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Savage Doherty
Iconic dishes are the ones that we make pilgrimages for, the ones that are on the Great Foodie Bucket List, the ones that you can't leave a town without trying. They're the dishes that really are that good. In other words, they're dishes that you almost have to try at some point, and we've rounded up 101 of the most iconic dishes in America.
In order to limit our list to just 101 dishes, though, we had to set a few boundaries. One, all of these dishes are savory and can be considered an appetizer or main course, so no desserts (sorry, Cafe du Monde's beignets) or side dishes (sorry, Robuchon's pommes pure) are included. All of these dishes are also readily available in their most iconic form; for example, you won't find the Cobb salad from the Brown Derby on our list because that restaurant is long gone. Finally, in the interest of fairness, we didn't include dishes from major chains; there's no denying that the Egg McMuffin is iconic, but that's for a list of the most iconic fast food items of all time.
Our list truly runs the gamut of American dining, from legendary burgers, hot dogs, pizzas and fried chicken to lesser-known regional specialties; from dishes that go back more than a century to ones that have only been around for a decade but have accomplished a lot since then; from blue-collar classics whose inventors are long forgotten to fine-dining touchstones created by legendary chefs. These dishes tell the story of American dining through the years, and they're all undeniably iconic.
If it's become so popular that it's now a household name, imitated (but never replicated) at countless other restaurants nationwide even as the restaurant that invented it is still going strong, it might be an icon.
Pitmaster Aaron Franklin and his wife Stacey started selling barbecue from an Airstream trailer in 2009, and today they're running one of the most highly praised restaurants in America, serving barbecue that's widely regarded as the very best you'll find anywhere at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas. How did they get there? For one, attention to detail. The quality of the meat, the care and attention put into the seasoning, the wood, the smoking process and the carving... Franklin literally has it down to a science, and the crowds show up in droves every day to sample the fruits of his labor. Salt and pepper, meat, smoke and time are all that go into his brisket, ribs, pulled pork and turkey, and the end result is, well, perfect. You have to get there early and wait in line, but don't worry, this place is definitely worth waiting in line for.
In business since 1951, this legendary Nashville, Tennessee, restaurant Loveless Cafe serves what very well might be the best biscuits in the world, based on a recipe created by founder Annie Loveless herself and closely guarded to this day. If it's possible to improve on perfection, it's done by serving the biscuits alongside rich and creamy gravy. Thankfully, every breakfast plate is served with biscuits, so you don't have to miss out.
When chef Nobu Matsuhisa opened the first Nobu with pal Robert De Niro and restaurateur Drew Nieporent in New York's Tribeca neighborhood in 1994, there was no way he could have imagined that more than 20 years later he'd be running more than 30 affiliated restaurants around the world, as well as several Nobu-branded hotels. But there's a reason why Nobu has become a household name across the globe, as the menu fuses classical Japanese cuisine with influences from Peru and Argentina, where Nobu trained. The dish that Nobu (and his namesake restaurant) will be long remembered for is the often imitated, never replicated black cod with miso, which is marinated in white miso, sake, mirin and sugar for three days before being browned in a pan and finished in a hot oven. It's one of the planet's great fish dishes.
Sure, the cte de boeuf, roasted bone marrow and various ungodly delicious potato renditions are big reasons why Minetta Tavern is one of New York City's best restaurants for carnivores. But the Black Label Burger remains the most legendary item on the menu. Prime dry-aged beef, carefully sourced and aged for six to seven weeks, is well seasoned and given an enviable sear on a griddle before being nestled onto a sesame-studded brioche bun, topped with caramelized onions and served with pommes frites. Juicy, savory, salty, soul-satisfying... this is a burger unlike any other.
If you spent any time dining out in the '80s, you most likely encountered something that was blackened. You have chef Paul Prudhomme to thank for that, due to one revolutionary dish served at his K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, Louisiana: blackened redfish. The dish starts with a blend of spices including cayenne, paprika, garlic and onion powders, thyme and oregano, applied liberally to the Gulf fish before it's seared with a little clarified butter in a ripping-hot cast-iron pan. The dish was so popular, and became so ubiquitous nationwide, that it caused redfish to be fished to near-extinction. Today the dish is usually prepared with drum instead of redfish, but the best rendition is still served at K-Paul's.
In Iowa and Indiana, the humble pork loin is turned into one of the most delicious sandwiches you've never heard of but need to try, all thanks to some pounding and deep-frying. And this legendary sandwich was reportedly invented by Nick Freienstein nearly 110 years ago in the small Indiana town of Huntington; his restaurant, Nick's Kitchen, is still in business, and they're still using his recipe to turn out massive tenderloin sandwiches. A 4-ounce slice of lean center-cut pork loin is pounded down into a huge patty; marinated in buttermilk, eggs and flour; breaded in saltine crumbs; deep-fried; and served on a 5-inch hamburger bun with onion, lettuce and tomato. Imitators abound, but the original is still the best.
Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, is the place that started it all, and many would argue that they've been often imitated, never duplicated. The wings are juicy, crispy, spicy and served to teeming hordes of hungry masses, and those who make a pilgrimage here never leave unsatisfied (especially after knocking back a few tap Genesee Cream Ales).
When you go to Father's Office, chef Sang Yoon's gastropub in Los Angeles, California, you're most likely there for the Office Burger, which many people in LA refer to as the city's best and most iconic burger, and which helped to spark a burger renaissance upon its 2000 unveiling. It's a slab of high-quality beef topped with arugula, bacon, caramelized onion, Gruyre and Maytag blue on a loaf that's more similar to a baguette than a bun. It's a very, very juicy burger with funk, freshness and great flavor. Father's Office also has some of the very best french fries in America.
You might not have heard of burgoo, probably because it's still a regional Kentucky specialty that you'd be hard pressed to find outside of the state, but it's absolutely iconic. So when you're there, make sure you eat some of this thick, hearty soup loaded with meat and vegetables. The best place for burgoo is Lexington's homey Stella's, where it's made with beef, pork, chicken and lamb with corn, beans and other veggies, and is served with four mini corn muffins for sopping.
Canlis is a true Pacific Northwest landmark. It's been open in Seattle, Washington, since 1950, serving fresh, seasonal dishes that are more polished than cutting-edge in a rustic-modern space whose use of native wood and stone evokes forests and streams. Canlis was revolutionary when it opened due to its stunning architecture and trailblazing menu of upscale Northwest cuisine (which founder Peter Canlis essentially invented), and it's still blazing new trails while keeping the classics, such as the famous Canlis salad (romaine, bacon, mint, oregano and Romano with a dressing of lemon, olive oil and coddled egg), on the menu.
Gulf oysters from Louisiana are some of the plumpest and tastiest in the country, and they're insanely plentiful. Sure, you can eat them raw on the half-shell, but why not head to Drago's, where they're shucked, placed on a fiery grill, and doused with a heady mixture of butter, garlic, oregano, Parmesan and Romano cheeses and parsley as they cook? This is one of those quintessential tastes of the New Orleans area. If you can't make it out to Metairie, there's a second location in Downtown NOLA.
Since 1975, Joe's Pizza has served fresh, hot, cheesy slices to tourists and residents alike, making it a truly iconic New York City landmark. It's as synonymous with New York City as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Everyone has a favorite slice joint, but if the city were to have just one, this would be it. It's made every conceivable best-of list (many of them tacked on the walls and in the windows), and for good reason. The key to Joe's success is their traditional New York City-style pizza with thin crust, great sauce and just the right ratio of cheese, sauce and crust (just a bit less of the first two).
So what's the secret to the burger at Charleston, South Carolina, must-visit Husk? There are several: Bacon is ground right into the patty, for one, and house-made buns are steamed, sliced, toasted and smeared with butter and beef fat. The two patties are a blend of chuck and hickory-smoked Benton's bacon, seared on a ripping-hot nonstick griddle and scraped off to retain their crust. Three slices of American cheese, shaved white onions in between the patties, bread-and-butter pickles, a "special sauce" that closely resembles the one at In-N-Out, lettuce and tomato only when they're in season round it out. The restaurant has expanded beyond Charleston into Nashville, Greenville and Savannah, and the burger is definitely one of the (several) reasons for its success.
On the intersection of South Ninth Street, Wharton Street, and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia are two cheesesteak giants: Pat's and Geno's. They both have a fiercely loyal clientele, each of which will tell you that their favorite is superior. Pat's claims to have invented the cheesesteak as we know it: As the story goes, in May 1933 brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who owned a hot dog stand on the corner, thinly sliced a steak and fried it with onions, and a legend was born.
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