10 Best Restaurants in USA

This adorable neighborhood café—one of the most outstanding brunch spots in town—serves fresh and delicious Scandinavian food with fun-to-pronounce names like friterade applen (apple fritter) and aebleskivers (Danish pancakes). All the food—the hashes, lefse potato crepes, the baked egg scrambles, the Swedish breakfast boards—is delicious, with the Swedish meatballs in sherry cream sauce and salmon fish cakes with caraway vinaigrette being especially tasty among the midday choices. There are additional locations in North Portland, Southwest Portland, and Hood River in the Columbia Gorge.

The Petaluma-based owners of this hip-homey counter-service restaurant pay homage to Swedish street food, whose influences, it turns out, include Middle Eastern cuisine. Seasonal ingredients, for the most part locally produced and raised, find their way into kebabs, Swedish meatballs, Wiener schnitzel, gravlax, herring, and korv kiosk (grilled frankfurters or sausages), all prepared with élan.

This restaurant has character buffets at all three meals, with an array of Disney princesses, including Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Mary Poppins, and even an occasional cameo appearance by Cinderella. The breakfast menu is American, but lunch and dinner feature an ever-changing assortment of Norwegian specialties. Appetizers usually include herring, goat-milk cheese, lefse bread, and gravlax (cured salmon served with mustard sauce), or fiskepudding (a seafood mousse with herb dressing). For a main course, you might try traditional ground pork and beef kjottkake (dumplings), fillet of salmon, or seared pork tenderloin with apricot glaze. Children will be happy choosing among mac 'n' cheese, corn dog nuggets, or Norwegian meatballs. Aquavit, wine, and specialty drinks are offered. All meals are prix-fixe.

This destination for Swedish cuisine, open since 1945, is a Chicago institution for a good reason: the legendarily sweet, gooey cinnamon rolls that come alongside every breakfast entrée they serve. It still has lines out the door—at this original location and a handful of other spots on the city's North Side—where hungry diners line up along the block for weekend breakfasts as well as Scandinavian specialties (Swedish pancakes and Swedish meatballs), sandwiches, and salads at lunch.

This Michelin-starred elegant and refined Scandinavian restaurant in the steady hands of Emma Bengtsson has prix-fixe options, including lunch, with a two-, three-, or four-course tasting menu, and a five-course or eight-course chef's tasting dinner menu. An à la carte option is offered within the sumptuous barroom area, best for sampling homemade aquavit, perhaps in a flight or mixed with tonic water. The dishes may seem simple, but even familiar meats, seafood, and seasonal ingredients are gifted with fresh creativity here. The elegant atmosphere features warm woods and modern Scandinavian design.

Portland's wildly popular modern Scandinavian restaurant, Broder, has a branch just off the lobby of downtown's historic Hood River Hotel, serving hearty breakfasts and lunches. You may have to wait a bit for a table, especially on weekend mornings, for the chance to sample abeleskivers (Danish pancakes) with lingonberry jam and lemon curd or the open-faced gravlax (salmon) sandwich with mustard sauce. Kick off the day with an aquavit bees knees cocktail or a cup cardamom latte.

Just like its name suggests, this was once a post office. Today it's a popular spot for fish-boil dinners, an Upper Great Lakes tradition, particularly in Scandinavian circles. Chunks of Lake Michigan whitefish are boiled with salt and red potatoes in a large kettle. Warm butter is ladled over the fish just before serving. A theatrical demonstration of the process is hosted by boil master Earl Jones in the restaurant's backyard Monday through Saturday evenings. Slices of cherry pie end the meal on a sweet note.

For over 90 years, the humble Svea, a Swedish version of an American diner, has carried the torch for Andersonville Swedes with hearty breakfast and lunch options. The daytime-only menu is packed with omelets, pancakes, and other Swedish classics; while the digs are no-frills, the service is invariably friendly. Woke up feeling especially hungry? The "Viking breakfast" beckons: eggs, Swedish sausage, Swedish-style fried potatoes, and pancakes with lingonberry. 

A cozy spot with a dose of Scandinavian flair and a long counter bar that abuts an open kitchen, this local diner has been a favorite breakfast (served all day) and brunch destination for decades. Expect a wait, but rest assured it's worth it. You'll thank us when you're digging into eggs and bacon and downing bottomless cups of coffee.