9221 Best Restaurants in USA

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.  

Expect to find Greek cuisine that celebrates the sea as deliciously as a seaside taverna at Avra’s Midtown West location, across from Radio City Music Hall (there are two more Avra outposts on the east side). The starters menu features wonderfully fresh salads, house-made hummus, grilled or lightly fried calamari, halloumi, and an excellent raw bar, and entrées include both “from the sea” and “from the land” items. All dishes showcase Avra’s fine ingredients, though its sashimi and ceviche menu sparkle most thanks to delicate additions like cucumber chimichurri, micro cilantro, and perfect amounts of Mediterranean olive oil and sea salt. The lofty dining room is a welcome respite along this busy commercial corridor, with patio seating in warmer months. Avra’s three-course lunchtime prix-fixe, served 11:30 am to 4 pm, may be Midtown’s best dining secret.

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.

More crafty than churning, flavors at this Cuban ice cream shop are inspired by and derived from ingredients at nearby fruit stands, international grocery shops, and farmers' markets. The menu features creations that nod to the culturally rich Little Havana location (café con leche, flan, and the signature Abuela Maria—made with Maria cookies, cream cheese, and guava) as well as seasonal specialties (like sweet creamed corn and egg nog).

Enormous bowls filled with light, complex broths and the star of the show—handmade udon noodles—grace the tables at this tiny Madison Valley shop. Along with the various noodle dishes, the surprisingly large menu includes Japanese specialties including sushi, salads, tofu, and rice bowls. The lunch specials and combination meals allow diners to taste more than just a single dish, but if you only try one thing, make it the signature beef made with bonito flake broth and soy sauce.

Sushi should be a no-brainer when visiting San Diego, especially for tourists from landlocked states who don’t often get fresh fish. This menu is based on the seasons, and you’ll find innovative sushi, sashimi, and a raw bar, all utilizing the freshest local fish (some is flown in daily from Japan) and produce; there are non-sushi options like grilled teriyaki chicken and beef short ribs.

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.

Often called the city's best restaurant, Bacchanalia focuses on locally grown organic produce and seasonal ingredients. The current Westside location, a renovated warehouse with 20-foot ceilings, is decorated in deep, inviting tones. A four-course prix-fixe menu allows diners to taste all that the restaurant offers.

Though it’s a relative newcomer to the dining scene, Bacetti instantly established itself as one of L.A.’s best Italian restaurants, serving Roman-inspired dishes with a California twist in a stylish, sprawling, wood-framed dining room and patio. This farm-driven, Roman trattoria--inspired spot, tucked in Echo Park’s intimate commercial strip in the midst of a quiet residential neighborhood, is worth a trip, if only for the Focaccia Ebraica, which has gained a little cult following. Salads here are a revelation, as are the antipasti, pastas, and desserts. 

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 stylish pizzeria, another hit from chef/restaurateur Shawn Cirkiel, is one of Austin’s best bets for classic Neapolitan pizza and authentic Italian antipasti. Tables are hard to come by in this intimate (read: tiny) downtown space, but the service and menu are approachable and laid-back. Antipasto selections, like baked ricotta and eggplant caponata, rival the main attraction: thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas, from margherita to the popular fennel sausage.

Set on the third floor of the Deutsche Bank center at Columbus Circle, and one floor down from the temple of haute cuisine, Per Se, this irreverent, playful, maximalist, authentic, inauthentic, gimmicky, and just plain fun Italian restaurant is not bad at all; in fact, it's very good. Any illusions that this is a traditional and polite Italian dining experience are left at the door where you are met with a half-ton wild boar statue wearing a neon necklace and a dining room that is a feast of color and texture with red and white travertine, trompe l'oeil mosaics, and lush greenery suspended from wood coffered ceilings above orange banquettes. The bar is clad with marble and mirror, there's a working fountain by the bathroom, and floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of Central Park (not that you'll notice.) Yes, there's food, too, and it lives up to the stage set by the design with delicious riffs on classic Italian food. Highlights include a filet mignon meatball small plate, filet mignon topped with cacio e pepe raviolo, a broiled 2-pound lobster with a mound of Calabrian pasta between the claws (to share), and tiramisu ice-cream cake. Cocktails are creative and the crowd is here to play.

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.

Skip the chain bakeries and head to Baked & Wired for their legendary cupcakes (the red velvet is a must), savory scones, and chocolate chip cookies. Any D.C. native will tell you this is one of their favorite spots! Also, coffee lovers will be pleased with all the options on the menu. 

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.

Follow a narrow beach pathway (between The Cheesecake Factory and Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort) lined with surfboards to reach this takeout spot specializing in banán, a frozen, vegan-friendly dessert made with local bananas and containing no added sugar. Other snack options include smoothies, smoothie bowls, and ulu (breadfruit) waffles. Try the “Riss Moore” flavor, filled with tropical fruits and named after surfer Carissa Moore, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion. There's no seating here, but Banán is steps from the beach and the main drag in Waikiki. 

This hot spot is culinarily impressive and instilled with enough Meatpacking attitude that you're bound to be rubbing elbows with both the food fanatics and the pretty people. The menu is inspired by Bangkok's late-night dining scene, but you certainly need not book a table late into the evening. Like its NoHo sibling, Fish Cheeks, the food here is elevated and creative but grounded enough in authenticity that it would not be out of place at all in a contemporary and chic eatery in Bangkok. 

At this convivial two-level downtown tavern with exposed brick walls and tall windows, boldly flavored Southern fare—prominently featuring rotisserie or fried (buttermilk or spicy-hot) chicken—rules the day. The chicken dishes come with a variety of sauces and sides and in several different formats, from chicken and waffles to fried chicken thigh sandwiches with Tabasco mayo.

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. 

An array of authentic Japanese dishes made with Hawaiian seafood and fresh, seasonal, mostly organic North Shore veggies and fruits attracts locals and visitors alike to this hip yet family-friendly sushi house. The extensive menu includes classic sashimi and tempura, standard and off-the-wall sushi rolls, Wagyu beef, broiled fish entrées, and various vegetarian and gluten-free options.

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. 

The exceptionally good Portland favorite has moved to Brunswick, with award-winning chef Cara Stadler and her mother, Cecile, still at the helm. And while dumplings are indeed the focal point (from shumai in curry broth and beef bulgogi pot stickers to clay-pot rice balls with Chinese sausage), other nuanced dishes are worth digging into, too, like the local oysters with lemongrass mignonette, and big-flavored smashed cucumbers loaded up with chili oil and garlic.