1771 Best Restaurants in USA

Chef Bryan Caswell, late of Bank at the Hotel Icon, re-emerges at Midtown's bustling Reef, a loud, showy seafood house packed to the gills with movers and shakers and their friends. Although the food is often a mixed bag, when it's good, it's great. Shrimp wrapped with bacon and stuffed with avocado; crispy-skin Gulf Coast snapper; and the jumbo crab cake served with taqueria-style pickled vegetables are good choices. Fish not regularly seen on conventional menus, from amberjack to wahoo, make a splash here as well. For a seafood joint, Reef has a mean "naked" rib eye, served with brown-butter gnocchi. Check out the glass-enclosed wine wall, filled to the ceiling with remarkably well-priced, unusual selections.

Renaissance Harlem, the third restaurant venture for Senegalese-born chefs (and cousins) Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali, brings upscale American cuisine to the historic neighborhood. Named as a nod to the Harlem Renaissance, the restaurant plays music varying from nostalgic ‘90s to Afrobeats at a volume that still allows for intimate conversation. The menu fuses traditional French, African, and American spices to capture the combination of cultures and foods found in Harlem, while blending fresh local ingredients and traditional French cooking methods. The contemporary rustic interior, attentive wait staff, and friendly bartenders make for a perfect mix of casual elegance. Expect healthy portions and even better presentation. 

In a market where restaurants come and go, this quirky spot has been around since before Prohibition. Outside, two 12-foot-tall fencing musketeers stand guard over the driveway. Inside, staff and longtime patrons are happy to show you "Nixon's booth," and share stories of former regulars Ringo Starr, Burt Lancaster, and Joe DiMaggio—in it's heyday, this was a real hotspot; check out the old newspaper clippings in a small vestibule. Today the interior is dated but cozy, the carpet is old and worn, but the food—a mix of northern and southern Italian pasta, seafood, veal, and steak—is prepared with care, and you get the kind of warm and attentive service that's all but lost in the modern world. The $25 prix-fixe menu is a great deal. Enjoy swinging lounge music on weekends.

At the Atlantic Inn, the food and beverage experience is as elevated as the hilltop location. The menu includes both small and large plates with abundant enticements for vegetarians as well as dishes that feature local fish and game. Noshing on tapas on the lawn is a memorable experience, but it's first-come, first-served for the limited supply of Adirondack chairs.

Restored stone hearths, exposed beams, and spectacular panoramic views make for an elegant country dining experience here. Enjoy a formal sit-down meal in Restaurant 1915, or head upstairs for lighter fare and stiffer drinks at the Blue Roof Tapas Bar. The menu is locally-inspired and includes standouts like slow-roasted herb chicken, portobello mushroom tart, and house-made charcuterie.

Regionally farmed fish and other foraged and cultivated Northern California ingredients go into seasonal plates, turned out in an open kitchen that faces a bar serving large-format cocktails and wines by up-and-coming producers and Wine Country mainstays. St. Helena–based designer Erin Martin supplied the mildly offbeat interiors, though most patrons dine on the Tuscan-theme courtyard patio in good weather.

Hearty meals in the rustic log ranch house, served at polished wood tables, include buffet dinners of steak, ribs, hamburgers, fish, salad, beans, and dessert. Note that breakfast is served 7 to 8:30, lunch is noon to 1, and dinner is 5:30 to 6:30; show up later than that, and you'll find the kitchen is closed. If you want to enjoy a drink with your meal, bring your own alcohol—it's not otherwise served. For guests not staying at the ranch, dinner reservations are required, and transportation from the Stehekin Landing costs $10 each way.

Part of Seward Windsong Lodge, the Roadhouse offers deck seating that overlooks the Resurrection River and the surrounding mountains. Classic Alaskan seafood and American fare fills the menu, along with multiple Alaska-brewed beers on tap.

Crystal chandeliers and fountains worthy of a French château supply the pizzazz at Restoration Hardware's street-side café, and the all-day menu's starters (charcuterie, crispy artichokes, burrata with charred peppers and sourdough), salads, and mains (from a burger modeled on one from Chicago's Au Cheval restaurant to whole grilled branzino) easily live up to it. The prosciutto is flown in from Italy, the greens are ever-so-fresh, and the plating impresses.

The brainchild of veteran chef Ris Lacoste, RIS serves elevated but comforting seasonal New American fare in an earthy-chic, light-filled space—the sort of place you'll find locals, the after-work crowd, and even a celebrity or two. You should definitely try the daily and seasonal specials, but you can always count on the mainstays, including onion soup, mussels, and RIS's "famous meatloaf."

Half a dozen kinds of fresh fish are served daily at this elegant restaurant with white tablecloths. The veal chops à la Bevanda, stuffed with cheese and prosciutto and sautéed in shallots and white wine, are a good choice for landlubbers. Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturday.

This hip downtown restaurant is a favorite dining spot for locals and visitors, and though it gets a bit loud on weekend nights, the camaraderie of diners is well worth it. Owners Nan and Tony Bain dish out a medley of flavors drawing on Mediterranean, Pacific Rim, Indian, and Caribbean influences. For starters you can sample everything from Vietnamese spring rolls to curried mussels. Entrées include pistachio-crusted salmon, rack of lamb, and a sizeable selection of vegetarian dishes like ricotta-and-spinach ravioli and coconut curry veggies.

Enjoy Sampit River views from most tables at this upscale spot that's especially romantic at night, when the oil lamps and brass fixtures cast a warm glow on the whitewashed wood and brick interior of the early-20th-century building. Menu highlights include chargrilled fish (especially the Carolina grouper), Cajun fried oysters, seafood pastas, and steaks. For lunch you can have the chef's specialty of shrimp and grits or your choice of sandwiches and salads.

On your way upstairs to the dining room, you pass the chef working in an exposed kitchen. The comfortable brick-and-mahogany room overlooks the Troy marina on the Hudson River. The eclectic menu changes frequently to reflect the seasonal ingredients available and incorporates Asian, American, Mediterranean, and other flavors. The menu changes often, but some recent offerings included flat-iron steak and duck with a sauce of port, balsamic vinegar, and blackberries. A caveat: the service can be slow.

This sleek, sophisticated tavern in the heart of Chester functions both as a cheery neighborhood restaurant and as a bona fide destination for fans of first-rate farm-to-table cuisine. Your main course might include sautéed mussels, Mexican-style chilaquiles (chicken and tortilla casserole), seafood stew, or a burger made with local beef.

In this rustic-elegant space with handmade redwood tables and local paintings set directly on the Nestucca River, dine on locally sourced seafood and grills, including pan-roasted line-caught coho salmon with smoked-potato gnocchi, seared wild mushrooms, and sage-brown butter; and grilled New York steak with crispy leeks and whole-grain mustard jus. Note the selection of barrel-aged sour beers and local ciders.

Whether you dine indoors or out, enjoy the view of the York River, the Coleman Bridge, and Gloucester on the opposite shore. Nick's Riverwalk offers casual meals of soups, salads, and sandwiches at the Rivah Café and outdoor courtyard; the Riverwalk Dining Room is more formal, with a menu featuring baked crabmeat imperial, sautéed fillets, and local oysters. Right outside of the café are a boardwalk and a sandy beach. Parking is available across the street. There are many shops just outside the Riverwalk's door.

The food here is more Mex than Tex, but you'll still find chips and salsa (red and green) and beans and rice, though both are considerably dressier than usual. Try anything made with corn masa, including gorditas de carne deshebrada (sturdy pastry pockets stuffed with chunks of stewed beef, tomatoes, and onions) and tamale de puerco en chile rojo (two giant pork tamales). The squash-blossom soup is creamy; every spoonful yields fresh vegetables. The burnt-orange dining room is warm and cozy, and the patio is a great place for West End people-watching.

The East Bay's best Italian restaurant can compete with any establishment on Federal Hill with its house-made meatballs, classic veal and chicken preparations, and a thoughtful wine list. One wall of the elegant dining room is paneled with wine crates; breakfast and lunch are served at the affiliated Roberto's Cafe.

A temple to uniquely prepared seafood, this is the restaurant that locals want to bring visitors to: an example of the casual way seafood weaves into all sorts of dishes when you live so close to such bounty. The mix of appetizers, oyster shooters, small plates, and full entrées makes the long menu an epic adventure filled with fresh local, domestic, and global fish—from local oysters to Hawaiian tuna, and back to black cod from Washington’s own Neah Bay. The dining room, built with ample wood and wall-sized murals of waterscapes, invokes the idea of a modern fishing lodge, but the high ceilings and sharp metals keep it more lively than cozy.

Grant Achatz's and the Alinea Group’s most casual, affordable restaurant is a rollicking good time, where the flavors are as bold as the soundtrack. Snag a seat by the roaring fire, which assists the chef with capturing smoky flavors, or squeeze into the tables that overlook a busy West Loop corner; either way, you’ll want to order a big meaty dish to share with the table, and some of the excellent cocktails.

This eatery has a seasonally focused menu that changes often, all with an Italian accent. Farm-fresh dishes include winter fare like chitarra pasta with tomatoes, capers, and tuna confit, or summer delicacies like panzanella with sourdough batard, cucumber, and anchovies. When weather permits, request one of the alfresco tables: there's no better perch from which to soak up the Fort Greene scene.

This popular sunset view venue in South Laguna is at the top of Casa del Camino Hotel. Find a seat for sunset cocktails such as flavorful mojitos or a pomegranate martini. Menu items include a Mediterranean chop salad, crab cakes and ahi poke wonton tacos. Weekday Happy Hour has food and drinks for $10 or less, from 2 to 5 pm. 

Traditional Indian dishes get a captivating, innovative spin at this hot spot near Oracle Park. Look for curry leaf–dusted dosas with wild mushrooms and chicken pepper fry tacos, complemented by equally inventive cocktails (the Negroni includes goat cheese and truffle oil) and a splashy, colorful space. Sometimes the noise can reach lounge-like levels, but there's no doubt that this is more of a proper sit-down restaurant where the food is the main focus. Note that there is an equally great location in Palo Alto, as well.

The menu at this farm-to-table kitchen along Front Street helps to elevate dining in the whole town, raising consciousness about ingredient sourcing and seasonality. Opt for a steak with sides like wild mushroom risotto or choose the signature Parmesan grouper over cheddar grits.

Originating in Manhattan in 1984, this warm Mexican restaurant now has outlets in eight states. The two-story Lincoln Center location features a small, yet lively bar where the house specialty, the frozen pomegranate margarita, and freshly made guacamole are musts; dishes to try include the enchiladas Suizas in a creamy tomatillo sauce. If you're staying for more than drinks and appetizers, head for a table upstairs past the giant blue tile waterfall lined with figures of divers.

Although the spacious, colorfully lighted interior might tip you off that authenticity is best sought elsewhere, if you're looking for flavorful Mex--style fare, step right up, hombre. Start with an order of guacamole (made tableside), moving on to the pork belly and scallop tacos, soul-comforting chicken tortilla pie, or crispy pork shank—all of which taste even better with one of the delicious margaritas. The daily happy hour at the bar is a great deal, but it gets crowded fast. There are other locations, too, including at Lincoln Center and Midtown East.

If you're an Anglophile and you love a beer so thick you could stand a spoon up in your mug, head here—not only to soak up the suds but also to enjoy the British pub culture and feast on the best fish-and-chips in town. Other traditional English fare includes Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie, and, at times, bangers and mash (sausage over mashed potatoes); vegetarians can always find an adapted item, such as a savory hot pot. For dessert, try the sticky toffee pudding. A dinner package is available to enjoy a meal and one of the best fireworks-viewing seats at EPCOT.