36 Best Restaurants in USA

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.

This modern mecca for mezes (small plates for sharing) delivers delicious, chic Mediterranean cuisine without the whiz-bang conceits of its pricier cousins. There are few surprises on the menu, save for the feta hush puppies, but the wood-and-brick interior and gallant service make the traditional dishes feel new again. Delicious Greek dishes are available, from fluffy taramosalata (salmon roe dip) with a touch of citrus to mini-gyros that are big on flavor. Fast-casual Cava Grill is a spin-off of this place and serves the menu's greatest hits at more than 15 (and counting) D.C.-area spots.

This sweet little white-washed taverna serves authentic Greek cuisine, with many ingredients imported directly from the Mediterranean, such as the feta, fish, and octopus. Order some crisp white wine off the hard-to-find Greek wines and liquors list to sip with a parade of home-style dishes, from tasty meze plates to entrées like grilled lamb chops. The tables may be tight and the wait a bit long without a reservation, but you'll forget about these tiny inconveniences once dinner arrives.

This posh taverna featuring grilled fish and classic mezes is also a good place for celebrity sightings—from local basketball stars to pop music moguls. The lush waterfront hideaway has an inviting patio with blooming bougainvillea, whitewashed walls, secluded “cabana” tables, and navy-cushioned seating. Chef Steven Rhee sources ingredients like olive oil, honey, and spices from Greece while also maintaining a local and seasonal menu.

A step inside this 1940s house-turned-bistro transports you to ya-ya’s home along the Aegean Sea. The Greek and Turkish cuisine is fresh and the service warm, matching its charming dining garden enlivened by an awning of trees, a rustic wooden canopy, and traditional village furnishings.

You can never have enough Greek restaurants, and Parthenon is among the best in town. This is traditional Greek food, including great moussaka, pastitsio, salads, and grilled fish. Try to start your meal with the saganaki, where the cheese is flamed right at your table. The interior screams Greece, with pictures of the Parthenon and islands. A large outdoor patio adjoins the restaurant, which is also connected to the Chevy Chase Lounge, a legendary local watering hole.

You won't need to jump on the next flight to Athens or the next ferry to Santorini to indulge in some of the best Greek food in the world. Instead, you'll find it right here in Astoria in this brightly lit eatery. Fried calamari, spanakopita, and grilled octopus make appearances on the menu, as do more out-of-the-ordinary dishes like taramosalata (caviar dip) and souvlaki kfsifias (swordfish kebabs). Lamb chops drip with juice, and grilled sardines are so fresh, you'd swear they were just pulled from the sea. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times, as this restaurant doesn't take reservations. There's also an additional location in Bayside, Queens.

It isn't fine dining, but for fast meals and late-night cravings along the Boardwalk, those in the know turn to this lilliputian food counter where dollar bills stand in for wallpaper. They sling burgers and dogs, but simple Greek food is where they excel. Grab a gyro on the way to the beach or back from the casino, or opt for a quick breakfast, which is served all day long. In the summer, they're generally open 24 hours a day.

The Black Olive specializes in impeccably fresh seafood. Let the waiter give you a guided tour of the catch of the day, which reclines on a bed of ice in the kitchen case. You can have your selection simply grilled, lightly dressed, and filleted for you table-side, accompanied by a glass of wine from the list's thoughtful selection of oft-neglected Greek vintages. For an appetizer be sure to try the calamari, stuffed with feta and manouri cheeses.

Get a bird's-eye view of Harrisonburg from the rooftop dining area at Dave's, an award-winning and family-owned local favorite. Like many casual Greek eateries, the menu runs from American classics like burgers and pizzas, to Greek and Italian fare like souvlaki, caprese salad, and linguine. But vegetarians need not worry as veggie pitas and burgers round out the menu.

A self-taught cook who grew up on the island of Crete, chef-owner Eleni Touhouliotis serves up flavorful Greek fare in this unassumingly romantic neighborhood bistro where lamb, rabbit, and shellfish figure prominently on the menu. Share a variety of the more than 40 tapas-size dishes, from traditional dips to refreshing salads to hearty pastas, and note the well-chosen selection of wines, including a number of Greek favorites.

In an austere building underneath the highway, this out-of-the-way eatery has dished up gyros and souvlaki since 1970. Patrons, including workers at the nearby hospital and local families, enjoy the friendly service and ample portions of moussaka, spanakopita, and salads, plus more familiar fare like hamburgers and pizza. The wine list includes Greek reds and whites.

In what used to be a Greek coffeehouse in the early 1900s, this low-key café is a reminder of Price's strong Greek heritage. The menu features traditional recipes from Crete, including gyros and dolmades. The baklava and other desserts are among the best Greek pastries in the state.

Satisfy your craving for outstanding Greek taverna food—albeit at luxe steak-house prices—from a dizzying selection of mezethes such as stuffed grape leaves to main courses that showcase Athenian standards like moussaka, lemon-oregano chicken, and grilled lamb chops. There’s a lively after-work scene in this chic farmhouse setting with wood-beamed ceilings, a roaring wood oven, and candlelight. Service is doting for its many well-heeled regulars (but tends to be less so for other guests).

At a busy downtown corner, this family-friendly fixture is known for using fresh ingredients and taking a light approach to traditional Greek fare. Favorites are the enormous Greek salad, which can be shared, and platters of souvlaki, bifteki (Greek-style hamburger), and gyros, served with pita, tomato, and yogurt sauce. Those with bigger appetites can enjoy the Aegean Platter, which includes moussaka, pastitsio, spinach pie, and a traditional gyro.

Venture into this sleek, angular neighborhood bistro to savor some of the tastiest contemporary Greek food in Utah, best enjoyed with a selection from the nicely curated wine list (which lists some excellent Hellenic offerings). The menu is broken down into tapas-style vegetable, meat, and seafood plates, such as piquillo peppers with smoked feta and olive oil, charred octopus with bean salad and sherry vinaigrette, and pork-beef meatballs with a soul-warming cinnamon-tomato sauce. Save room for the interesting desserts.

As the oldest operating restaurant in downtown Jackson, the Mayflower is best known for its classic Greek-inspired menu, with seafood dishes taking top honors. Menu items are derived from family recipes passed down through the Kountouris family from generation to generation. Locals credit the café as originator of "Comeback Sauce," a culinary cousin to Cajun remoulade or a kicked-up version of Thousand Island dressing without the pickles. Mayflower serves beer only, but you may bring in your own wine for a $3 per bottle corkage fee.

Take a trip to the Greek Isles at Michael Mina's Mediterranean restaurant featuring bright, light fare and fish that's delivered overnight straight from the Aegean Sea. In addition to a raw bar, menu items include dishes inspired by the chef's travels, including classic Greek spreads, grilled octopus, lamb shoulder, and more.

Specialties such as pastitsio (Greek-style lasagna) and avgolemono (chicken-lemon soup) are prepared in a huge open kitchen at this Greek tavern. You'll also find American classics like Caesar salad and sandwiches.

This old-fashioned greasy-spoon diner specializes in Greek food, huge pancakes, and spicy huevos rancheros. It's a short drive from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and it's often packed, particularly on Sunday mornings.

The perfect setting for a relaxed dinner or an intimate special occasion, this tastefully refined, light-filled East Village restaurant emphasizes rustic cooking from all over Greece. There are delicious versions of hearty comfort-food dishes like pastitsio and moussaka on the menu, but the lighter dishes—especially the fish options—let the flavors shine through. The extensive selection of interesting hot and cold mezes is a great place to start exploring. Accompany your meal with some vino from the all-Greek list; the light white Atlantis wine from the island of Santorini is enjoyable and affordable.

Locally loved chef Jody Adams pays tribute to the humble Greek sandwich shop with Saloniki, bringing traditional Greek flavor and fresh ingredients in the form of pitas brimming with braised pork shoulder, crispy fried chicken, spicy lamb meatballs, and more. Vegetarians aren't left out with squeaky Halloumi, moussaka and meatballs made from Impossible meat, and griddled spanakopita. When your appetite is beyond a snack, order a whole chicken or the souvlaki mixed grill, which comes with two grilled chicken skewers, lamb meatballs, Halloumi, fries, two pitas, tzatziki, spicy whipped feta, and a Greek salad. There are four other locations throughout Boston and Cambridge.

Chef Jody Adams's fast-casual Greek concept offers classic flavors and everything from lamb meatballs to meze plates in a lively, fun atmosphere. Pitas stuffed with lamb, pork, chicken thighs, or Impossible meatballs fly out of the kitchen, while sides like zucchini-feta fritters and grilled Halloumi are hard to put down.

East of Fells Point is Greektown (20 minutes by car from Inner Harbor hotels), home to Baltimore's Greek population. An informal restaurant, done in clean, classic blue and white, Samos serves excellent Greek fare. Portions are generous, with lamb souvlaki and tender, juicy gyros leading the menu. Be warned: the folks at Samos often take the phone off the hook and stop offering carryout during the lunchtime rush. Samos doesn't offer beer or wine, but you can bring your own.

In a city hailed the Athens of Florida, it's no surprise that the most popular restaurant serves Greek cuisine so good that Orlando area foodies have been known to trek here and wait patiently for a table. The menu includes the traditional Greek staples such as pastichio (Greek lasagna), spanakopita (spinach pita triangles), and a melt-in-your mouth lamb shank. All meals start with an olive oil and Greek herb dipping sauce and some of the best pita you've ever had, served warm; the fork-tender charbroiled octopus starter is a must, perhaps followed by the very popular Athenian chicken—a perfectly cooked chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese and baked in a garlic wine sauce.  Wash it down with a Greek Mythos beer.

The first thing you'll see is the large rotisserie, trumpeting the ubiquitous gyro—tasty slices of meat are stuffed inside a large fresh pita, with tangy yogurt and some exemplary fresh veggies. Other Greek specialties, such as stuffed grape leaves, moussaka, and, of course, souvlaki, round out the menu. No pomp and circumstance here, just casual taverna fare and service that's often indifferent. But they must be doing something right—Souvlaki has been going strong since 1977, definitely a record on this mercurial street. A new, slightly upscale bistro recently debuted upstairs.

Join the lines, get ready to Instagram, and enjoy the superb Cali-Greek pita sandwiches and salads at the flagship of this fast-casual (or self-described "fast-fine") concept. The menu keeps it simple with four proteins (roasted white sweet potato or a trio of spit-roasted meats), but the secret to the magic is how each protein is pre-partnered with captivating sauces and fresh garnishes, turning a simple-sounding white sweet potato sandwich into a stellar meal. If you want to try all four proteins at all five locations, then plan a trip around town to the counterpart Souvla locations in the Marina, NoPa (North of the Panhandle), the Mission, and Dogpatch.

It's a Greek throwdown every night at this Hollywood institution. Expect a lively night of great eats (including authentic hot and cold mezes and wood-fire-grilled meats and seafood), tabletop dancing, and lots of wine. If you don't have a car, the restaurant is on the Intracoastal and accessible by Water Taxi.