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We've compiled the best of the best in USA - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Come to this independent bookstore, café, and bakery to buy a book, have lunch (or breakfast), or have breakfast (or lunch) and buy a book. "Nourishment for mind and body" is the approach here—in the style of a European neighborhood café.
A menu packed with burgers, fries, and chopped liver might sound like a classic dive, but Au Cheval is no greasy spoon—exposed brick, dim lighting, and antique-inspired fixtures give a sultry feel, and rich takes on classic American diner dishes satisfy cravings. There’s a perennial wait, but sneak in after 10:15 pm Monday–Saturday for a limited menu consisting of the crowd-favorite cheeseburger and fries.
If the Gilded Age is long past, someone forgot to tell the folks at August, where the main dining room shimmers with masses of chandelier prisms, thick brocade fabrics, and glossy woods. Service is anything but stuffy, however, and the food showcases the chefs' modern techniques. Nothing is mundane on the seasonally changing menu, which might include imperial wagyu with sunchokes and crispy boudin or P&J oysters with paddlefish caviar and Pernod. A truly remarkable vegetarian menu can be prepared upon request. The sommelier is happy to counsel you on the surprisingly affordable wine list.
Family owned and operated for four generations, this iconic Point Judith indoor-outdoor dining spot has been a must for Rhode Islanders every summer since it opened in 1920. Its peerless, waterside location, and unpretentious atmosphere are the main draws, along with favorites like steamers, fish-and-chips, and namesake Carrie Cooper's clam cakes, still made using the original recipe.
Extraordinary flavors flow from ordinary ingredients in the shareable plates at this perfectly situated space at the bottom of Fannie Hill. Root vegetable salad tossed in balsamic dressing, Parker House rolls with a pinch of sea salt, and Korean fried chicken with gochujang hot sauce are best enjoyed with a craft cocktail or glass of wine by a fire pit on the large patio with stunning mountain views. Large windows, cozy couches, and banquettes with high tops invite casual dining in the front, while tables and dimmer lighting offer a more formal experience in the back. The "for the trails" menu offers a sophisticated spin on sack lunches perfect for adventurers on the go.
With its authentic German architecture, the Ausländer draws quite a crowd for lunch and dinner. For more than 20 years, it has been one of the town's most popular beer gardens, and you're bound to find a few things to your liking—perhaps the Spicy Texas Schnitzel, a bold concoction featuring a hand-breaded pork loin cutlet smothered with house-made spicy sauce and topped with crème fraîche, or a wide array of German sausage including currywurst, a German street favorite that is hard to find.
Head to this Euro-style wine bar when you're feeling gregarious; the warm, intimate space has seating for only 55 people, and the results are loud and lively, with shareable fare—a mix of small and large Mediterranean plates—that's reasonably priced.
One of two inviting restaurants run by the city's excellent Proper Brewing Company, this contemporary neighborhood bistro on a quiet street in the Avenues is a terrific option for a meal on the terrace on a sunny day or in the postindustrial dining room. Sample the flavorful house-brewed ales paired with eclectic comfort fare like steak frites, Korean pork belly bibimbap, and shrimp and grits. There's a taproom downtown and an additional restaurant in Sugar House.
There are plenty of great Thai restaurants in Elmhurst, but this oft-packed spot tops them all (in fact, it's opened a branch in Manhattan's Chelsea Market). Operating out of two side-by-side storefronts (you go wherever there's a table), Ayada serves fiery, flavorful Thai favorites, as well as some dishes you've probably never heard of before. A favorite appetizer is raw shrimp served with a slice of garlic, bitter melon, and chili paste that will knock your socks off. The e-sarn sausage (made with fermented meat) is served with sliced ginger and peanuts, and, for a table of four, the succulent whole fried fish is a bargain.
This women-owned bakery has killer sourdough bread, an assortment of sweets, and unique savory treats like the boudin boy, which has a Cajun sausage and boiled egg filling in a flakey croissant dough. The muffuletta bread sticks studded with olives and salami are not to be missed.
Enormous bowls of handmade udon noodles in light, complex broths are the star of the show at this tiny shop just north of the Arboretum. Lunch specials and combination meals make it easy to sample multiple dishes, but if you only try one thing, make it the "signature beef" soup, with burdock root, pickled mustard, and those luxurious noodles. Along with noodle dishes, there's a surprisingly large menu of other Japanese specialties, including sushi rolls, salads, tofu, and rice bowls.
What started out as a fish house on wheels appears to have broken down on the corner of Caroline and William Streets and is today one of Key West's junkyard-chic dining institutions. Step up to the window and order a grouper sandwich fried or grilled and topped with key lime sauce. Other specialties include fish nuts (don't be scared, they're just fried nuggets) and cracked-conch, shrimp, or soft-shell crab sandwiches. It's a must-do Key West experience.
This popular spot began as a French–Vietnamese bakery on Oahu and has branched into popular small restaurants sprinkled throughout the Islands, with some locations set up as kiosks in malls and others, like this one, as stand-alone spots with a few picnic tables out front. Vietnamese pho (soup laden with seafood or rare beef, fresh basil, bean sprouts, and lime) shares menu space with local-style saimin and plates of barbecue or spicy chicken, beef, pork, or local fish served with jasmine rice.
Voted Santa Fe's best pizza for over a decade and featured in several national magazines and TV shows, this midtown spot is clearly a local favorite for dine-in or take-out. The unique flour crust is rolled in cornmeal (there's also a gluten-free version), and the meat is sourced from local farms known to treat the cows and pigs humanely and raise cage-free chickens. This one-stop shop also sells pints of local La Lecheria ice cream.
This tidy little joint next to the reversing falls on the Bagaduce River is the perfect place for a lunch of clam, shrimp, haddock, or scallop baskets that come with onion rings or chips; there are also hot dogs, burgers, and chicken fingers. Picnic tables dot this nub of land surrounded on three sides by water, and you can walk onto the pier (or moor your kayak or boat there) for tidal estuary views and glimpses of seals, bald eagles, and ospreys. At low tide kids can explore the shore.
The chicest and buzziest nighttime spot in the neighborhood, Baltaire attracts both well-heeled Brentwood denizens on dressed-up dates and single sippers looking for late-night rendezvous. The meat-heavy menu features giant slabs of porterhouse steaks as well as special A5 Wagyu straight from Japan. Rounding out the treats is a full raw bar, caviar selection, and a one-of-a-kind cocktail program. There's lunch on weekdays only, and live music on Thursday and Friday.
Even with long waits and loud noise levels, most people agree that it's worth the effort (make reservations) to experience restaurateur Keith McNally's flagship, a perfectly New York reproduction of a Parisian brasserie. Like the decor, entrées re-create French classics: Gruyère-topped onion soup, steak frites, and icy tiers of crab, oysters, and other pristine shellfish.
From the owners of Daikaya, Bantam King is another fun option for ramen in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. Chicken broth serves as the base of their flavorful ramen with noodles sourced from Sapporo, Japan. There's also a vegetarian option on the menu. In addition to ramen, Bantam King offers crispy Nashville hot fried chicken, a favorite among regulars.
French macarons with an Asian spin (think flavors like lychee, taro, Thai tea, and Hong Kong milk tea), fresh strawberry and mango cakes, and many layered crepe cakes (order by the slice), are all stars of the menu at Bao Bao. Grab-and-go baked goods include many types of buns from savory (curry beef) to sweet (pineapple with custard), and taro paste loaf bread. Milk teas, Ovaltine, iced tea drinks, and smoothies round out the offerings. The only con we can find is that there's no place to sit.
Since 1908, this local landmark has been known for brusque waiters serving stellar platters of smoked salmon, sturgeon, whitefish, and pickled herring to a happy crowd packed to the gills at small Formica tables. Split a fish platter with bagels, cream cheese, and other fixings, or get your velvety nova scrambled with eggs and buttery caramelized onions. If still hungry, go for a plate of cheese blintzes or the to-die-for chopped liver. Be warned that the weekend brunch wait can exceed an hour, so you may want to get food to go or come during the week.
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza has taken Mexican cuisine to a new level, routinely winning accolades for modern specialties such as cochinita pibil, 12-hour slow-roasted pork with red achiote and sour orange, and chiles en nogada, a delicious traditional dish from central Mexico featuring a spicy poblano pepper stuffed with fruit, chicken, and raisins. In short, this is no taco joint.
Equal parts indie bookstore, bar, and coffee house, this hip hangout set in one of Roslyn's quirky Victorian storefronts turns out creatively prepared American classics morning to night, including elk sausage scrambles, candied-bacon and blue-cheese burgers, apple-maple salads, and turkey potpies. Espresso drinks are brewed using a beautiful teal La Marzocco machine, and craft cocktails are served in the cozy basement tavern. On the adjacent patio, an airstream trailer doles out snacks and is staffed by employees who can recommend local hikes and activities.
You'll feel right at home in this intimate modern pub, offering casual dining on two floors plus an upper outdoor deck. The beer ranges from IPAs to stouts and sours. The menu, which changes with the seasons, includes imaginative light dishes as well as well-prepared entrées.
