Look, best restaurants in the U.S. make me do stupid stuff. I’ve literally pulled an all-nighter driving from Charlotte to Atlanta because someone on Reddit said the fried chicken at this one place would “ruin me for life.” It was good. Not life-ruining. My lower back still hates me. But these spots below? They’re the ones I think about randomly at 2 a.m. and go “yeah I need to go back someday.”
Why I Keep Chasing These Best Restaurants in the U.S.
I’m not fancy. I show up in whatever hoodie smells least like yesterday’s gym clothes, I tip too much when I’m nervous, I talk too loud when the food’s good. I’ve knocked over water glasses at nice places, eaten barbecue with no napkins because I forgot to grab any, and once paid $18 for a slice of pie that was basically just sugar and regret. Whatever. The hits make up for the misses.
Eater’s got a cool list of super influential American spots if you want the history angle: https://www.eater.com/22527145/most-influential-restaurants-america-history
Katz’s Delicatessen – New York City
I still laugh thinking about my first time. It’s snowing hard, I’m starving, I grab a ticket then immediately lose it because I’m trying to take a selfie with the “Send a salami to your boy in the army” sign. Counter guy looks at me like I’m the dumbest tourist alive. Hands me the pastrami anyway. Holy crap that sandwich. Meat falling out, mustard everywhere, rye bread soaked through. I ate standing at the high-top, pickle in one hand, dripping on my boots. Best mistake I ever made. Went back last summer and lost my ticket again. Some things never change.
Their website if you’re brave enough to plan: https://katzsdelicatessen.com/
Best Restaurants in the U.S. That Feel Like a Hug (With Extra Calories)
These are the comfort ones. The “I had a bad week” ones.
Prince Street Pizza – New York City
Pepperoni square slice is straight-up crack. Crispy edges, cheese that pulls long strings, pepperonis curled up holding little grease lakes. I’ve stood on the corner at 2 a.m. eating one with my coat open because it’s hot from the oven, sauce on my chin, zero shame. Always plan to get one slice. Always walk away with two. Or three. Math is hard when pizza’s involved.
Franklin Barbecue – Austin, Texas
This one hurts to talk about because the line. I got there at 6:15 a.m. once. Already 40 people. Texas sun coming up fast. I’m sweating through my shirt by 8. Finally get inside and the brisket… man. Peppery bark, pink smoke ring, so juicy it’s almost rude. I ate until my jeans hurt, then napped in the rental car like a beached whale. Still dream about it.
Official page: https://franklinbbq.com/
Best Restaurants in the U.S. Where I Pretended I Belonged
Sometimes you gotta level up, even if you feel like an imposter.
The French Laundry – Yountville, California
I basically starved for months to afford this. Showed up in my nicest shirt (which has a tiny hole under the arm I hoped no one noticed). Tiny courses, perfect plating, servers describing things in whispers like it’s church. One bite was a single potato with caviar that tasted like expensive dirt in the best way. I was so scared of doing something wrong I barely spoke. Food was unreal though. Felt like I stole a VIP pass to life for three hours.
Their site: https://www.thomaskeller.com/tfl
Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que – Kansas City, Missouri
Z-Man sandwich is chaos in bun form. Brisket, onion rings, cheese melting everywhere. I ate mine in the car with the AC blasting because it was 98 degrees and the parking lot smelled like heaven and smoke. Sauce on the dashboard, onion ring crumbs in the cup holder, windows steamed up. I looked like I lost a fight with dinner. Best fight ever.
Check them: https://joeskc.com/
Okay, Your Turn
Best restaurants in the U.S. are never perfect. Lines are long, prices sting, you leave smelling weird, sometimes you overdo it and swear off food forever (lies, you’re hungry again by morning). But the ones that stick? They give you stories. The kind you tell your friends years later while they roll their eyes.
What’s your ride-or-die spot? The place you’d fight traffic for? Or the overhyped one that let you down so bad you still bring it up? Comment below—I’m here for the tea and the recommendations. If you hit any of these send a pic. I’ll be jealous and probably reply something dumb like “that looks way cleaner than mine did.”
Eat big. Eat messy. Eat often.