86 Best Restaurants in USA

Salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab is a delicious draw at this bright, three-level Cantonese eatery that always has a packed crowd for its crustacean specialties—crab portions can easily be split for three—and dim sum. A menu with photographs will help you sort through other Hong Kong specialties, including Peking duck and shrimp-stuffed bean curd. Much of the seafood is fresh from the tank.

Pouring specialty coffee decades before it was cool, Ray’s is renowned for its special syphon brewing system, a complex (and photogenic) technique that relies on the vacuum pressure to produce transcendent java. But this charming family-run café serves simple plates, too, like steamed or pan-fried dumplings, noodle soups, and rotating specials.

Whether you're up early or late, Sam and Lee's has got you covered. They start with an excellent breakfast menu and stay open late with mostly Chinese fare, such as kung pao beef, almond chicken, and Szechwan chow mein. Locals rave about the kimchee too.

The food of China's northeastern province of Shandong is the draw at this bare-bones storefront restaurant where specialties include steamed dumplings—shrimp and leek dumplings are the most popular—and hand-pulled noodles in soup or stir-fried. Especially popular are the platters of excellent dry-fried chicken wings, a cult dish in the city.

Open since 1980, this Chinatown barbecue stalwart hasn’t missed a beat dishing up delicious plates based around its famously flavorful duck. Egg or rice noodles come in different styles and are simmered with duck, pork, or beef brisket; if you wish, you can customize your soup with both noodles and fat, tender wontons. Other traditional menu picks, besides the house specialty fowl, include scallion pancakes, dumplings, and hearty congees. There is a full liquor license.

Clubgoers seeking late-night eats can stop looking. Shanghai Mama's is the place to go for inexpensive, satisfying noodle dishes at almost any hour–it's open until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays. But this is no dive. Appetizers like shrimp tempura and Shanghai ravioli go well with the big bowls of soup or oversized rice or noodle bowls. There are several vegetarian options, and all the noodle and rice bowls can be made vegetarian.

As precious as a jewel box, this red, lacquer-trimmed 80-seat restaurant hidden away in the Peninsula Hotel reveals the hotelier's Asian roots. Come for stylishly presented upscale dim sum, stay for the outdoor terrace that seats up to 70 during warmer months and lets you revel in a relaxing Cantonese and Shanghainese meal four stories above the madding crowds of Michigan Avenue. 

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. 

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 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.

"Gather, discover, and connect” is the slogan and theme at this intimate Chinese restaurant on the first floor of a residential row house. Traditional Cantonese- and Sichuan-style dishes are served family style, and the "mock eel" was given two chopsticks up on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

This longtime Chinese and American restaurant is known for its rice and noodle dishes. Look for udon and egg foo young, along with fried food baskets, sandwiches, and family dinner specials like burger packs that include four burgers with fries and soda.

College students, local workers, tourists, and fans of authentic Chinese food pile into this brightly lighted, unfussy restaurant to indulge in heaping platters of hot-and-spicy crawfish, cumin lamb, crispy chicken with hot garlic sauce, and braised beef brisket noodle soup. Although the menu draws on all different regions of China, the Sichuan fare is especially good.

The name says it all: the open kitchen at this salt-of-the-earth Chinatown restaurant (located on charming, curved Doyers Street) means you can watch the noodle slinger in action while awaiting your bowl of, yes, tasty hand-pulled noodles. Just choose your ingredients—beef, pork, oxtail, eel, chicken, lamb, or shrimp, among others—and prepare to eat the most delicious bowl of noodles since that last trip to Shanghai.

This small corner spot in Chinatown serves up the signature rice noodles of Yunnan, China. Try them in tomato soup with or without meat, or with different preparations, like the pickled pepper rice noodles and the kimchi beef rice noodles. Staff is friendly, and service is quick.

Plenty of locals come to this tidy space known for remarkably friendly service and the dry chicken wings fried in garlic and roasted red peppers, as well as for thinly sliced Mongolian beef and dan dan noodles. Run by two former Hong Kong restaurant owners, it specializes in mostly southern Chinese fare, like Cantonese cuisine, and has a few Sichuan specialties, too.

A longstanding Bethel eatery, Tundra focuses on Chinese, Korean, and American food. Choose from a range of rice and noodles dishes or mix it up with bento boxes and lunch or dinner combos.

Some of the best deals in the neighborhood can be found here, with sizzling pork-and-chive dumplings (four for $3) and plenty of vegetarian options. This is a casual, order-at-the counter spot with a few tables.

Portland's top neighborhood for Asian fare is S.E. 82nd Avenue (and the blocks near it), and this Cantonese seafood restaurant with an expansive dining room that looks a bit like a hotel banquet hall is one of the area's most authentic venues. The lengthy menu of delicious fare includes a number of fresh seafood specialties like braised abalone in oyster sauce and tamarind-stir-fried Dungeness crab.

Wong's family-run, family-style restaurant has been serving up hearty portions of local favorites for decades. Specials change, but plate lunches are always available to go, complete with rice and mac salad (which Hawaii practically considers a "vegetable"). Save room for light lilikoi chiffon pie or desserts made with coconut and purple sweet potato. 

This locally owned fine-dining eatery is a great downtown date-night destination specializing in modern Chinese cuisine with a Texas twist. The exterior is nondescript, but the food alone makes it worth a visit. Expect local favorites like honey pecan prawns, dry-fried local green beans, and handmade steamed and fried dumplings amid the generous offerings of Sichuan-style classics. There is a fun cocktail list full of "Texas tiki" libations, and a popular dim sum service is hosted every Sunday.

The specialty at this no-frills spot is biang biang noodles, made by hand (in a dramatic process of stretching and slapping) and topped with spicy, well-oiled meats or vegetables. Xi’an serves the cuisine of China’s Shaanxi province, which is known for its heavy hand with the spices, but the flatbreads, salads, and soups here can be on the milder side.

This small restaurant serves freshly made versions of food from Xi'an (a city in central China), including thick and chewy hand-cut noodles, the slippery and refreshing Liang pi (cold noodles served with chili oil), and rougamo (a burger-like dish of leavened bread stuffed with your choice of meat). If it's your first time, the menu's photos are instructive, while those with knowledge of Xi'an's culinary traditions will be impressed by these well-made versions.

This small South End spot might be unassuming, but its chef-founder, Yisha Sua, earned herself a James Beard Foundation Award Best Chef Northeast nomination in 2023. Enjoy classics like spring rolls, garlic shrimp, and General Gao’s chicken, or try authentic Dian dishes found nowhere else in Boston, such as wood ear mushroom salad, Grandma’s Potatoes, mint beef, and the sharable Xishuangbanna lemongrass tilapia. It has a sister restaurant, South of the Clouds, in Brighton, known for its Yunnan rice noodles.

If you're looking for spicy, filling food and great prices in Chinatown, check out this Szechuan kitchen from Tony Hu, the neighborhood's most prolific restaurateur. Chilis, garlic, and ginger seem to go into every dish, whether it's chicken, green beans, eggplant, or dumplings. The digs are nothing to write home about, but you'll feel smug for choosing it once the feast is finished and you're sipping your tea with a happy tummy.