11 Best Restaurants in USA

There's an unassuming air to this family-run Lebanese restaurant: it's in a relatively remote north Ballard neighborhood, and there's nothing flashy about the dining room's white walls and tablecloths. But when you look at the menu, you start to sense that something special is going on. Dishes are described in tantalizing detail, promising traditional Middle Eastern flavors in creative combinations. It's all as good as it sounds. The grilled meat skewers are delicious, but you won't go wrong making a meal of mezzes—pears with tahini and pomegranate, eggplant with fresh cheese and honey, and lamb-filled phyllo "cigars" are a few of your many choices.

A Spruce Hill staple, Manakeesh specializes in the Lebanese flatbreads of the same name. Served warm from the oven, the puffy, round loaves come with both traditional toppings (za’atar, kafta) and nontraditional ones (turkey bacon–egg–cheese, cheesesteak), which speak to the diverse crowd that fills the café-style space. Encased behind glass along the front counter, fresh-baked Lebanese pastries are some of your best bets. Stop in for a snack or a full sit-down, share-many-dishes-style meal.

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.

A colorful mix of Armenian and Lebanese dishes cater to South End residents in search of a quick, healthy meal in the form of salads, sandwiches, wraps, and grain bowls. Warm, thin m’anoush (very thin flatbread baked on a Saj oven) are rolled around fresh ingredients such as lentil kofta, cheese, minced lamb, and za'atar chicken, or used to scoop up flavorful dips and spreads like labne (yogurt based) made fresh from local, organic ingredients.

This snug Lebanese café caters to locals with its popular vegan platters, mixed kebabs for two (with kofta, chicken, and lamb), shawarmas, and more. Seating is limited, but if you can snag a seat at lunch or dinnertime, you’re in for a treat. Try the mint lemonade and falafel sandwich, a house blend of chickpeas and fava beans, topped with turnip and pickles. For a carnivorous option, go for the El Toum sandwich, made with ground beef and pine nuts.

A family-owned restaurant serving traditional Lebanese and Greek dishes with foodie flair, Epice has a large patio where diners can enjoy lunch and dinner in good weather. The popular weekend brunch menu includes French toast, omelets, and special cocktails.

This all-day counter service spot crosses Lebanese and Mexican flavors with some kooky notions (halloumi tacos, baklava crumbled over an ice cream sundae), to fun and tasty results. It’s situated in cheerful digs a stone’s throw from Lincoln Park Zoo—a good place to walk off overindulgence guilt.

Sit down here to a table piled high with assorted kibbie, garlic wings, baba ghanoush, falafel, and zesty kebabs piled on a bed of rice. Fresh, satisfying, and with excellent service and big portions, this real-deal hidden gem is worth the trek over the hill. Hayat's does its best to disguise its strip mall setting with flowers, placemats, and Middle-Eastern music in both the open-air patio and the slightly more formal dining room. The menu has all the dishes Americans have come to love like hummus, tabouli, and beef shawarma but adds some unexpected entrees like quail, frog legs, and charbroiled trout in walnut sauce. Complimentary baklava finishes the meal and should be washed down with mint tea or strong coffee. 

The fragrance of beef, lamb, and chicken shawarma wafts from the glass front doors of this Lebanese restaurant, bringing the authentic flavors of the Middle East to Charleston. Adventurous eaters can find beef tongue and frogs' legs on the huge menu, or skip straight to sweet treats with meghli rice flour pudding bedecked in cloves, coconut, and cinnamon. Generous portions make up for slightly high prices, and the service is friendly and informative.

Family-run Marouch is somewhat of a rarity in Hollywood in that it deviates from all the usual fanfare and instead delivers a more casual and authentic home-cooking approach with a you're-part-of-our-family attitude. So, while it doesn't constantly reinvent itself a la buzzy Hollywood spots to get you to come back, you will return for the quality and flavor of the traditional Lebanese and Armenian meze plates that have been passed down in the family for generations. Saturday evenings are its busiest, but the owners encourage you to partake in the chaos, as that's when it feels the most like home.

Traditional Middle Eastern cuisine is the specialty of this small restaurant just outside Utica. Stuffed grape leaves, tabbouleh, and hummus with pita bread are among the appetizers. Kebabs of marinated and grilled lamb, pork, beef, and chicken are the most popular entrée. Also on the menu are kafta (skewered meatballs of finely ground beef and lamb), kibbi (raw, ground spiced lamb), stuffed cabbage, and several vegetarian dishes. A small patio offers outdoor dining.