9201 Best Restaurants in USA

This well-known Scottsdale destination transports you back in time to a 1950s malt shop, complete with great burgers and lots of yummy ice-cream confections.

You can't miss the vivid murals on the building in sleepy Peñasco that houses both a vintage theater and an intimate restaurant where acclaimed chef-owners Kai Harper Leah and Ki Holste serve up tantalizing farm-to-table fare, from bountiful salads and juicy burgers to triple-layer chocolate cake. This is the best restaurant on the High Road, hands down. Espresso drinks and dessert also hit the spot. You can dine on the side patio in warm weather.

The successful Sugarfish concept is to simplify one's dining experience by focusing on fresh, high-quality fish with warm and tender rice to allow the natural flavors to shine. Order off the "Trust Me" menu, where the chef curates a selection of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls based on what’s freshest that day. This approach takes the decision-making out of the dining experience and ensures customers get the best possible sushi without having to navigate a menu.

This modern take on a classic drive-in is a fantastic first stop when setting out from Portland for a drive along the Historic Columbia River Highway—it adjoins a leafy park in Troutdale overlooking the Sandy River. Favorites from the creative menu of locally sourced fare include pulled-pork barbecue sandwiches, seasonal harvest veggie salads, and the Larch Mountain sundae with vanilla and chocolate soft serve, blondie brownie, blueberry-lavender sauce, and pine-nut honeycomb crunch. You can take your food to enjoy at a picnic table by the river.

Dumplings—both pork and shiitake—are king here, along with spare ribs, crab rangoon, and sesame balls. You order from the menu—the compact dining room is a bit small for traditional dim sum carts—but there are no wrong choices.

Tucked into an unassuming strip mall off the main drag on Tybee Island, this gourmet restaurant is a diamond in the rough. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the diverse menu, fresh seafood, and brilliant food combinations—don't miss the unique seafood "cheesecake" starter, consisting of shrimp and crabmeat over greens with a hint of Gouda. For lunch, the rich fried green tomato BLT can stop your heart (in more ways than one!), while the pork chops are always a sure bet at dinner.

This local secret is as close to the beach—Zuma Beach, in this case—as you can get for a meal without getting sand in your drink. Stop in at this friendly spot for a cocktail, selections from the raw bar, a meal from the extensive menu, or one of the unique salads. From here you'll get a view of the water, dolphins, surfers, and celebrity locals taking a break on the wind-protected patio. The extensive happy hour on Monday through Thursday offers good deals on appetizers, beers, and cocktails.

Reached via chairlift during the day and gondola at night, this massive log-and-stone structure set at 10,700 feet above sea level is a real stunner, with views of the surrounding mountains, including the peaks marching along the Continental Divide. A prix-fixe menu includes game and fish, while Douglas-fir beams, Southwestern rugs on the walls, and a huge stone fireplace in the bar add to the rustic charm. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, the après-ski menu runs from 4 to 7 pm, and in the summer, dinner is served on Friday. Game meats, steak, and fish dominate the menu, and there's a pricey but well-rounded wine list.

It may have the word "secret" in its name, but this artisan ice cream shop with a walk-up window and deck as well as a spacious indoor seating area has a devoted following—let's just say the cat's out of the bag. This is some of the richest and most delicious ice cream in the state, and there's always a great lineup of unusual flavors, such as Thai tea, roasted cherry chip, honeycomb, and strawberry buttermilk.

Friendly service and convivial, colorful crowds have transformed this bi-level, renovated warehouse into a quirky neighborhood institution with rotating art and music shows and frequent DJ sets. The kitchen's organic menu changes daily, plus there's a weekend brunch with live Americana music. 

The Alila Ventana Big Sur's restaurant sits high on a ridge, and magnificent terraces offer stunning ocean views and a full-service outdoor bar. Regional and international wines on a comprehensive list pair well with the California-inspired dishes, many of whose ingredients are sourced from local purveyors, and the bar serves seasonal specialty cocktails and California craft beers.

Fishtown’s official transformation into a foodie haven came in the form of Suraya, a Levant all-day café with an interior that sends design buffs spinning. The 12,000-square-foot expanse is composed of a coffee shop slinging Lebanese chai tea topped with crushed pistachios and rose petals, drip coffee, pastries, and more; a sit-down area for lunch, dinner, and brunch; a bar overlooking the buzzing kitchen; and a picturesque outdoor garden. By night, the chefs and bartenders show off their chops with grilled meats and fish slathered in hard-to-ever-forget sauces and rubs, cold and hot meze options, and a drinks list featuring Levantine spirits, as well as wine and beer from around the world. Those who want to try a little of everything should opt for the four-course dinner tasting menu or the meze plate during lunch and brunch.

One of Northern Sonoma's most exclusive and theatrical dining experiences unfolds in a private dining space in the rear of The Matheson restaurant, where a perfectionist yet affable team of chefs and hosts executes and presents an exquisite 17-course omakase tasting menu. Some nigiri selections are conventional, others novel, but each contains a defining element elevating the piece into an artistic realm.

With a sister restaurant in Japan (and another, Izakaya Den, next door) and owners who import sushi-grade seafood to the United States, it's easy to see why this chic sushi bar is the one Denverites count on to provide the best quality available. The sushi chefs here can meet your every request, and the cooked dishes are just as well prepared—don't miss the steamed fish baskets. Check out the tony crowd and feast your eyes on the luxurious fabrics and well-designed furniture. There's almost always a wait to get in, and parking can be a hassle, but for serious sushi-heads this is the place to be. Plan far in advance to sit at the Chef's Table for an even more elevated experience and special fresh-fish selections that are unavailable on the regular menu.

After decades spent earning a reputation as one of Seattle’s top sushi chefs, Shiro Kashiba opened his own spot in a location as notable as his skills with seafood. Diners in the simple-but-elegant Pike Place Market space can opt for the omakase (chef’s choice) selection of the best fish from around the world and just up the street, or order from the menu of Japanese classics and sashimi. Arrive early for a coveted spot at the sushi bar or reserve ahead of time for a table.

This unassuming spot at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 78th Street is a high-end sushi restaurant offering one of the city's best sushi experiences in a Sukiya-style interior of bamboo and cedar woods. With a seasonal omakase menu curated nightly by chef Nozomu Abe (known as "Noz"), including masterfully prepared Edomae sushi with fresh fish flown in from Japan, the two intimate nightly seatings at two counters (an eight-seat, 200-year-old, hinoki wood counter and a six-seat, rare tamo ash counter) are detail-perfect, memorable affairs with exceptional hospitality. Chef Noz presents at the hinoki counter weekdays. But the price, $495, is exorbitant. For a more reasonable yet still luxurious dining experience, diners can have a 16-course omakase meal next door at Cafe Noz for $155. 

One fan called it “a notch above amazing”—an accolade not expected for a Japanese eatery wedged into a strip mall in Pacific Beach. But it’s a destination for lovers of high-quality, superfresh raw fish from around San Diego and abroad; reservations are strongly encouraged. The front parking lot is very small, but there's additional parking behind the mall.

A hostess dressed in a kimono is likely to greet you at this bright and airy restaurant with pale wood furnishings. A sushi bar serves a large selection of sushi and sashimi combinations; entrées include teriyaki, tempura, and kutsu dishes as well as Thai curries and noodles. Try the ika yaki (grilled squid in teriyaki sauce) or the fried soft-shell crab for a truly delicious indulgence.

This retro-themed, Japanese bar–suburban rec room serves memorable charcoal-grilled skewers, ramen, chicken karaage (deep-fried in oil), tempura, and tofu bowls. Bar bites, craft beer, and cocktails add flair to the very casual atmosphere.

Trained at the Tokyo Sushi Academy, Keiko Suzuki is an artist when it comes to preparing and presenting sushi—everything is almost too beautiful to eat. The fish is sweet and ultrafresh, and nothing on the menu is fried. Many say this is the best sushi in Maine, and some claim it's even better than what they've had in Japan. Order the omakase—it changes according to Keiko's whim and what's available. In addition to sushi, there are a few cooked noodle dishes. The restaurant is small, and very popular, meaning reservations are a must.

This small, dark, family-owned restaurant with vinyl booths has what many locals say are the best steaks in all of Wyoming. A meal here usually begins with sarma (cabbage rolls) and other appetizers. Your server will then place before you one of the biggest, if not the biggest, and best steaks you've likely ever seen. There's even baked lobster.

Half fish market and half diner, this small, slim, family-run seafood operation, open since 1912, has no tables, just a narrow marble counter with about 18 stools. Some locals come in to buy perfectly fresh salmon, halibut, crabs, and other seafood to take home; everyone else hops onto one of the rickety stools to enjoy a dozen oysters, other shellfish, or a bowl of clam chowder—the only hot food served. All of the seafood is served up with a side of big personality from the jovial folks behind the counter, who make you feel like a regular.  Come before 11 am or after 2 pm to avoid a long wait, and bring a full wallet: old-school Swan takes cash only.

Based on a distinctive Australian-style Thai cuisine, Sway has provided Austin with an injection of modern Thai fusion in a chic, sexy setting. The South Austin hotspot, which opened in 2012, has received high acclaim from luminaries like Bon Appetit, who ranked it as one of the “50 Best New Restaurants in America” in 2013. The alluring menu offers tasty starters like prawn miange, followed by options including stir fry, curry, wok noodle, and grilled and fried rice preparations. We recommend the Jungle Curry, with wagyu beef, eggplant, and red chilis, or the lemongrass-perfumed tom kha gai soup. Reservations are required for the twice-nightly Moo Sway dinners, featuring off-menu specialties like whole roasted pork shoulder, all served family-style. To drink there's wine, sake, and beer, plus custom kombuchas and drinking vinegars (with flavors like tamarind and apple), mixed with Topo Chico and served over crushed ice. Seating is mainly communal and quickly fills up on weekends. Take-out orders are now accepted online, making the elevated cuisine more accessible.

Red Sox fans, foodies, and Fenway residents flock to this meat-lover's mecca, where Texas-style barbecue is the name of the game. Hefty slabs of dry-rubbed heritage pork, great northern beef brisket, and plump chickens cook low and slow in a jumbo black smoker, then come to the table heaped on a tray lined with butcher paper, along with homemade sweet pickles, shaved onion, and your choice of "hot scoops" (collard greens, mac and cheese) or "cold scoops" (coleslaw, potato salad). Owner Tiffany Faison tromped all over the Texas barbecue belt to get her recipes finger-licking right, including the baseball-size biscuits served with honey butter. Sweet tea and cocktails arrive in mason jars, while house-made barbecue sauces (ranging from mild to skull-splittingly hot) sit on the table, along with a tin can of flatware and napkins. (You'll need lots of the latter; with food this good, it's going to get messy.)

In addition to doling out some of the largest and most delicious cookies and cinnamon rolls you've ever tried, this cheerful bakery-café presents a terrific roster of breakfast and lunch panini, wraps, sandwiches, and soups. Here, the baked goods are all from scratch (with many gluten-free options), the produce is local, the meats are preservative-free, and the coffee is 100% Rainforest Alliance and organic. Eat in or get your goodies to go in eco-friendly containers. 

This award-winning cheese maker makes its home in Thomasville and operates this shop and café, where you can try the farm-fresh cheese, wines, cocktails, and craft beers, as well as peruse the collection of locally crafted jams, honey, and regional food items. You can purchase individual cheeses to go or select an artfully prepared cheese or charcuterie board for a sit-down sampling of the day's offerings. The shop also offers a selection of gourmet sandwiches, salads, and decadent desserts.

Sweet Home Café, located at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, continues to be on the top of the list of best museum restaurants in Washington, D.C. since opening in 2016. It offers traditional and authentic dishes that rotate based on the seasons. The culinary staff uses locally sourced ingredients and a from-scratch cooking style to showcase the rich history of African American cuisine from four distinct geographic regions. Summer brings barbecue and fish-fry special menus and offers seasonal holiday dishes. Taste the regional experiences of the South year-round with buttermilk fried chicken from the agricultural South, gumbo or shrimp and grits from the Creole coast, a Caribbean-style pepper pot from the Northern states, or pan-roasted rainbow trout from the Western range.

This supercasual café with a smattering of sidewalk tables serves up heavenly biscuits in an assortment of ways, from blueberry-biscuit pudding French toast to fried chicken biscuit sandwiches with spicy pickles and mustard. Head to the refreshment stand at one end of the dining room to order a refreshing raspberry, habanero, or mint limeade. There are additional locations in Draper and American Fork.

This Main Street mainstay is best known for its amazing sweet treats in the bakery case, but there are plenty of savory delights on the menu, too, including several grilled egg sandwiches, avocado toast, and quinoa bowls for breakfast and five creative variations of grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch. Soups and salads are also popular. If you didn't save room for dessert, be sure and get some of the tasty scones, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and other treats to go.