9201 Best Restaurants in USA

What began as a neighborhood Italian joint on Johns Island was soon discovered by downtowners as a reason to drive off the peninsula. Chef Jacques Larson's amalgam of Italian cuisine and Lowcountry seafood is both authentic and inventive, from handmade Granny Smith apple ravioli to local littleneck clams, served with a spicy lemon-caper zupetta. The calm, romantic atmosphere rivals any date night downtown, but unlike anywhere along King Street, there's plenty of parking.

Tucked away in a strip mall on the way out to Tybee Island, this highlight of the local barbecue scene began with legendary pit master Wiley McCrary, who passed away in 2018. His recipes live on in the small space that's intimate and friendly; the staff is like long-lost family. There are only a few tables, so you may have to choose between waiting for a seat and grabbing something to go.

First in a historic roadside haunt that perished in the 2017 wildfires and now in a strip-mall storefront whose exterior masks the urbane restaurant within, Willi's serves inventive globe-trotting small plates paired with international wines. Pork-belly pot stickers represent Asia, the Mediterranean inspires Tunisian roasted local carrots and Moroccan-style lamb chops, and curried crab tacos straddle two—maybe three—continents.

Smack in the center of Vintner's Village, steps from more than a dozen tasting rooms, this smartly casual bistro is part of Bunnell Family Cellar winery and offers delightfully relaxing meals, with its open kitchen, fresh flowers on the tables, and outside seating set among the restaurant's herb and vegetable gardens. Share a few small plates with friends—maybe a caprese salad, a charcuterie plate, or crisp-crust pizza with pesto and eggplant from the wood-fired oven—or consider a more substantial meal, such as wild Pacific cod with polenta and blueberry-corn salsa.

With all the panache of an Asian royal palace, this fine-dining restaurant serves some of the choicest Chinese food on the Strip. Chefs present contemporary French-inspired cuisine that blends the Cantonese, Shanghai, and Sichuan traditions. The decadent imperial Peking duck dinner, carved table-side, is a showstopper, but don't overlook options that could include fried prawns with candied walnuts and a kalamansi-honey sauce, garlic beef tenderloin with black-pepper sauce, or the amazing Three Cup Sea Bass with ginger-soy reduction. Vegan options are available.

A San Francisco culinary star with establishments worldwide, Michael Mina debuted his first Wine Country restaurant in 2020, its interior of charcoal grays, browns, and soft whites dandy indeed, if by evening vying with outdoor spaces aglow with firepits and lighted water features. Seasonal regional ingredients—Pacific Coast fish, pasture-raised meats, freshly plucked produce—go into haute-homey dishes, prepared open-fire, that include pizzas, handmade pastas, steaks, and the signature lobster potpie with brandied lobster cream and black truffle.

Located on the edge of downtown's lively theater district, this swanky eatery with brick walls, high-top tables, and a bar lighted by dangling Edison bulbs is the perfect go-to spot for date night. The consistently outstanding food ranges from shareable small plates of creamy burrata and garlic toast with pimento cheese to thin-crust pizzas topped with sausage and cremini mushrooms.

Known as Hillsborough's living room since 2003, this neighborhood pub has grown from an intimate nine-table bar and restaurant to a multilocation gathering space for craft beer and farm-to-pub grub. Folks of all stripes crowd in for a burger made from humanely raised cows from their own Wooden Nickel Farms, baskets of wings tossed in their choice of hot-as-you-can-handle sauce, and a pint from the rotating guest menu of craft beers from all over the world. The busy, friendly bartenders are as much of a draw as the food, and will happily recommend a beer (if you can flag them down). The James Pharmacy building next door holds a bottle shop and weekend bakery, while the Wooden Nickel Mebane opened in late 2023, 10 miles from Hillsborough.

The casual, retro vibe at this James Beard Award–nominated restaurant about 2 miles north of the Old Port makes it worth the journey, as do chef Courtney Loreg's superb offerings—all of them spotlighting locally sourced ingredients from land and sea. There's something for everyone on the menu, including steak tartare, sumptuous deviled eggs, croque madames and monsieurs, homemade pâtés and charcuterie, and killer brisket burgers that are to die for. Meanwhile, the craft cocktail program out of the gleaming zinc bar is worth a visit in its own right.

According to local legend, this is where Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman invented the first fried clam back in 1916. Today this sprawling wooden shack with indoor booths and outdoor picnic tables is the place for seafood in the rough; though it's in Essex, it's a quick drive from Gloucester and worth getting a to-go order to take to the beach. For fun, you can get into a lively discussion with a local over whether clam bellies or strips are the better choice.

Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping 270-degree views of the Boston Harbor waterfront, this sophisticated and lively restaurant serves up midsized plates that are meant to be shared—two to three per person. The well-curated menu features meat and produce from the owner's 360-acre New Hampshire farm, as well as handmade pasta and sustainably sourced seafood. Diners with specialized diets can choose from many gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or vegan dishes. 

Woody's has a full menu, with pastas, chicken, calzones, and burgers, but it's the pizza, with its smoky, wood-charred crust, that's the big draw. Woody's is so popular that the pies are always just out of the oven. Don't be surprised if you have to join the throng of families and college students waiting outside for a table on a busy night.

Chef Michael Beckman's Uptown Design District hot spot pairs high-quality California cuisine and classic and creative cocktails with sleek, utilitarian, concrete-and-leather design inside a repurposed historical theater and outside on a lively patio. Everything is delicious, but this team particularly excels at anything involving duck, from duck fried rice to duck breast with beet and blood orange jus.

One of Woodstock's liveliest and most popular places to eat, this upscale pub and bistro remains buzzing through most evenings. The chalkboard on the wall lists the hearty menu of American comfort classics given farm-to-table twists, and the craft beer selection is excellent. You can dine at the bar, at a booth under the lofty, wood-beam ceilings in the dining room, or at a table outside on the patio.

At first glance, the odd name appears to refer to this waterfront restaurant's exterior, topped off with a shabby screened-in porch (in actuality, the Richard and Charlene was a trawler that slammed into the building during a hurricane in 1989). Located in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant, the kitchen serves up Southern tradition on a plate: boiled peanuts, fried shrimp, and deviled crabs. The best option is the most expensive—the mixed seafood platter with fried flounder, shrimp, oysters, and scallops. Get here early, as the place shuts down by 8 or 9 each night.

Set in an endearingly eccentric storefront in historic Bellows Falls, Vermont—just across the river from New Hampshire—this plant- and art-filled restaurant is as notable for its eclectic Latin-Asian-American food as for its spot-on cocktail program, which leans into aromatic spirits like mezcal and amaro. The menu is designed for sharing, with the Scotch duck egg with local sausage, ahi tuna tostadas, and kimchi-tofu bao buns leading the way.

 Enjoy elevated fish-shack food with yacht-rock vibes at this former marina where many of the patrons arrive by water. Order at the counter for a fresh catch of the day prepared perfectly; pair it with flavorful sides like crispy chicharrones and skillet okra. The craft cocktail set will find their thirst slaked with the famous Pain Killer Slushie, though no one will look at you sideways when you order just a good ole cold beer. Kids of all ages entertain themselves for hours with free cornhole and ring games on the sunset side of breezy Country Club Creek, a tributary of the Herb River.

Impeccable service, elegant decor, and extraordinary food by chef and owner Peter X. Kelly make this 40-seat restaurant a not-to-be-missed special-occasion place. Dinner is a relative bargain: $70 gets you a four-course, prix-fixe meal with an amuse-bouche (bite-size appetizer) and petits fours. The menu, which changes seasonally, might include roasted breast of squab served with Hudson Valley foie gras, lobster with vanilla beurre blanc and parsnip puree, and a tasting of raw fish. The wine cellar stores more than 600 bottles. Lunch, served Friday and Sunday, is $35 prix fixe.

This beautifully designed adobe oasis in the Kayenta Art Village in Ivins, about 10 miles northwest of St. George, offers gracious indoor and outdoor seating, the latter overlooking fragrant high-desert gardens and the surrounding red rock ramparts. Pronounced zay-tah-vah, the space began as a coffee bar and is still a source of lattes and mochas, but you'll also find an eclectic selection of globally inspired all-day fare, including blue-corn waffles, ham ciabattas, peach-glazed organic chicken, and wild mushroom burgers. Weekend brunch is extremely popular.

Amid the boom in Charleston's dining scene in the early 2010s, one thing was distinctly lacking: Asian-influenced flavors, but then Xiao Bao came along and changed the city's trajectory. With curries, fried fish, and Sichuan pork dishes that draw on one of the three owners' Chinese heritage without directly replicating it, the casual eatery in a former gas station has gained national acclaim. The menu is designed for family-style sharing, which is smart because you'll want to try it all.

Inside this lively establishment with pitched-timber ceilings, skylights, and a solarium-style beer garden, you'll find one of the state's most impressive craft breweries and a taproom specializing in house-fermented, -pickled, and -smoked ingredients. It may sound like a slightly odd concept, but the food is creative and delicious, with dishes like house-smoked salmon, maitake mushroom eggs Benedict, kimchi rice bowls, and pulled pork sandwiches leading the way. The brews and other artisanal beverages here are just as innovative, from lemongrass-infused saison to goji berry–and–hibiscus kombucha.

There's nothing fresher than eating fish the same day it's caught, and that's what you get at this family-owned seafood shack. Open since 1950, the local favorite serves fresh oysters, crab cakes, fried oysters and clams, steamers, and lobster. Tasty sandwiches speak of New England; fish platters come fried, grilled, or baked; and there's a whole section of the menu devoted to lobster preparations. If you forget that this is a take-out joint, look around; the no-frills, character-heavy decor will remind you.

Yardbird is a colloquialism for a domestic chicken, and as the name suggests, fried chicken is one of the main attractions here. Crispy white and dark meat chicken is made in a 27-hour process of coating, brining, and dredging in Grandma Lewellyn’s secret herbs and spices before going in the fryer.

Yassin Terou and his family quickly became local legends after opening their falafel joint, thanks to infallibly friendly service and quick-serve Mediterranean cuisine that begs for a repeat visit. There are additional locations in West Knoxville and Alcoa.

Set inside a 1923 Lutheran church, this cheery yellow house of culinary worship now serves modern American fare with global accents inside the former nave and choir loft. Standouts at dinner include garam masala–crusted rack of lamb and oven-roasted cedar plank steelhead with lemon caper butter. The gooey bananas Foster waffles are a crowd-pleaser on weekend mornings.

This intimate restaurant draws mostly business executives who come to savor curry and coconut-milk dishes. The menu, a blend of Indonesian and Continental fare, includes winners such as pistachio-crusted chicken breast in Madeira sauce and rack of lamb. If you want an experience to savor and linger over, order the Rijstaffel, a five-course Indonesian-style meal that includes appetizer, soup, salad, entrées, and condiments. For dessert consider the Kentucky bourbon nut pie. The wine list, covering more than 700 bottles, has been lauded by Wine Spectator.

Wallingford's strip of Japanese food holds sushi, grilled meats, and ramen for every budget, with this slip of a spot ranking among the best. Ramen comes in a wide variety, including high-end versions made with Wagyu broth and super traditional shio and shoyu options, plus vegan mushroom and gluten-free versions. A smattering of small plates rounds out the offerings, including a focus on zangi (Japanese-style fried chicken).  After your meal, head to the ice cream window, Indigo Cow, and try Hokkaido milk soft-serve from the first place to serve it in the U.S.

Right on the water's edge, across the harbor from downtown Belfast, this corrugated-steel building looks more like a fish cannery than a restaurant, but it's one of the best places for an authentic Maine lobster dinner, known here as the "shore dinner." Lobster rolls, surf-and-turf dinners, steamed clams, steak tips, and hot dogs are popular, too. As this is a real-deal lobster pound, with absolutely no frills, lobstermen tie up at the dock to unload their catch. There are numerous tanks of live lobsters at the front of the concrete-floored building; lobsters can be shipped as well. Order your dinner at the counter, then find a picnic table inside or on the deck, just remember it's BYOB. Don't leave your outdoor table unattended—seagulls are quick and determined food thieves.

Let your nose lead you here on a Saturday night, but expect to wait in a massive line of foodies looking to get their hands on one of four award-winning niku udon noodle dishes (cold or hot, and spicy versions of each) topped with sweet and savory beef. The restaurant itself is absolutely tiny, but its local reputation is huge. For a scratch-made quick bite that's truly unique, this is a must-stop.