The One Restaurant You Need To Visit In Every State

Food is the best lens through which we can get acquainted with a region's history and culture, and in the United States, the cuisine of each state can tell you a lot about the state's people and customs. Each of the 50 states, as well as the nation's capital, has its own unique food scene, a tableau of flavors of various cultures and ethnicities as well as endemic ingredients and produce. And while each of these states has plenty of amazing eateries to explore, there's always that single one that encapsulates its food culture best.

In order to determine which restaurant was the quintessential dining experience of each state, we started by combing through our own previous rankings of top restaurants both casual and upscale as well as iconic restaurant dishes. We then took a deep dive into existing rankings and review sites, both national and local, to get an idea of which restaurants are the most renowned and well-loved according to locals as well as tourists. Above all, we looked for restaurants that are emblematic of their state's history, culinary traditions and preferred cuisine. For each state, we did our best to find a restaurant that isn't just great, but also a true representation of how the locals dine out.

Club Paris claims to be Anchorage's oldest steakhouse, serving juicy steaks and seafood since the late 1950s in what used to be a funeral parlor. Known for its 4-inch-thick, 14-ounce filet mignon, Club Paris cuts and ages its steaks on site while also offering fresh seafood like Alaska King crab legs and halibut filets.

McClard's Bar-B-Q has its roots in a motel run by Alex and Alice McClard, who, in 1928, were paid for their accommodations with what a traveler claimed was a recipe for "the world's best barbecue sauce." Already serving barbecued goat in their diner, the couple added the sauce to their meat and have been known for their ribs and fry plates since. Another popular menu item came onto the scene in the early 1970s when someone covered a tamale in Fritos, beef, beans, cheese and onions to make a tamale spread. Owned and operated by the McClard family to this day, McClard's Bar-B-Q claims to serve up to 7,000 pounds of hickory-smoked beef, pork and ribs every week, as well as 3,000 hand-rolled hot tamales, 3,000 pounds of fresh-cut french fries, 250 gallons of spicy barbecue beans and 250 gallons of coleslaw.

Denver's oldest restaurant, and home to the state's first liquor license, The Buckhorn Exchange opened its doors in 1893 and remains one of the best steakhouses in the country. Aside from the steaks, Buckhorn also offers buffalo, elk, ostrich, game hen, yak, quail and alligator in addition to their baby back pork ribs and house-specialty Rocky Mountain Oysters. If all that red meat isn't enough to give you a taste of the Old West, the historic restaurant is also decorated with 575 pieces of taxidermy, 125 guns and an antique bar that dates back to about 1857.

Established in 1851 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Deer Park Tavern is built on the site of an inn that is believed to have accommodated the likes of George Washington and Edgar Allen Poe. The historic tavern's logo is based on Poe's famous poem "The Raven" and rumor has it that Deer Park's basement was part of the Underground Railroad network that ran during the Civil War. Located near the University of Delaware, Deer Park is a popular spot for locals and college students who come to enjoy a pint along with some burgers, wings, nachos and sandwiches.

Enjoy the best of Southern cuisine and culture at H&H Soul Food, an iconic Georgia landmark in the charming town of Macon. Founded in 1959 by Inez Hill and Louise Hudson, the restaurant was made famous during the 1970s when it was frequented by members of the Allman Brothers Band and gained even more fame in 2007, when it was featured on an episode of "Oprah's Favorite Things." Classic soul food on the menu includes fried chicken, smoked turkey, barbecue brisket and more, with a rotating menu of vegetables that includes collards, squash, lima beans, black-eyed peas and okra.

Serving the beautiful lakefront town of Coeur d'Alene since 1907, the Hudson family is known for selling fresh burgers without any fries whatsoever. All you need are pickles, onions and their secret recipe hot sauces, as well as cheese, if you like. Also on the menu at Hudson's Hamburgers are ham and egg sandwiches and delicious slices of homemade pie.

Known for its legendary shrimp cocktail, St. Elmo Steak House has been open since 1902, earning a name for its delicious steak and seafood in the decades since. It's also known to be the most expensive restaurant in the state, but the price tag is worth it. The menu is filled with deliciously juicy steak cuts, grilled racks of lamb, fresh fish, crab-stuffed shrimp, loaded baked potatoes, house-made onion rings, and desserts like a double chocolate mousse pie or the St. Elmo creme brulee.

Formerly known as Oklahoma Joe's, Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que was named one of the "13 Places to Eat Before You Die" by the late Anthony Bourdain, who declared it "the best BBQ in Kansas City, which makes it the best BBQ in the world." Located in what used to be a gas station, Joe's is especially well known for its pulled pork, which you can enjoy in the form of the best sandwich in the state.

With such a long and fascinating history and love for the culinary arts, New Orleans is home to plenty of iconic spots for Cajun and Creole cuisine. Commander's Palace, however, stands out with its instantly recognizable turquoise facade and striped awning that's been a landmark of the charming, tree-lined Garden District of New Orleans since 1893. Over the decades, Commander's Palace has earned a name for its haute Creole fare, which includes its legendary turtle soup, andouille-spiced gulf shrimp and creole gumbo. It also has one of the best brunches in America — a jazz brunch featuring buttermilk biscuits with smoked oysters and housemade andouille gravy, 16-hour barbecued cochon de lait with eggs benedict and all sorts of creative Southern cocktails.

A crab cake from Faidley Seafood is the absolute best thing to eat in Maryland, where crab cakes are an essential part of local cuisine. Since 1886, Faidley Seafood has been a staple of Baltimore's Lexington Market, and it now even offers next-day air shipping. The jumbo lump Maryland blue crab meat is mixed with broken saltines, Old Bay seasoning and a secret mayonnaise-based sauce before being flash-fried to create some of the best crab cakes you'll ever taste.

The best place to try the Detroit-style hot dog, also known as the coney dog, is at Lafayette Coney Island. A grilled beef hot dog topped with chili, chopped onions and mustard, the coney dog at Lafayette Coney Island is one of the best hot dogs in the country.

The French-inspired Southern cuisine from James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence has turned City Grocery into the leading fine-dining destination in Mississippi. Enjoy comfort food classics like shrimp and grits and a roast beef po'boy or try the bourbon-braised short ribs or adobo-stewed chicken for a decadent meal. And don't forget to head upstairs for a more casual vibe at The Upstairs Bar, one of the best bars in the country.

The Burger Dive owner and head chef Brad Halsten was crowned the "Burger Champion" at the 2016 World Food Championships, and you can try three of the burgers that helped him win that title at his restaurant in downtown Billings. The Best of the Bash Burger — a blackened one-third pound Angus patty with goat cheese, bacon, fresh-cut onion ring, arugula, sriracha and garlic basil mayo on a locally baked bun — is one of the best burgers in the country, and definitely worth the visit.

If you eat one thing while in Nevada, let it be Peppermill's nachos, a wonderful mess of tortilla chips, refried beans, jalapeños, onions, tomatoes, olives, various cheeses and chicken or ground beef. Open 24 hours on the Las Vegas Strip, the neon-lit Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge is a fun and flashy place that's still decidedly low-key, and has been featured in countless films, television shows and music videos. Have a top-notch steak, burger or rack of ribs, or go for a hearty breakfast like the Joe's San Francisco Special — scrambled eggs with ground sausage and beef, spinach and onions, topped with cheese sauce and served over hash browns.

No one does diners better than New Jersey, and the best diner in the country is East Newark's Tops Diner, open since 1942 and serving more than 15,000 people every week. Particularly well known for its take on a Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich — an iconic American breakfast — Tops Diner also serves perfect meatloaf, lobster mac and cheese, red velvet pancakes and cheesecake made fresh from scratch.

An icon of New York City, Katz's Delicatessen is America's best Jewish deli, gaining even more fame after being featured in one of the most memorable scenes of the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally." Katz's Deli has been a favorite of both tourists and locals since it opened its doors in 1888, and its corned-beef-and-pastrami-on-rye sandwiches are especially legendary. Every week, Katz's reportedly serves 15,000 pounds of pastrami, 8,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of salami and 4,000 hot dogs.

Beloved by University of North Dakota students, Red Pepper has been a mainstay of the Grand Forks food scene since the 1960s. The most popular menu items are the tacos and grinders, and nothing beats the Everything Grinder (white sauce, lettuce, hot sauce, Swiss cheese and ham, salami, turkey and/or taco meat on a roll), North Dakota's best sandwich.

Oklahoma City's oldest continually operating restaurant, Cattlemen's Steakhouse is one of the best inexpensive American steakhouses and has hosted many big names, such as John Wayne, Ronald Reagan (pre-presidency), Reba McEntire and President George H. W. Bush. Cattlemen's locally sourced steaks are charcoal-broiled and served with natural jus for lunch, dinner and even breakfast.

The buffet at Shady Maple Smorgasbord is open for breakfast as well as lunch, but it's at dinner time that you really get your money's worth with the best all-you-can-eat deal in the state. Take your pick of 46 salad-bar items, eight homemade breads and rolls, eight meats, 14 vegetables, three soups, four cheeses, three hot desserts, 10 cold desserts, six cakes, eight pies, a sundae bar and all kinds of beverages. Line it all up and you've got about 200 feet of authentic Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, feeding almost 1.5 million people every year.

Husk, which was the restaurant that put now-legendary Southern chef and restaurateur Sean Brock on the map, utilizes local ingredients and modern approaches to give classic Southern cuisine a fresh and upscale twist. Its lunch-only fried chicken and cheeseburgers are among the nation's best, and its daily-changing dinner menu also may include items such as smoked sausage and cornmeal fritters with Kentucky bacon and housemade peach jelly; crispy catfish with Carolina Gold rice and peanuts and green curry broth; and Heritage pork with sweet potato fingerlings, apples, spiced pecans and sorghum.

There's a lot of love (and top-notch homestyle Southern cooking) at Loveless Café, known for its iconic biscuits and gravy and amazing fried chicken served since 1951, when Lon and Annie Loveless first opened the doors of this great old-school restaurant. Its country ham and red-eye gravy are also well-loved, and breakfast is available all day, every day.

Located inside a trolley car from the early 1900s, Ruth's Diner has been serving classic Southwest-style comfort food since 1930. Most notable are Ruth's giant, fluffy biscuits, as well as the huevos rancheros, chicken fried steak, chili verde, pulled pork Benedict and deep-fried mac and cheese. Relax on the patio and take in a lovely view of the nearby creek while finishing off your meal with an old-fashioned chocolate malt pudding, root beer float or peach and blueberry cobbler.

Rappahannock Oyster Company dubs Merroir its very own "tasting room," where their gourmet oysters, farmed on the banks of the Rappahannock River, can be sampled raw or grilled, and served alongside small plates (try the Angels on Horseback, baked oysters with Edwards ham and herb butter). As the seasons change, so does the menu, but the high quality of these Chesapeake Bay mollusks remains the same.

Washington D.C.'s oldest saloon opened in 1856 and has served most U.S. presidents, starting with Ulysses S. Grant. The legendary watering hole, which has moved multiple times (it's been in its current location since 1983), sits less than a block from the White House, and it's one of the best bars in the country, with bartenders that can make nearly any cocktail in addition to a dozen seasonal offerings. Come to Old Ebbitt Grill for Oyster Happy Hour, go for a cheese sampler or salad if you're simply feeling peckish, or dive right into a plate of Maryland day boat scallops or a cornmeal-crusted Chesapeake Bay catfish sandwich.

Franks Diner is a fantastic hole-in-the-wall restaurant that's particularly well known for its Garbage Plate: a large omelet cooked with hash browns, onions, green peppers, meat and cheese. The lunch-car-style diner seats just 55 people, and also serves meatloaf, shepherd's pie, gigantic burgers, buttermilk pancakes and drinks like bloody marys and screwdriver cocktails.