89 Best Restaurants in USA

For quick healthy bite, Mendocino Farms offers a convenient selection of chef-created sandwiches, salads, soups, and sides with comfortable and abundant seating. Kids will enjoy the corner chalkboard area with free rein to doodle.

The scene's light and lively indoors and out at this pub whose 16 taps dispense everything from pale ales to studly stouts. The kitchen turns out well-made snacks, salads, burgers, wraps, and a slew of sandwiches on various breads.

A longtime refuge from California's lean cuisine, Nate 'n' Al's serves up steaming pastrami, matzo ball soup, and potato latkes. Big-time media and entertainment insiders are often seen kibbitzing at this old-time East Coast–style establishment. There can be a bit of a wait, so plan accordingly.

Built in 1881 as a general store, Oakville Grocery carries high-end groceries and prepared foods. On summer weekends, customers stocking up on picnic provisions—meats, cheeses, breads, pizzas, and gourmet sandwiches—pack the place, but during the week it serves as a mellow pit stop to sip an espresso out front, picnic out back, or taste wines at Oakville Wine Merchant next door.

Epicureans flock to this bustling, high-ceilinged deli and specialty market in the heart of downtown for delicious  sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie and cheese plates featuring the best goods from Portland's famed Olympia Provisions and Seattle's vaunted Salumi. The muffaletta sandwich with pistachio-flecked mortadella, salami, ham, provolone, and olive salad, served on a baguette from renowned Bread Farm bakery, is a favorite. The shelves lining the dining room are stocked with hard-to-find imported and regional wines, plus fine sauces and chocolates.

Baskets of fresh baguettes and focaccia greet you as you step inside. Glass counters hold lush chocolate temptations and bags of apricot rugelach. You can pick up goodies for a picnic or grab a table and dig into a sandwich with the house-smoked pastrami. Get here early, as the place is only open until 5 pm. The gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are as good they get.

Maybe it’s the graffitied walls, maybe it’s the local bee-pollen honey, but this crunchy sandwich shop inside a converted garage is undeniably cool. Come any time, morning or night, and you’ll find a goat cheese–smothered waffle, a hummus-stuffed veggie wrap, or a late-night cocktail that will suit your needs.

This small, unpretentious Ballard café makes some of the city's best bagels, which you can get with a classic schmear or as part of a creative, elaborate sandwich. Breakfast burritos come in regular and giant (one-pound) sizes and include a variety of delicious salsas made from scratch. Bagels and burritos may sound like an unusual pairing, but Rachel has them both down, making this a dependable choice for a quick, tasty breakfast or snack.

This kitschy but fun version of an old-fashioned soda shop—an institution in Brevard since 1941—has burgers, hot dogs, and a wide range of ice cream creations. The tuna salad sandwich is a local favorite.

Just steps from Fremont's Stalin statue, Royal Grinders serves hearty hot subs on pillowy rolls. We're talking classic combos of meat, cheese, and veggies piled high and baked in the oven. The Crown and the Italian are the best.

Settle into the couch or sit at a table for breakfast and try the Eggs Bigelow (two eggs in a hole, bacon, cheddar, and locally baked sourdough) or grab a sandwich, wrap, or sub for lunch. The biggest challenge is deciding among the many breads and filling choices on the extensive menu. You can't go wrong with homemade meatloaf on sourdough wheat or an Avenging Samurai (smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, and horseradish mayo). Don't miss the selection of "penny candy" and quirky, nostalgic toys and joke items.

It's unlikely you'll simply happen upon this famed Boston sandwich joint, tucked away as it is, but the hefty sandwiches (they weigh pounds) are worth the trouble of looking. The line typically snakes out the door, but while you're standing in it, you can savor the deli-like smells and browse the meats behind the counter. Despite the place being somewhat small and only being open three hours per day five days per week, it's crowded with communal tables, so you can sit and eat or take your sandwich to go.

In this unassuming deli tucked into a small shopping center across the street from Southern Oregon University, you'll find some of the biggest and tastiest sandwiches in the state—they've been featured on TV's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Owner Melissa McMillan bases her menu on the Italian-style sandwiches of Chicago, where she's from, and unless you're absolutely starving, it's not a bad idea to order a half or share a whole with a friend. There are additional branches in Portland and Lebanon.

The muffeletta---that round and meaty, cheesy, deliciously oily sandwich---may be signature New Orleans, but Sandy's neighborly vibes and masterful sandos make it feel like it's been here forever. Choose the classic, with mortadella, prosciutto, salami, provolone, olive spread, and house mayo or the veggie version with mushrooms, then pick a size and fixins like herby slaw or pickled egg salad, then grab one of the few seats overlooking Haight or take it to go.

Beacon Hill residents pop over to this market famous for being Julia Child’s favorite butcher and known for procuring exotic game meats. Tamer choices include sandwiches, prepared salads, cheeses, breads, tinned fish, and more—this place is a foodie’s nirvana. Visitors enjoy coming in to browse around and pick up ready-made items for a lunch on-the-go—in nicer weather, perhaps a picnic on the nearby Charles River Esplanade.

Owner Peter Shelsky pays homage to the traditional Lower East Side deli by stocking the classics—bagels, babka, and the like—but often with a nouveau-Brooklyn twist. Gravlax, Nova, and smoked salmon, for example, share space in the refrigerator with house-cured Jamaican jerk salmon, Mexican achiote salmon, and other deli delectables like pickled herring, whitefish salad, knishes, and prepared salads. You can purchase by the pound or opt for one of the excellent made-to-order sandwiches. For an amusing 1990s fashion flashback, check out Shelsky's bar mitzvah photo album on the ordering counter.

This cozy market combines the convenience of an urban bodega with the charm of a neighborhood market whose shelves are stocked with various sundries, food and drink items, and locally crafted souvenirs. But the real gem is that the butchers who cut the steak and chops for the attached Southern Steak & Oyster restaurant also prepare excellent deli sandwiches to carry out or eat at one of the few small tables in the shop. This is an especially handy spot to purchase locally made culinary items to take home as a memento of a trip to Nashville, ranging from barbecue and hot sauces to hot chicken spice rubs and sweet treats.

This Jewish and Italian deli serves the "Muphuletta," a Philly take on a New Orleans muffuletta with sopressata, ham, provolone, and olive salad on ciabatta. 

A Molokai staple for more than 20 years, this small deli focuses on freshly made takeout food. Sandwiches come on a half-dozen types of bread, and the homemade soups are outstanding. This is a great option for catering for large groups if it's a family affair or for an easy, delicious picnic lunch during a day of exploring.

Located at City Center, this is a great place for lunch. The interior has tall ceilings with exposed ducts and shelving with exotic sauces and dips to sample and buy. Affordable fresh sandwiches, soups, and salads can be made by their suggestions—or make up your own. The grilled chicken salad with grapes and celery is very Virginia. Add fresh cucumbers and balsamic vinaigrette for a twist. Other choices include Virginia ham, roasted red peppers, and Chesapeake crab cakes. The food is fresh and local, and they even have gluten-free choices. They offer boxed lunches to take while exploring the area and deliveries to hotel rooms.

If you visit Valhalla for lunch, be sure to bring a Viking-size appetite. The sandwiches are enormous, like the piled-high house BBQ pork with chipotle sauce, or El Duderino, which features chicken topped with chorizo, avocado, and jack cheese. The sides are hearty as well: macaroni salad, tots, and slaw. If you want to save a few calories, you can order the sandwiches bowl-style. You’ll still leave stuffed.

With its gingham curtains and checkered tablecloths, this popular downtown lunch spot serves food that is both unpretentious and tasty. The soups are the best thing on the menu (the Hungarian mushroom soup is a longtime favorite), and the sandwiches are winners, too.

Across from Independence Hall, the world's largest Wawa convenience store (at over 11,000 square feet) is located inside an impressive historic structure and sells a grand assortment of satisfying quick bites all day long, including breakfast items and their famous made-to-order hoagie sandwiches. There's also pizza, wraps, and plenty of grab-and-go foods, such as pre-made fruit bowls and salads, along with aisles of packaged snacks. (Wawa's coffee is a local favorite, too).  

While Wax Paper has a few outdoor tables set up for dining, this tiny sandwich place in Frogtown is tailor-made for to-go orders. The modest selection of brilliantly prepared sandwiches are made with fresh ingredients and named after NPR hosts; they're best enjoyed along the river or at a nearby park. They come in hearty helpings, so bring your appetite.

This market with a juice bar and a small café sells prepared salads, deli items, cheeses, and picnic provisions. There's a good selection of local wine and beer.

Floorboards creak beneath your feet as you explore this old-fashioned market, opened in the 1880s as Missoula's first grocery store and spilling over with deli delicacies today. With 150 cheeses to choose from, the sandwich possibilities are endless; have them pile on Black Forest ham and horseradish for a creation that will get you down the trail. There's an impressive selection of specialty groceries, along with imported beer, microbrews, and an outstanding selection of wine, plus a knowledgeable and friendly staff to help you make the best selections. There's limited seating both inside and outside.