9164 Best Restaurants in USA

The brainchild of veteran chef Ris Lacoste, RIS serves elevated but comforting seasonal New American fare in an earthy-chic, light-filled space—the sort of place you'll find locals, the after-work crowd, and even a celebrity or two. You should definitely try the daily and seasonal specials, but you can always count on the mainstays, including onion soup, mussels, and RIS's "famous meatloaf."

Locals start their day at this hole-in-the-wall coffee shop next door to the historic movie theater. Here, they get in line for coffee and espresso, roasted on-site, and fresh-baked goods, including cookies so big they could pass as meals. You can also get lunch, including soups and sandwiches, and enjoy great Wi-Fi. Or curl up in one of the sitting chairs and read. Rising Trout sells bedtime stories, cookbooks, and more, many of which were written by local authors. 

Half a dozen kinds of fresh fish are served daily at this elegant restaurant with white tablecloths. The veal chops à la Bevanda, stuffed with cheese and prosciutto and sautéed in shallots and white wine, are a good choice for landlubbers. Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturday.

The Culinary Institute's terraced Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine is the setting for this complex of Italian dining areas, each with its own character. The ornately decorated main dining room has Venetian light fixtures and is the most formal; the Al Forno room has an open kitchen with a colorfully painted wood-fired oven. Antipasti choices are plentiful, followed by first and second courses. Panna cotta with strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar is a good dessert pick.

With stunning views of Cheyenne Lake and the main hotel, this "restaurant of the lake" features an open kitchen and cozy lounge. Smaller portions allow guests to try a variety of authentic Italian dishes from antipasti and wood-fired pizzas to lasagna and house-made sausage. Ask your server or the house sommelier which of the restaurant's 150 selections of wine to pair with each course.

Owned by a charismatic family from Italy by way of Baltimore, this restaurant and wine bar is a favorite of locals and tourists. Black-and-white photos of Italy hang on a textured wall painted warm shades of gold and orange, and candles flicker on tables in the covered patio. Try the slow-cooked chicken Ottaviani, the owner's Italian grandmother's signature dish, or Pasta Chivitella, penne and wild mushrooms in a rich cream sauce. There's an impressive wine list, and decadent deserts—try the tiramisu—complete the experience.

A fixture on Main Street for more than three decades, Ristorante Paoletti serves sophisticated Italian cuisine with first-rate service. The menu includes a lengthy section of freshly made pastas, along with many excellent seafood dishes. The wine list, one of the largest in the area, includes more than 1,000 selections. Reservations are a must.

This family-owned restaurant, decorated with lace curtains, red carpeting, and walls covered with paintings, specializes in traditional northern and southern Italian cuisine, including veal, chicken, pasta, and seafood. Standouts include veal Florentine, fettuccine Alfredo, eggplant parmigiana, steamed mussels, and lasagna. The 260-seat restaurant is also open for lunch on weekdays. Save room for the Italian desserts such as cannoli, spumoni, and tiramisu.

In the Mission District, the owners of the popular Ritual Coffee Roasters have plunked their roaster in the back of the café, so you know where your beans—usually single-origin, rather than a blend—were roasted when you order your espresso or drip coffee.

Culinary lion Alain Ducasse replaced his renowned Mix with the equally stunning Rivea, offering unparalleled views of the Strip and Riviera-style interpretations of his cuisine from the 64th floor of the W Las Vegas. It's suitably more casual fare, with options like paccheri pasta with braised short rib, and sautéed calamari and prawns with baby artichokes and radishes. Traditionalists will find comfort in dishes such as pepper-crusted bison tenderloin, or Alaskan wild halibut with braised Belgian endive. The five-course tasting menu includes a chef's-inspiration risotto. Try one of Ducasse's famous babas for dessert, but with a limoncello twist.

Located in a high rise, this hot spot has a vibrant ground-floor dining room that specializes in local seafood and fresh steaks and a rooftop lounge with magnificent views of the Downtown skyline, live music on weekends, and a separate menu of favorites like sushi and chicken wings. Reservations are advised for the restaurant; the lounge is first come, first served.  

This hip downtown restaurant is a favorite dining spot for locals and visitors, and though it gets a bit loud on weekend nights, the camaraderie of diners is well worth it. Owners Nan and Tony Bain dish out a medley of flavors drawing on Mediterranean, Pacific Rim, Indian, and Caribbean influences. For starters you can sample everything from Vietnamese spring rolls to curried mussels. Entrées include pistachio-crusted salmon, rack of lamb, and a sizeable selection of vegetarian dishes like ricotta-and-spinach ravioli and coconut curry veggies.

On a nice evening, dining on the deck is the thing to do here. The views are amazing, and the food holds up its end of the bargain. The house specialty is a generous hand-cut Texas rib eye with two sides, and the thick-cut "tower of onion rings" is mighty impressive. There is a sizable cocktail and wine list, and the friendly waitstaff expertly coaxes people to order dessert, like the warm carrot cake.

At this deservedly popular restaurant at the New England Outdoor Center resort, many dishes feature local ingredients. At dinnertime, a few entrées, including seafood pappardelle, join offerings like sandwiches, tacos, and fish-and-chips, and there’s a top-shelf wine list with vintages from around the world. Make sure you look at the wood for the trim, wainscoting, bar, and floors as it was all milled from old logs salvaged from local waters. Views of Mt. Katahdin can be enjoyed from beyond rows of windows or the patio.

The name of the game here is playful, modern Southern cuisine made with local Texas ingredients. You can choose from corn fritters with hot honey and jalapeño ranch, chicken-fried chicken with duck-fat cream gravy, Wagyu meat loaf, and so much more. You really can't go wrong, whether you opt to enjoy the farmhouse-style interior or relax on the expansive patio lit with twinkle lights. But the best night to visit might be Sunday, when there's a three-course special supper starring fried chicken and set to the tune of a live music soundtrack.

This small, homey café serves cups of drip-on-demand coffee—you select the roast and they grind and brew it on the spot. Beans are roasted on-site, muffins and breads are freshly baked, and a view of the Siuslaw River can be savored from the deck out back.

The restaurant at Milford’s River Rock Inn is a popular go-to spot for diners looking for no-frills, quality American cuisine. Dinner entrées include pork, veal, and lamb chops, filet mignon, and a selection of pastas and Mediterranean chicken dishes; lunch is a bit simpler, with burgers, sandwiches, sliders, and panini. The River Rock Inn and its restaurant featured on Gordon Ramsey’s Hotel Hell a couple of years ago, and while the celebrity chef was certainly harsh with his review of the restaurant, Ramsey’s revamp has helped the hotel gain popularity with locals and regular visitors to the Poconos.

Enjoy Sampit River views from most tables at this upscale spot that's especially romantic at night, when the oil lamps and brass fixtures cast a warm glow on the whitewashed wood and brick interior of the early-20th-century building. Menu highlights include chargrilled fish (especially the Carolina grouper), Cajun fried oysters, seafood pastas, and steaks. For lunch you can have the chef's specialty of shrimp and grits or your choice of sandwiches and salads.

On your way upstairs to the dining room, you pass the chef working in an exposed kitchen. The comfortable brick-and-mahogany room overlooks the Troy marina on the Hudson River. The eclectic menu changes frequently to reflect the seasonal ingredients available and incorporates Asian, American, Mediterranean, and other flavors. The menu changes often, but some recent offerings included flat-iron steak and duck with a sauce of port, balsamic vinegar, and blackberries. A caveat: the service can be slow.

This sleek, sophisticated tavern in the heart of Chester functions both as a cheery neighborhood restaurant and as a bona fide destination for fans of first-rate farm-to-table cuisine. Your main course might include sautéed mussels, Mexican-style chilaquiles (chicken and tortilla casserole), seafood stew, or a burger made with local beef.

Chef Randy Rucker does seasonal, elevated food inspired by many things, including his southern heritage, love of Philadelphia, and interest in Japanese cooking. Go here for modern dishes like swordfish with housemade yuzu kosho (a Japanese condiment made from fresh citrus), carrot tartare with black truffles, very fresh oysters, and the Mother Rucker, a burger that's available as an add-on to the tasting menu.

In this rustic-elegant space with handmade redwood tables and local paintings set directly on the Nestucca River, dine on locally sourced seafood and grills, including pan-roasted line-caught coho salmon with smoked-potato gnocchi, seared wild mushrooms, and sage-brown butter; and grilled New York steak with crispy leeks and whole-grain mustard jus. Note the selection of barrel-aged sour beers and local ciders.

Go for the authentic Greek food at this cozy café right across from the Cumberland Island Ferry. There's indoor and outdoor dining with great waterfront views. The menu features soups, sandwiches, pasta, and Greek fare like moussaka, lamb chops, and pasticcio (Greek lasagna) as well as crab cakes and fried seafood specialties.

This popular village restaurant offers great views of the Hudson River to accompany its "modern Continental" fare. Handblown sconces lend a golden glow to the dining room. The wood-oven pizzas are praiseworthy, as are the grilled rib-eye steaks, fusilli Bolognese, and fresh fish. Reservations are essential for the highly coveted terrace tables.

Whether you dine indoors or out, enjoy the view of the York River, the Coleman Bridge, and Gloucester on the opposite shore. Nick's Riverwalk offers casual meals of soups, salads, and sandwiches at the Rivah Café and outdoor courtyard; the Riverwalk Dining Room is more formal, with a menu featuring baked crabmeat imperial, sautéed fillets, and local oysters. Right outside of the café are a boardwalk and a sandy beach. Parking is available across the street. There are many shops just outside the Riverwalk's door.

The food here is more Mex than Tex, but you'll still find chips and salsa (red and green) and beans and rice, though both are considerably dressier than usual. Try anything made with corn masa, including gorditas de carne deshebrada (sturdy pastry pockets stuffed with chunks of stewed beef, tomatoes, and onions) and tamale de puerco en chile rojo (two giant pork tamales). The squash-blossom soup is creamy; every spoonful yields fresh vegetables. The burnt-orange dining room is warm and cozy, and the patio is a great place for West End people-watching.

Although its burgers have been deemed "the best" in Great Falls and even in Montana, this diner's claim to fame came when it won the Food Network's Guy's Grocery Games in 2017. Each burger is made with grass-fed, sprout-finished Montana beef that is cut and ground on-site, every few hours. Buns are baked fresh by Great Harvest Bread, another Great Falls institution. There are even a few vegetarian options. But the best is the classic beef burger and the "Winchester," a bacon-laden favorite of the diner's staff.  If you don't want any pink in your burger, make sure to order "no pink." 

All the burgers at this laid-back spot, part of a popular Bay Area mini-chain, are responsibly sourced, and the beef is 100% grass-fed. Choose a patty (beef, bison, vegetarian, elk, or turkey), then select a preset "style" or invent your own from the many creative toppings. The homemade quinoa-, brown rice-, and black bean-based vegetarian burger might be the finest of that increasingly competitive genre in San Francisco. A market salad rotates frequently as a solid option for the burger-averse. Kombucha, shakes, house-made sodas, and beer and wine are also available, as is a kids' menu.