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Matū is a steak restaurant that features 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef from New Zealand. Diners are treated to a cavalcade of meaty options, but you should opt for the (surprisingly) affordable Matū dinner that comes with five courses and includes everything from steak tartare to eight-hour braised beef cheek. If you come for lunch, you can partake in the best Philly cheesesteak in the city made with the same exceptional beef.
The staff at this little place take pride in learning customers' names and treating you like a "regular." All the coffee favorites are here, from espresso to latte to a good old-fashioned cup of Kona. Homemade pastries are available, and they open at 6 am for the early birds.
Tiffany lamps above wooden booths and old mosaic tile floors give this tavern a late 19th-century feel. Enjoy a potato-pancake Reuben, German sausage, or veal. Dinner is a bit more formal; brunch is served on Sunday.
A hickory smoke oven was imported from Louisiana to give authentic flavor to the Southern-style cooking found here. Slow cooking takes on a new meaning when meats are smoked for 4–15 hours. Hearty dishes of pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and crab cakes are served with your choice of two sides; the cheese grits and collard greens are popular.
A holdover from when neighborhood restaurants were actually in a neighborhood, award-winning Maxine's is casual, hip, local, and friendly. The menu ranges from sophisticated seafood to brisket burgers and Black Angus filet mignon. The wine list is unique and special, and the bar rivals the extended outdoor seating for popularity. There's live music several times a week, an unusual Friday brunch, and special events feature wine dinners and drag cabaret nights.
Located between the Swaner Preserve and a swath of shops, this casual Italian eatery is popular with locals and welcomes the late-night crowd. Nearly 2 feet in diameter, the "Fat Kid" pizzas will remind you of something you might see in Brooklyn or the Bronx—the "Goodfella" veggie pizza or the "Italian Stallion" meat-lovers version. The house-made pastas and chicken Parmesan rival the pizzas as fan favorites. Sports fans enjoy the many TVs that always have games on.
Local industry pros launched this cozy neighborhood spot—named for owner Matthew Peterson's annual tradition of throwing an all-out riverside bash on May 1—with a menu that ranges from nostalgic favorites like a beef patty melt on rye to delicately plated vegetable dishes and a full platter of steak frites. Go lowbrow for drinks with a Narragansett lager, or highbrow with a bottle of wine from trailblazing Vermont producer La Garagista.
The upscale-hacienda appearance of this justifiably popular restaurant showcases some of the best Mexican food in the city, courtesy of Mexican chef Richard Sandoval. Begin with a fresh mango margarita, then tuck into lobster corn empanadas, or the unusual octopus chicharron appetizer. Next, indulge in adobo birria (stew) made with adobo braised, tender roasted pork short rib. The daily happy hour, only at the bar and lounge, gets busy with specials on house margaritas, wines, and Mexican beers, along with tacos, nachos and other small plates. The dessert menu features its own roster of drinks, including Mexican coffee and a 1942 tequila. The bottomless brunch on weekends can get loud, but with unlimited cocktails and dishes you can see why.
The tastefully eclectic Mayan decor at this restaurant near the Skunk Train depot hints at the layers of complexity in the Yucatán-inflected cuisine based on the chef-owner's family recipes. Tamales, empanadas, sweet Mexican corn, fish tacos, and pork slow-roasted in banana leaves form the menu's backbone, with pork osso buco and the meatless, mildly spicy Thai burrito (or add coconut prawns) typical of the fusion plays.
This California-cuisine-centric restaurant might be named after the architect of the nearby Palace of Fine Arts, but it's very much a hip place for contemporary cooking. The menu wildly varies in terms of inspiration, from charred avocado to truffle spaghetti, but each dish is compelling and consistently executed perfectly. A horseshoe-shaped bar anchors the dining room and produces some of the neighborhood's finest cocktails.
Michelin-starred Maydan is an idyllic culinary journey to the Middle East with an intricate entrance, wood fire taking center stage, and a colorful bar. Maydan transformed their outdoor seating into a Middle-Eastern dining experience called “Tawle.” Guests must order from the prix-fixe menu, which includes a variety of family-style dishes inspired by the Middle East, Northern Africa, and the Caucuses. Order grilled lamb, homemade breads, and hummus served family-style.
As the oldest operating restaurant in downtown Jackson, the Mayflower is best known for its classic Greek-inspired menu, with seafood dishes taking top honors. Menu items are derived from family recipes passed down through the Kountouris family from generation to generation. Locals credit the café as originator of "Comeback Sauce," a culinary cousin to Cajun remoulade or a kicked-up version of Thousand Island dressing without the pickles. Mayflower serves beer only, but you may bring in your own wine for a $3 per bottle corkage fee.
This sophisticated Southeast Asian, Cajun, and Italian-fusion restaurant offers house-made pasta, tender cured meats, and local seafood powered by flavors like ginger, turmeric, and coconut. On weekdays, there is a happy hour from 4 to 6 pm that features flavorful bar bites like roasted sweet potato. The dessert and drinks menus are compact but finely curated.
A local favorite, famous for delicious coffee and pastries—sweets and savories attract a crowd camped out at their laptops in this two-room coffeehouse, or outside on the adorable patio. Try a fruit-studded scone or croissant sandwich for breakfast, spicy vegan chickpea sandwich for lunch, and stay as long as you like.
Even if the food here wasn't so good, McAdoo's would be worth a visit for the beautiful interior alone. Set inside a converted post office from 1915, the restaurant features upscale Creole and Cajun-style dishes, with a focus on seafood and cocktails. Sunday brunch specials include a seafood fondue omelet, shrimp and grits, seafood gumbo, and bananas Foster French toast—plus a Bloody Mary bar with more than 30 items to add to your drink.
Burgers, beer, and pub food done right are the focus of this classic Sylvan Park establishment. Its brick interior feels vaguely European while the plant-filled outdoor patio looks out onto the neighborhood’s main business intersection.
Established in 1928 and owned by four generations of the same family until 2020, the legacy lives on at this award-winning barbecue joint. McClard's is still the place to use up a wad of napkins while eating a plate of ribs dripping in the family's famous barbecue sauce. The restaurant is on the west side of town, in a squat, white-washed, stucco building with neon signs outside and interior walls plastered with accolades.
A lively pub up front and a dining room and enclosed patio in back, McCleary's serves up satisfying dishes such as crab cakes and pub steaks. There's a long list of Irish and American brews, and live music Wednesday through Saturday.
Upscale regional food (described as "contemporary Southern") is served at this popular Downtown restaurant where the menu changes every two months.
Whether you're looking for drinks or an interesting meal, this always-crowded spot is the place to see and be seen in Albany. The innovative chef has put together a menu that ranges from Kobe steaks to Peking duck breast to tandoori pork tenderloin. Appetizers include yellowfin tuna and fig salad.
This carry-out-only spot closes early (5 pm, except Sunday when it closes at 2 pm), but it's a great place to pick up a large order of fried chicken and sides for a party or group. The chicken is some of the best in the area, and the mac and cheese is also excellent. On a nice day, pick up an order and walk to Bayou St. John for a picnic.
This is the place for hearty, delicious food, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. While the menu does offer some very good salads, the real treats include the "Mooster" burger (made of locally sourced beef, as wild game can't be sold in restaurants), grilled halibut tacos, and Alaskan salmon with a rotating cast of sides and marinades. No matter how big you go on the meal, don't skip their legendary desserts. If you're in town at the start of the season, the café hosts an annual chili cook-off party for the community with live music and cheap beers. If you're staying nearby, you can order lunches to-go for the next morning that'll be ready for pick-up by 6 am.
You know that the lobster and other seafood is fresh at this quintessential shack, just east of Tenants Harbor and at the end of a scenic, winding shoreside byway—the owner's family owns the wholesale lobster company on the next wharf over, where local lobstermen tie up to deliver their catches. In addition to generously stuffed lobster rolls, the menu usually includes crab rolls, crab cakes, grilled clams, and a couple of nonseafood items. Save room for a slice of freshly baked pie or a whoopie pie. Order at the window, and settle at a picnic table with broad, serene views of the bay, islands, and the working harbor. This is a BYOB place, with regulars often interpreting the "B" to mean not only a bottle of wine, but also a bouquet of flowers in a jar or maybe a birthday cake.
It’s impossible to overstate how cozy this Irish pub is. There’s live music every night of the week, but on Friday and Saturday, you can catch the owner himself performing traditional Irish tunes with his band, Nosey Flynn. After dinner, Finn McCool's Giant Ice Cream Pie is an unbeatable treat, but you’ll need at least four people to finish a slice. Or, if you’re after something a little stronger, McNamara’s serves every Irish whiskey you can get in Nashville. If there’s a long wait downstairs, they also serve the full menu upstairs in the semi-secret sports bar.
