The 45 Best Restaurants In America
Le Bernardin & Mike Nudelman
To stand out in an increasingly bloated market, restaurants need to wow diners with incredible meals, outstanding service, and great ambiance — especially if they're charging upwards of $100 a person for the experience.
With dozens of best-restaurant lists and user-generated reviews crowding the internet, the definitive winner can get lost in the shuffle. We looked at five notable restaurant rankings compiled by food critics, diners, and experts, and combined these rankings to come up with the ultimate list of the Best Restaurants in America.
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The rankings we used were The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America; OpenTable's 2013 Diners' Choice Top 100 Best Restaurants in America; The World's 100 Best Restaurants; the James Beard Foundation's 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists; and Zagat's 20 Top-Rated Restaurants Across America.
We gave each restaurant a numerical rating based on how many lists the restaurant appeared on and how high it appeared on lists that were ranked. Restaurants that appeared on multiple lists ranked higher on our list, while restaurants that ranked on only one of these lists ended up closer to the bottom. You can read our complete methodology and see numerical scores here.
45. Zuni Café
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Location: San Francisco, California
Chef: Judy Rodgers
Co-owner and chef Judy Rodgers has been at the helm of Zuni's kitchen since 1987, making this Bay-area restaurant a standout on multiple "best" lists, including spot No. 23 on The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants.
Zuni's menu draws on classic Venetian comfort food with a modern twist, using local and organic ingredients wherever possible.
44. Cochon
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Chef: Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski
The brainchild of chef Donald Link and chef-owner Stephen Stryjewski, Cochonmakes traditional Cajun comfort food cutting-edge.
Cochon appeared on last year's list at No. 33 and makes a return at No. 44. This Big Easy restaurant ranked 22nd on The Daily Meal's list.
43. The Publican
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Chef: Paul Kahan
A newcomer to our list, The Publican is "an homage to beer, pork, and oysters." Executive chef Paul Kahan and chef de cuisine Brian Huston serve their farmhouse fare, which takes on both French and Belgian influences, to eager meat-loving guests along communal beer-hall-style tables.
Publican ranked No. 21 on The Daily Meal's list but didn't rank anywhere else.
42. The Bazaar
Location: Los Angeles, California
Chef: José Andrés
Chef Andrés is known for his artistic renditions of classic Spanish dishes, and he whimsically presents them at his restaurantBazaar.
The Bazaar slipped a few spots from last year's list, from 39 to 42, but it made No. 19 on The Daily Meal's list.
41. State Bird Provisions
Location: San Francisco, California
Chef: Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski
Opened just two years ago, State Bird Provisions flew into the hearts of the folks behind The Daily Meal's list, perching at No. 18.
Chef proprietors Brioza and Krasinski named the restaurant to hint at California's state bird, the valley quail, a featured item on their menu.
40. The Restaurant at Meadowood
Location: St. Helena, California
Chef: Christopher Kostow
What's unique about The Restaurant at Meadowood is the way chef Kostow tailors the menu to his guests' tastes and preferences within his restaurant's American modern theme. For those looking for an exceptional overview of his culinary talent, a 10-course tasting menu is available for $225 a person.
Another newcomer to our ranking, The Restaurant at Meadowood took the 91st spot on The Daily Meal's list and No. 80 on The World's Best list.
38 (tie). NAOE
Location: Miami, Florida
Chef: Kevin Cory
NAOE offers some of the best sushi in the country. Trained in the art of Japanese cuisine by chef Nobuo Kase, owner and executive chef Kevin Cory serves elegant seafood-centric dishes and house-made sake, which comes from his family’s sake brewery in Ishikawa.
NAOE earned a spot on OpenTable's list of America's Top 100 Restaurants, in addition to Zagat's list of the top 20.
38 (tie). The Painted Lady
Location: Portland, Oregon
Chef: Allen Routt
Chef Routt stays true to Portland's love of local with his take on dishes that, inspired by the Pacific Northwest, flaunt the upscale presentation true to his classical training. His prix fixe meals range from $70 to $90.
The Painted Lady makes appearances on Zagat's and OpenTable's lists this year, and makes its debut on ours.
37. Galatoire's
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Chef: Michael Sichel
Another Business Insider list newbie,Galatoire's emphasizes French culture and tradition from its French Quarter kitchen. Chef Sichel brings some New Orleans Cajun to the table as well with signature dishes like the seafood-okra gumbo and the chicken creole.
Galatoire's took a respectable 15th place on The Daily Meal's list.
36. Le Pigeon
Location: Portland, Oregon
Chef: Gabriel Rucker
You can't go to Le Pigeon and not order its namesake dish, which is served with blood sausage, cipollini, asparagus, and egg yolk.Or try some other dishes from their $75-to-$95 prix fixe menus.
James Beard Award-winning Chef Rucker just put out his first cookbook in September, which details the recipes that cooked up his fame. Le Pigeon appeared at No. 14 on The Daily Meal's list.
35. Blackbird
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Chef: Paul Kahan
Blackbird has been pushing the boundaries of farm-to-table cooking since it opened in 1997, and it's still going strong, thanks to the creative concoctions of chef Paul Kahan and chef de cuisine David Posey, who won the 2013 James Beard Rising Star award.
The restaurant took No. 13 on The Daily Meal's list.
34. Husk
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Chef: Sean Brock
Husk has two locations — the other's in Nashville — but the Charleston branch made our list because it ranked fairly high on The Daily Meal list, at No. 12. This is the first year that Husk has made our list.
Executive chef Brock plates his "evolving vision of a new Southern cuisine" from starters like the skillet cornbread to mains such as Caroline catfish with ember-roasted fennel.
33. Commander's Palace
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Chef: Tory McPhail
Commander's Palace jumped up seven spots on our list this year, and took 11th on The Daily Meal.
Since 1880, Commander's Palace has served the Big Easy with what chef McPhail calls haute Creole cuisine inspired by ultra-local ingredients and the history of the city.
32. o ya
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Chef: Tim Cushman
The only Boston restaurant on our list, o ya has won multiple accolades for itsmodern Japanese menu and is the pride and joy of Beantown native chef Cushman.
The restaurant appeared on OpenTable's list of the Top 100 Restaurants and landed at No. 36 on The Daily Meal's.
31. Rasika
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Location: Washington, D.C.
Chef: Vikram Sunderam
Rasika is a seasoned veteran to best-restaurant ratings: It was No. 96 on The Daily Meal's list and ranked on Zagat's and OpenTable's lists, but it's new to Business Insider's ranking.
Chef Sunderam, named Best Chef Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation, brings delicate Indian flavors front and center, especially on the pre-theater and tasting menus, which come in four- and six-course options and can be made vegetarian on request.
30. Animal
Location: Los Angeles, California
Chef: Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo
Animal tends to focus on — what else? — meat. All parts of the pig feature prominently on the chefs' carnivorous menu, which takes influences from around the globe.
The restaurant jumped from No. 43 last year to No. 30 this year, thanks to its high ranking (No. 8) on The Daily Meal's list.
29. Gotham Bar & Grill
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Alfred Portale
Chef Portale's Gotham Bar & Grill may have dropped 10 places since last year's list, but it ranked high on The Daily Meal's list and made an appearance on OpenTable's ranking.
A New York fixture, Gotham, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, makes guests feel as if they're dining in Paris, even when eating from the local Greenmarket prix fixe lunch menu.
28. Chez Panisse
Location: Berkeley, California
Chef: Alice Waters
Chez Panisse also took a dip on BI's ranking (from No. 9 to No. 28) but this neighborhood bistro, which essentially gave birth to the slow food movement, ranked in the top five on The Daily Meal's list.
Executive chef Waters, known for her passion for a "good, clean, and fair" food economy, offers a special three-course Monday-night menu that changes weekly.
27. Del Posto
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Mark Ladner
The Daily Meal and OpenTable both included Del Posto on their best-restaurant lists.
Chef Ladner's menu is classically Italian, which makes sense given that it's the love child of restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joe and Lydia Bastianich. Intricate flavors of truffle and bee pollen help to balance the hearty courses, which you can sample for between $126 and $179 on the prix fixe menus.
26. Bacchanalia
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Chef: Anne Quatrano
Bacchanalia costarred on Zagat's, OpenTable's, and The Daily Meal's lists, and makes its debut on Business Insider's.
Owner and executive chef Quatrano crafts a romantic American dining experience, often with ingredients grown on Quatrano's farm.
24 (tie). Highlands Bar & Grill
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Chef: Frank and Pardis Stitt
Husband-and-wife team Frank and Pardis Stitt's French-inspired Southern restaurant is a James Beard Outstanding Restaurants semifinalist. Highlands Bar & Grill also made OpenTable's list.
The menu changes daily based on what's in season.
24 (tie). Saison
Location: San Francisco, California
Chef: Joshua Skenes
Tied with Highlands at No. 24, Saisonpopped up on The World's Best list as well as OpenTable's. The restaurant, whose name is French for "season," is a nod to Chef Skenes' commitment to calendar-specific produce.
Saison has a different multicourse menu nightly; the price changes depending on the ingredients used.
23. Girl & The Goat
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Chef: Stephanie Izard
Girl & The Goat jumped up 11 spots on our list this year.
The menu is divided into three categories: vegetable, fish, and meat. Best to wash it down with Girl & The Goat's very own blended wine.
22. Gramercy Tavern
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Michael Anthony
Since it opened in 1994, Gramercy Tavern has continued to rank high on New York City restaurant lists. This year it made The Daily Meal and OpenTable lists.
The restaurant can be enjoyed through two distinct dining experiences: à la carte in the tavern or fixed price in the dining room, which is either $102 (vegetarian) or $120 (non-veg).
21. Gary Danko
Location: San Francisco, California
Chef: Gary Danko
Gary Danko debuts on Business Insider's and The Daily Meal's lists this year, after receiving accolades from the likes of Michelin and Esquire since opening in San Francisco's Wharf area in 1995.
Chef Danko combines classical training with focuses on French, Mediterranean, and regional American cooking.
20. Uchi
Location: Austin, Texas
Chef: Tyson Cole
Uchi landed the No. 49 spot on The Daily Meal's list, thanks to its creative use of global ingredients in its traditional Japanese dishes. Chef Cole is a passionate student of Japanese cuisine and tradition, and learned the language to better understand the cuisine.
19. Momofuku Ko
AP Images
Location: New York, New York
Chef: David Chang
The smallest outlet of the Momofuku empire, Momofuku Ko seats guests along a kitchen counter where they're served a tasting menu devised by the chef and his aides-de-camp.
18. WD~50
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Wylie Dufresne
Located in a former bodega, WD~50 is known for its creative molecular gastronomy techniques, and has earned recognition from both The Daily Meal and the James Beard Foundation.
The prix fixe menu goes for $155 a person.
17. Marea
16. Canlis
Location: Seattle, Washington
Chef: Jason Franey
Canlis has been around for 60 years and still earns spots on major restaurant rankings.
Three generations of the Canlis family have operated the restaurant, which they describe as "the swankiest, dressiest restaurant in Seattle." Their impressive prix fixe menus range from $85 to $125.
15. Coi
Location: San Francisco, California
Chef: Daniel Patterson
Coi's North Beach location offers stunning views and access to fresh ingredients from nearby forests, gardens, and farms. Both contribute to the culinary vision of chef Patterson, who was recently named Best Chef: West by The James Beard Foundation.
Ranked No. 49 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Coi serves contemporary Northern California cuisine.
14. NoMad
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Daniel Humm
NoMad debuts on our list and scores recognition from The Daily Meal and The World's 100 Best Restaurants.
Inspired by chef Humm's time spent in Switzerland, California, and New York City, the restaurant is rooted in the same traditions found at his critically acclaimed Eleven Madison Park.
13. Joël Robuchon
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Chef: Joël Robuchon
Chef Robuchon's only restaurant in the U.S. features, for $120 to $240, a prix fixe menu of his finer specialties — including a truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage, and farm chicken and foie gras.
Winner of Michelin's Three Star, Forbes Five-Star, and AAA Five Diamond, Joël Robuchon defines Las Vegas fine dining.
12. Fore Street
Location: Portland, Maine
Chef: Sam Hayward
Located one block from the waterfront in Portland's Old Port District, this popular New England destination climbs 14 spots on our list.
Chef Hayward believes that good food travels the shortest possible distance between farm and table, so Fore Street's menu is founded on the best raw materials from a community of Maine farmers, fishermen, foragers, and cheesemakers.
11. Manresa
Location: Los Gatos, California
Chef: David Kinch
The Daily Meal and The World's Best both recognized the "seasonal and spontaneous" tasting menu at Manresa that consistently delivers.
The menu changes frequently to highlight the best ingredients from Love Apple Farms, a biodynamic farm in nearby Santa Cruz. By sourcing its produce using sustainable methods, the Manresa team aims to create a closed circle between guests, the farm, and chef Kinch's haute cuisine.
10. Bern's Steak House
Courtesy of Bern's Steak House
Location: Tampa, Florida
Chef: Habteab Hamde
At Bern's Steak House, chef Hamde has elevated steak dinner to an art. Perfectly aged steaks combine with one of the largest wine collections in the world and an internationally famous dessert room to create a memorable gastronomic adventure.
You can experience it, too, for roughly $75.
Bern's scored No. 4 on our list last year, but holds onto a top 10 spot thanks to its nomination by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Restaurant.
9. Jean-Georges
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Located in The Trump Hotel on Central Park West, the jewel of chef Vongerichten’s restaurant empire blends French, American, and Asian influences to craft a seasonal, ever-changing menu. It's consistently awarded four stars by The Times and three Michelin stars.
Jean-Georges offers a three-course prix-fixe menu ($118) and two six-course tasting menus ($198): a traditional tasting of the chef's signature dishes and a seasonal tasting featuring fresh market ingredients.
8. Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Location: New York, New York
Chef: David Chang
A conversation about New York's culinary scene is incomplete without name-dropping the city's most unlikely superstar, David Chang. The restaurateur-rebel opened a cafeteria-style burrito bar in the East Village in 2006, which claims the No. 9 spot on The Daily Meal's list of 101 Best Restaurants.
Momofuku Ssäm Bar specializes in ssäm, a Korean word that means "anything wrapped." Country hams, raw bar items, and off-cuts are staples at the dinner table.
Expect to spend about $50 for dinner.
7. Alinea
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Chef: Grant Achatz
When Michelin released its 2014 starred selections, Alinea remained the only restaurant in Chicago to earn a three-star rating. Claiming spots on The Daily Meal and The World's 100 Best Restaurants lists, Chef Achatz's first restaurant is known for its creative modern cuisine and artistic presentations.
6. Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Location: Pocantico Hills, New York
Chef: Dan Barber
Blue Hill at Stone Barns ranked No. 1 on our list last year, but slipped five spots after another year without a nod from The James Beard Foundation.
The restaurant is unique in that it's located on a working farm, and everything is sourced from the property itself or from nearby farms in upstate New York's Hudson Valley. And in the tradition of a typical "farmer's feast," Blue Hill at Stone Barns has no formal menus. Instead, guests are presented with dishes made from whatever ingredients are fresh that day.
5. Daniel
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Daniel Boulud
Named No. 40 on The World's Best Restaurants list, Chef Boulud's eponymous restaurant grabbed the attention of The Daily Meal and OpenTable as well. Located in the heart of Manhattan's Upper East Side,Daniel serves contemporary French cuisine inspired by the seasons and accompanied by world-class wines.
A three-course prixe fixe tasting menu for dinner starts at $125.
4. Per Se
Kowarski/Flickr
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Thomas Keller
For years, this three-star Michelin restaurant has ruled over the New York City restaurant scene as one of the most coveted dining experiences in town. The "urban interpretation" of chef Keller's The French Laundry, Per Se garners acclaim from The Daily Meal, OpenTable, and The World's 100 Best Restaurants.
The prix fixe menu costs $310 a person.
Earlier this year, Per Se's "grade pending" rating floored the foodie community. After racking up enough points to earn it a "C" from the Department of Health, many called for the city's restaurant-rating system to be revamped.
3. The French Laundry
Location: Yountville, California
Chef: Thomas Keller
Chef Keller's landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, holds on to third place on our list for the second consecutive year. It also snared the No. 44 spot on The World's 100 Best Restaurants list.
Considered a mecca for foodies, the restaurant serves two nine-course tasting menus — a chef's tasting and a tasting of vegetables — that vary every day. No single ingredient is every repeated throughout the meal. For this indulgence, prepare to shell out $295.
2. Eleven Madison Park
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Daniel Humm
Swiss-born chef Humm earned his first Michelin star at the age of 24, and brought his creative refined cuisine to this New York City restaurant.
Awarded four stars by The Times, three stars by Michelin, and the Five Diamond Award by AAA, Eleven Madison Parkrecently ditched its à la carte concept in favor of an elaborate prix fixe tasting extravaganza. The multicourse menu, which focuses on the agricultural offerings of New York, costs $225.
1. Le Bernardin
Lyn Hughes
Location: New York, New York
Chef: Eric Ripert
Le Bernardin's flagship location, in Paris, opened by sibling duo Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze more than 40 years ago, served only fish — fresh, simple, and prepared with respect. Today, chef Ripert cradles the Le Coze tradition of making fish "the star of the plate" at the internationally acclaimed Le Bernardin in Midtown Manhattan.
This high-end seafood restaurant earned the top spot on The Daily Meal's list of 101 Best Restaurants in America and was ranked No. 22 by The World's Best. It leapt three spots up our list from last year, thanks to a bump from OpenTable.
See what goes on behind the kitchen doors of America's Best Restaurant.
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