9201 Best Restaurants in USA

Gaze out at the St. Lawrence River as you tuck into the Italian-American fare at this waterfront restaurant between Clayton and Alexandria Bay. Families like the casual atmosphere, and the kids like the game room. Dishes include veal preparations, lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, sautéed chicken livers, chicken Parmesan, scampi, fried scallops with citrus sauce, and New York strip steak. Weekend reservations are strongly suggested.

A true neighborhood institution, this friendly breakfast and lunch spot is the perfect place to stop for a cold drink and a delicious carry-out po'boy.

After acclaimed restaurant Caspar Fry closed in 2022 following a decade-long run, Francaise opened in the same spot just a couple of months later, bringing the flavors of France to the South Perry district. Much of the interior is the same and it's still a great spot to meet friends for brunch, and to enjoy an array of cocktails with such dishes as croque madame, rolled French toast, omelets, or the ultra-rich macaroni with truffle sauce. The dinner menu includes coq au vin served with smashed potatoes, dry aged pork ribeye, escargot, and French onion soup. Beignets are available for brunch and as an after-dinner treat.

One of the hottest tickets in town, chef Melissa Perello's simple, sublime restaurant is a consummate date-night destination. Perello's seasonal California-French cooking is its own enduring love affair, with standouts including the savory bavette steak, grilled Sakura pork chop, and panisse frites. For dessert, the lumberjack sundae is a perennial favorite. The space has a limited number of tables, the tasting menu changes weekly, and service is professional and warm.

Cozy rooms, including an enclosed front porch, beamed ceiling, white tablecloths, and windows all around, give a refined country vibe to this longtime river-view (across a road, though), BYOB Italian restaurant. Chef-owner Francisco Argueta breathes new life into old favorites like a thin-sliced, layered eggplant parmigiano; linguine al frutti di mare fra diavolo (spicy tomato sauce served over linguine and shellfish), and lasagna with a hint of smoked bacon—just keep in mind that portions can be large. Nightly specials lean to fish, and desserts are worthwhile if you have room. Dining time limits are in place based on the number of guests: 90 minutes for two people, for example, and two hours for four. 

A nice change from seafood restaurants that dominate the area, this comfortable, casual Italian spot specializes in pizza, pasta, hand-cut steaks, and endless salad bowls. The Franco Platter is a mini buffet featuring lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and chicken Parmesan.

This family-owned Italian gem tucked in a shopping center is the place for easy pizza or specialty dishes such as seafood-loaded zuppa de pesce (fish soup) or shrimp fra diavolo. Classic lasagna, stuffed shells, and spaghetti and meatballs are also served in the spacious gold-and-red dining room.

This local favorite serves dishes that give traditional cooking methods and ingredients a new twist. The former 1930s grocery store offers a fine dining experience with wood floors, framed French posters, and cozy fireside seating. Diners indulge in large portions of fish, seafood, beef, and lamb cooked over an oak-burning grill. Behind Frank's is the casual (but still pricey) Outback, a lush candlelit garden with a huge stone fireplace. Enjoy a before- or after-dinner drink at Outback's bar. Heaters will keep you warm in winter.

If you're trying to find the quintessential New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, look no further: team pennants and posters vie for space on the paneled walls of the low-ceiling bar and dining room, while a jukebox blares beneath them. From the kitchen's steaming cauldrons come boiled shrimp, crabs, and crawfish, piled high and ready to be washed down with ice-cold beer. The daily po'boy roster might feature fried crawfish tails or oysters, meatballs in tomato sauce, or roast beef with gravy, but the fried-shrimp po'boy is Frankie & Johnny's calling card.

If you've had about all the fried seafood you can stand, try this intimate spot that focuses on creative cuisine served with flair. There are lots of seafood, poultry, and meat options, homemade pasta choices, and always a few vegetarian dishes (special requests like gluten-free are happily accommodated). Menu offerings include lobster truffle purses, a unique take on chicken picatta, and pork served with a sweet pear-cream sauce. Even the breads and most desserts are made by the chef. Entrées include really large dinner salads with fruit and nuts as well as veggies atop the greens.

The early '60s theme here appeals to an older crowd that likes the traditional Italian dishes on the early dining menu, but younger patrons who order flatbread pizzas and small plates can be found at the bar area. Reservations are accepted at both the Hilton Head and Bluffton locations, and you can buy house-made marinara and Bolognese sauces, meat rubs, and spice blends to go.

A longtime favorite culinary pioneer in Carroll Gardens, Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli's Italian American restaurant has atmosphere to spare between the backyard and former blacksmith stable. Choose from the well-conceived menu's shareable salads (many with vegetables roasted or marinated with the Frankies' own Sicilian olive oil); house-made ravioli; meatballs with pine nuts and raisins; and crusty sandwiches that ask to be shared. The next-door F&F Pizzeria and Franks Wine Bar are both celebrated destinations in their own right.

This elegant Italian-influenced American bistro draws a steady crowd of locals for its swell happy hour, intriguing menu, and sophisticated setting. The menu is slim, but expertly pared down: try the crispy fried frog legs or lambchop lollipops, followed by the chicken parm.

With a full menu served until 1:30 am and an industry-heavy clientele, the Franklin has jumped to the head of the class by keeping things simple yet effective, from the well-crafted cocktails to the homey cuisine: think skillet-smoked mussels, lasagna, and steak frites. The vibe tends to feel more like a bar than a restaurant (hence the copious bartender awards), so be forewarned that it can get loud, and the wait for a table (there aren't very many of them) can be long.

This contemporary restaurant offers bistro-style Statler chicken, pan-seared cod, and steak frites, perfect for a food-savvy clientele. A long list of apps and raw-bar items are great for sharing. There is usually live music on Thursday evening. Look for the signature martini glass over the door.

This multi-concept food hall across from Penn’s campus has a diverse array of good lunch options for hungry students (these kids don't know how good they have it!) and faculty. Choose between over-the-top burgers and cheesesteaks (Gouldsburger's); great falafel, hummus, and fries (Goldies—get a tahini shake to boot), sushi (DK Sushi), and excellent pizza (Pitruco).

The wood-fired oven is on full display at this Italian-leaning eatery that churns out decadent pizzas—including one dripping with taleggio and burnt honey—and shareable plates like blue crab fritters and a platter of rich pork and beef meatballs sizzling in a cast-iron skillet. Spacious, green-cushioned, round booths are the choice seating inside, but if weather allows, ask for a table in the lovely courtyard, a space shared with the Emeline Hotel.

Open for lunch and dinner, this casual café at Bright Angel Lodge serves basics like salads, sandwiches, and burgers. Harvey House favorites like strip steak and spaghetti round out the menu. For dessert try the flourless chocolate lava cake or the more casual ice cream sandwich with whipped topping and chocolate sauce. Be prepared to wait for a table: the dining room bustles all day long.

Tucked in the back of the Raptor Ranch gift shop, this order-at-the-counter eatery is the area's best option for a quick bite on the road. Pizza dominates the menu, but chicken tenders and wings are options, too. The restaurant serves a limited selection of pitchers of beer and bottles of wine.

Dining at this family-run, red-and-white-checkered-tablecloth Italian joint—steps from the beach but in dark-wood-laden environs that feel like a haunt from The Sopranos—is an experience for hearty pastas, lasagna, and steaks.

For a take-out sando shop for those in the North Beach know, Freddie's is where you need to go. The calling cards of this off-the-tourist-track time capsule, which first started selling sandwiches to Golden Gate Bridge construction workers, are the combo layered with mortadella, pressed ham, cheese, and salami galore, and the protein trio turkey, ham, and bacon club. No FOMO buzz means there are no lines compared to other institutions.

Chef-owner Frederick Costa marries French and Asian cuisine to create fantastic fusion dishes in this relaxing, romantic hidden gem. Seafood is a standout at both lunch and dinner, with options that include Scottish salmon with miso glaze or wild-caught fish of the day. Entrees from the land include a grass-fed veal strip loin, aged Black Angus beef tenderloin, and a baby back rack of New Zealand lamb. The ample dessert menu features ginger crème brûlée, rum(cake) euphoria, and chocolate pecan mousse cake. There is also an extensive wine list with reserve bottles and Frederick's preferred Bordeaux and proprietary blends. Dinner reservations are recommended.

Serving a variety of homemade German-style lagers and ales, the brewery, in a historic 1890s building with an air-conditioned biergarten, is a popular nightspot for both locals and visitors. The German food is all well prepared, but the pizza and Texas-sized chicken-fried steak are no slouches either.

On weekends a line forms outside for this more casual sibling of the adjacent Xaviars at Piermont, both from chef Peter X. Kelly. The stylish menu changes with the seasons and is partnered with a fantastic wine list. Expect small plates like grilled Portuguese octopus with chorizo, and tiny duck and foie gras meatballs, as well as larger entrées such as the popular steak frites with herb butter and pan-seared Montauk skate wing, sautéed to perfection in lemon-brown butter sauce.

Approachable and surprising, Freeman's is a neighborhood bar with a satisfying food menu heavy on the smoked barbecue and meaty sandwiches, but with veggie versions, sides, and hearty salads too. Cocktails are mixed with their own infusions like banana bourbon and rosemary-and-garlic vodka. Less than a year after Freeman's was taken over by two of their former bartenders, the pub was voted in the top 100 of restaurants in the country by Yelp users. The new owners have kept the popular poutine with brisket gravy, Brussels sprouts in brown butter, and Mexican street corn side on the menu.

This charming spot in downtown Freeport is a great place to sample a rotating menu of very good seafood—think all kinds of fresh, local oysters, as well as scallop crudos and delectable specialties like lobster grilled cheese sandwiches. The delicious cocktails round things out perfectly.

Driving to the end of town to try this Haufbraü-Haus-meets-Disneyland restaurant is certainly a trip; in more ways than one. Schnitzel is available in more ways than you can count on one hand, and the beer selection is impressive.

It can be hard to find an empty seat at this pub that serves hearty American comfort dishes in a cozy, rustic setting. Grab a seat at the bar, located in the middle of the dining room, but don't be surprised to see nameplates on the back of chairs—locals frequent this place so much that some have their own spots. 

Tucked in next to the Opera House, the French Quarter's marquee signage fits right in. This ode to Louisiana features a menu of popcorn shrimp, fried okra, sticky chicken, and crab-crusted catfish, and toasts the Southern experience with a Vieux Carré and much more. On a nice evening, sit by the front windows—they open.

You'll find some of the best locally roasted coffee and espresso drinks in this bright, pint-size space.