9164 Best Restaurants in USA

In a small streetfront along an unimpressive stretch of Grand Avenue, this hidden gem serves some of the best Lebanese food in Portland, for prices that can't be beat. Everything from the fresh homemade pita to the hummus, falafel, tabouli, baba ghanoush, and kebabs is delicious, and comes in enormous portions. The meat, vegetable, or vegan mezza platters offer a smattering of the kitchen's best, and the lamb gyro is delish. There's a decent selection of beer and wine, too. Nicholas has a second branch in the Grant Park area in Northeast, between the Lloyd District and Hollywood neighborhoods.

Expect a cozy and sexy vibe in this Uptown steak house. A grand piano sits in the dining room, providing background music nightly beginning at 7. Specialties include Chateaubriand for two, served with forest mushrooms, carmelized onion, and foie gras; the center-cut beef is carved tableside. The steak options are plentiful—10-ounce filet mignon, prime bone-in 16-ounce fillet, prime 22-ounce Cowboy cut (a French-cut bone-in rib eye). Lighter appetites can opt for seafood specialties such as sesame-crusted ahi tuna, diver scallops, or tortilla-crusted Atlantic salmon.

The dining room at this upscale, trendy restaurant has a wood-burning brick oven in which Mediterranean and northern Italian house specialties are cooked daily. Local artist Eric Fischl designed the oven's mosaic mural. Wood-roasted chicken and fish are popular, and the Sunday brunch menu has a good choice of dishes, including wood-oven pizzas. Try the polenta fries with truffle oil for something different. There's open-air dining on the porch.

One of the oldest spots in town, this upscale venue is a popular destination for a special evening. Modestly furnished but with a voluminous wine cellar, Nick's serves spirited and simple food, reflecting the owner's northern Italian heritage—in fact, many of Nick's dishes are made from old family recipes. Along with wood-fired pizzas, you'll find pasta dishes, meats, salads, and a wide variety of desserts. 

Dungeness crab, the Bay Area’s favorite local seafood, is showcased in a consistently fantastic sandwich on grilled sourdough bread at this timeless Pacifica restaurant and lounge. It’s an all-day restaurant attached to a motel right by the beach, with a vintage Americana atmosphere that looks like a blend of a coastal diner with maritime decor and a throwback martini bar with dim lighting, wood paneling, and tufted leather banquettes.

A basic contemporary American menu offers classics done well at the Nickel, the restaurant located in the Hotel Teatro. Enjoy a top-notch burger, an entrée-sized salad, or Mediterranean-style salmon, all while kicking back in sumptuously upholstered chairs. Breakfast and weekend brunch offer some unique options like carrot cake pancakes. The room takes terrific advantage of the natural light that floods the space, making the ambience feel impressive and special. Rooftop bees provide in-house honey.

Quality ingredients and uncommon preparations come together at Nicky’s Coal Fired for a unique pizza and Italian food experience. While coal-fired pizza is their specialty, Nicky’s also offers house-made pasta and delectable Italian desserts.

Owner Nico Gibbons has been a familiar face in the San Diego seafood scene for years, and he finally found a permanent location for his popular pop-up in 2024. Located just a block from the oceanfront, the small suite contains both a dining area and market case stocked with rotating cuts of fresh ahi tuna, shrimp, halibut, swordfish, red snapper, and more. It doesn't get any fresher than this.

Be sure to try Nico's homemade habanero-guava-carrot hot sauce, or purchase your own bottle to take home.

Home of the original Nic-O-Boli, this family-run pizzeria ships its trademarked huge stromboli all over the world to demanding fans. The roll is stuffed with ground beef, tomato sauce, cheese, and other by-design fillings. Pizza, pasta, and sandwiches are also served. The bustling shop is packed until the wee hours of the morning, hence a second location at 71 Rehoboth Avenue.

Don't let the strip-center location or the dreary brown-and-grey interior fool you: this may be the best Thai restaurant in Houston. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted warmly and served attentively. Menu standouts include pad Thai in all its rich peanuty goodness, along with a top-of-its-class chicken satay served with a zesty cucumber relish. Warning: if the server asks you if you'd like your dish "Thai hot," you might as well bring along a fire extinguisher. The wine list is kind of disappointing, but you're here for the food.

Easy to spot from its red neon sign perched above the front door, Night & Day Cafe offers simple, hearty Mexican food with counter service and ample portions. The hearty breakfast burritos, bacon cheeseburgers, and fish tacos provide more than enough sustenance for two meals.

The idea of a chic, contemporary steak house didn't really exist in San Francisco before this runaway favorite opened by the Design District's traffic circle. It's one of two high-end restaurants for the popular Omakase Group in this immediate area (the other being nearby luxury sushi bar Omakase) and perfectly balances a menu of creative small plates and flame-kissed mains. The one downside is that most of the steaks aren't south of $100. But if you're going to splurge on a tasting of different Wagyu beef cuts, this is the place to do it. During the daytime (and at a fraction of the evening cost), the adjacent Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse offers one of San Francisco's greatest burgers.

An architecturally significant century-old bank now houses the Nimble & Finn's artisanal ice cream parlor and a small room with historical Guerneville displays. Along with cups and cones of ice cream handmade from local organic dairy products, the shop sells cakes, candy, shakes, floats, and coffee drinks.

This lovely trattoria is known for its cheery harbor-view setting and frequently changing menus where locally sourced ingredients shine. Highly regarded chef-owner Sara Jenkins's fresh but authentic takes on Mediterranean-spanning dishes use seafood harvested along Maine's rocky coast, including local oysters, and everything from the pasta to the pickled veggies is made in-house; the presentation of each dish makes for sheer eye candy. Jenkins grew up in Italy and worked in restaurants both there and at her own New York City restaurants—in other words, she knows what she's doing. There is also a small "dispensa" selling olive oil, wine, pasta, and some pantry goods.

This informal neighborhood spot in Montford serves what it bills as Jamaican food, although the not-too-spicy jerk dishes are served in bowls over linguine or basmati rice. Tofu can be substituted for any meat, and many of the ingredients are from local organic farms. (If you like more heat, ask for the Rasta Fyah hot sauce.) Nine Mile has additional locations in West Asheville and South Asheville.

The original—and still the best—of the chain, Ninfas on Navigation holds a special place in the hearts of generations of Houstonians. Always busy, and filled with everyone from politicians to young families to the gay mafia to savvy tourists, this East End landmark serves up warm, fresh tortillas made on-site, killer margaritas in all their forms, and a trademark green salsa made with avocados and tomatillos. Don't miss the Tacos a la Ninfa or the "chilpanzingas"—corn empanadas stuffed with smoked ham, cheese, and chilies, and topped with queso fresco (mild, crumbly white cheese). The Ninfa's shuttle runs to downtown sporting venues; call ahead for information.

This granddaddy of Houston restaurants was one of the first to bring fine, reasonably priced Italian cooking to the city. Nino's appetizers and entrées can go head to head with those at trendier and tonier places in town. Owner Vincent Mandola continually updates the menu but retains the classics that put him on the map. Start with antipasto misto (mixed) of marinated and roasted vegetables, then enjoy wood-fired rotisserie lemon-garlic chicken with mashed potatoes for inspired comfort food.

As the American child of a Japanese immigrant—the definition of nisei— Chef David Yoshimura wants us to know that there's more to Japanese cuisine than ramen and sushi. At his new, low-key and elegant black-walled restaurant—already awarded its first Michelin star—Yoshimura puts his own creative spin on washoku, traditional seasonal Japanese cooking, to deliver what he calls "Japanese soul food." The multicourse tasting menu may include examples of the bold flavors and stark contrasts he favors such as banana dorayaki (filled pancakes) with caviar and black curry with sweetbreads. The wine pairing is a good bet, as the chef is also a sommelier.

Not every taqueria has a James Beard pedigree, but this eastside hot spot created by award-winning chef and owner Edgar Rico delivers a distinctly different experience for discerning foodies. Sure, there’s no-frills counter service and traditional street tacos, but there’s also a succulent duck confit on the menu as well as homemade masa and heirloom corn tortillas, not to mention a stellar wine list. No reservations accepted, except for the masa omakase service, featuring a set multi-course menu of chef specialties, offered every Thursday through Saturday.

This restaurant at the Top of the World Hotel offers a range of American food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including reindeer sausage scramble, chicken fajita salads, and various burgers, along with entrées like steak and halibut. For a good start to the day, try the well-prepared egg dishes for breakfast, with diner-style hash browns. Be sure to get a window seat. Closes early evenings.

A local favorite, this lunchroom-style café has picnic tables in the landscaped front yard where you can watch the town drive by, plus a few more tables in the no-frills interior. The menu includes local favorites like kimchi fried rice, as well as massive plate lunches and daily specials.

This honky-tonk has been around since 1936, delighting the inveterate locals and the intrepid vacationers who come for the excellent pizza, cold beer, and interesting companionship. The decor, such as it is, amounts to the autographed dollar bills that cover every inch of the place. The full menu printed on place mats includes a tasty conch chowder, a half-pound fried-grouper sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, and seafood baskets. The lighting is poor, the furnishings are rough, and the music is oldies. This former brothel and bait shop is just before the No Name Key Bridge in the midst of a residential neighborhood. It's a bit hard to find, but worth the trouble if you want a singular Keys experience.

Wooden booths give this cozy restaurant an old-time, casual feel. Potatoes figure heavily into the breakfast menu, in items such as the Bakery Ladies' Special: potatoes and sausage, green onions, and cheese. There are vegetarian specials on weekdays, and the lunch menu includes burgers and enchiladas. Locals order the Tibetan Toad: scrambled eggs with sausage, green onions, cheese potatoes, and toast.

It's fun to come sit at the oversized bar and sample any number of the smaller plates on this happening Italian eatery's menu. The pastas are delicate and delicious, and the pizzas are thin, charred, and chewy. For a view of the kitchen, request a seat facing the wood-fire oven and watch the pizzaiolas (pizza guys) slide fresh pies in and out of the oven.

This small-batch roastery and café also serves as an art gallery and community hangout. Stop in for expertly poured slow drip coffee or cold brew made with their own coffee bean blend soaked in cold water for 18 hours. Grab a quick breakfast or one of their paninis for lunch.

Locals love chef Noah Schwartz's restaurant. A Long Island native who began his career in California's wine country, Schwartz has created a menu based on farm-to-table produce, fresh and locally-sourced seafood, and artfully presented small-plate dishes. A carefully selected wine list provides for perfect pairings. The most popular dishes here are seared tuna tartare with avocado, jalapeño, and cucumber, with seaweed salad and soy vinaigrette; local seafood bouillabaisse in saffron fennel broth; and filet mignon sliders on toasted brioche with creamed spinach and truffle hollandaise. Oysters are a specialty, too. Brunch is served on weekends.

The fair-trade, organic beans used in the espresso drinks at Noble Coffee Roasting, in the hip Railroad District, are among the best in town. The spacious, high-ceilinged dining room is a comfy and attractive place to socialize or get work done while you sip and munch.

This eatery's clientele ranges from thirtysomethings celebrating a special occasion to well-heeled older residents who love the elegant atmosphere. The bread service includes honey butter, pistachio pesto, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar for your biscuits, flatbreads, rolls, and focaccia, all of which are artistically presented on contemporary dishes. A savory meal can produce a chemical need for chocolate, so the molten-lava cake with raspberry sauce and custard ice cream may be a requirement, especially paired with a Zinfandel port.