9204 Best Restaurants in USA

No-frills soul food is what you'll find at this friendly eat-in or take-out place, where the price is right, and the food is delicious. Ultrarich macaroni and cheese, succulent chicken and waffles, and teriyaki salmon just beg to be devoured, and collard greens are cooked with vinegar and sugar rather than the traditional salt pork. Save room for the hummingbird cake (pineapple with banana–cream cheese frosting). Smack in the middle of the U Street area, the place is both a neighborhood hangout and destination for those missing the perennial dishes that Mom always made best. And best of all, it's open until 4 am on Friday and Saturday.

Thai restaurants come and go, but this one has stayed, in large part due to its authentic tastes and no-frills prices, including a two-course prix-fixe lunch (appetizer and shrimp, chicken, or beef main) for under $12. The decor is no-frills contemporary, allowing the food to shine.  Adventure beyond pad Thai to explore curries and lemongrass-scented meat, fish, and noodle dishes. Save room for green tea ice cream or paper-thin crepes slathered with green tea custard.

Named after a seasonal local fish, Opakapaka is the only oceanside restaurant on Kauai's North Shore and is a great place to stop for a meal or a quick bite on the way to or from Haena State Park and Kee Beach. The longtime community gathering hub serves local fish and seafood, burgers, steaks (try the rib eye), and pasta; add shrimp to your salads and fried rice sides.

This wine bar and Mediterranean-inflected restaurant exudes an artsy, small-town eccentricity, with the dining room’s mix of mismatched tables and chairs opening into a gallery displaying work from regional craftspeople. The rather tacky art and trinkets all look swell after a few glasses of vino from the well-curated bottle collection.

For top-notch seafood, head to this restaurant in a dazzlingly refurbished warehouse space. You can slurp raw oysters on the half shell from the oyster bar or dive into the seafood gumbo, which has dark, complex gravy and is full of meaty hunks of crab. The restaurant has a lively atmosphere (there's a putting green out front) and can get a bit noisy in the middle of dinner.

An unprepossessing storefront eatery near the leafy Avenues district, Oquirrh (rhymes with "poker") is named for the snowcapped mountain range west of Downtown and focuses on seasonal fare with locally sourced ingredients. Boldly flavored dishes like house-made radiatori pasta with basil-cashew pesto and Niman ranch pork chops with feta and beet puree are presented artfully on handmade stoneware in an intimate, art-filled dining room.

Climb the copper-clad stairs into this historic home, settle in at one of three dining rooms, and get ready to enjoy the island's freshest fish and produce, impeccably prepared. The menu changes with the seasons, but count on house-made pasta (available in half portions) and toothsome mains with an international tilt, like Moroccan fish tagine.

There's a line out the door during summer for this bakery's "Apple Uglies," fried amalgams of doughnut dough and apples. There's also a full menu of breakfast burritos and egg sandwiches to enjoy on the patio out front. 

Behind the plainly marked door, you will find a restaurant dressed in red and gold. You have more than 26 house specialties to choose from, including such favorites as the spicy and sweet orange beef and the Grand Marnier shrimp. Paintings of birds and a dramatic mirrored ceiling adorn the space.

Part eatery and part community center and event space, this café offers plenty of healthy (or, at least, healthy-sounding) fare, including fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, organic sandwiches, fresh soups, and tempeh wraps. While vegans and vegetarian visitors to Anchorage should definitely make a beeline to Organic, omnivores are not left out in the cold: the menu also includes Thai chicken salads, grass-fed burgers, and lamb.

In-the-know locals head to this Warehouse-District destination for fresh sushi. The interior shimmers with lilac lights and flickering candles, and a sidewalk patio is open in summer.

With not much more elegance than a neighborhood barbershop, the prices here might seem absurd. But you get your money's worth: no-nonsense seafood and an eyeful of Old Maryland arrested in time. Crab cakes don't get any more authentic than these, presented with just enough structural imperfection to guarantee they're made by hand; the clam chowder—creamy, chunky, and served with a bottomless bowl of oyster crackers—is rendered with similar, down-home care.

Clubby, vibrant, and radiating old-school charm, this San Francisco mainstay has been serving classic Italian American fare since the 1930s. Folks flock to this third incarnation---run deftly by the third generation of the founder’s family---for classic cocktails and large portions of favorites like prime rib and chicken parmigiana. Expect high decibel levels, high energy, and a wait.

Dining at this nautically themed restaurant on the bayou is a local tradition. Fried, steamed, broiled, and grilled seafood is served, but oysters are the house specialty, including Firecracker Oysters on the half shell baked with sliced jalapenos, garlic cream sauce, and topped with cheese. Don't miss the homemade gumbo, brimming with crab claws, shrimp, okra, and a secret combination of spices.

The original of what's now a franchise with more than 100 branches in North America and Japan, this pancake house is the real deal. Faithful customers have been coming since 1953 to this cabin-like local landmark, which is crowded with both locals and tourists from the time it opens at 7 am until it closes in the mid-afternoon. With pancakes starting around $7, it's not the cheapest place to get a stack, but with 20 varieties and some of the best waffles and crepes around, it's worth the trip.Signature item is Apple Pancakes.

Opened in 1924 by Dewey Logan, this classic diner's former claim to fame is that it never closed in the entirety of its run. Currently owned by former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan, the diner has more limited hours and serves American food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is known for cakes, pies, steaks, and chops. The establishment is also a Los Angeles historic cultural monument.

Take a trip to the Greek Isles at Michael Mina's Mediterranean restaurant featuring bright, light fare and fish that's delivered overnight straight from the Aegean Sea. In addition to a raw bar, menu items include dishes inspired by the chef's travels, including classic Greek spreads, grilled octopus, lamb shoulder, and more.

The menu at Orso ("bear" in Italian) has gradually shifted from its Mediterranean roots, adding Alaska touches like prosciutto-wrapped halibut to the selection of traditional pastas, fresh seafood, and locally famous desserts. Be sure to ask about the daily specials. If you can't get a table at dinner, you can select from the same menu at the large bar.

This immaculate Japanese restaurant is popular with the college crowd as well as with the locals. It offers high-quality sushi, teriyaki, tempura, and noodle dishes. There's also an extensive assortment of sake. The meal always ends with a perfectly chilled orange.

The hillside-enclosed porch overlooking the center of town makes Osaka the most recognizable restaurant in Northampton, as well as one of the best dining spots. Whether you're in the mood for sushi, a bento box lunch, or a full hibachi dinner, Osaka serves up traditional Japanese favorites in a welcoming atmosphere.

You can count on a cheerful greeting when you venture into this immaculate sushi bar and restaurant. The fish is super-fresh, the presentation artistic, and the sake assortment excellent. In addition to sushi, the menu covers teriyaki, tempura, and udon-noodle dishes. The place isn't large and it tends to fill up on weekends, but it is worth the wait. Nearby Tivoli is home to an Osaka branch.

Fusing Japanese and Peruvian flavors, this sultry Nikkei restaurant is known for its multisensory menu, including many nigiri dishes that are torched tableside, such as the hotate truffle with scallop, truffle butter, and lime. The menu features an array of ceviches, tiraditos, and seafood dishes, but there's also a 24-ounce bone-in rib eye with truffle. Japanese whiskey lovers will enjoy the 24-plus varieties on hand behind the gorgeous bar.

Steaks served with three Japanese sauces sizzle on cast-iron platters in this centrally located sushi and steak house. Traditional tempura appetizers and sushi rolls join noodle bowls, fried rice, and curry on the varied menu. The dining options are just as eclectic, with a few casual tables and a sushi bar up front, a large table with pillow seating in the next room, and a formal dining room open for dinner only in the back. For lunch, try a filling bento box with soup, salad, appetizer, sushi, and entrée. 

Prepare for an active day with a filling breakfast, or reward yourself after a long hike with lunch or dinner at this welcoming Southwestern café with a big, inviting patio offering stunning mountain views. The pork verde breakfast burrito and huevos rancheros are hearty and delicious, and excellent lunch and dinner options include flame-broiled garlic burgers topped with provolone cheese and shrimp tacos with a creamy lime sauce.

Korean for "please come in," this Korean restaurant has a chic, organic atmosphere complete with an inviting garden courtyard. Dinner menus include traditional and nontraditional dishes "inspired by mom's recipes," from bibimbap to the comforting kimchi bokkeumbap, alongside wood-grilled bulgogi and japchae. An expanded lunch, weekend brunch, and kids' menu is very accommodating for families.

In an immaculate setting boasting a long communal table, firewood as decor, and an enormous open kitchen, chef-owner Seth Stowaway's complex and invigorating tasting menus change their concept every few weeks. However, the firewood is a hint at the overarching theme of every experience: live-fire cooking incorporated into every dish. That touch of flames might be demonstrated by a more subtle smoke influence in a sauce or delicate, direct grilling for an elaborate meat or seafood centerpiece.

The first American craft brewery to can its beer, Oskar Blues is a Lyons hot spot for beer, pub grub, and music. Try Dale's Pale Ale or any of the other robust beers brewed nearby in small (20-barrel) batches. In the basement, a "juke joint" hosts live music and an arcade has old-time games; there's a bluegrass jam Tuesday night.

Chef David Bush, who achieved national recognition for his food pairings at St. Francis Winery, owns this tavernlike small-plates restaurant inside an 1890s storefront that incorporates materials reclaimed from the building's prior incarnations. Starters often include oysters, ceviche, and deviled eggs with Dungeness crab and homemade yellow curry, meant to be enjoyed before moving on to barbecued pork ribs, shrimp and cheesy grits, Moroccan-spiced salmon, and similar items.

Simple, well-prepared dishes draw folks to this pleasant harborfront restaurant in the middle of a boatyard. On weekends, the full menu includes seafood and pub specialties as well as a selection of pizzas; on Thursday and Monday, only pizza is served.