101 Best Casual Restaurants In America For 2016

From hot dog shacks to taco joints, from neighborhood hangouts to legendary barbecue spots, these are amazing restaurants where price is no bar to entry and you'll feel right at home in jeans.

Barbecue might not be the first thing you think of when you're in Detroit, but it should be. That's because Detroit is the home of Slows Bar BQ, which serves some truly amazing barbecue, sandwiches, and beer in the heart of downtown Detroit.

Find more details on Slows BBQ here.

Baby back ribs, St. Louis spare ribs, brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken and turkey, and smoked garlic pork sausage are the primary meats, all of which are hormone-free and raised humanely on family-owned farms. They're smoky and delicious on their own, but we suggest you try them tucked into one of the stellar sandwiches, available with Zingerman's toast or a poppy seed roll. The Yardbird (smoked pulled chicken mixed with mushrooms and cheese and topped with bacon), Triple Threat Pork (bacon, pulled pork, and ham), and the Longhorn (beef brisket with onion marmalade, smoked Gouda, and special sauce) will forever haunt your dreams. But don't miss out on the sides; the macaroni and cheese in particular is outrageously delicious. 

There are hundreds of chili parlors in Cincinnati, and most of them are chains of varying quality. But ask around, and plenty of people will tell you that Blue Ash is the place to go, chain or otherwise.

Find more details on Blue Ash here.

There's a specific way of ordering your chili in this town: Two-way is a bed of spaghetti topped with beefy, umami-rich chili (made with a bevy of spices including cocoa, allspice, cumin, and chili powder); three-way adds Cheddar; four-way adds onions or beans; and five-way adds both beans and onions, while six-way adds fried jalapeño caps. A Cincy classic since 1969, Blue Ash has three locations in town as well as a roving food truck. 

All-day breakfast is the name of the game at this local Atlanta favorite, which is only open until 4 p.m. during the week and 5 p.m. on the weekends.

Find more details on West Egg Cafe here.

Favorites include a country ham and egg sandwich with red eye aïoli; Georgia Benedict (a biscuit topped with turkey sausage patties, eggs, and sausage gravy; West Side Pileup (skillet potatoes topped with onions, peppers, cheddar, bacon, and eggs); and sour cream pancakes topped with syrup and honey butter. The lunch menu is on point, too; the "PB&J Burger," two patties topped with pimiento cheese, bacon, and tomato jam is a serious standout. The owners work with a local coffee roaster to provide the best joe possible, and pastry chef Carrie Hudson is turning out some spectacular creations, like Coca-Cola cupcakes, gigantic cookies, seasonal pies, and homemade soft serve. 

This popular Ethiopian spot has three locations in New York, and has done more to introduce New Yorkers to Ethiopan food since opening in 1994 than probably any other restaurant.

Find more details on Awash here.

Richly flavored stews served with rounds of teff-based flatbread called injera are the hallmark of Ethiopan cooking, and Awash has them down to a science. It may seem slightly intimidating at first, but the tibs wat (beef strips in a berbere sauce), doro alicha (chicken slow-cooked in Ethiopian butter with onions and green peppers), and shiro (ground spiced chick peas and split peas) are just about impossible to dislike. For the more adventurous, don't miss gored gored, raw ground beef mixed with Ethiopian butter and berbere. 

Springfield is generally known as the birthplace of basketball (local phys-ed teacher James Naismith supposedly invented it to fill the gap between football and baseball seasons).

Find more details on White Hut here.

West Springfield doesn't have quite as strong a claim when it comes to national recognition, but it deserves a nod for being the home to one of the country's best burgers: the cheeseburger with fried onions at White Hut. White Hut has been through several different owners and generations, and it has the whole "White" reference that speaks to the success burger joints experienced when relabeling themselves with that adjective in the '20s in the wake of the uproar around meatpacking practices caused by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. However, there's really only one thing you need to know about this spot. The burgers are legit, squashed cheesy affairs — the kind of cheeseburgers where the cheese is not just a topping, but an integral part of the cooking process, and as important an ingredient (or at least close to it) as the patty. Some might scoff at this. Scoff all you like, but that won't change the facts. White Hut and its sweet, caramelized onions, squishy bun, and juicy patty cooked on an open griddle in front of the customer counter are delights made almost better by the authenticity and confidence of this unheralded gem's just-off-prickly but genuinely local and good-hearted servers.

Kuma's Corner is a seriously rock and roll burger joint, and one of the best in Chicago.

Find more details on Kuma's Corner here.

It's not a quiet place to eat — the restaurant's slogan is "Support your community. Eat beef. Bang your head." But with all the pyrotechnics that go off when you take a bite, the heavy metal doesn't just make sense — it's a perfect fit. There are burgers with tomatillo salsa and fried chiles, and burgers with sriracha and grilled pineapple, but you have to start with the signature Kuma Burger: bacon, sharp Cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a fried egg.

With the legendary Pho Tau Bay's future in question as the shopping center it called home is being redeveloped, New Orlenians are flocking to the new best pho shop in the city, Gretna's Tan Dinh.

Find more details on Tan Dinh here.

Family-owned and unchanged for more than 20 years, the pho here is rich and flavorful, and we suggest you double up on the beef flank and brisket as the meat option, with plenty of bean sprouts, mint leaves, and sliced jalapeños on the side.

This relatively new addition to that "old guard of pizza newcomers" is Rubirosa in Nolita, a spot opened by former Esca cook Angelo (A.J.) Pappalardo, who learned how to make a super-thin crust and barely there cornicione at the age of 12 at his father Giuseppe's Staten Island pizzeria.

Find more details on Rubirosa here.

The slice at Rubirosa (which New York Magazine reported was named for a Florence, Italy, restaurant whose owners named it in turn after international playboy Porfirio Rubirosa) is the kind that inspires cross-section marveling and game-changing pizza paradigm shifts. Those who consider the city's average dollar-slice crusts the New York baseline finally understand the nuance of pizza. This is one of the few places you can walk into and ask for a stracciatella pie (impressive enough), and there are nine standards on the menu that you'll want to rotate through, including the classic, supreme, and "tie-dye" (vodka, tomato, pesto, fresh mozzarella), but the pie the restaurant singled out, and the one panelists voted vociferously for, was the vodka pie with fresh mozz.

This hot dog is completely unlike any other in the country: the Sonoran Dog, a shining example of international cooperation.

Find more details on El Guero Canelo here.

 John T. Edge first brought this hot dog into the spotlight in 2009, and even though it's been around for more than 40 years, the Sonoran is having quite a moment in the sun. Here's how it works: A hot dog is wrapped in bacon (good place to start), griddled until crispy, stuffed into a split-top bun that you won't find outside of the region, and topped with any of a slew of condiments that usually involve beans, diced tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. There are stands all over Tucson selling Sonorans, but the most shining example is sold in the humble, ragtag El Güero Canelo, which got its start as a tiny cart run by Daniel and Blanca Contreras in 1993 and now has a semi-outdoor seating area, a massive array of toppings, and an ever-present jovial vibe.

If you're looking for farm-to-table chef-inspired comfort food in Central Austin, 24 Diner is the place to go. Diner classics are "turned up about 10 notches," according to the restaurant, with local cage-free eggs, housemade veggie sausage, Premium Gold Angus beef, and fresh-baked breads serving as the foundation for a spectacular menu from executive chef Andrew Curren.

Find more details on 24 Diner here.

Standouts include several types of hash made with house-cut potatoes, fried chicken on a housemade buttermilk biscuit, chicken and waffles, milkshakes in flavors like roasted banana and brown sugar, fresh-ground burgers topped with beer cheese and bacon, deviled eggs, Gulf shrimp and grits, and chicken and dumplings, all available 24 hours a day. Hungry yet? There really should be one of these in every town. 

Chaps Charcoal Restaurant came from humble beginnings, but has grown to serve some of the best barbeque-style sandwiches on the East Coast.

Find more details on Chaps here.

 It opened in 1987 in a 12-by-15 shack with no phones or electricity; fast-forward 25 years and Chaps is still in the same location and thriving (in a slightly larger space). The restaurant was on The City's Paper "Baltimore's Best" roundup from 1991 to 2013, and has been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-in, and Dives and the Cooking Channel's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Its best-known sandwich is without a doubt the Pit Beef sandwich, for which an entire bottom round is grilled whole before it is sliced to order. It's then grilled again to the perfect temperature and placed on a roll with your choice of toppings. The restaurant provides an assortment of creative sandwich options, such as The Bulldog, which comes with pit beef, sausage, and cheese. 

Hugo's opened in 2002 in a restored Latin-inspired building designed by Joseph Finger (also responsible for the Art Deco-style Houston City Hall) and launched into a diverse regional approach to Mexican food.

Find more details on Hugo's here.

Chef Hugo Ortega, a finalist for the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, cooks food that's elegant, inventive, and inspiring. Order the much-heralded lamb barbacoa braised in garlic and chiles then slow-roasted in agave, and, for the name alone, the manchamanteles — described on the menu as the "tablecloth stainer" — a sweet mole-stewed pork and chicken dish.

4 Rivers is the brainchild of Florida barbecue master John Rivers.

Find more details on 4 Rivers here.

Since opening in October 2009, it has become incredibly well-respected, with 11 operating smokehouses across the state and three more in the works. Rivers' backstory is certainly nontraditional: He spent 20 years in the health care industry, but during his travels he decided to learn everything there is to know about barbecue, and after retiring he set about perfecting his own recipes. The smoker at each location is on at full blast throughout the day and night, smoking everything from Angus brisket, St. Louis ribs, pork shoulders, and chicken to wings, jalapeños, and a "brontosaurus" beef rib. The meat alone is enough to leave you happy and satisfied, but don't forget about the sandwiches, like the famed Texas Destroyer: smoked brisket, onion rings, jalapeños, and melted provolone smothered in house barbecue sauce. 

It's one thing to be considered an expert on how to make Neapolitan pizza — and with too many awards to count (eight-time world champion pizza acrobat, first-place world champion pizza maker, first-place Roman pizza world championships of pizza makers) Tony Gemignani is definitely considered that.

Find more details on Tony's here.

 It's another thing to also proudly offer, and be commended for being a master of, any and all pizza styles. But that's what goes on at Tony's Pizza Napoletana. Of course the signature pie is Tony's pizza cup winner in Naples, Italy: dough mixed by hand using San Felice flour then proofed in Napoletana wood boxes, and topped with San Marzano tomatoes, sea salt, mozzarella, fior di latte, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil; just 73 of these champion pizzas are made each day, so get there early if you want one for yourself. But the menu also offers critically-acclaimed versions of pizza in the styles of California, St. Louis, Italy, Sicily, New York, Rome, classic American, and even Detroit. You could accuse Gemignani of just showing off, but then again there's the old expression: "It ain't bragging if it's true."

At this beloved Mission District taquería, more than a dozen meats stay warm on a circular iron comal. When you place your order it gets a quick crisping before heading into a warm tortilla (also heated on the comal), then topped with your choice of grilled or fresh onions, grilled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, and a splash of killer green salsa from a self-serve counter.

Find more details on Taqueria Vallarta here.

Opt for the pineapple-flecked pork al pastor, which is crispy and melt-in-your-mouth. 

Kreuz Market, originally a meat market and a grocery store, was founded by Charles Kreuz (pronounced "krites" in these parts) in 1900.

Find more details on Kreuz Market here.

Like most markets at the time, it pit-barbecued the better cuts of meat and made sausage out of the lesser cuts. Customers bought barbecue, sausage, and garnishes like bread, crackers, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and cheese from the grocery store, eating it straight off butcher paper. The business was passed on to Kreuz's sons, who ran it until 1948. That year, Edgar A. "Smitty" Schmidt bought the place, phased out the groceries, but continued to serve the same barbecue and sausage. Cabbage knives were chained to the tables so that customers could cut their meat (but not take home the cutlery). Schmidt's son, Rick Schmidt, bought the business, and when he and his sister Nina went their separate ways, he moved, along with the Kreuz name, to a cavernous new 560-seat location in 1999. Nina kept the old location and named it Smitty's. Today, Kreuz boasts eight 16-foot pits for barbecuing meat (it cooks for four to six hours, a short period by industry standards) and for grilling approximately 15,000 rings of sausage each week. The original menu has expanded to include baked beans, German potato salad, sauerkraut, and dipped ice cream.

The ovens are fired up at this rustic café and craft bakery every morning at 4 a.m., and the fresh breads, pastries, kolaches, and other baked goods the staff cranks out are quickly becoming the stuff of legend.

Find more details on Kitchen No. 234 here.

Biscuits with chorizo gravy, perfect cinnamon rolls, and chocolate croissants make for a satisfying breakfast; fried chicken pot pie, hand-carved French dip, and chicken salad with fennel, grapes, tarragon, and yogurt are ideal brunch dishes; and when dinner rolls around short rib ragu, cauliflower steak, and romesco-crusted salmon are crave-worthy. Located in one of OKC's most historic buildings, Kitchen is a must-visit. 

According to legend, burgermeister George Motz wanted to include JG Melon's definitive bar burger in the first edition of his book Hamburger America, but nobody at the place would return his calls — maybe because they were too busy actually turning out the darn things.

Find more details on JG Melon here.

The burger is simple and classic: a healthy slab of ground beef (exact formula not revealed) sizzled on the griddle and served draped with American cheese on a toasted bun, with pickles and red onions on the side. It's served in a no-frills old dining room on a checkerboard tablecloth with a side of cottage fries. JG Melon is the kind of place where many burger memories are made. 

Topped by what has to be considered some of America's best signage — a flexing hot dog showing off his muscles to a winking wiener girl — Superdawg has been an institution on Milwaukee Avenue, across from Caldwell Woods, since Maurie Berman opened it in 1948.

Find more details on Superdawg here.

The recently returned G.I. designed the building, devised his own secret recipe, and set up a drive-in at what was then the end of the streetcar line. He planned to sell 32-cent Superdawg sandwiches to "swimming families and cruisin' teens" for a few months during the summer to help put himself through school at Northwestern. In 1950, Berman passed the CPA exam, but he and wife Flaurie decided to continue operating Superdawg and to keep the doors open year-round. The family-owned drive-in still serves superior pure beef dogs, "the loveliest, juiciest creation of pure beef hot dog (no pork, no veal, no cereal, no filler) formally dressed with all the trimmings: golden mustard, tangy piccalilli, kosher dill pickle, chopped Spanish onions, and a memorable hot pepper." 

The frita is a perfect representation of the American influence on Cuban culture, and vice versa.

Find more details on El Mago de Las Fritas here.

It was created in Cuba and brought over to the States after the revolution, and the one served at Little Havana's El Mago de las Fritas is arguably the best. Here's the breakdown: A fresh-ground patty of spiced beef (possibly with some chorizo mixed in) is pressed flat onto the griddle along with some diced onions and a mysterious red sauce, then tucked into a fresh Cuban roll. It's topped with freshly fried potato sticks (not from a can here, as they are at some other places), more diced onion, and a squirt of ketchup. It's mind-blowingly delicious and unlike any other burger you'll ever try. 

City Market is one of Texas' great barbecue joints and a true claim to fame for the city of Luling. You'd be hard-pressed to find better brisket, and the ribs are simply out of this world.

Find more details on City Market here.

It's a comfortable, air-conditioned restaurant (a nice change of pace from some of the state's more rustic establishments), and while the sauce is some of the best you'll ever have, it's completely beside the point on these beautifully smoked ribs.

Back in 2011, Taylor's Automatic Refresher, a popular California hamburger stand, renamed its four locations (Napa, St. Helena, Palo Alto, and San Francisco's Ferry Building) because its owners, brothers Joel and Duncan Gott, didn't own rights to the original name and couldn't persuade its owners to let them trademark it.

Find more details on Gott's here.

It may have been jarring to see the name change and the neon-lit red G, but what didn't change when they adopted the family name Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet was the storied third-of-a-pound grilled Niman Ranch burgers. Cooked medium-well, but served "a little pink inside," topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and secret sauce on a toasted egg bun, Gott's cheeseburger gets pressed lightly in a machine at the end of the line (employees say this steams the bun, but leaves the underside toasted-crunchy). The effect is thick and juicy. An icon.

Bob Gibson worked for the L & N Railroad and hosted barbecues in his backyard on the weekends, and in 1952, he opened Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q on Decatur's Sixth Avenue.

Find more details on Big Bob Gibson here.

Gibson's grandson, Don McLemore, took over in 1972. When the restaurant burned down in 1988, the family rebuilt it next door, salvaging the original neon sign. Today it's helmed by legendary pitmaster Chris Lilly, who invented the rubs used on the meat as well as the sauces, the most famous of which is a zippy mayo-based Alabama-style white sauce that pairs perfectly with his smoked chicken.

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House is a popular Taiwan-based chain of dumpling shops that got its start in 1958.

Find more details on Din Tai Fung here.

Today there are locations all throughout Asia, and seven in the United States: three in Los Angeles (in Arcadia and Glendale), one in Costa Mesa, one in Santa Clara, and two in Seattle (in Bellevue and the University District).

As the name might suggest, Din Tai Fung sells a wide variety of dumplings, with fillings including pork, pork and crab, fish, chicken, vegetable, pork buns, soup dumplings, and shao mai. But there are also a wide variety of appetizers (fried pork chop, pork rice bun, soy noodle salad), soups (braised beef, chicken, wonton, hot and sour), noodles (with minced pork sauce, spicy sauce, pickled mustard seed and shredded pork, plus wontons with sauce), fried noodles (with pork, chicken, or shrimp), fried rice, greens, and desserts, including red bean buns.

If you're looking for authentic dumplings, Din Tai Fung is the place to go. If you need any more prodding, the New York Times named the Taiwan flagship one of the 10 best restaurants in the world in 1993, and its Hong Kong branches have even been awarded Michelin stars. 

When Anthony Mangieri closed the East Village's Una Pizza Napoletana in 2009 "to make a change," move West, and open somewhere he could get "a chance to use his outrigger canoe and mountain bike more often," it was the ultimate insult to New Yorkers. You're taking one of the city's favorite Neapolitan pizzerias and defecting to a temperate climate to serve people who denigrate New York's Mexican food?

Find more details on Una Pizza Napoletana here.

So you can canoe and mountain bike? Traitor! Good for Mangieri, and good for San Franciscans, who with Una Pizza Napoletana inherited one of the country's best Neapolitan pies (if only Wednesday through Saturday, until 5 p.m. when they're "out of dough"). Biting into a thin crust with chewy cornicione, a sauce that's tart and alive, an appropriate ratio of cheese... you could almost imagine yourself at the pantheon to pizza in Naples, Da Michele, where the pizza is poetry and pizza poetry is on the wall. Mangieri harkens to that same ethos on his website — check out the pizza poem "Napoli" — and delivers the edible version to his patrons. There are only five pies, all $25, plus the Apollonia, a special Saturday-only pie made with eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella di bufala, salami, extra-virgin olive oil, basil, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. But when you're this close to godliness, you don't need extras. Keep it simple with the Margherita: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt, and tomato sauce.

With more stuff on the walls and floors than a T.G.I. Fridays (including a 1924 Model-T dump truck), a wonderfully raucous jukebox, and an atmosphere that suggests a funky roadhouse more than an urban Tex-Mex place, Ray's — which opened in 1965 — turns out fine versions of the local standards, along with hot dogs, hamburgers, and fish sandwiches.

Find more details on Ray's here.

It is particularly famous, though, for its puffy tacos, which weren't invented at Ray's, but may have first been named here. They're light, crisp, and flavorful, and the meltingly soft carne guisada (stewed beef) filling is perfectly spiced and not at all greasy.

A banquet hall in the style of Beijing's grand eateries, this paean to Peking duck roasts one killer bird — and certainly the best in the D.C. area.

Find more details on Peking Gourmet Inn here.

Granted, it will run you $40, but it easily feeds three hungry diners so the end cost isn't absurd even by takeout standards. Another standout item is the Szechuan Beef Proper, with crispy shredded meat glazed, glistening, and covered in sesame seeds.

When Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone opened a small restaurant called Torrisi Italian Specialties in 2009, serving sandwiches by day and an inexpensive tasting menu by night, they likely had no idea what a phenomenon it would become.

Find more details on Parm here.

The place blew up immediately, with lines out the door on a nightly basis, and in 2011 they opened a small annex next door called Parm, focused just on sandwiches. And what sandwiches these are. Their humble turkey sandwich has been praised by many as the city's best, meatballs are brilliantly in patty instead of ball form, and the chicken parm sandwich is, hands down, the best in the country. There's nothing too crazy about this sandwich. It's simply made using only the highest-quality, freshest ingredients, all put together with a very deft hand. The sandwich starts with a freshly baked soft round semolina roll from nearby Parisi Bakery. The bottom gets a layer of long-simmered tomato sauce, and a freshly fried chicken cutlet gets placed atop that, then another spoon of sauce. Fresh mozzarella is melted on top, and it's finished off with a few leaves of fresh basil. And that's it. It's served in a waxed paper-lined basket, and tastes just like the chicken parms you've always eaten. Except it's just better.

If you find yourself in Memphis and in the mood for quite possibly the best fried chicken you will ever eat, head on over to Gus's — or even better, visit the original location, a small shack located 40 miles outside of town.

Find more details on Gus' here.

You'd be wise to order a half-chicken so you can try a little bit of everything. Supremely crisp and crunchy on the golden-brown exterior, it remains moist and juicy on the inside. Seriously, time stands still while you're eating this chicken. It's insanely good.

Since 1939, Jim's Steaks has been the standard bearer for real Philly cheesesteaks.

Find more details on Jim's here.

Pat's and Geno's may get more press, but ask native Philadelphians where they go when they want a great cheesesteak and they'll most likely tell you Jim's, which has three locations around town. What sets Jim's apart from the pack? The beef is USDA Choice top round, sliced daily on-premises (and the oil it's seared with contains a little lard); the fresh-baked rolls are from the iconic Amoroso's; and toppings are spot-on. The hoagies, especially the Special Italian (with Genoa salami, capicola, provolone, and ham), are also just about perfect.

This trendy local spot is serving classic Thai street food and washing it all down with some stellar cocktails.

Find more details on Hawker Fare here.

Fried chicken, skewers of coconut milk-basted pork shoulder, and fried soft shell shrimp tossed with tamarind and garlic are a few of the shareable items, and rice bowls come topped with grilled lemongrass chicken, 24-hour braised five-spice pork belly, satay beef short ribs, and coconut milk-simmered tofu and pumpkin. Seven dollar cocktails and $1.50 pineapple-spiced rum Jell-O shots also ensure that any evening spent at Hawker Fare will be a memorable one.

Holding down the corner with longtime rival Pat's, Geno's Steaks was founded in 1966 by Joey Vento, who was a regular fixture there until he passed away in 2011 (His son, Geno, who was named after the restaurant, now runs it).

Find more details on Gino's here.

The walls and even the roof are decorated with memorabilia and framed photos of celebrities who have dined there, and the seating areas are utilitarian at best, but really, it's all about the cheesesteak.

As opposed to Pat's, where thin-sliced ribeye is chopped up on the grill, at Geno's the sliced steak stays whole. Vento was always in favor of provolone, but you get your choice of Cheez Whiz, provolone, or American. You can also order a pepper, mushroom, or pizza steak, or a roast pork sandwich. Save the roast pork for the third or fourth visit, though; a cheesesteak from Geno's, whether it's with onions or without, or with provolone or Whiz, is something that every Philly visitor should experience.

Some would say that this is the only existing place where you can get a proper and authentic coal-oven slice in the universe, given that its founder Pasquale "Patsy" Lancieri supposedly opened Patsy's after working with the godfather of New York City pizza, Gennaro Lombardi.

Find more details on Patsy's here.

True or not, this 1933 East Harlem original can claim pizza heritage most only dream of, and was reportedly one of Sinatra's and DiMaggio's favorite joints. Still, the original location is one of the most underrated and un-hyped pizza classics in the city. It's a curious thing, given the history and quality, though there are some caveats. The pizza at Patsy's is unusually thin, and relatively short compared to many other New York slices — you could easily scarf down six slices while standing at the counter. That's what you'll want to do, by the way; there's something about the pizza at Patsy's where it's miraculous right out of the oven. This move here is to order the plain cheese, eat, and repeat — do not reheat.

A North Jersey legend, White Manna is one of the last remaining diner-style burger joints that arose in the tradition of White Castle.

Find more details on White Manna here.

What's served here is the perfect interpretation of that form, perfected over decades and decades, unchanging. You walk up to the tiny counter, place your order with the grillman, and watch as he smashes a small wad of meat onto the flattop with a handful of thin-sliced onions, keeps careful track of it as it cooks, and sandwiches it into a Martin's bun. Make it a double with cheese, and the burger that will end up on your plate next to some pickle chips won't be pretty. It's astonishingly delicious, however. Order a few — you won't regret it. 

The brisket, sausage, pork ribs, and smoked prime rib at Hill Country pay homage to — where else? — the Texas Hill Country.

Find more details on Hill Country here.

They're peppery, delicately scented with wood smoke, and in need of no sauce. It's a honky tonk-style restaurant with meat carved to order, weighed out, and served on butcher paper with plenty of down-home sides and delicious desserts, now under the direction of pitmaster Charles Grund Jr. since executive chef Elizabeth Karmel left a couple years ago to pursue other opportunities. You'll eat more than a few bites before you even realize that there's no sauce involved — because it's completely unnecessary. With a second location in Washington, D.C., and a third recently opened in Brooklyn, Hill Country's spreading of the Texas barbecue gospel thankfully shows no signs of slowing down.

This Los Angeles Westside institution is famous for its plump burritos (like one with chili con carne and refried beans that people dream about), but for good old American-style tacos — the kind purists scorn — it's hard to beat this place.

Click here for more details on Tito's. 

The beef is long-cooked and shredded, not ground. The shredded Cheddar is tart, and the julienned iceberg is crisp and cool. It's nothing short of hard-shell taco perfection.

Is there anything about Pink's that hasn't been said?

Find more details on Pink's here.

It's hard to imagine. Even detractors define themselves by this famous casual spot. But you won't find many naysayers — just check out the line at this family-owned hot dog stand that has been around since 1939. At our last count, owner Richard Pink said he sold 35 varieties of hot dogs and toppings and moves on average about 2,000 hot dogs a day. Credit much of Pink's success to its chili, which once led then-New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl to go dumpster-diving to figure out the recipe (true story). And while he wouldn't divulge its ingredients, Pink did note in an interview with The Daily Meal that "It needs to be relatively smooth, but still have enough texture to make it stand up to hot dogs and hamburgers."

With 10 no-frills locations in New York, including outposts in Flushing, Chinatown, Greenpoint, and the East Village, Xi'an is one of the only places in the country to get your fix of the traditional foods of the western Chinese city of the same name.

Find more details on Xi'an here.

You'll be glad you did: Go for any of the hand-pulled noodle dishes, like the spicy cumin lamb, or try the $2 lamb "burgers," which are more like chopped spiced meat buns. The flavors you'll try will be unlike any you've ever had, and we suggest you heed their warning and don't take your order to go; those fresh noodles demand to be eaten immediately, before they begin to stick together. A larger, sit-down outpost called Biang! recently moved from Queens to the East Village, introducing a new generation to this exciting regional cuisine.

Unpretentious, classic Southern dishes are key at downtown Charleston's Hominy Grill, where chef–owner Robert Stehling serves up stone-ground grits, house-made sausages, and fried green tomatoes in what was once a barbershop.

Find more details on Hominy Grill here.

The classic 1950s diner signage, extra-comfortable wooden chairs, and seasonal desserts like persimmon pudding embody everything comfort food stands for. The restaurant's signature smoked pork and chicken are roasted over a brick pit. The chicken is served with vinegar-based white sauce and the pork has a vinegar-based tomato sauce — though some diners insist on using the white sauce on the pork and ribs. Sides include a barbecue-stuffed baked potato. Save room for a slice of coconut cream Heaven High meringue pie, chocolate Heaven High meringue pie, or the lemon icebox pie.

Gray's Papaya (not to be confused with Papaya King) is down to only one location, on the Upper West Side, after the one on Eighth Street in the West Village unceremoniously closed and was replaced with a chain juice bar last year — but it remains an iconic New York institution, and a great place to get a near-perfect hot dog.

Find more details on Gray's Papaya here.

These colorful purveyors of old-school New York character grill their natural-casing Sabrett dogs on a flat top, nestle them inside a lightly toasted bun, and top them with mustard, sauerkraut, or the classic "onions in sauce," also made by Sabrett. Lean up against the ledge, wash down a couple with some papaya drink, and be on your merry way, full, content, and out only a few bucks. 

Ivan Orkin is one of those rare chefs who found his calling in the cuisine of a far-off land; in this case, Japan.

Find more details on Ivan Ramen here.

He took the Tokyo noodle scene by storm and then returned back to his hometown to spread the gospel, and spread it he did. At his narrow Lower East Side shop, you can get the full Tokyo ramen experience; opt for the Tokyo Shio ramen with pork chashu, egg, and roast tomato if you want to go authentic, or if you're looking for something spicier, go for the red chile ramen with dashi, chicken broth, minced pork, smashed egg, and rye noodles. 

Chef Danny Bowien's San Francisco landmark is still going strong, and very well just might be the most famous Chinese restaurant in America today, commanding hours-long waits that are only somewhat assuaged by kegs of free beer for those who decide to stick around.

Find more details on Mission Chinese here.

Thankfully, you can order takeout, so it's possible to enjoy quirky, non-traditional dishes like kung pao pastrami, barbecued pig ear terrine, and an upmarket twist on beef with broccoli that incorporates tender brisket and smoked oyster sauce without being crushed by hipsters. The New York location, reinvented after a lengthy closure and move, has become an institution in its own right as well. 

Since opening on St. Marks Place in 2001,Crif Dogs has been the standard-bearer for unique and exciting hot dogs in New York, and it now has a second location in Brooklyn.

Find more details on Crif Dogs here.

No offering sums up its "kitchen sink" approach to the hot dog better than the Good Morning, which transforms a hot dog into one of the great breakfast sandwiches: It starts with a bacon-wrapped, deep-fried hot dog (Crif's claim to fame), and adds a slice of melty American cheese and a fried egg. Other insane creations include the Garden State (wrapped in Taylor ham and sopped with chopped pepperoncini, American cheese, and mustard) and the Tsunami (bacon-wrapped and topped with teriyaki, pineapple, and green onions).

But if you're looking for quite possibly the most elevated hot dog experience in the country, step into the phone booth at the East Village location, pick up the phone, and wait for the secret door to open. You'll step into an intimate cocktail lounge called PDT (or Please Don't Tell, one of the city's best), with a menu of hot dogs created by some of the city's leading chefs, including David Chang (bacon-wrapped and deep-fried, topped with Momofuku kimchi) and Wylie Dufresne (deep-fried and topped with battered and deep-fried mayo, tomato molasses, shredded lettuce, and dried onions). 

Domenico DeMarco is a local celebrity, having owned and operated Di Fara since 1964.

Find more details on Di Fara here.

Dom cooks both New York- and Sicilian-style pizza until 8 p.m. daily (Monday service was recently reinstated after an eight year absence, but occasionally with one of Dom's sons at the helm) for hungry New Yorkers and tourists willing to brave the free-for-all that is the Di Fara counter experience. Yes, you're better off getting a whole pie than shelling out for the $5 slice. Yes, it's a trek, and sure, Dom goes through periods where the underside of the pizza can trend toward overdone, but when he's on, Di Fara is a strong contender for the title of America's best pizzeria. If you want to understand why before visiting, watch the great video about Di Fara called "The Best Thing I Ever Done." You can't go wrong with the classic round or square cheese pie (topped with oil-marinated hot peppers, which you can ladle on at the counter if you elbow in), but the menu's signature is the Di Fara Classic Pie: mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, plum tomato sauce, basil, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onion, and, of course, a drizzle of olive oil by Dom.

This is probably the most famous barbecue restaurant in America — thanks largely to the efforts of Kansas City-born writer Calvin Trillin, who in 1974 wrote in Playboy that it was "possibly the single best restaurant in the world."

Find more details on Arthur Bryant's here.

Arthur Bryant's grew out of a place owned by Henry Perry, the so-called "father of Kansas City barbecue." When Perry died in 1940, Charlie Bryant, one of his employees, took it over, and after his death, his brother Arthur assumed ownership. Baseball players and fans alike, along with U.S. presidents, movie stars, and other notables, have flocked to it ever since for its hickory- and oak wood-smoked ribs slathered in a tangy vinegar sauce. Arthur Bryant passed away at 80 years old in 1982, in the middle of working a shift, but the restaurant continues to thrive.

Understanding the intricate history behind one of Brooklyn's most storied pizzerias isn't required for you to enjoy a slice of its famous pizza, but here goes. Gennaro Lombardi opened what's generally regarded as America's first pizzeria. He supposedly trained Pasquale (Patsy) Lancieri, who opened the first Patsy's in East Harlem. 

Find more details on Grimaldi's here.

Lancieri's nephew Patsy Grimaldi opened his own place, also called Patsy's, in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood in 1990, but was forced to change its name to Grimaldi's after his uncle died and his aunt sold the Patsy's name to a corporation. Three years later, Patsy sold the Grimaldi's at 19 Old Fulton Street to Frank Ciolli, whose two children expanded the Grimaldi's brand to nearly 40 restaurants in the tri-state area and Midwest. But Ciolli lost the lease to the original space and had to move into a larger former bank building right next door on 1 Front Street. That's when Patsy came out of retirement and swooped into the original Grimaldi's space to open Juliana's. Here's what it comes down to: Patsy Grimaldi, whose pizza lineage goes back to family members who were trained by Gennaro Lombardi, is making pies at a restaurant called Juliana's in the original Grimaldi's space, and Grimaldi's is right next door. With all that said, you're just about at the front of the line to get inside (remember: no credit cards, no reservations, no slices, and no delivery!). Sit down and order something simple: a Margherita pie made in a coal-fired oven that heats up to 1,200 degrees F and requires about 100 pounds of coal a day. It's crispy, smoky, tangy, cheesy, and delicious. 

An Atlanta landmark, the Busy Bee Café has been serving traditional soul food to hungry locals since first opening in 1947.

Find more details on Busy Bee Cafe here.

The cozy restaurant features a long lunch counter and a handful of tables, and the food is homestyle, delicious, and inexpensive. You'd be hard-pressed to find better fried or smothered chicken, pork chops, fried fish, smoked ham hocks, oxtails, slow-smoked ribs, or baked macaroni and cheese anywhere else in town, and the desserts, including scratch-made cakes and Georgia peach and blackberry cobblers, are the stuff of legend.

Say Roberta's is in the new class of restaurants that has fanned the flames of the Brooklyn vs. Manhattan debate, call it a great pizza joint, recall it as a frontrunner of the city's rooftop garden movement, and mention that Carlo Mirarchi was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine, and you'd still be selling it short.

Find more details on Roberta's here.

Roberta's is in Bushwick, six stops out of Manhattan on the L train, and it's one of the city's best restaurants (it even serves one of New York's hardest-to-score tasting menus). In Bushwick! Pizza may not be the only thing at Roberta's, but its Neapolitan pies are at the high end of the debate about the city's best. As much as the Cheesus Christ (mozzarella, taleggio, Parmigiano-Reggiano, black pepper, and cream) may tempt, the Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil) is Roberta's pizza Lothario.

If you want to discuss the loaded topic of America's best pizza with any authority, you have to make a pilgrimage to this legendary New Haven pizzeria — whose "clam pie" has taken first place in The Daily Meal's ranking of The 101 Best Pizzas in America for three years in a row. 

Find more details on Frank Pepe here.

Frank Pepe opened his doors in New Haven, Connecticut's Wooster Square in 1925, offering classic Neapolitan-style pizza. After immigrating to the United States in 1909 at the age of 16 from Italy, Pepe took odd jobs before opening his restaurant. Since its inception, Pepe's has opened an additional seven locations. What should you order at this checklist destination? Two words: clam pie ("No muzz!"). This is a Northeastern pizza genre unto its own, and Pepe's is the best of them all — freshly shucked, briny littleneck clams; an intense dose of garlic; olive oil; oregano; and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano atop a charcoal-colored crust. The advanced move? Clam pie with bacon. Just expect to wait in line if you get there after 11:30 a.m. on a weekend.

By 10 a.m. on a Friday there will be more than 90 people in line at this modest establishment, which traces its roots back to 2009 and a turquoise trailer.

Find more details on Franklin BBQ here.

The 90 people who show in the next half-hour wait in vain; a waitress will tell them that there's just no barbecue left. So it goes at Franklin, where Aaron Franklin serves some of the best of Texas's greatest culinary claim to fame. The brisket, with its peppery exterior, falls apart as you pick it up. The turkey is what presidentially pardoned birds aspire to be. The sausage snaps loudly when you slice it, juice splashing out and up... You've heard the buzz. You've seen Franklin on TV. You're heard his acolytes' brisket gospel. It's not hype. It really is that good.