620 Best Restaurants in USA

Chef and co-owner Suzette Gresham has elicited swoons for more than 30 years with high-end but soulful Italian cooking that is worth every penny. Her cuttlefish "tagliatelle" is a star of the menu, which features both classic and cutting-edge dishes. Dinners are prix fixe, with three, four, or five courses and several choices within each course. Co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini oversees the service, and his son Gianpaolo presides over the roughly 2,000-bottle list of Italian wines. The room, in a former chapel, with a vaulted ceiling and terra-cotta and pale-ocher palette, is refined but never stuffy.

When it opened in 1980, Al Forno put Providence on the national dining map as the originator of its distinctive grilled pizza. Still consistently good, the restaurant retains a loyal following for its thin-crust pizza, handmade pastas, and wood-grilled or roasted entrées.

Above the Di Bruno Bros. Rittenhouse location lives Alimentari, a casual Italian restaurant with plenty of seating and enough space for large groups. As its name implies, it's a neighborhood gathering place with ready-to-eat food, with a menu that largely pulls from items that are available in the store below—cheeses, meats, crackers, breads—as well as pizza alla Romana (Roman style) and hot Italian small plates like gnocchi and meatballs. The food pairs perfectly with the extensive wine list, which features draft wine in addition to wine by the bottle and glass; craft-beer options round out the offerings.

“Best pizza in D.C.” is a hotly contested title, but All-Purpose Pizzeria down on the Capitol Riverfront is a strong contender. Its whole wheat dough is carefully made with high-quality ingredients, and you’ll find a mix of classic and intriguing choices like chili-roasted corn, chili-lime aioli, or truffle honey. Garlic knots make for a delicious starter, and you can round off your meal with a range of desserts, including tiramisù and a freshly baked cookie with award-winning gelato from Dolcezza.

Here it's all about enjoying one of the most indulgent, pampered meals you'll ever eat—and it's best not to show up in flip-flops, jeans, or shorts (you probably won't be turned away for dressing casually, but you will feel uncomfortable). Formally trained waitstaff attend to your every need in this temple of traditional Italian cuisine. A dramatic wine tower hovers over the main room; the plush private booths surrounding it are the best tables (call early to snag one). The taste circus begins with an amuse-bouche. Pick between antipasti, crispy flatbreads, and wholesome soups before moving on to homemade pastas and grilled meats. Absolutely try the butternut squash ravioli, an inventive version with citrus-tomato butter and truffled almonds. The evening ends with a complimentary nightcap. There is also a great prix-fixe menu.

As one of L.A.'s most celebrated Italian restaurants, chef-owner Gino Angelini's consistently prepares impressive classic dishes, like whole branzino, tagliolini al limone, veal chop alla Milanese, as well as lasagna oozing with besciamella (Italian béchamel sauce). Be sure to select one of the Italian wines to complement your meal.

Many of the menu choices here come from the eponymous wood-burning brick oven, which turns out surprisingly delicate thin-crust pizzas simply topped with tomato and buffalo mozzarella or complicated combos like pistachio pesto, fresh mozzarella, and sausage. While the name, which translates to "old oven," gives the pizzas top billing, Antico excels at a variety of Italian country dishes that harken back to the Old Country, like veal parmigiana, osso buco with pork shank, chicken saltimbocca, and handmade pastas; the specialty, gnocchi, is rich and creamy but light. The joint is cramped and noisy, but also homey and comfortable—which means that your meal will resemble a raucous dinner with an adopted Italian family. Its rustic decor of large tiles, huge rectangular bar, and imposing brick archway add even more authenticity as you fill your belly.

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. 

Giovanni Scala opened this boisterous roadhouse restaurant in the mid-1990s, and it's still a hangout of Napans who appreciate its Cal-Italian bistro cuisine, prepared with flair by Scott Warner, Scala's executive chef and partner. Warner augments the greatest-hits lineup—fritto misto (deep-fried calamari, onions, fennel, and shrimp), spinach ravioli with lemon cream or tomato sauce, slow-braised lamb shank, and wood-fired pizzas—with daily specials based on seasonal ingredients.

At this softly lit, exposed-redbrick downtown trattoria occupying sections of the 19th-century former Groezinger Winery, the chefs transform local, seasonally changing ingredients into regional Italian cuisine. Staples like ricotta gnocchi with old-hen tomato sauce and the short rib smoked and braised in espresso agrodolce (sweet-and-sour sauce) and served with creamy ancient-grain polenta are rustic yet sophisticated.

This sleek restaurant may be decorated primarily in neutrals, but the food by James Beard–nominated chef Nicole Brisson brings plenty of color. Her updated Italian classics include Tuscan carne cruda with lemon, capers, and shallots; herb tagliatelle with rabbit ragu; a whole branzino; and a 120-day dry-aged 42-ounce tomahawk. At lunch, choices include a sausage and fontina tart, and charred octopus. Ciccetti Hour is from 3:30 to 5 pm daily. When the weather’s grand, dine on the lovely expansive patio, which is surrounded by olive trees saved from the old Stardust.

Frank DePasquale’s sandwich and pasta shop is easy to miss, but just follow the steady stream of savvy locals down the alley adjacent to his award-winning restaurant to find the tiny spot packed with imported Italian meats and cheeses, vinegars, tomatoes, olive oils, and more. The monumental Italian sandwich is a heaping pile of mortadella, Genoa salami, soppressata, provolone, and all the fixings, while the packed chicken parmigiano is a shareable feast. All are served on house-made breads from the panetteria next door.

This romantic roadhouse near the Chatham border, adorned with tiny white lights, wine bottles, and warm-hue walls, might just transport you to Italy—and if it doesn't, the fantastic food certainly will. There are always excellent specials added to the menu; in the fall and winter, look for value-priced entrées, and in summer, their hot dog cart (in the parking lot) serves the best wieners on the Cape.

For authentic Italian cuisine, head to the “Good Fork” where you'll feel like you've stepped into the home of your long-lost Italian relatives, no matter where you’re from. Nearly every dish—Neapolitan-style pies, eggplant Parmesan, lasagna Bolognese, vegetarian ravioli—is made from scratch, with many of the ingredients imported from Italy; even the star of the show, “Isabella,” their golden-domed pizza oven, was handmade in Naples. The pizzas are your go-to though, with their blistered crust, fresh toppings, and artisan-cooking techniques that make them perfect to fold, bite, and eat. 

A golden-domed pizza oven, named Sofia after the owner’s daughter, delivers authentic Neapolitan-style pizza to fans who often line up for patio tables at this kid-friendly Italian restaurant in South Park. Pizzas make a meal or can be shared, but don’t miss the equally delicious appetizers, heaping salads, or fresh pastas, and be sure to save room for some dolci.

Unquestionably the fanciest spot in Honokaa, this cozy Italian bistro known for its pizza and other options feels like you've taken a step into Florence. Wood details, a full bar, travertine finishes, warm woods, antique furnishings, pendant lighting, and a fantastic stone pizza oven combine to create a thoroughly welcoming atmosphere. On the menu, pizzas and calzones dominate, but there is a full selection of pastas, salads, and sandwiches. Prices are surprisingly affordable. Local entertainers play on weekends.

There are many ways for a pricey "destination restaurant" to go overboard, making itself nothing more than a special-occasion spectacle, but Café Juanita gets everything just right. This Kirkland space is refined without being overly posh, and the food—much of which has a northern Italian influence—is perfectly balanced. One bite of lauded chef Holly Smith's tender saddle of Oregon lamb with baby artichokes, fava beans, and lemon emulsion and you'll be sold. The multi-course tasting menu comes in omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan versions. The restaurant is extremely accommodating for gluten-free guests and other special requests. To top it all off, the restaurant has an excellent wine list.

This Italian-American restaurant, serving hearty portions of the classics, is hard to miss thanks to the flashy cars that valet from its unassuming strip mall location. Loved by locals and sometimes even celebrities, it could be confused for a lounge after 10 pm on weekends, when owner Steve Martorano often DJs from the open kitchen's counter. Don't miss the made-to-order mozzarella and always ask about the specials of the day.

Established in 1929, Caffé Vittoria—Boston's oldest Italian café—is rightfully known as Boston's most traditional Italian café, which is one of the reasons the place is packed with locals. With gleaming brass, marble tabletops, four levels of seating, three bars that serve aperitifs, one of the city's best selections of grappa, and one massive, ancient espresso maker, this old-fashioned café will make you want to lose yourself in these surroundings. Bring your wallet because they are cash-only.

A portrait of restaurant consultant and Campanella co-owner Tom Rutledge's grandmother large in the covered patio seating area of his stylish yet snug restaurant inspired by East Coast Italian-American "red sauce" cuisine. The chef's 21st-century remixes of classics like the ones Nonna prepared in Brooklyn include marinara meatballs, butter beans, eggplant Parmesan, steamed clams with linguine, chicken cacciatore, and gnocchi with Bolognese ragout.

What do you get when you mix the magic of wood-fired steak with innovative Tuscan-inspired cuisine? You get this Italian chophouse experience from chef Brad Wise where each meal feels like a journey through the Italian countryside, but with five-star execution. Filet mignon carpaccio and charred lamb "lollipops" whet appetites before a parade of pastas—spicy rigatoni, tagliatelle carbonara, and more cater to any shape, any preference. Wood-fired delights follow, from marbled New York strips to lemon-zested swordfish and melt-in-your-mouth filet mignons. Equal attention is heaped on sides and desserts, from crispy pillows of fingerling potatoes to a perfectly balanced affogato. When in doubt, put yourself in the chef's hands for the four-person Tuscan experience, a prix-fixe selection of menu favorites.

A special-occasion destination and treat for multiple senses, Caruso’s combines exceptional views (perched on the sand at Rosewood Miramar Beach resort), sophisticated design (the ocean-inspired decor is as high-end as Santa Barbara gets), and romantic ambience (soft lighting, soft music) with Michelin-starred, Italian-California coastal cuisine. Options include three- and four-course prix-fixe menus (there’s a vegan one, too) and a chef’s tasting menu, which you can augment with wine pairings for an additional fee. The menu changes constantly, depending on the season and chef’s whims, but choices might include yellowtail crudo with tangerine and pickled kumquats; Santa Barbara sea urchin with tomato confit, yuzu butter, and caviar; hibachi grilled tenderloin with truffle bordelaise sauce; and, for dessert, tiramisu.

The lines are deservedly long at this upscale Tuscan restaurant in Boca Raton. The outpost of the renowned Casa D'Angelo in Broward impresses with an outstanding selection of antipasti, carpaccios, pastas, and specialties from the wood-burning oven. From staples like the antipasto angelo (grilled vegetables and buffalo mozzarella), osso buco, and linguine with white-water clams and garlic, to the ever-changing gnocchi, risotto, veal scaloppine, and fish specials of the day, Angelo's dishes deliver pure perfection in every bite. The wine list is also exceptional, with hundreds of Italian and American wines to choose from. Servers are experienced and top-notch.

Cookbook author and Iron Chef judge Domenica Catelli returned home to revive her family's American-Italian restaurant, a Geyserville fixture. Contemporary abstract paintings, reclaimed-wood furnishings, and muted gray and chocolate-brown walls signal the changing times, but you'll find good-lovin' echoes of traditional cuisine in the sturdy meat sauce that accompanies the signature lasagna, made with paper-thin noodles and a ricotta-and-herb-cheese filling.

A wall of Mason jars with pickled vegetables and brined olives transports you to an Italian market in Rome where the owner’s mother perfected generations of recipes that have made their way into this Point Loma eatery. Since its 2019 opening, customers have lined up for generous portions of homemade Italian staples including pasta, gnocchi, meatballs, sausage, bread, and decadent desserts. Choose your pasta shape, sauce, and topping, or simply lean on the advice of the knowledgeable waitstaff. The bone marrow and tagliata are cooked to perfection, and the spaghetti with mussels and clams will have you reenacting Lady and the Tramp. For the finale, get your camera ready for the table-side tiramisu drenched in espresso and topped with mascarpone fresco. The outdoor patio is inviting year-round, even in winter when heat lamps, wool blankets, and sheepskin rugs keep things cozy. 

Napa Valley culinary star and longtime Ciccio patron Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood and The Charter Oak is the labor-of-love executive chef at this insiders' favorite for modern Italian. The seasonal growing cycles of Meadowood's herb and produce garden influence the menu, with focaccia appetizers, pasta dishes (including a must-try gnudi when offered), a few wood-fired pizzas, and pork chop Milanese among the likely offerings.