9201 Best Restaurants in USA

Innovative, flavorful, fun, and, indeed, French-ish, the renowned culinary team of Nelle Bauer and James Beard Award-semifinalist Jennifer James shines at this modern spot with a seasonally specific bistro menu (with vins and bubblies to match). Plats principaux might include their perfectly turned New Mexico beef steak frites, an elevated salade niçoise, or "day boat" halibut; perennial faves like their Frenchie burger, famous devilish egg, and a very popular carrot dog balance the menu. Finish with a classic chocolate pot de crème and a French-press coffee, or perhaps one more glass of cava.

Quebec native Mike "Frenchy" Preston runs several eateries in the area, including the fabulous Rockaway Grill. Visitors and locals alike keep coming back for the grouper sandwiches, which are moist and not battered beyond recognition. (It's also real grouper, something that's not a given these days.) Frenchy also gets a big thumbs-up for the she-crab soup, and, on the march-to-a-different-drummer front, the grouper egg rolls. In mild weather, eat on the deck, and stay for sunset if you can.

It’s hard to think a drive-through could have such high-quality fare, but Fresa’s has built a name for its charcoal-grilled chicken al carbon, which is slow-roasted over post oak and served with homemade tortillas and sides like Mexican street corn and crispy brussels sprouts out of this trendy Clarksville take on fast food. Breakfast tacos, aguas frescas, and Stumptown coffee service the early morning crowd, but the family-style lunch and dinner menu is the real signature, with whole- or half-chicken orders (choose from achiote and citrus or Yucatán spice), accompanied by house-made salsas, corn tortillas, charro beans, and rice. Fresh salads, queso, and guacamole, plus a selection of beer, wine, and margarita kits are available for drive-through or walk-up orders.

Operated by a neighborhood nonprofit that helps young people learn job skills, Fresh Soul blends a worthy purpose with really good Southern food. At lunchtime, a pulled pork or catfish sandwich will hit the spot, and for dinner, the big combo meals (think fried chicken legs with beans, potato salad, and cornbread) are tasty and filling. The colorful cafe has a few tables, but everything is also nicely packaged for take-out.

When you need a break from seafood platters, head here for smoothies, grain bowls, and tasty wraps and BLTs.

Though this downtown Italian spot bears no relation to the 1991 movie, it does offer the chance to try the eponymous appetizer, here done up with a melted cheese topping. It's a fitting way to start your meal here. Follow it up with expertly done espresso-encrusted filet mignon, seared jumbo sea scallops or a duck osso bucco over mashed potatoes. The tin ceiling and exposed-brick walls bump up the charm in the restaurant's setting in the historic 1838 Dowling building.

If you can't get to Vermont for the weekend, a meal in the brick-and-wood dining room at Friend of a Farmer is the next best thing. This restaurant was one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement and the high quality of everything, from the ingredients to the service, have made this a standout since it opened in 1986.

New Yorkers in all neighborhoods were delighted to welcome this second branch of the famed Friend of a Farmer, if only because a second outpost means a second chance at scoring a table for their legendary weekend brunch. The Gramercy location opened in the 1980s and is known for its cottage-core vibes, hearty servings, and as a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement offering seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. This Upper West Side location offers the same wholesome appeal and experience. While the brunch gets most of the attention (a fallout of the original location appearing on best-of NYC brunch lists for the last decade), the supper menu is as comforting as the farmhouse decor suggests. Look for all your favorites, from Chicken Pot Pie to Shepherd's Pie (there's a vegan option, too), burgers, fish, grain bowls, and duck. 

This modern restaurant is a little piece of Manhattan in Greenport. North Fork sophisticates come for the small, lively bar and contemporary fare, such as Oysters Friskafella with garlic-scented spinach and chipotle. Diners can splurge on the $48, 45-day dry-aged rib-eye steak frites. It's also a popular spot for unique cocktails made with premium liquor. The restaurant does not accommodate children younger than 6.

This popular eatery partners with more than a dozen natural and organic producers to find the ingredients needed to create its rigorous "farm-to-fork" modern Southern menu, which changes frequently. The atmosphere is charming, with high pressed-tin ceilings and reclaimed barn wood accents, and the service is friendly.

A homegrown variation on the Panera theme, this extremely popular operation (as in expect a wait at peak dining hours) serves pastries, eggs and other hot dishes, and good coffee drinks, juices, and smoothies for breakfast. The chefs whip up a diverse selection of wraps, panini, sandwiches, burgers, rice bowls, and soups the rest of the day.

Beneath the Market-Frankford subway line lives this all-day dining destination suitable for guests seeking everything from smoothies to steak. The front door opens to the café section of the restaurant, which promises a menu of draft kombucha, hot teas, coffee, juices, and pastries, but beyond the café, the sit-down restaurant and outdoor dining area have health-focused menu items available along with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks served daily.

Many regulars skip right past the rest of the menu to get to the restaurant's selection of local Penn Cove mussels. They're served seven different ways, from a traditional white wine sauce to the signature coconut green curry. Even the kids' menu offers mussels in butter sauce. Located right on the waterfront, with windows framing views of Penn Cove and Mount Baker, Front Street also offers fare like burgers and pasta for non-shellfish lovers.

Big hotel restaurants are rarely great, let alone adventurous with their dishes, but the Front Yard is an exception with its '70s living room look, excellent tunes, and star snacks including fried squash and waffles, 24-hour smoked carnitas in birria broth, and Rockefeller-style scallops. It has the kind of patio that makes you want to linger all day sipping the house rosé and throwing back fluffy cheese biscuits. It's quite a popular brunch spot as well. There are several oversized mains made to be shared including a whole branzino with chocolate mole and a fried chicken with a sweet and spicy chili sauce and mac 'n' cheese.

One of the most popular restaurants in the beach community of Seabrook, this cosmopolitan bistro with white brick walls, a pressed-tin counter bar, and big windows produces tantalizing pies with blistered crusts and top-notch toppings. Consider the truffle bianca with locally foraged mushrooms and fresh oregano and sage, or the pineapple-bacon pie with red onion, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

Under the watchful eye of celebrity chef Rick Bayless, Frontera brings a sophisticated yet casual approach to classic Mexican food. Look for genuine dishes from Oaxaca and Mexico City like house-made guacamole and short-rib tacos, as well as exquisite pan-roasted Florida shrimp. The bar is a popular hangout for its craft cocktails, beers, and wines as well as daily drink specials like Margarita Mondays and Tequila Tuesdays

A cozy coffeehouse with a counterculture undercurrent, Frontier is a good place to stop before heading into the park—and a popular one, judging by the number of visiting Angelenos in line for prehike egg sandwiches and posthike Top Chico mineral water at any one time. Pair fancy coffee drinks with bagels and parfaits in the morning or salads and sandwiches if you're off to a late start. 

For a bit of town gossip and great burgers, stop by this classic small-town café, a dressed-down spot where the locals love to hang out. On the weekends, enjoy the best breakfast buffet in the Bitterroot Valley.

This definitive student hangout—it's directly across from UNM and has been since 1971—is open seven days from 5 am until late, and hits the spot for inexpensive diner-style American and New Mexican chow. A notch up from a fast-food joint, the chile's good (vegetarian and non), the breakfast burritos are fine (the burgers are, too), and who can resist a hot, melty oversize Frontier cinnamon sweet roll? The sprawling space features some oddly eye-catching John Wayne and Elvis artwork that has been there since the start.

Put-in-Bay's quintessential fast-food joint for the past six decades, Frosty's is known for its cheap eats, fun atmosphere, and cold beer served in tall, frosty mugs. It serves fried breakfasts in the morning and pizza and sandwiches throughout the rest of the day and into the evening. There's a kids' menu and it's popular with families during the daylight hours. It also has a backyard bar specializing in cocktails and live entertainment, with a "Big Man's Burrito Stand" that also serves tacos and nachos.

This coffeehouse opens first thing in the morning and stays open through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s plenty of porch space to enjoy your rosemary-honey latte outside, and in the evening they expand their drink menu to include craft beer and wine. The menu is Southern comfort food with a New South twist (like johnnycakes with house-pickled okra and bacon-onion marmalade), but coffee is still the main event. All their coffee is locally roasted by their own roasting company, and you can buy it by the bag from the café. There are multiple locations around Nashville. 

On a hot and humid summer day, this tiny storefront attracts a crowd of locals and tourists alike. Sit outside to people- and pooch-watch while you dip your hot crispy fries into cool soft-serve ice cream—the simple combo is a very good thing. If you're not feeling very adventurous, you can get the fries and soft serve separately.

A longtime local favorite, Fu Kung serves some of the best sushi (Japanese- and Korean-style), Chinese, and Thai food in the region. From the extensive menu, consider flavor-packed dishes like shrimp with lobster sauce, pineapple-fried rice, and a slew of inventive sushi rolls. It's a popular stop in the summer, so reservations are highly recommended.

This Chinatown newcomer pairs art deco decor (the lights! the columns! the floor!) with fresh, scratch-made Shanghainese food in a comfortable environment. No menus here—order straight from your phone at any time during your stay. Menu standouts include the rainbow soup dumplings delivered to your table in a bird cage, Peking duck deconstructed with pancakes, and the sweet and sour pork ribs; everything is ordered via your smartphone. Patrons include young adults from the Chinatown community and nearby Emerson and Suffolk University grad students.

An open-air lanai offers a breathtaking view of the golf course and the majestic backdrop of Iao Valley and the West Maui mountains at this fantastic addition to Maui's culinary scene. The menu takes you on a trip to Buenos Aires, with an assortment of emparedados (sandwiches); house-made chimichurri; and tomahawk, ribeye, sirloin, and skirt steaks, as well as lamb and chicken.

The name in Japanese means "house of elegance," and the gracious and efficient service hits the mark at this flagship location, along with the interior's tatami mats, rice-paper partitions, and wooden ships circling a moat around the sushi bar. The extensive menu is both elegant and novel, with thick slabs of superfresh sashimi, inventive maki rolls, and plenty of cooked items, like beef fried rice or chicken curry, for those not into seafood or raw fish.

An upscale restaurant in Visalia's downtown hub, Fugazzi's serves up Italian-American and international-fusion dishes in a slick, contemporary space with leather booths and shiny metal tables. The extensive lunch and dinner menus feature everything from quinoa-and-kale salad and Thai chicken wraps to traditional Italian dishes and grilled lamb chops.

For a nice pastry or quick lunch, pop by this street corner window for passionfruit malasadas or a chicken katsu sando. A Japanese artisan bakery at its core, Fuji happily (and expertly) dabbles across cultures and styles, making everything from twice-baked almond croissants to bacon-and-cheese breads, plus stunning desserts such as filled cream puffs, fruit tarts, and souffle cheesecakes. The beef curry-stuffed kare-pan (curry bread) paired with a hojicha tea latte makes an excellent afternoon perk-up.