2025 Best Dishes in America
This year, the New York Times Food staff continued its tireless (and happy) travels, visiting 33 states and eating more than 200 meals in search of the best restaurants in the country. That’s a lot of dishes. But we did have our favorites — nationally and in New York City. We couldn’t stop talking about tostadas, knife-cut noodles and gravlax, not to mention falafel jibneh, cachapas and blowfish tails. Here are our most memorable bites of the year. MARK JOSEPHSON
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse
San Antonio, Texas
Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some (sides are $6 for 8 oz., $9 for 16 oz. and $15 for 32 oz.). PRIYA KRISHNA
2731 South WW White Road, San Antonio, Texas; 210-885-9352; 2msmokehouse.com
This second-floor strip mall restaurant is a step up for the chef and owner, Edgar Victoria, who built a local following cooking Mexico City-style street food at concession stands, food trucks and pop-ups. The unassumingly excellent restaurant is especially adept with vegetables, as shown in this springtime special: a crunchy tostada, handmade from nixtamalized heritage corn, paved with crema, queso and al dente coins of chopped asparagus. ($12) BRETT ANDERSON
604 Gallatin Avenue No. 203, Nashville; 615-916-9684; alebrijenash.com
Kalbi Kal Guksu at Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup
San Mateo, Calif.
At this location of the kalbijjim chain, there are knife-cut noodles, nested in a ferociously comforting bowl of beef soup, that I crave whenever the temperature dives. Slightly thick and chewy, this tangle of noodles wrestles with ribbons of eggs, so you can’t tell where a noodle ends and a bite of egg begins. The slightly viscous beef broth lightly lacquers your mouth, and can be seasoned to your own taste with the small clay pot of sea salt on the table. ($24) ELEANORE PARK
213 Second Ave., San Mateo, Calif.; 650-389-6689; daeho-kalbijjim.com
Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre
Austin, Texas
The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears ($7). PRIYA KRISHNA
408 North Pleasant Valley Road, Austin, Texas; mercadosinnombre.com
Blowfish Tails at Chubby Fish
Charleston, S.C.
There’s always a fish tempura on the ever-changing menu here. The chef, James London, says deep-frying is “a great icebreaker” to introduce diners to seafood they may not know, like blackbelly rosefish, white grunt and conger eel. When he can get them, the meaty blowfish tails fit that description to a T, yet with the familiar snap and brininess of prawns. And when he can’t, the day’s tempura is still a must-try, with its featherweight batter and some fried bits of bone thrown in — to gnaw on and help you imagine the creature they came from. ($24 to $28) PATRICK FARRELL
252 Coming Street, Charleston, S.C.; 854-222-3949; chubbyfishcharleston.com
Banh Chow Salad at Mawn
Philadelphia
As lacily crisp as a Parmesan tuile on the outside, and plumped by ground chicken and shrimp within, the savory coconut rice crepe is objectively the star of this “salad.” But the tangle of soft lettuces and what the menu calls “backyard herbs” bring a lot to the plate: levity, structure and the thrown-together appearance of everyday Cambodian American home cooking, only with a chef’s attention to details. ($18) BRETT ANDERSON
764 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia; no phone; mawnphilly.com
Taco al Pastor at Taqueria Frontera
Los Angeles
This simple Tijuana-style taco is an exhilarating and satisfying snack that I’ve gone back to several times off duty. The tortilla is toasted in the dripping fat from the vertical spit, filled with thinly sliced pork that’s lavishly spiced and frizzled at its edges. Two salsas move through it — one creamy, white and mellow, the other theatrically, radiantly hot — and as they mix in places, they animate each bite a little differently. ($3.75) TEJAL RAO
700 Cypress Avenue, Los Angeles; no phone; instagram.com/taqueriafrontera
Whole Trout at Judith
Sewanee, Tenn.
At the end of a rewarding meander through the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee is the Nashville chef Julia Sullivan’s lovely side hustle, near the University of the South’s sprawling campus in the woods. Mountain trout finds its way onto many menus in the Deep South, but few are as lovely as hers. A plump, expertly butterflied whole trout arrives in a buttery-tart beurre blanc, all showered in scallions. It’s an alchemy of pristine fish, textbook technique and a majestic setting. ($42) KIM SEVERSON
36 Ball Park Road, Sewanee, Tenn.; 931-203-2737; judithtavern.com
Dungeness Crab Rice at Tomo
Seattle
Brady Ishiwata Williams has created a perfect vignette of Pacific Northwest cuisine in a bowl. The Dungeness crab meat is ballasted with richness from brown butter and dashi. Strawberries that have been cooked down with fennel and onions (and jarred in season for year-round use) bring a pitch-perfect sweet note. Far from an afterthought, the rice is the prized koshihikari cultivar that has been put through the haiga process, which imparts the nuttiness of a brown rice while keeping a white rice texture. A shot of lemon juice to finish brings a fresh, lively acidity. This could have been twice the size, and I’d still have wanted more. ($28) BRIAN GALLAGHER
9811 16th Avenue Southwest, Seattle; no phone; tomoseattle.com
Falafel Jibneh at La’ Shukran
Washington, D.C.
The sumptuous texture comes from jibneh, the mild Middle Eastern cheese that also mutes the falafels’ flavor just enough to make them ideal vehicles for dollops of dill yogurt and trout caviar. The dish is so good you’ll wonder why someone hadn’t come up with the idea sooner. ($19) BRETT ANDERSON
417 Morse Street Northeast, Washington, D.C.; no phone; lashukran.com
Crispy Fish Ssam at Gift Horse
Providence, R.I.
Ssam dishes in Korean cuisine come with wraps, typically broad, leafy lettuces, and often center on pork or beef. At Gift Horse, an inventive seafood spot devoted to New England’s catch, the focus is fish, either kept whole or cut and arrayed in a long column of plush little slabs, dredged, coated with evaporated milk and crusted in panko, then popped into hot oil, so you get crunch beyond the lettuce. This is presented on a delightful and immense clawed platter, for sharing, with rice, peanut ssamjang bearing its streak of fermented funk and heat, and a bounty of pickles. The chef Sky Haneul Kim, who ran the kitchen here for two years and developed this dish, moved to South Korea this fall, but her imprint on the menu remains. (Market price) LIGAYA MISHAN
272 Westminster Street, Providence, R.I.; 401-383-3813; gifthorsepvd.com
Khanom Krok at Tanzie’s
Berkeley, Calif.
Khanom krok, the popular Thai street food staple, is the best way to kick off breakfast at Tanzie’s. It arrives at the table looking like five halved, jiggly eggs topped with thinly sliced scallions, sweet potatoes or corn. These squidgy pancakes possess a sweet enough undercurrent, and a texture play like no other: Coconut milk imparts a creamy center, and the whole thing somehow still manages a light crust on its exterior. Served warm, and requiring fewer than three bites, the dish has been described on the restaurant’s Instagram account as “small sizes with a big hug.” ($12) ELEANORE PARK
1453 Dwight Way, Berkeley, Calif.; 510-326-4199; tanziescafe.com
Beef Cheeks at Palmira Barbecue
Charleston, S.C.
Pitch-black with a nubbly bark, these plump cuts look like the slag byproduct of some old industrial process — which in a sense they are, emerging from an offset smoker out back and an overnight bath in hot tallow. But a quick flick of a knife reveals the ruby-red luxury inside, all silky, minerally and melting with marbled fat. The chef Hector Garate’s mastery of barbecue (he describes his style as “Texas techniques with Puerto Rican influences”) is no secret in these parts, and these beef cheeks are his most persuasive claim to fame. ($16) PATRICK FARRELL
2366 Ashley River Road, Building 1, Charleston, S.C.; 843-225-0436; palmirabarbecue.com
Lau Chingri at Korai Kitchen
Jersey City, N.J.
In Bangladesh, the bottle gourd is so beloved, there’s a folk song, “Sadher Lau,” devoted to its praises. It’s a delicate vegetable, with a gentle sweetness, quick to bloom into flavor and juicy enough to require hardly any oil for cooking. The chef Nur-E Gulshan Rahman harvests hers from the parking lot behind Korai Kitchen, the small, inviting restaurant she runs with her daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman, casting its lone bright light on an otherwise sleepy block. The freshness of the lau stands out in this unfussy dish, alongside tender shrimp and an extravagance of chiles. (Part of a $95 prix-fixe menu) LIGAYA MISHAN
576 Summit Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.; 201-721-6566; koraikitchen.com
Cachapa at Frank Cachapas
Doral, Fla.
You don’t need to try all 10 cachapas on the menu to believe you’ll be satisfied regardless of which you choose. All feature Frank Cachapas’s exemplary, hot-from-the-griddle corn cakes and an oozing portion of queso de mano, a fresh Venezuelan cheese. Relax and enjoy yours at one of the many shaded tables in the parking lot outside this food truck. The service bests what’s found at many brick-and-mortar restaurants. ($11.99 to $18.99) BRETT ANDERSON
8645 Northwest 61st Street, Doral, Fla.; 754-317-3435; @frankcachapas.
Gravlax at Julia’s Local
Round Top, N.Y.
The ancient Nordic dish gravlax is an exercise in simplicity, nothing more than salmon cured with a combination of sugar, salt and dill. Often, different versions are indistinguishable. But at this rustic spot in the Catskill Mountains region, the chef, Henning Nordanger, elevates gravlax to an entirely new level. Augmenting the cure with juniper, Mr. Nordanger manages a rare, mind-bending complexity in each tender slice, served with thin toasts of housemade Danish brown rye and a mild mustard sauce. ($20) ERIC ASIMOV
1507 Heart’s Content Road, Round Top, N.Y.; 518-622-0021; juliaslocal.com
Chaas Aguachile at Mirra
Chicago
I’m over the endless riffs on hamachi crudo, or at least that’s what I thought until I had the fine slices of yellowtail at Mirra, soaked in a lime-spiked buttermilk, hot and tangy with a garlic and serrano achar, and tucked under a delicate crunch of nopales, ginger and curry leaves. In a bite, the chefs Rishi Kumar and Zubair Mohajir brought together flavors from India and Mexico for something really fresh and delicious.($19) TEJAL RAO
1954 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago; 773-729-6214; mirrachicago.com
Wok-Fried Crispy Pork Intestines With Dry Chile at Northern Cuisine
Champaign, Ill.
When it comes to cooking pork intestines, faint-heartedess rarely pays off. (You could say the same about eating them.) This restaurant near the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign prepares them fearlessly, blasting them in a fiery wok until they are as dark and crunchy as the first shavings from a lamb gyro that has been turning on a spit for hours. Each ring of gut is browned so quickly that it’s still tender inside, soft enough to drink in the smoke of dried roasted red chiles. Aside from sliced onions and bright green chiles, there’s not much else to it — this is rustic northern Chinese cooking, made without fuss but with a great deal of skill. ($19) PETE WELLS
404 East Green Street, Champaign, Ill.; 217-607-1299; instagram.com/northerncuisineusa
Ben’s Bowl at Dōgon
Washington, D.C.
The chef Kwame Onwuachi is known for bringing a sense of place to the plate that goes beyond ingredients to plumb into history and how a city shapes its people. Here he tips his hat to Ben Ali, the Trinidad-born founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, a chain that got its start on U Street in 1958 serving half-smokes draped in chili. In Mr. Onwuachi’s homage, lamb shoulder is braised past resistance in a crush of curry spices and chicken stock, then picked warm and whipped until the fats turn to velvet. Flattened and crisped, it’s an astonishment of density and richness. ($32) LIGAYA MISHAN
1330 Maryland Avenue Southwest, Washington, D.C.; 844-860-2741; salamanderdc.com
Shrimp and Corn Patties at the Duchess
Baltimore
The Duchess is one of the more unusual restaurants I’ve visited. It’s very much like a neighborhood pub (wood-paneled walls, beers on tap, ball games on the tube) but the food reflects the Pacific Rim heritage of Kiko Fejarang, the chef and an owner. Her shrimp and corn patties were savory delights — breaded, crisp and spiced with a sort of aioli made with dinache, a Chamorro chile paste. Feathery light, they tasted like the platonic essence of their ingredients, a beautiful balance of textures and flavors. ($13) ERIC ASIMOV
1000-1002 West 36th Street, Baltimore; 410-525-7000; theduchessbaltimore.com
Guaca-mol With Tortilla and Asiento at Popoca
Oakland, Calif.
The guaca-mol here is lush with herbs, seasoned ever so sharply, then covered with smoked egg yolk. It’s a marvel on its own, but part of the magic of the dish is the wonderfully pudgy Salvi tortilla that accompanies it, still hot from the comal and shining with crispy beef asiento. ($17) TEJAL RAO
906 Washington Street, Oakland, Calif.; 510-457-1724; popocaoakland.com
Lamb Neck Korma Pie at the Little Beast
Seattle
For a plate that presents in several tones of muted brown, the flavors of the chef Kevin Smith’s meat pie really sing. Into a hot-water pastry made with lard goes buttery lamb that has braised for 12 to 16 hours, and a korma gravy, made with garlic, ginger and chile purée cooked in butter with chopped onions, cream and toasted ground almonds. It’s punched up with cumin, fenugreek, nutmeg and cinnamon. To finish, the heady gravy is drizzled over the pie, bringing together a dish that’s cozy and exhilarating at the same time. ($45) BRIAN GALLAGHER
5107 Ballard Avenue Northwest, Seattle; (206) 644-8041; beastandcleaver.com
Sampler Plate at LT Organic Farm Restaurant
Waukee, Iowa
Ahilia and LT Bhramdat are medical professionals who started their organic farm in the mid-1990s on the outskirts of Des Moines, aiming to encourage healthier eating and farming practices in their community. While the farm-fresh ingredients change with the seasons, a delicious late-spring sampler plate was representative of what you’ll find if you drop by for lunch: slow-cooked chicken and navy beans in coconut-tomato sauce, potato chutney, gumball-size falafel, all drawing on the cooking of the owners’ native Guyana. Mark your calendar: Lunch resumes when the farm reopens to the public on Mother’s Day weekend. ($17.95) BRETT ANDERSON
32513 Ute Avenue, Waukee, Iowa; 515-987-3561; ltorganicfarm.org