55 Best Restaurants in USA

Top-notch craft beer and plenty of food options makes 49th State Brewing Company a must when passing through Healy. Committed to using local ingredients whenever possible, they offer plenty of Alaska-grown dishes, the keystone being the Alaskan-raised, all-you-can-eat pig roast on Friday nights. More than ten in-house beers are on tap to go along with the outdoor beer garden. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options are also available.

Chef James Boyce started his career at New York's famed Le Cirque, where he worked under Daniel Boulud, one of the world's best-known chefs. Boyce has been featured on the Today show and other national programs. Upscale comfort food describes the menu—catfish arrives grilled rather than the usual fried and the buttermilk-fried chicken comes with Dijon-seasoned collards. Southern Street Tacos feature fried okra, green tomato chimichurri, and pickled jalapenos. Sunny windows brighten the minimalist but cozy setting.

You're going to think you're lost, but resist the urge to turn around because the tiny speck of sand that is Flamingo Heights really is that far out there, and this gastronomical goldmine—a roadside diner elevated by a lesbian couple who came to the desert for their honeymoon and never left—will likely be the best meal you'll eat this side of the Little San Bernardinos. Expect seasonally inspired brunch and lunch plates served without pretense and made using farm-to-fork ingredients and bits of culinary wisdom cribbed from the South (fried chicken), France (buckwheat ham galette), the Middle East (citrus and beets, a labneh-doused burger), and Philly's top kitchens (where the chef once toiled).

A couple of blocks from Arcata's festive plaza, this hip seafood restaurant inside a beautifully converted old machine shop offers seating in an airy dining room and on a large side patio. Specialties include classic panko-crusted cod and chips and seared-rare steelhead, but you could also make a meal of small plates from the raw bar—shrimp cocktail, ceviche tostadas, and raw or grilled Pacific oysters among them.

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."

The name, decor, and menu at this lively brewpub pay homage to California's Gold Rush era and the year the state and county were officially established. Many of the craft beers on tap come from the owners' 1850 Brewing Company, and dishes include everything from traditional Bavarian pretzels and hearty baked mac and cheese to ahi nachos and salmon cakes.

Next to the clubhouse of the world's lowest golf course, this open-air spot serves hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and sausages. The bar has a rotating selection of draft beers.

Calabrian-born SF resident Francesco Covucci is determined to continue the Italian legacy of North Beach with trendy, casual, quality-driven regional Italian eateries (he also owns Il Casaro Pizzeria at 348 Columbus Ave.). Here you can slam Roman-style pinsa, which is a modern style of ciabatta-shaped pizza made of a multigrain flour mix and gourmet toppings like burrata and pesto or pear, walnut, and Gorgonzola.

The design of this modern food court, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, honors the history of rock climbing in Yosemite. Choose from a wide range of menu options, from hamburgers, salads, and pizzas, to rice and noodle bowls.

A crowd of in-the-know locals gathers at this lively restaurant and bar close to downtown Oxnard for south-of-the-border seafood specialties served with fresh handmade tortillas. The rainbow-hued dining rooms and patio are casual and cheery. If you're not a seafood fan, try the carne asada (marinated strips of beef) or one of the large combination plates.

One of the newest players at the table of Little Rock's fine dining landscape, chef-owner Payne Harding, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, puts a contemporary spin on old-fashioned flavors, as, for instance, in his prosciutto-wrapped rabbit with gnocchi and braised apples. A good-value lunch menu includes interesting salads, small plates, sandwiches, and pizzas. From the bar, try a Kicking Mule, a craft cocktail concoction of whiskey and cayenne pepper.

Prepare to wait in line at this tiny downtown eatery owned and operated by married New Yorkers who have years of Big Apple bakery experience. Also be prepared to finally reach the counter only to find that they've sold out of strawberry-poppy scones, cornbread loaves, or blueberry and cream-cheese brioche. Luckily, you can't go wrong with any of the delectable breads, sweet and savory pastries, or sandwiches. If your baked item of choice isn't available, you can simply order a caffeinated beverage, some of which are very creative (Elvis would have loved the peanut butter and banana iced coffee!).

This little roadside restaurant in Hoonah doesn't look like much from the outside, but it comes highly recommended by the locals. The salmon tacos garner particularly high praise. Hours can be variable, especially in the off-season.

Family owned since 1917, this Montgomery tradition is always busy at lunchtime, and for good reason. Chris's famous sauce contains chili peppers, onions, and a variety of herbs that give his hot dogs a one-of-a-kind flavor. The sauce goes on the house special, along with mustard, onions, and kraut. At one time, Chris' Hot Dogs was an all-night joint where country music legend Hank Williams ate.

Don't judge this restaurant by its no-frills exterior—though it may appear closed (especially with its boarded-up windows), this little hole-in-the-wall serves some of the best soul food in town. Follow locals inside for the popular fried chicken, collards, and corn bread served in a surprisingly bright and homey dining room. Portions are generous, so arrive hungry.

If it's martinis and jazz you're after, come to this casually elegant space (larger and snazzier after a move to the historic Baur's Building), which features comfort foods with a twist and small plates. Live music most nights makes this a laid-back spot. The cocktail roster, printed inside old jazz albums, is one of the most intricate around, and the Sunday jazz brunch swings.

Gulf seafood, grilled steaks, and seasonal specials are served in this massive, camplike tin-roofed shack complex overlooking Mobile Bay, including views of downtown lights at night. The huge selection offers everything from traditional regional dishes such as turtle soup and fried oysters to surprises like crayfish-smothered pork chops and grits. Service is precise but friendly. Reserve ahead for tables by windows.

A cozy coffeehouse with a counterculture undercurrent, Frontier is a good place to stop before heading into the park—and a popular one, judging by the number of visiting Angelenos in line for prehike egg sandwiches and posthike Top Chico mineral water at any one time. Pair fancy coffee drinks with bagels and parfaits in the morning or salads and sandwiches if you're off to a late start. 

An upscale restaurant in Visalia's downtown hub, Fugazzi's serves up Italian-American and international-fusion dishes in a slick, contemporary space with leather booths and shiny metal tables. The extensive lunch and dinner menus feature everything from quinoa-and-kale salad and Thai chicken wraps to traditional Italian dishes and grilled lamb chops.

Chefs cycle in and out as often as guests breeze through the adjoining Ritz-Carlton, so this dining room is anything but staid or predictable despite its shopping-mall environs. Warm tones of red and orange accentuate the autumnal notes of butternut squash soup or the unexpected duo of roasted beets and crisped chickpeas. Other standout dishes include the lemon ricotta pancakes at breakfast and the grilled shrimp ravioli, its succulence balanced by sweet pomegranate preserves. Head to the lounge for a cheaper menu of quick bites.

Turns out you can go home again, and, sometimes, when you do, you also quit your day job and open up the kind of restaurant you'd like to hang out in—at least, that's the case with the ex-teacher behind this downtown den that promises (and delivers) "good eats, rad beer." In addition to having the best beer list for 100 miles (with 13 on tap and roughly 70 more in cans and bottles, plus a few ciders, hard kombuchas, seltzers, and wine) it also has delicious food created by a Swedish chef (for real) who worked in big-name kitchens in Copenhagen, New York, and L.A. and who makes falafel so moist and zesty that it will leave carnivores rethinking their stance on veganism.

A thriving oyster farm north of San Francisco in Tomales Bay serves up its harvest at this raw bar and restaurant in the Ferry Building, where devotees come for impeccably fresh oysters and clams on the half shell, even though it closes early (by 7 pm most nights). Other mollusk-centered options include a first-rate seafood stew, grilled oysters, clam chowder, and “steamer” dishes, but the bar also turns out one of the city’s best grilled cheese sandwiches,made with three artisanal cheeses on artisanal bread.

Southern food prepared fresh daily is the standard at this little, homey restaurant that dates to 1928 and was the inspiration for Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. Owners have changed over the years, but the famous fried green tomatoes and Southern cooking endure. Daily specials might bring green tomato Parmesan or okra and green tomato fritters. Plain fried green tomatoes, fried chicken (livers too), fried catfish, country-fried steak, sweet-potato soufflé, and various pies and cobblers are always on the menu.

A popular and quirky spot for hearty Mexican and American fare in downtown Holbrook since the 1940s, this restaurant is perfect for huevos rancheros, chiles rellenos, Navajo tacos, or a chicken-fried steak meal en route to nearby Petrified Forest National Park.

Homemade biscuits, sausage gravy, grilled pork chops, and eggs are just a few ways to start the day at this wee cafe tucked into a shopping center. Fans love breakfast, but lunch and dinner are equally appealing, with Southern and American specialties like liver and onions, chicken and dumplings, speckled butter beans, and creamy squash casserole. Sit on the patio or inside overlooking a mural depicting a pastoral scene with pink flying pigs.

Coffee and hot cocoa, wine and beer (including local brews from Lassen Ale Works), and sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, bagels, and pizzas are served in this casual eatery inside the park's only year-round visitor center. Indoors, there's a fireplace, but if the weather is fine, the patio with its mountain views is the place to be.

Swing through wooden doors and into a spacious dining room that re-creates an authentic Old West saloon, decked out with a wooden bar and furniture, mounted animal heads, fugitive wanted fliers, film posters, and other memorabilia. The traditional steak-house menu includes ribs, filet mignon, flat iron steak, along with crab cakes, salmon, pizzas, and pasta.

In a hip, modern space—alongside The Local Grape wine bar within a historic building—this unusual-for-the-region eatery serves up savory Japanese soul food. Expect home-style dishes like steaming bowls of toasted-rye ramen noodles swimming in a rich broth For dessert, there's matcha cheesecake and premium mochi ice cream.

Catering to a broad range of tastes, Local Flavor is a real crowd-pleaser—light eaters will appreciate a selection of healthy salads and small plates; vegetarians get a generous nod; and burger buffs can wrap two hands around hearty half-pounders. Kids get their own menu at lunch and dinner, and it's more sophisticated than most. Doing Sunday brunch? Try the gingerbread waffle topped with seasonal fruit, toasted pecans, and real maple syrup. Reservations are taken by phone only, by a live person, during regular business hours—no voice-mail or email reservations.

A taste of the islands in landlocked Huntsville is served in this café where the food is as colorful as the sunny decor. Bright-orange mangoes liven up chicken, and star in salads. Braised oxtail is akin to homey beef stew. Meatless "meatloaf" and curry "chicken" are among many vegetarian options. Lighter selections include the seafood served escovitch style (marinated in a pickling sauce and then fried).