63 Best Restaurants in USA

Rave reviews about The Ahwahnee hotel's dining room's appearance are fully justified—it features towering windows, a 34-foot-high ceiling with interlaced sugar-pine beams, and massive chandeliers. Reservations are always advised, and the attire is "resort casual."

This sophisticated spot tucked inside a Craftsman bungalow has drawn national acclaim for its European-inspired fare, available à la carte and in the form of an ever-evolving six-course tasting menu.

This ever-popular Grand Avenue haunt is three restaurants in one: a cafeteria-style deli, a pizza and wine bar, and a delectable patisserie—quite possibly the best desserts in town. Don't miss the turtle cake or one of 30 cheesecakes.

Eclectic, creative, and international all describe the cuisine and decor at this charming Cocoa Village spot, featured on the Food Network. The menu blends French, Italian, and Asian influences with dishes such as Kobe beef meatballs in garlic sesame sauce, penne and chicken breast in Manchego garlic Madeira cream, or a 16-ounce prime boneless rib eye. An outdoor courtyard with umbrella tables adds to the Continental flair.

You'll find seven or more inspired entrées on a changing menu each night, including anything from yellowtail snapper to seared duck breast. End your meal on a sweet note with chocolate pot de crème and homemade ice cream. There's also a fine selection of wines and custom martinis. Adjoining the intimate Marquesa Hotel, the dining room is equally relaxed and elegant.

An absolute must for epicures and adventurous eaters, Crow's Nest uses inspired combinations to highlight, but never overpower, the freshest ingredients Alaska has to offer. Located on the top floor of the Hotel Captain Cook, this is also the best restaurant view in Anchorage, spanning the Chugach Mountains to the east, the Alaska Range to the north and west, and the city 20 stories below. The dress code, like everything in Alaska, is relaxed: business casual, but no sandals and no shorts.

A dark, intimate wine bar and restaurant with hardwood floors and richly colored banquette seating, Détente serves more than a dozen wines by the glass as well as numerous half bottles. Even if you're not much of an oenophile, it's worth a trip just for the innovative food, much of it from local farms and seafood purveyors. Owned by a husband and wife, the menu reflects their travels; think of it as Europe-meets-New England on a plate.

On the ground floor of The Landing Hotel, this intimate, upscale restaurant serves elegantly prepared dishes, with a regularly changing menu offering everything from sockeye salmon to Italian rib-eye steak. Desserts like Gateau au Chocolate are worth saving room for (or taking to go for a late-night treat). The breakfast offerings aren't too shabby either, with breakfast sandwiches, hot daily specials, baked goods, and high-end tea and espresso drinks.

Chandeliers, century-old wall tapestries, and gold-leaf ceilings set the scene at this elegant restaurant inside an 1848 mansion on Old Mesilla's plaza. Some say ghosts, including one of a young man who incurred his mother's wrath by falling in love with a servant girl, haunt the property. Continental cuisine, steaks, and flambé dishes are served, formally, in the main restaurant. The restaurant has its own aging room for its renowned steaks, and you can sample all sorts of delicious alcoholic infusions from the bar (the chile vodka makes a fantastic Bloody Mary). Pepper's, the adjoining Southwestern-style café, has more casual fare including chiles rellenos served with colorful tortilla chips. The Double Eagle Sunday Champagne brunch is excellent and a good deal (reservations are recommended).

This culinary oasis—stunning for its understated elegance, gorgeous setting, and impeccable service—is one of the best restaurants in the region. Earthtone walls and wood beams accent the high ceilings, and arched windows reflect the glow of candles.

After a day of playing in the snow, Empire Canyon Lodge's Fireside Dining is the perfect way to warm up as you eat in the timber-framed lodge surrounded by several stone fireplaces. You'll feel like a medieval lord as you go from fireplace to fireplace to be served hearty fare like veal stew, elk, or a slice of perfectly roasted lamb cooked over a spit. Feast in old-European style for hours and savor the raclette cheese melted by the fire paired with bread and charcuterie with house-made pickles, basil jam, and fig mustard. Wrap up the night with a dessert fondue of green apples dipped in white chocolate sauce made with Grand Marnier.

This tiny, fine-dining restaurant may have single-handedly changed the perception of Gainesville from a college town fueled by pizza, chicken wings, and pitchers of beer to an up-and-coming culinary destination with imaginative dishes created using fresh Florida produce. The ever-changing menu might include such items as an organic beet salad, grilled salmon over sweet potato and Cotija cheese enchiladas, or pan-roasted Angus fillet over chive-mashed Yukon Golds.

This refined yet relaxing mountaintop restaurant is perched 2,300 feet up Mt. Alyeska, accessed by a 60-passenger aerial tram (free with dinner reservations, otherwise $48 round-trip). The forward-thinking prix fixe menu capitalizes on local produce and seafood and rotates seasonally. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook seven glaciers in an unforgettable panoramic mountain view.

Established in 1966, this is one of the best restaurants in the Central Valley. The California–continental cuisine includes dishes such as French escargot with a white-wine sauce and filet mignon with a cognac-mustard sauce.

Rural French cooking with locally sourced, seasonal, high-quality, often organic ingredients is the hallmark of this upscale, white-tablecloth, corner storefront restaurant that's as appealing for a casual meal with friends as it is for a drawn-out romantic dinner for two. Among the mains, try the steak, duck breast, or seasonal seafood, and save room for one of the palate-cleansing desserts.

Housed in a beautifully restored Victorian, this classy bistro entices you to linger with its colorful artwork, two lovely garden patios, and scrumptious meals. The dinner menu changes frequently but always includes dishes made with locally sourced fish (like Rocky Mountain trout or Colorado striped bass) and meat (elk, lamb, or bison). The restaurant also offers fun cooking classes every week.

Alchemy aims for a European-chic bistro-style scene and menu, missing only the patina of age—and French working-folks' prices—but you can expect quality and imagination. On balmy evenings, the half-dozen outdoor tables on the candlelit brick patio are highly coveted.

Locals are infatuated with the martinis and potato chip service at Babas, but the Euro-styled café also boasts a top-notch coffee program.

Tucked away in a strip mall across the street from the beach, this bistro and bakery draws tourists and locals alike for eclectic, European-influenced meals. Smoked salmon latkes and warm goat cheese tart are popular brunch items; for dinner, start with escargot or local oysters and then try the schnitzel or fresh catch with white bean cassoulet. The bakery offers monthly flavors of homemade doughnuts, such as pumpkin, peach, or Limoncello Ricotta.

This casual restaurant from James Beard–nominated chef Nicole Brisson offers a panoply of tapas-inspired dishes from around the world in a slightly funky, highly energetic atmosphere. Bring a friend or four and share dishes such as roasted beets with charred oranges, baby kale salad with apples and chorizo, or Basque seafood stew. There also are cheese and salumi boards, pizzas, and sandwiches.

For 30 years, consistently excellent, distinctive fare has been the rule at this white-and-blue clapboard house two blocks from Town Square. The sophisticated offerings range from Dijon-mustard-rubbed rack of lamb to grilled elk with port wine sauce to fresh fish dishes, including rainbow trout. There's patio dining in summer and a wine list. Early-bird specials (5:30–6:30 pm) are a great value in an otherwise pricey restaurant.

Known for its creative fare, this waterfront restaurant has a menu that changes frequently, offering such entrées as broiled rack of lamb in herbed pecan crust and red snapper on a bed of lobster hash. The creative grouper options, including medallions, get well-deserved plaudits from many patrons. Bon Appétit has staying power, having served at the same location for more than three decades. It's a great place to catch a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. There's live music Thursday through Sunday, in addition to a pianist who plays Wednesday through Sunday evening and at Sunday brunch.

Part brewpub, part restaurant, and part lounge, this old brownstone has a young, urbane following, who appreciate the ambitious menu, select wine list, and the home-brewed Belgian-style beers. Try the potent, delicious Resurrection ale. The upstairs dining room serves seasonal dishes with high-quality, locally available ingredients to create European-style country fare that is both hearty and sophisticated. In the dungeonlike downstairs bar, the menu and decor are more casual. Made with rosemary and garlic, the classic steak frites are a best bet.

Entrées, such as grilled shrimp over a fried grits cake with Tasso ham (spicy smoked ham), French green beans, and cherry tomatoes in a beurre blanc sauce, are inventive and expertly prepared. The menu is seasonal, but starters have included fried green tomatoes with chipotle aioli. Congenial but classy, the compact, Napa-esque dining room—gleaming light-wood floors and tables, exposed-redbrick walls, and French doors that open to the street—buzzes with conversation.

Convenient to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Bridgestone Arena, and Ascend Amphitheater, Café Intermezzo is a favorite preshow destination for a quick bite before a concert. Serving all three meals of the day plus an extensive specialty coffee drink program, it's also a quiet spot to catch up with friends or meet for a business discussion. The stocked pastry display case just inside the front door reminds diners to always save room for dessert.

At this intimate storefront bistro, a favorite among locals, the ceiling fans, wood floors, and a series of small, pendant lights add homey touches. Chef-owner Steve Sands, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, oversees the kitchen, while co-owner Jules Buitron ensures that every guest gets the V.I.P. treatment. The ecelctic European menu lists dinner salads and burgers as well as more substantial dishes such as maple-dijon encrusted rack of lamb and a variety of pasta dishes. Schnitzels and brats round out a selection of German dishes. Weekend brunches are also a hit.

European country cooking is the focus at this lively roadhouse, where specialties include roasted meats, seafood, pastas, and thin-crust pizzas from the wood-fired oven. It can get noisy inside; for a quieter meal, request a table outside.

About 1½ miles east of Seaside and set in a beautiful Florida-style home with high ceilings and a wide veranda, this restaurant has an elegant look (think white-linen tablecloths) and impeccable service. The menu changes regularly and might include such entrées as pan-roasted grouper, sesame-crusted rare yellowfin tuna, or grilled filet mignon. Even if you if don't usually go for Southern food, try the appetizer of grilled Georgia quail with creamy grits. With nearly 20 creative varieties, the martini menu alone is worth the trip.

Strudel, Swiss fondue, sauerbraten, and schnitzels highlight the largely German and Hungarian menu at this restaurant, part of Castel Grisch winery. In warm weather you can sit on a veranda taking in the vineyards, hills, and the lake in the distance. Steak and duck preparations, as well as American fare (burgers and such), also are available.