbrewery restaurant draws a young crowd. The shepherd's pie is popular, and the menu also includes English-style fish-and-chips and assorted grilled steaks. You may eat outside in the German beer garden, which has a brick patio and vines climbing the walls. Tours of the brewery are available. This is the original; there's a Fredonia offshoot as well.

Chef-owner Joy Reinhart opened this locals-favorite restaurant to honor her deceased mom, Ellie, a colorful, full-of-life character who enjoyed life to the max. The intimate, clublike dining room and deck invite socialization, and the seasonal, farm-to-fork menu is filled with Ellie’s favorites, including liver pâté, crab cake atop creamy, sweet-potato-bacon-spinach hash, and slow-cooked beef short ribs.

Even though Duke Ellington made it famous to take the A train, it’s more convenient to take the 1 train to this friendly, casual neighborhood hangout that combines good food and live music with contemporary decor. Brunch features the Southern staple chicken and waffles, there are some inventive fish and seafood dishes, and the bar is open until 1 am.

If you’re craving oysters with a side of salt air, Elliott’s Oyster House on Pier 56 delivers. Since 1975, this waterfront institution has built its reputation on fresh, sustainably sourced seafood—especially its impressive lineup of Washington oysters, shucked to order and served with a view. The rest of the menu keeps pace: Dungeness crab cakes, rich crab-and-corn chowder, and Pacific fish entrées make it easy for even oyster skeptics to dive in. On a sunny day, ask for a seat outside to watch sailboats drift across Elliott Bay while you sip something cold and coastal.

Locals come here for outstanding oysters and the freshest fish in town; expect an especially lively crowd on weekends. Menu standouts include the fresh oysters, of course, along with classic lobster rolls, and fish tacos.

If you like a menu description that combines words like fresh, innovative, organic, and vegetarian-friendly, you're in the right place here. Elote's culinary commitment to use as many local and organic ingredients as possible is matched by its construction of an eco-friendly restaurant—the first to be platinum certified by ECO, Oklahoma's sustainable-travel program. Inside, you'll see the nation's largest bar built from 100% reclaimed materials. Elote's also sponsors occasional street parties featuring luchador (masked Mexican-style) wrestling. When weather permits, there's outdoor seating.

Across from Cathedral Square Park, this chic but casual restaurant has frequently changing art exhibits and serves big, juicy hamburgers and pork-chop sandwiches.

At Elwood, chef Adam Diltz’s fine-dining homage to Philadelphia cuisine, the menu finds inspiration from the different eras of the city's history, showcased in locally sourced dishes like potato rolls, the Pennsylvania cheese plate, and Earl Keiser's guinea hen. Diners are presented with an amuse-bouche of venison scrapple, dotted with harissa ketchup and spiked onto deer antlers to start the dining experience. There's also afternoon tea on weekends, where carefully sourced pots of tea are served alongside elegant snacks.

The team behind popular Bywater wine garden Bacchanal operates this chic bar and restaurant at the Hotel Peter and Paul, where you’ll find dizzying walls of chartreuse and ochre, a generous apertivo hour, and a cavernous back bar that seems carved out of a fairy tale church. Large plates like the chicken confit and grilled Gulf shrimp are perfect for sharing with a date, but plant-based small plates, like whipped ricotta with preserved mushrooms, are particularly satisfying.

Celebrity-chef Emeril Lagasse revamped his urban-chic flagship restaurant in 2023, installing his son E.J. at the kitchen's helm. The 12-table dining room is now served by two seven-course tasting menus, with selections like Grand Isle shrimp with caviar, crawfish pie with andouille, and barbecue lobster gumbo. The Wine Bar at Emeril's---now with its own entrance on Julia Street---is a wine lover's dream, with more than 30,000 bottles spanning the globe and delectable small plates like raw oysters, barbecue shrimp, and crab gumbo.

Chef Emeril Lagasse's first restaurant in Las Vegas dates back to the opening of the MGM Grand, but it's still a popular choice and has been periodically updated. The menu still puts the spotlight on the chef's Creole-inspired cuisine, such as barbecued shrimp, Louisiana-style jambalaya, and oysters on the half shell with cucumber and seaweed mignonette. Sides like herbed crispy potatoes, creamy Anson Mills grits, and sautéed local mushrooms provide hearty accompaniments for a prime ribeye steak or whole Mediterranean sea bass for two. The central bar is great for a glass of white with Emeril's barbecued shrimp or Creole jumbo shrimp remoulade at lunch. Be sure to finish with a slice of banana cream pie or chocolate bread and butter bread pudding.

The specialties at this beloved Brooklyn pizzeria and Italian-ish eatery, named for its proprietor and situated on a charming block, range from Detroit-style grandma pies (think square instead of round, thick instead of thin) to wood-fired pizzas with ingredients like clams, anchovies, and Calabrian chilies. One item that might convince you to forego pizza, though, is the signature burger, an American cheese and caramelized onion–topped beef patty on a pretzel bun.

Local baker Rebecca Rather, well-known for her now-shuttered Rather Sweet Bakery, opened this sweet breakfast and lunch spot and bakery to much acclaim. Breakfast items span from a build-your-own biscuit bar to a croissant egg sandwich, while the lunch menu exudes farm-to-table Southern comfort, with offerings like fried oyster nachos and a pimiento cheese BLT. Details like speckled enamelware and beautiful garden flowers simply add to the charm.

The short-order cook and his grill are literally center stage in this tiny, family-owned, Route 66 restaurant that has changed little since it opened in 1947. Pick a barstool, and settle in for big portions of traditional diner food—although the peach cobbler, Brian burger, and fried chicken keep locals lining up at the door, anyone wanting a glimpse of 20th-century Americana can get their kicks here, too.