9 Top Small Food Towns

Restaurants in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have all won awards, been lauded by critics time and again, and often serve as landmarks in many travelers' memories. But what about those towns you drive by on your road trip to San Francisco or that you fly over on your way to Chicago?

There are small towns all across the U.S. that you could easily pass by not knowing what you're missing. Places like Evanston, Ill., Danville, Calif., and Ithaca, N.Y. are serving food to rival that of any award-winning meal in neighboring cities. From holes-in-the-wall to fine dining hidden treasures and from "down home" Southern cooking to delicious sushi, the options are manifold. So, next time you're yearning for a weekend away or want to plan a few great stops on an upcoming road trip, one of these nine towns should prove surprisingly tasty. 

Click here to see the 9 Great Small Food Towns Slideshow.