The Best Places to Eat and Stay in the United States

This is a River Oaks District steakhouse where the lighting is flattering and the check is not. A master butcher breaks down the wet-aged cuts, and you can top an American wagyu filet with black truffle lobster, in case a steak alone felt underdressed. Expect a dressed-up room built for being seen, and a popcorn sundae at the end for anyone who still has a little room left.

The Alston is a French-leaning steakhouse on the third floor in River North, where the bread gets sliced at your table and you pick your own candle holder, which is the kind of decision-making that makes a steakhouse feel like a party. Steaks are wood grilled with French sauces on the side, but the duck gets pressed tableside, with a metal contraption wringing out the jus. Eater lists it among Chicago's best steakhouses and River North's best restaurants.

This is an upscale steakhouse operating out of a former Chicago Fire Department firehouse, which in a city with no shortage of steakhouses counts as a differentiator. Red leather stools ring a central bar, the main room is all wood paneling, and the back patio has white marble tables. Happy hour brings oyster deals, wagyu sliders, and lobster bisque under a puff pastry lid. Upstairs rooms host office holiday parties, naturally.

Trill Burgers is a counter-service smash burger joint run by Houston rapper Bun B, and it debuted to lines that suggested the city had never been told burgers exist. The patties come under American cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, and the house Trill sauce, with an Impossible version for vegans who'd rather not be left holding the fries. Plan on $15 to $20 for a combo, and come in whatever you wore to the gym.

Zarella is a River North tavern-style pizzeria run by the Boka group, which means the thin, cornmeal-dusted pies come with a cocktail menu and a downstairs speakeasy lounge. Two well-known Chicago chefs developed the crusts, and the toppings include mortadella and all-beef pepperoni, so expect River North prices for what is, technically, bar pizza. Eater has named it among the city's best tavern-style pizza spots.

The cemita poblana here comes stuffed with thinly pounded, breaded beef cutlet, which tells you immediately what kind of restaurant this is. El Rincon Poblano is a family-run Mexican spot in a strip mall off Thomas Road, with Pueblan art on pastel walls and a menu that goes well past mole. The taco arabe, pork carved off a trompo and folded into a near-translucent flour tortilla, is a lesson in where al pastor came from.

Two Italian men, both named Gabriele, run this Italian deli on Yesler Way, and the staff communicate in rapid, gesticulate Italian that could be an argument or a recipe debate or just Tuesday. The focaccia sandwiches are stacked with imported prosciutto and mortadella, and the 'nduja is made next door. Shop shelves hold Sardinian cheese, Calabrian honey, and bottarga for browsing. Vegetarians exist here, but they have to ask nicely.

Bún bò Huế arrives as tacos here, which tells you everything about the approach. This Vietnamese cafe in South Seattle pairs deep-cut dishes like stir-fried snails in coconut sauce with banana cookie crumble matcha lattes, and somehow neither feels out of place. The bánh xèo comes gasp-inducingly large on a woven basket ringed with herbs. Seattle Met named it one of Seattle's best new restaurants in 2025.

A fully plant-based burger shop where the patties, cheese, and buns are all vegan, yet every meat-eating friend you drag here tends to go quiet mid-bite. Counter service, casual prices, shopping plaza setting. The menu runs from a straightforward classic to pineapple or jalapeño-topped builds, with loaded fries worth the mess. Phoenix New Times has named it among the top burger joints in the metro two years running, vegan or otherwise.

Life-sized Spider-Man watches you eat your burger, which feels about right for a counter-service spot where the menu hangs on the wall and you can hear the flat-top sizzling from the register. The patties come on sweet King's Hawaiian rolls, loaded with things like mac and cheese or pastrami, while Marvel films loop on the TVs and kids work free arcade games. Gyros and other diner bites round out the menu for anyone not in a superhero mood.

The panda doughnut, a vanilla-glazed ring with split Oreos standing in as ears, is about as adventurous as this donut shop gets, and that's a compliment. Blooming Donuts keeps things traditional, turning out yeast and cake doughnuts that are sugared, glazed, or sprinkled. The cake variety has a crisp shell and a tender crumb that does most of the talking. Phoenix New Times named it Best Doughnuts in 2025. Pair one with the iced matcha boba latte and call it breakfast.

A small-batch ice cream shop inside a converted Quonset hut in Gilbert's Barnone complex, with a rotating handful of flavors that leans toward combinations like date and orange blossom or strawberry and rose water. The menu is short by design, and classics like mint chip share the case with vegan sorbets. You won't find thirty tubs here, which turns out to be beside the point when each one is this carefully made.

Nearly two-thirds of the world can't digest lactose, and this funky scoop shop in Uptown Phoenix has quietly built its menu around that fact. Almost everything is lactose- or dairy-free, served in a room full of neon paintings, mannequin heads, and board games that make it feel less like an ice cream shop and more like a very chill art installation. The mango sticky rice sorbet and the Gansito cake-inspired flavor are the ones regulars debate. Pints available for the road.

Across the street from Georgia Tech, this 12-story Hilton Garden Inn sits in Midtown with MARTA access and a handful of good restaurants within walking distance, which takes real pressure off the planning. Rooms run colorful and tidy, some with proper living areas if a standard footprint feels tight. The outdoor pool deck has grilling stations and a fire pit, which is a nicer amenity mix than the category usually delivers.

A seasonal rooftop pool a few blocks from Columbia University is not something you expect from a hotel on 126th Street, which is part of the point. The George sits in a former industrial stretch of Harlem that's been pulled into the present without losing its bones. Rooms run compact and modern, the outdoor lounge leans chic without trying too hard, and the Broadway line is close enough to make Midtown feel like a minor inconvenience.

Mole negro shows up on nearly everything here, the rich, dark kind that takes days to make and coats burritos and chilaquiles alike. Alebrijes is a casual Oaxacan cafe in Litchfield Park with indoor tables, bar seats, and a shaded patio, the sort of place where the specials board does the real work. Concha French toast and coffee cocktails share menu space with pozole. Expect a wait, which the regulars seem entirely unbothered by.

The glazed donuts here come out warm if you time the drive to east Mesa right, and that detail explains most of what you need to know about this family-owned donut shop. The menu stays classic on purpose: pillowy raised donuts, apple fritters, old-fashioned buttermilk bars. No novelty toppings, no Instagram bait. Phoenix New Times named it Best Doughnuts in 2024, and the regulars in line at opening would find that completely unsurprising.

The ice cream sandwich here comes on a fresh-sliced doughnut, which is either genius or a personal liability depending on your self-control. This small-batch ice cream shop keeps a core menu of eight flavors, rotates in new ones weekly, and does fruit sorbets for the dairy-free crowd. The original location sits in a tiny historic building on Grand Avenue, which gives it more character than a strip mall scoop shop ever could.

The staff does the grilling here, scissor-slicing premium cuts tableside with the focus of someone who takes beef very seriously. An upscale Korean barbecue restaurant where the room leans steakhouse but the energy leans party, with A5 wagyu and pork jowl sharing the menu alongside an unusually good banchan spread. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the South Bay's top restaurants. Your shirt will smell like smoke for the rest of the night, which is just the price of admission.

A craft brewery where a pizza food truck parks just outside and freshly popped popcorn sits on the counter inside, which tells you everything about the vibe before you've even ordered. The patio spills into a grassy area with picnic tables where kids have room to run while the adults work through a rotating tap list. Come as you are and stay longer than you planned.

The name comes from the owner's childhood in Guerrero, where he and his siblings sold radishes at the market and got saddled with the nickname Cinco Rabanitos. This is a casual Pilsen taqueria, the order-at-the-counter, nobody-dresses-up kind, and the menu runs from tacos to tortas to caldos. Guerrero shows up in the slow-roasted pork in red mole and in the cecina, and Eater has it on its list of Chicago's best Mexican spots.

Abu Omar Halal started as a food truck and eventually got a roof, which is the kind of upgrade people at 2 a.m. appreciate. It's a casual counter-service spot built around shawarma, which arrives in wraps, over rice, loaded on fries, or as a salad bowl for the self-appointed healthy one. The family order comes panini-style on sesame bread, sliced like pizza. It stays open until 3 a.m., and until 5 on weekends.

A vegetarian Reuben built around roasted beets and smoked Thousand Island tells you where this Washington Park deli's loyalties lie, though the kitchen is happy to add bacon when asked. Part neighborhood grocery, part cafe, it runs breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch, with a coffee bar that also does beet and turmeric lattes for anyone who wants their caffeine to feel like a wellness decision.

The coffee here is grown and roasted entirely on Maui, which you'll notice before you finish the first sip. Akamai is a specialty coffee shop with baristas who take the technical side seriously, turning out foamy cappuccinos and cold brew done New Orleans-style with chicory alongside seasonal espresso drinks. Avocado toast and Belgian waffles round out the menu for anyone who needs something to eat. Two drive-up windows serve the island if you're moving fast.

The Alley burger comes stuffed with foie gras if you know to ask, which tells you most of what you need to know about this craft cocktail bar and small-plates spot tucked into downtown Durham. The seasonal cocktail menu rotates with actual intention, and the food goes well past bar snacks. A James Beard nominee for Outstanding Bar Program, it draws the kind of crowd that takes both the drinks and the kitchen seriously.

This is a gelateria in a Shea Boulevard shopping center, where you order on an iPad before you ever meet a human, which feels very Scottsdale until the scoops arrive. Flavors lean adventurous, with mesquite honey lavender and a ricotta studded with fig sharing the case with mint cookies and cream. You can taste before committing, and each cup or cone gets a crisp wafer on top. Cheap enough, casual enough, flip-flops welcome.

Raclette, schnitzel, spätzle, and a frosty Bavarian beer in a chalet-style dining room: Alpenrose leans into Alpine tradition without apology. This cozy European restaurant has been an old-school Vail institution, and a 2018 ownership change by the team behind neighboring Almresi kept the Old World spirit intact. Summer brings a flower-filled patio; winter makes the case for staying inside with something warm and melted.

Amore is a casual neighborhood pizzeria that brings Chicago to the desert, which is a long way to carry an opinion about crust. The tavern-style pies come out thin and cut in squares, and the deep-dish is there for the purists. Start with fried pickles or garlic bread, finish with mini cannoli, and eat the whole thing in a room that asks nothing of your wardrobe. Eater listed it among the best pizza in Las Vegas.

Anthony's is the M Resort steakhouse in Henderson, where the Sunday brunch buffet runs on a steakhouse budget and carries a price tag closer to a Strip dinner than a morning meal. The spread skips the usual sad chafing dishes for snow crab legs, beef Wellington, and prime rib. The patio looks out at the Strip from a safe distance, and reservations are limited, so book early.

Antonio's is an old-school Italian pizzeria on Hillcroft where the name is a promise: dough gets tossed overhead, and the staff has clearly done it more than a few times. The pies run up to 16 inches, and if you can't decide on toppings, the folks behind the counter will decide for you, which feels like the right amount of authority. Calamari and pasta share the menu, so nobody at the table gets stuck with just bread.

Shokupan, the pillowy Japanese milk bread, is the anchor of this quiet strip mall pastry shop near Fujiya Market. The egg salad sandwich built on thick slices of it has a following all its own, and the matcha rolls, red bean buns, and strawberry cakes lean subtle rather than sweet. A couple of tables invite lingering over green tea cheesecake, but the filled crepes and melon pan tend to disappear early, so arriving with a plan is not the worst idea.