184 Best Restaurants in USA

Anchorage residents say eating at this beloved spot is well worth the one-hour drive south to Girdwood and the inevitable wait for dinner. The interior is completely covered with tacky art and Mardi Gras souvenirs, but the windows frame views of huge Sitka spruce trees and the diverse menu mixes hearty Cajun-style meals with such favorites as Creole-style halibut, French pepper steak, and shrimp étouffée.

A beloved Inglewood institution since 2001, Dulan's serves up generous portions of authentic Southern comfort food that will warm your heart and satisfy your appetite. This no-frills eatery, run by the Dulan family since 2001, offers a rotating menu of soul food classics like crispy fried chicken, smoky collard greens, and creamy mac and cheese. And yes, you want the cornbread. The casual, welcoming atmosphere makes everyone feel right at home, while the affordable prices ensure you get plenty of bang for your buck. Don't miss their famous peach cobbler—it's the perfect sweet ending to a soulful meal. Needless to say, there's a reason Dulan's has been devoured on both Air Force One and on professional sports teams' private jets. With its hearty portions and friendly service, Dulan's exemplifies the best of Inglewood's unpretentious dining scene. It's less than a mile from the Forum, at the north end of Inglewood's newly revitalized entertainment district.

The dining experience at Dunsmoor is cinematic and grand, warmed by the embers of the restaurant's live-fire cooking. Led by namesake chef Brian Dunsmoor, the Southern-leaning restaurant boasts seasonal menus of raw seafood (their wood-roasted oysters are a must) and hearty meat entrées. Be forewarned: with its American flair, the dishes are heavy in portions and easy to share even among four people. If you feel like indulging alone, Dunsmoore offers a $27 bar-only burger that arrives with a thick beef patty topped with melted cheese and an aioli-smothered house-made sesame bun. 

People jam into this diner as early as 6 am for hot biscuits and grits (add shrimp if you're in the mood). Dwyer's also has a variety of omelets, breakfast plates, and sandwiches. If you're famished by midday, try the hearty plate lunch specials, which include an entrée and three classic southern sides.

Named after an early-maturing tomato variety, Early Girl Eatery is casually Southern, with a natural twist, as it partners with about two dozen local farms for its farm-to-table cuisine. Breakfast is served all day and includes stacks of multigrain pancakes with organic maple syrup, shrimp and grits, and sausage-and–sweet potato scramble. There's a second location in West Asheville.

Chef Emeril Lagasse's first restaurant in Las Vegas dates back to the opening of the MGM Grand, but it's still a popular choice and has been periodically updated. The menu still puts the spotlight on the chef's Creole-inspired cuisine, such as barbecued shrimp, Louisiana-style jambalaya, and oysters on the half shell with cucumber and seaweed mignonette. Sides like herbed crispy potatoes, creamy Anson Mills grits, and sautéed local mushrooms provide hearty accompaniments for a prime ribeye steak or whole Mediterranean sea bass for two. The central bar is great for a glass of white with Emeril's barbecued shrimp or Creole jumbo shrimp remoulade at lunch. Be sure to finish with a slice of banana cream pie or chocolate bread and butter bread pudding.

Offering a taste of New Orleans in the Central District, Fat's Chicken & Waffles serves authentic Southern cuisine in a hip spot filled with furniture and murals made by local artists. Helmed by a chef with deep Louisiana roots, Fat's serves shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, biscuit sandwiches, and other soul food classics in addition to the namesake chicken and waffles.

Operated by a neighborhood nonprofit that helps young people learn job skills, Fresh Soul blends a worthy purpose with really good Southern food. At lunchtime, a pulled pork or catfish sandwich will hit the spot, and for dinner, the big combo meals (think fried chicken legs with beans, potato salad, and cornbread) are tasty and filling. The colorful cafe has a few tables, but everything is also nicely packaged for take-out.

This popular eatery partners with more than a dozen natural and organic producers to find the ingredients needed to create its rigorous "farm-to-fork" modern Southern menu, which changes frequently. The atmosphere is charming, with high pressed-tin ceilings and reclaimed barn wood accents, and the service is friendly.

One of the early restaurants to open in the now-bustling Germantown neighborhood was Germantown Café. Now a pillar of the neighborhood, this popular dining spot offers inventive takes on an eclectic Southern menu, serving up meals for lunch, dinner, and brunch (on the weekends). Don't miss the bar's happy hour, either, as it's one of the city's most generous.

In a series of connected rooms and outdoor spaces of a 1900-era mill house, Goodyear serves elevated comfort food, like shrimp and grits, French fries shaken in togarashi (a Japanese spice blend) seasoning, and Malaysian-inspired golden chicken, along with updated classic cocktails and local beer. The restaurant name refers to the higgledy-piggledy shape of houses expanded ad hoc as families had a "good year." The size and variety of seating makes it great for groups, but also chaotic at busy times.

The rustic interior, reminiscent of 1920s and '30s Louisiana fish camps, sets the stage here for the likes of shrimp gumbo, crawfish beignets, fresh Gulf fish, hearty fisherman's stew, and a lemon icebox pie that will make you fall in love with New Orleans all over again. Except for freshwater catfish and Canadian mussels, all the seafood comes from the Gulf of Mexico and often straight from the fishermen. Produce and pork are also local, and salad dressings are homemade. Near Caesars Casino, Grand Isle is generally packed, but it's worth the wait (which gives you an excuse to spend some time at the elegant mahogany bar).

Jim Shirley, founder of Pensacola's very popular Fish House, has brought his Grits a Ya-Ya to this restaurant on Seaside's town square. The menu emphasizes regional fare, including Gulf seafood and fresh sides such as collards, okra, black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. Oysters and po'boys stuffed with shrimp bring a little N'awlins to the beach. Beer and wine and a full liquor bar are here to boot. It can get very busy, so reservations are recommended.

A DIY spin on the South's signature grain, grits here can be topped with pimento cheese or butterbeans, among other options.

In Lowcountry vernacular, "sweet shop" has nothing to do with confections: It refers to a type of building. But everyone agrees H & R is very sweet indeed, with three-quarters of a century of history of serving homestyle plates and a terrific burger.

With a mission to "change the community, one biscuit at a time," Harlem Biscuit Company is doing just that. Run by chef Melvin “Boots” Johnson (you can call him chef Boots), the biscuits at Harlem Biscuit Company are made fresh in a variety of flavors (classic buttermilk, chive cheddar, everything, and weekend-only black truffle), and can be ordered as is, with a selection of jams and spreads, or in sandwich form. For a hearty meal, go for the Langson, with fried chicken, pickles, and chili garlic honey. To start your day off on the right foot, the Bodega is a solid choice, with bacon, egg, and cheddar. Note that this spot closes at 2 pm every day, so you'll want to plan your visit accordingly. 

Downtown Walla Walla is home to some excellent eateries, and Hattaway's on Alder has continued to raise the bar even higher with innovative and delicious dishes like Dungeness crab fritters, pecan crusted cod, and shrimp perloo risotto. Tasty starters include the pimiento cheese with crostini and the smoked oysters with Walla Walla sweet onions. Chicken cassoulet, braised beef cheeks, and curry fish chowder show the versatility of restaurant's menu. Friendly co-owner Lindsay Hattaway is likely to stop by your table and say hello.

This Charleston classic remains unchanged by time: picture lazily spinning paddle fans, lush palm trees, and exposed brick walls. The kitchen serves up regional classics like a Lowcountry boil and bacon-wrapped stuffed rabbit loin. If you want a traditional dinner, there are thick cuts of steaks and chops with your choice of sauce and side dishes like fried Brussels sprouts and creamy white corn grits. For dessert, the pecan pie baked with bourbon brown sugar caramel and the high-rising peanut butter pie are like rich Southern blessings.

Pimento cheese plates, boudin balls, gumbo, grits, black-eyed peas, and banana pudding rule at this vibrant, southern-inspired restaurant on the busy Freret Street corridor. Choose from hearty entrees like catfish plates, barbecue shrimp, and a fried oyster rémoulade po'boy. Locally famous cocktails like the Hurricane, Sazerac, and Pimm's Cup are available at the bar

A rarity in the 49th State, this colorfully decorated newcomer to downtown Talkeetna specializes in Southern cuisine, although with a nod to Alaska. The addictive crab hushpuppies feature locally sourced barley, cornmeal, and crab, and among the mains, the rich scallops and grits, seafood gumbo pie, and smoked-wild-mushroom hoppin' John all feature Alaskan ingredients. Save room for the rotating array of pies and cobblers. 

Husk's strict devotion to regional sourcing helped set a new standard for restaurants across the South. Supper favorites on the daily-changing menu include seafood such as snapper, catfish, and flounder, frequently paired with heirloom vegetables. Try the fried chicken skins or a skillet of smoky bacon cornbread—both are terrifically popular. The building itself, balcony intact, dates to the late 19th century, and the freestanding bar beside the restaurant is lined with 100-year-old exposed brick and several Kentucky bourbons and whiskeys. If you can't score a reservation, Husk Bar next door is arguably just as good for intimate drinks and a burger.

Creative Southern fare keeps this place bustling—it feels like the center of the small town action on weekend evenings. Opt for daily specials like Cajun crawfish pot pie or the sausage-stuffed pork tenderloin. Seating is inside the spacious brick former ice warehouse or on the inviting patio, where a playground (lorded over by a life-size Sasquatch) lets parents eat while the kids get their energy out.

Make the drive to this soul food joint in North Knoxville and you'll feel like you've discovered a local secret. Jackie serves up daily specials like smothered pork chops and fried tilapia, with sides like "Mama's Cabbage" and candied yams. 

The “ranch-to-table” cuisine of this far-east restaurant speaks to the Southern comfort cravings of Austinites, with savory classics like stuffed Salisbury steak, pickled fried green tomatoes, and shrimp-and-grits. The shabby-chic interiors, boasting natural hardwoods and salvaged materials from the Jacoby family ranch, provide an ideally casual place to kick back and relax with cocktails like mezcal margaritas and West Texas shandies; the scenic back patio overlooks the Colorado River. Jacoby-brand beef is featured in the house burger and chicken-fried steak, both of which are diner favorites. The expansive patio gets crowded during happy hour and weekend brunch service.

You can't miss this bright, yellow-striped building, but it's the smell of the meat—pork shoulder, pork ribs, beef brisket, and chicken—cooking in the custom-made smoker that will draw you in. In a town not generally known for barbecue, the Joint is an exception, which is why it draws hungry patrons from far and wide. The meat is the thing, but don't skip the side dishes, which go above and beyond in concept and execution, particularly the sweet-and-spicy baked beans and the crispy-on-the-outside mac 'n' cheese. Pecan, key lime, and peanut butter pies are fitting country desserts.

This upscale bistro with a lush courtyard and walls adorned with art is about 3 miles from the Louisiana State University campus. Tempting main courses, including seafood, beef, and pork dishes, as well as roasted duck and quail, highlight the menu. The Hallelujah Crab (soft-shell stuffed with seafood and topped with "creolaise" sauce) is a specialty, and Juban's own mango tea is delicious. The warm lemon-blueberry bread pudding makes a memorable end to meals here.

It doesn’t get more downhome than Li’l Dizzy’s, a generational soul food staple in the neighborhood that offers some of the best fried chicken in town. You can also find grilled catfish and eggs, shrimp and grits, and all kinds of po'boys on the menu.