9164 Best Restaurants in USA

If you're a sucker for midcentury modern flair, the aesthetic alone at this partially open-air St. Armand's Circle spot is a draw. But the food, whether you're in the mood for the St. Louis "Jenga" ribs or roasted cauliflower and quinoa, is the true enticement, especially when paired with the right local brew served on tap. This place is upstairs from a trendy (and surprisingly pricey) clothing boutique of the same name and owners, so keep that in mind while you navigate the busy surroundings in search of a meal. Bonus: this place gets extra points for the retractable roof in its back dining area.

As you walk down the stairs to this subterranean hot spot, rattan cane pendant lamps, a tiki bar, and a striking tropics-to-Japan mural wall light the way to plates of tasty nigiri, creative rolls, a 12-course omakase priced very reasonably at $85, and bar bites (the burgers and tots are local favorites). Named after a sailor’s leisure time on dry land, the bar's drinks create the perfect escape, with rum old-fashioneds, highballs, and punches on the long menu. The namesake cocktail blends local and Jamaican rums with Madeira, molasses, passionfruit, lime, and a hefty dose of Angostura bitters. The menu's grilled hamachi collar is a do-not-miss.

This casual indoor-outdoor eatery in La Jolla Shores has a sprawling outdoor patio perfect for leisurely lunches with friends and family. Surfers and well-heeled locals populate the 50-seat patio while enjoying made-to-order organic smoothies and fresh salads, as well as scrumptious breakfast and creative lunch entrées that include flatbreads, soups, sandwiches, and the popular cheeseburger and prime steak frites. The blueberry banana smoothie is addictive, while the tarragon chicken salad with lemon aioli, green apple, avocado, pistachios, and dried cranberries over mixed greens with a citrus vinaigrette is a tantalizing mix of flavors.

Families, retired snowbirds, and other seafood lovers flock to this bustling restaurant, where the staff is vivacious and the colorful wall murals are cartoonish. Southern-style deep frying prevails—whole-belly clams, grouper, shrimp, onion rings, hush puppies, and fried pork loins—though you can get certain selections broiled or blackened, and there's some New England flavor with seafood rolls at lunch. Create your own combo by selecting two or three fried, broiled, or blackened choices. Kids love this place for the buzzing atmosphere, and parents love the inexpensive kids meals. For more savings, the restaurant offers a "Kids Eat Free" promotion on Monday and Wednesday.

Shuck Station may be in a repurposed gas station, with umbrella-topped tables set on gravel beside a busy road, but its exquisite oysters elevate the dining experience here. Pull up a stool at the raw bar, and mix and match a dozen on the half-shell from various Maine oyster farms to compare the sweetness and brine. Or choose oysters Rockefeller or baked oysters with kimchi sauce. The menu also has fried shellfish baskets and other fishy dishes, as well as salads, fried chicken, and burgers. A well-chosen wine list focuses on what pairs well with oysters, and there are several Maine craft beers on draft. There's live music on Thursday and Sunday.

It's never pleasant to think about food waste, but it's an unfortunate reality in our world today—there is an enormous amount of perfectly fine food thrown away. This colorful, quirky, purposefully over the top restaurant embraces the concept of food waste as a key centerpiece of a pizza-centric menu (the crust is made of discarded whey and oat flour). Guests aren't lectured about the issue; instead, they'll learn from the plates about how oft-neglected or discarded ingredients can be absolutely delicious.

This lakefront restaurant serves up beautiful views of London Bridge and the English Village, along with fresh seafood, steak, and chef's selections that have included rack of lamb and Tournedos Oscar.

This attractive space set on a bluff overlooking London Bridge has one of the best wine lists in town, plus consistently well-prepared steaks, seafood, and other traditional American and international dishes. Highlights include flatbread with Havarti cheese, portobello mushrooms, and olive-tomato tapenade for a starter, and baked Dijon-garlic-crusted halibut with sea scallops and tomato concasse as a main course. Be sure to request a table with a bridge view.

This elegant Chinese restaurant has been prominent with NYC's fine-dining scene since 1971, and its menu reflects both dishes from China's regions and American Chinese restaurant classics. While the opulent dining room, reflected in red, navy blue, and gold, seems fixed in time, this elegant establishment has made a culinary imprint. Supposedly, the dish orange beef was first made here as well, and indeed, it's worth a sample, but there's so much more. Beijing pan-fried pork dumplings make a good starter, and dry sautéed shredded crispy beef is a house specialty. Beijing duck, served table-side with thin pancakes, is a signature dish here for good reason. 

Some of the best gelato outside of Italy is found on St. Paul Street. Co-owner Paul Sansone was inspired by his Italian heritage to work abroad as an apprentice to notable gelato masters in Southern Italy; he returned to Vermont years later to open his own scoop shop alongside one of Burlington's longtime farm-to-table restaurant owners, Tim Elliot. Daily-changing flavors distill peak season fruits and lush Vermont dairy into peerless small-batch gelato and sorbet that draw visitors state-wide. The fior di latte (fresh mozzarella) gelato is remarkable, and one of the few flavors that rarely leaves the menu.

The new sister spot to former O Ya chef Mark O’Leary's Chinatown location, Shōjō Cambridge is Central Square's latest modern eatery celebrating Asian fusion. Mostly small dishes, there’s huge flavor in everything you order—bao buns, rice dishes, noodles, and Wu-Tang tiger-style ribs are a few of the popular choices. Snack on the famous Nhậu Platter of dried squid, green mango, sour fruit salt dip, beef jerky, pearl onion, lemongrass chicken jerky, and dried shrimp.

Lunch and dinner menus at this Cape Coral fixture let you design your own stir-fry, noodle, or fried-rice dish. Dinner specialties include fried crispy frogs' legs with garlic and black pepper, a sizzling shrimp platter, fried whole tilapia with curry sauce, salads, and pad Thai (rice noodles, egg, ground peanuts, vegetables, and choice of protein). Get your food fiery hot or extra mild. Two traditional Thai tables allow you to sit on floor pillows (conveniently with backs), or you can opt for a more conventional table or booth.

The long menu has all the Thai favorites (some of them gluten-free), from pad Thai and noodle soups to traditionally prepared seafood, chicken, beef, and duck entrées. Dine in the bright and airy dining room or out on the deck with its bright red chairs and umbrellas.

For budget-friendly and oh-so-good Sichuan cooking, head to this simple spot in the Asian Plaza strip mall east of I–5. The atmosphere is ordinary, but the service is friendly and the food here is as traditional as it gets. Dry-cooked string beans (available with a variety of meats), Kung Pao chicken, delicious dumplings, spicy Sichuanese ravioli, and ma po tofu (a spicy combination of tofu and minced pork) are favorites; the sizzling hot pot is popular and good; but the house-made noodles are unmissable.

Best bets at this family-friendly restaurant on Highway 192 are the signature, ½-pound, Wagyu-beef burgers, or you can go wild and order the jalapeño peanut butter burger with pepper jack cheese. Lunch specials include salads, wing baskets, and mashed-potato bowls.

Side A Brewing is a couple of blocks south of La Grande's main drag but definitely worth seeking out to enjoy beer and upscale pub food that features local purveyors of meat and produce. Food options include burgers made of beef from Oregon's 6 Ranch, with Gouda cheese and tomato jam on the house burger. A peanut-butter bacon burger is also on the menu, along with non-beef choices like the ahi tuna sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, grilled cheese and tomato, veggie burger, baked mac and cheese, and a few salads. The brewpub welcomes kids with a pretty standard kids menu. Beers on tap change seasonally and often include the Sammyville Stout, which won an award in the Oregon Beer Awards in 2020, and the Fresh Hop IPA, which was voted the people's choice at a Seattle Hop festival in 2022. 

The original Hopaka Street pub is famous as the place where celebrity chefs gather after hours; this second Kapahulu Avenue location is also popular and closer to Waikiki. Local-style bar food—salty pan-fried pork chops with a plastic tub of ketchup, lup cheong fried rice, and passion fruit–glazed ribs—is served in huge, shareable portions. This is a lively, casual place where you can dress any way you like, nosh all night, and watch loud sports on TV. Pupu (in portions so large as to be dinner) are served daily. It gets crowded quickly, so make a reservation or prepare to wait awhile.

This country café in Madison, Tennessee, has a home-cooked appeal. Try a loaded biscuit for breakfast or a pimento-cheese-and-bacon sandwich for lunch, and don’t forget to check the cabinet for a daily selection of house-made pastries and desserts. By the time you leave, the staff will know you by name.

This place generates well-deserved buzz for its wine-braised beef short rib and for its pasta with a rich Bolognese—as well as for the kitchen's willingness to satisfy off-menu cravings. It's best to split an appetizer, as portions here are huge.

Ask for a table by the large windows, as the back dining room can get noisy.

The famous brewery's high-ceilinged, heavy-on-the-wood taproom bustles day and night with patrons washing down well-conceived gastropub grub with the best-selling Pale Ale and smaller-batch offerings, some only available here. The open kitchen turns out sandwiches, burgers, wood-oven pizzas, and fish-and-chips (the fish's batter made with Pale Ale) with remarkable speed.

This well-run sandwich joint satisfies carnivores and vegetarians alike with crispy-fresh ingredients prepared with panache. Depending on your preference, the centerpiece of the Bull's Eye sandwich, for instance, will be roast beef or a portobello mushroom; whichever you choose, the accompanying flavors—of ciabatta bread, horseradish-and-garlic mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, Havarti cheese, and spinach—will delight your palate.

Pastry chef Adam Young credits a stay in New Orleans for his love of baking sweets, and national attention and awards have followed him to his Connecticut bake shops. Breads, macaroons, pastries, and cookies are displayed in a galaxy of texture and color, along with coffee from local New Harvest Roasters and tea from Harney & Sons.

Mark Bee, the local restaurateur behind favorite gastropub North Third, bought the Silk City Diner in 2006, polished off its grease-coated, 1950s-era pink Formica counter, and started serving updated comfort food. Menu items include a fierce plate of buttermilk fried chicken, deep-fried veggie wings, a very good bowl of mac and cheese (baked with a garlic-bread crust), and some lighter fare (salads and roasted veggies) should you want to go next door to the bar and lounge and dance 'til dawn beneath the disco ball.

The small but well-prepared menu brings everyone to this small diner just far enough off the main road that it could be easily missed—but do stop for a breakfast burrito stuffed with seasonal veggies or French toast with berry compote. White walls; wooden, metal-ringed tables; and blue chairs create a casual dining area where the wood bartop and high stools are a favorite. The tiny outside eating area fills up fast.

It may not boast a German name, but don't overlook Silver Creek if you're seeking cuisine from the motherland. With an abundance of outdoor dining, regular live music, and an extensive beer selection, this place is a spring and summer favorite, for its "Tex-German" flavor. All menu items are served with a side of sweet and vinegary German potato salad, and the sausage platter is a crowd-pleaser.

As English-style afternoon tea offerings in Boston dwindle, this newish boutique tearoom offers only that—a seasonally inspired prix-fixe menu that features canapés, scones, and sweets, as well as a pot of tea. Cocktails and champagne are also available. Space fills up, so reservations are required, although Silver Dove does try to accommodate walk-ins.

For comfort food in a historic atmosphere, stop by this charming, bustling café with diner counters, some boxy booths, dozens of tables, and an inviting, year-round patio. Operating in its current location since 1933, it serves a wide selection of breakfast food all day, such as omelets, Benedicts, biscuits and gravy, hotcakes, steak and eggs, and burritos, while lunch features delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, and burgers.

Just a skip away from the Silver Lake Reservoir, the Silver Lake House is a perfect stop for a hearty Thai lunch before embarking on a hike, walk, or a run with the dogs. Their lunch specials boast some of the best deals around, arriving with a veggie spring roll and your choice of soup or salad.