9204 Best Restaurants in USA

Locations and owners have changed more than once since this old-timer started as a coffee stand in 1849, but the crowds keep coming. Snag one of the private booths or sit at the timeless bar and sample seafood—always the name of the game here—such as Dungeness crab Louie or local sand dabs (a type of flounder).

Located next to Campo Santo Cemetery, Tahona—in its architecture and design—might suggest the illusion of a snapshot of historical San Diego, but culinarily it's anything but. Offering a dining experience that centers on mezcal, Oaxacan cuisine, and locally sourced produce and ingredients, Tahona puts a new spin on Southern California Mexican cuisine. Its menu features plenty of familiar staples like tacos, guacamole, and tostadas, mixed in with innovative items like carnitas bao buns and short rib birria ramen.

Make reservations online for its adjoining spooky speakeasy, Oculto 477, which brings an elevated sensory experience to its mezcal offerings.

Diners at Tailor have the pleasure of enjoying one of the city's truly unique dining experiences. Chef Vivek Surti creates seasonally rotating menus inspired by his South Asian heritage that are served prix fixe over the course of a lively but leisurely two-and-a-half hours, with optional wine and beverage pairings for an additional cost. Reservations are required and tables tend to book quickly, so plan ahead.

It might be short on space, but this Taiwanese bakery has a heathy reputation for fresh, authentic baked goods. There are so very many types of cake here---tiger skin rolls, cheesecake, red bean cake, cream cake, milk rolls, and a wide variety of mooncakes---as well as sticky rice buns, mochi buns, mung bean with pork floss pastry, scallion bread, and the don't-miss shaved ice with half a dozen topping choices. Smoothies, juice, black/green tea, and milk tea are also available.

Unsurprisingly, this Chinatown restaurant specializes in the cuisine culture of Taiwan and has for 40-plus years. The big challenge is selecting what to eat from the massive menu of authentic dishes, although the tofu and house-special fried pork chop over rice are two of the best.

With seven total locations in the city, Tajima has become a favorite source for ramen-hungry San Diegans. Climb into a cozy booth and order a Japanese craft beer or sake before diving into one of the five types of ramen—all of which come in hefty portions with affordable price tags—including an excellent vegan version with spinach noodles. Add-ins include accoutrements like kimchi, fried garlic, black garlic oil, and corn. Non-ramen options span sushi hand rolls, rice bowls, and Karaage, a Japanese-style fried chicken served with mayo.

Pristine fish imported directly from Japan and presented creatively attracts crowds nightly to this intimate Gaslamp restaurant. Table service is available inside and outside where an omakase (tasting menu) or eight-piece rolls can be shared and savored; take a seat at the bar to watch one of the sushi chefs preparing appetizers. The restaurant is a favorite with Japanese visitors and conventioneers.

In addition to offering a variety of Japanese and other international baked goods, this casual café serves coffee and assorted teas. The matcha crepe is a favorite for a snack or small meal, although the cakes, buns, and macaroons are equally tasty.

A popular roadside café serves burgers, sandwiches, great soups, salads, pizza, and daily specials. The burger selection includes not only beef, but seafood, chicken, turkey, and veggie options. If the weather is nice, sit outside in their beautiful garden area out back. A video game room keeps kids happy.

This iconic food truck is known for its highly popular cheesy spinach bread and also serves breakfast and rotating daily specials, like Thai curry, Ethiopian beans and rice, and a Hawaiian poke bowl. Just look for the shiny metal trailer with a long line of people waiting for their favorite meal. It's worth the wait, and don't forget to grab some Brazilian limeade to wash it all down.

One of Asheville's hottest dinner spots, this neighborhood tavern serves elevated but approachable fare like pork schnitzel with fennel salad and striped bass with harissa. 

It’s a bit of a specific recognition, but Tam O’Shanter is the oldest restaurant run by the same family in the same location in Los Angeles, operating for more than 90 years in its Tudor-style spot. Their delicious food, ranging from thinly cut prime rib to belly-warming shepherd's pie, makes it one of the most festive places in town during the holidays. Fun fact: it was Walt Disney’s favorite restaurant.

Sip a Yard Sale Amber or the award-winning Hat Trick Hop IPA in this two-story establishment overlooking the river. The main-floor restaurant offers a casual atmosphere with good views. With a literal wall of big-screen TVs in the bar downstairs, it's the place to go when a game is on. On weekends, the mimosa and Bloody Mary bar is a big draw, as is the generous beer sampler and the build-your-own-Caesar-salad bar. Everything on the menu comes in ample portions, including fish and bison tacos, smoked bacon mac n' cheese, and a large selection of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches. This is the brewery's first location outside of its hometown of Lakeside, Montana.

Wildly popular with savvy diners from across the city, this Vietnamese haunt really doesn't look like much from the outside—and the entrance is through a cramped parking lot (which it shares with Sichuanese Cuisine restaurant)—but once you're inside, the elegantly simple space is extremely welcoming. Try the spring rolls, which are stuffed with fresh herbs, fried tofu, peanuts, coconut, jicama, and carrots; authentic bánh xèo (a crispy, stuffed rice pancake); spicy pho; the signature "seven courses of beef"; and, to finish, grilled banana cake with warm coconut milk. Service is attentive and reservations are recommended.

Many consider Tamarind to be one of Manhattan's best Indian restaurants, and the elegant atmosphere makes it a different experience from many other NYC Indian eateries. The dining room is full of windows and natural light, and service is charming and attentive. The busy kitchen prepares multiregional dishes, some familiar (tandoori chicken, a searing lamb vindaloo), some unique (she crab soup with coconut rum). The more intriguing a dish sounds, the better it turns out to be.

Views of the Green River make this a restorative stop after a long drive. Though the interior has gotten hipper in recent years, the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus are filled with the same classic diner favorites the spot has been serving up for decades. The Navajo tacos and green chili burgers are especially decadent and delicious, and there's a long list of beer, wine, and cider to choose from, as well.

Chef-owner Richard Sandoval brought his popular concept of modern, upscale Mexican cuisine from New York to Denver, and it's just as welcome here. The food is classic Mexican with a twist, such as seafood tacos, huitlacoche (edible fungus) dumpling soup, and elaborate moles. The tequila flights are a favorite at the large, inviting bar, which is highlighted by a mural made of semiprecious stones by artist and restaurant namesake Rufino Tamayo. Spanish art fills the interior, and in season the outdoor patio supplies a rare view of the mountains.

If you liked the Dole Whip pineapple float in the Magic Kingdom, stop here for another, or upgrade to the Pineapple Crisp Sundae. 

Decorative objects scattered around this low-key Market Place restaurant—brass objects and large paintings—are as traditional as the northern Indian cuisine. There are many vegetarian selections on the menu; the palak paneer (creamed spinach) is popular. The lunch buffet is a steal at $7. There's open-air patio dining with garden view, and a salad bar, too.

If you're a sushi lover with some money to spend, this is the place for you. Set off the street amid a nondescript row of storefronts, it's a modest-looking, nine-seat sushi bar that serves only omakase—two dozen offerings, featuring exotic nigiri and sashimi interspersed with cooked dishes, all meticulously curated by chef Taneda. The end result is likely Seattle's most carefully crafted meal. Getting a reservation is like scoring tickets to a hot concert: go online as soon as seats become available (usually two weeks in advance) and hope the sushi gods on smiling on you.

Worth the 6-mi drive north of town, family-owned and -operated Tanino's, as it's called, serves more-authentic Italian than is usually found in this area: meals start with bread and olive oil rather than bread and pats of butter, and the wine list is one of the region's lengthiest. Ignore the strip-mall exterior and head into the casual, comfortable dining room with a fireplace. The large menu includes about a dozen choices each of pasta (cheese ravioli, penne alla vodka), seafood, poultry, veal, and beef entrées, plus popular brick-oven pizzas.

This elegant Lebanese spot offers an expansive Halal menu that balances comfort and sophistication. Mezze plates burst with bright, layered flavors, while the grill turns out juicy skewers, shawarma, and tender flatbreads. There’s plenty for vegetarians, too, from smoky baba ghanoush to herb-packed salads, all served with warm, pillowy pita fresh from the oven. Though fully Halal, the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol—but the drinks menu shines regardless, with fragrant options like cardamom-spiced Turkish coffee and freshly blended fruit juices that feel just as celebratory.

Although the street view isn't much, jewel-toned hanging lanterns, cozy wraparound booths, and upbeat tunes await inside one of Nashville's top spots for Chinese fusion. The Chinese roasted duck is can't-miss, but order ahead or prepare to settle in and have a few cocktails while it's being prepped. Shorter on time? You can't go wrong with speedier mains like lobster fried rice or kung pao cauliflower.

World-renowned Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio makes his foray into the Chicago dining scene with this sleek homage to the cuisine of his homeland. Small-format dishes make it easy to try everything, and the pisco-based cocktails are unmatched; just be wary of your wallet, as prices tend to add up quickly.

Craving a modern fusion of Californian and Asian cuisines? Tantalizing Tantalum has been one of Long Beach's favorite bayside gathering places for a generation, including a legendary weekend brunch. Appropriately named for a type of metal that is resistant to corrosion, this restaurant is set on the water in the Marina Pacifica, where the views are exceptional. The verdant interiors evoke Bali with their warm woods and commanding views, or you can sit outside when the weather is fine (and it nearly always is). Enjoy a cocktail at the endless bar or explore the large menu, including local favorites like the yakiniku calamari. Live music is on offer nearly every night, along with daily happy hour specials. If you're feeling nautically inclined, you can even dock your boat rental in front of the restaurant.

The name is a nod to the son of Zeus in Greek mythology, but the tome of a menu in this semicasual, rustic-industrial space—with huge windows, cement floors, and Mexican-style woven rugs hung from exposed piping—hails from seemingly every part of the old and new worlds: a Cuban sandwich on homemade rustic bread; a "filled burger," stuffed with feta, kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; house-made ricotta ravioli with prosciutto in Gorgonzola-arugula sauce; plus 20 pizzas, a page of salads, and entrées of duck, fish, pork, and beef. Thursday is Mexican day. The wine and beer lists are equally lengthy and varied.

The tunneled vestibule of this nightclub-cum-bistro is lined with stone tubs filled with water and rose petals, leading patrons—including lots of celebrities—into the dim, lavishly decorated space. The pan-Asian menu is almost endless, with dishes from sushi to dim sum and everything in between, but most people come more for the experience than the food. Decor includes black cobblestones, bamboo, and Buddhas (one that's 20 feet tall is seated above a koi-filled pool). The quintessentially Asian decor complements the expertly prepared sushi and sashimi. Reserve a table early to enjoy dishes (Spring Mountain Roll with spicy crab and lobster, lobster wontons with shiitake ginger broth, Peking duck for two) in tranquility before loud, young crowds and thumping music descend from the nightclub upstairs. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. 

Feast on Pan-Asian fare and dark and atmospheric faux-Asian decor in this dramatic 300-seat two-level restaurant and lounge next to the Dream Hotel. It's all about vibes here, and it definitely attracts celebratory groups for the sharing plates, DJ, moody candle- and red-lamp light Asian-themed decor (including a giant Quan Yin statue looking out over the ornate main dining room), and the lively patio, lounge, and bar. The menu focuses on Japanese, Thai, and Chinese ingredients. Lobster wontons, Peking duck for two, and fresh sushi are popular offerings.

Honolulu has its share of Italian restaurants, and Taormina, taking its culinary cues from Sicily, is considered one of the best by foodies, locals, and visitors alike. In a sleek, elegant room (there is outdoor seating, but this is one place it's best to dine indoors), you can dine on well-executed classics, such as porcini risotto with sautéed foie gras and a breaded veal chop "alla Taormina" (the restaurant's take on veal Parmesan). Pastas include spaghetti vongole (with clams), sarde e finochetti (sautéed sardines with fennel, anchovies, olives, and capers), and the trademark uni (sea urchin) with tagliatelle. Don't miss the artfully presented antipasti misti (mixed appetizers). For dessert, go traditional with cannoli or tiramisu. The wine list is extensive, and prix-fixe menus are offered for lunch and dinner.