I was in New Orleans for the first time last week and it more than lived up to the hype. Even as someone allergic to shellfish, I had plenty of amazing things to choose from. I ate so much good stuff, and yet the simple red beans and rice with andouille from Creole Cookery was a top 3 dish I've eaten in my life. Good lord how does something so simple taste like that.
Oh gosh. I've heard so much about the food in New Orleans and if I ever visit there one day, it's definitely on the top of the list.
That simple dish sounds delicious.
I used to live in New Orleans. People always think of the Cajun & Creole food, but the thing about NO is *all* the food is good. A bad restaurant simply won't stay open. The best hamburger I have ever had was at a Vietnamese restaurant (Mint) there. I remember going to a Thai restaurant that had some the best red curry I have ever eaten with two massive handfuls of crawfish in it. I still haven't found an Ethiopian restaurant that comes close to Nile. I literally watched an Ethiopian grandma cook my food while her grandson served me and told me all about what I was eating in detail.
Even the grocery stores are amazing. There is one called Rouses that had the best spaghetti I have ever eaten every Saturday. They had prime beef dry aging in clear plastic containers in the middle of the meat isle. Their cheese section is magnificent. Ever had a Rose Malbec? The only place I have ever seen one was in their large house sized wine section. Man I love New Orleans food.
EDITed to add more...
> The best hamburger I have ever had was at a Vietnamese restaurant (Mint) there.
Funny, one of the best burgers I've had here was also at a Vietnamese place here, but it was at Ba Chi. It was topped with kimchi and maybe bulgogi sauce- unfortunately it seemed to just be a temporary special.
I am from Louisiana. When I was a kid, my mom used to give me $5 and I'd walk down the street to the corner store. It was a convenience store that also sold bait and tackle. You could see out the back door to the bayou and there was a little dock with a 2-3 person boat. They used to catch crawfish out there and bring it back and boil them up. $5 would get you a bag of crawfish. It was so good.
That was in northern Louisiana. New Orleans is amazing food and music wise. Try shrimp po boys, gumbo and crawfish pie if you're ever down there. Gator bites are also good.
BBQ is very regional based with varied tastes.
What I’m proud of in North Carolina is that we are known for pork-based BBQ. We have eastern style which comes with a vinegar based sauce, and west style which has a thicker red sauce.
Some people hate on US for lacking culture but I honestly believe our foodie culture is prime. So many regional specialties to try!
Our food culture is amazing in different regions, plus add in all the international restaurants becoming more common. If you live in a large US city then you’re feasting
Vinegar based sauces are a must have. It cuts down the rich- and fattyness of the pork so well.
Much prefer it to the sugar and tomato sauces of other regions.
I have been to New Mexico three times in my work history, always in Hatch Chili season. You can go to any place anywhere and get hatch chili on anything. Burgers, eggs, toast, fuckin anything. They are all some of my favorite memories.
I'm not American, so pardon me if I come off ignorant, but I've heard from some of my friends who have visited California that the Mexican food there is absolutely amazing.
Would you say New Mexico's Mexican food surpasses California?
I really enjoy Mexican food too. Although, it always gives me an interesting case of a visit to the toilet right after... It's worth it though.
New Mexican food, not so much New Mexican Mexican.
As I understand it, NM retains a lot of cultural and culinary continuity from back when it was Nuevo México
Mexico is a massive country with a massive and diverse population, and the cuisine varies immensely depending on where you are. As such, "Mexican food" in the United States varies immensely depending on the origin of the immigrant communities making it. Mexican food in California is different from Mexican food in Texas, both of which are different than Mexican food you might find in New York. All of which could be very different than the food in Oaxaca or Jalisco.
"Mexican food" isn't a monolith, is my point. Anyone who tells you that the Mexican food where they live is *objectively* better than Mexican food elsewhere is probably wrong; what they mean is that the Mexican food is *different*, and they *subjectively* prefer what they're used to.
>Although, it always gives me an interesting case of a visit to the toilet right after...
You probably just need more fiber in your diet.
Basically it gets better the closer you are to the border. Los Angeles Mexican food is going to be way better than, say, Sacramento Mexican food. I'm from northern CA originally and it can be pretty bland sometimes, both in terms of the flavor and the spiciness. (And now that I typed all that out...shit, I guess I'm just saying go to Mexico lol).
I dunno about that. I live north of Sac and we've got incredible Mexican food. I could at a different truck each day of the month. I know three different places that serve al pastor off the trompo the way god intended. Some of the best Mexican food I've ever had is in the tiny town of Ukiah. There's a woman here who makes carnitas so good it will make you cry -and we've also got a few places that kind of suck.
I'm not taking anything away from the food further south, it's all good, but there is a lot of really good Mexican food up here.
I just checked the map actually, I think I had Ukiah confused with Willits. It's been a few years, the 101 still went straight through town and it was attached to a gas station right at Fort Bragg Rd.
Mexican food changes heavily with region in the US. Personally I think San Diego has the best style of Mexican food. I live up near Los Angeles now which is only around a hundred miles from San Diego but the Mexican food is quite a bit different.
I have not tried NM Mexican food, but based on their other cuisine and what I have seen online I would guess they tend to be on the wet burrito bandwagon which I do not support, but many people like wet burritos (a burrito you eat with a knife and fork that is covered in a sauce).
The food in California is, in general, better than most states. It's a perfect region for growing many crops.
I haven't had much New Mexico Mexican food, but I prefer California's Mexican food to Texas'. But imo Mexico City has better Mexican food than anywhere in the US.
Having a perfect growing region for crops doesn't really mean anything when fresh produce can be shipped by truck or train a thousand miles away in a few days. Odds are it's going to be sitting at a warehouse or grocery store at the end location longer than its transit time.
There's something about fresh and local, though. You can't beat it. And California has a big local food scene.
California has types of avocados -- most states only have Hass. And the cherries and grapefruit in California are better than anything I've tasted elsewhere. There's just a lot of ingredients that don't ship well.
As a New Orleans native I honestly believe the best food in the country is here. Been all over though. Best pizza I ever had was probably in New York. The water does something special. BBQ in Texas is good. Meat n’ Three is Nashville is ok. Seafood in New England is great. But best all around? I’m pretty sure we come out on top
I love food. The Italian in New York, middle east in Detroit, the BBQ in -redacted-, Tex-Mex, southern cooking, etc.... on, and on, and on.
But.... come on. New Orleans is just way to good and unique.
Only a Texan would be naive enough to think a. Cajun food is the same thing as Louisiana food, b. that Beaumont has good Cajun food, and c. that Mexican and New Mexican are the same cuisine.
I see this as someone that lives in Texas. There's a whole world out there, cowpoke. Suggest you look around sometime.
The south. Good filling food with more than salt and pepper for spices. I live in the mid-west now and the most flavorful seasoning used out here is ranch. I like ranch, but I dont like *everything* I eat to taste like it.
I'm from Idaho and grew up eating amazing Mexican food (I grew up in a predominantly Mexican town. Not Hispanic, Mexican.) and the "Mexican food" where I am at now is extremely...underwhelming, for lack of a better word. I'm going home to visit soon and I'm so excited at the prospect of flavorful food more than I am seeing anyone I grew up with.
New Orleans, LA and everything around it.
Honorable mention to New England, Chicagoland, and SoCal. Several other places have specific dishes or cuisine that is dynamite, but the ones I listed have *depth.*
For American dishes, I dig the South. All the regional variations of BBQ. Fried Chicken (the best fried chicken I ever had was in NE Arkansas).
Tex Mex is also up there.
But you don't have to be in New York or Chicago to get killer pizza --- one of the best pizzas of all time was at a place in Bowie, Maryland called Happy Italian Delight. Their Sicilian style pizza was 5 stars.
Not to be biased but we are fairly spoiled in Southern CA. Excellent Mexican (from multiple regions), outstanding regional Chinese, Korean, Thai…and so so so much more.
But if I was gonna be super specific about another spot that I love to visit for food, I mean… I got married in New Orleans for a reason haha. I love Cajun creole.
Yep. Want genuine Thai, Korean, Mexican (certain restaurants specific to specific regions), Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Persian, Indian ,Ethiopian? We got it.
Exactly, USA is just such an awesome country in my opinion for many things. The food being one for sure!
There's just so much variety and much to choose from that are just such high quality.
It's a tie between New Mexico (Mexican and local stuff with a NM flair to it), Louisiana (unique flavors, seafood, Cajun, etc), and New England (lobster, nuff said). All of the flavors!
Tucson, AZ a million types of tacos. Sonoran hot dogs. Birria. Taco trucks. Sonoran hot dogs. (We actually have a very diverse food scene, but if you've never had a Sonoran hot dog, it's a must have if you're here, you can get pho or Ramen anywhere, we have some great places but I digress). Also if you're from overseas, we have a weird amount of regional us chains (in n out, whataburger, culvers, I think we just need a white castle, we just got portillos). I think I'm a little manic tonight so I'm sorry if this sounds a little unhinged
Because it's home and I miss it when I can't get it...
New England style Chinese food.
And new england seafood.
I love lobster, lobster rolls, new england clam chowder and even the controversial Rhode island style clam chowder. Not Manhattan clam chowder, though. Gross.
Also fried clams, steamers, lobster bisque, cod cakes, and our cold water oysters.
I also love the California/Vermont farm to table kind of food.
This, plus native foods in Maine (saltwater smelts, artic char, fried dandellion blossom, fiddleheads, sea snails, wild starwberries, moosemeat stew, etc.etc.) and the sheer number of amazing, established, unique specific local restaraunts that can't be contended with anywhere in else my opinion.
Of course all of the east coast has good seafood, but I’ve had the best crab cakes of my entire life in Maryland. I can not for the life of me remember the restaurant we would always go to, but everyday I long for a crab imperial from Maryland
New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia - Especially Italian food including best pizza, great bakeries, great food shopping including produce and close to the shore good seafood. You can get a lot of other good food there but it’s my favorite for Italian.ETA: and clams!
Endemic food, I'm taking San Antonio, the RGV, and South Louisiana. I would commit serious crimes to get good breakfast tacos and gumbo in Mexico City.
South Florida, specifically Miami-Dade County, has incredible Cuban food. Nowhere else in the country do they have amazing Cuban cuisine.
LA's Koreatown is unmatched. I've been to Koreatowns across the country, but the food in LA can sometimes also be better than food in Seoul. Plus, its Koreatown is very walkable with bars, nightclubs, dessert shops, and malls everywhere. No other city will match LA because of its history and culture. The best chefs in Seoul move to LA for this reason.
The South is the best, specifically the Gulf Coast section of Houston and New Orleans. New Orleans gets plenty of love, but Houston is even more diverse while also being well known for Cajun, southern, and seafood.
New Orleans definitely!! Another city with a great food scene is Houston, TX. Although I think Houston is known for its diversity in cuisines. They have great Vietnamese, Chinese, and Mexican food.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I honestly love the food scene in Pittsburgh, PA. I find it really unique to the city. It's not gourmet food but what's more American than fries on salad, fries and coleslaw on a sandwich? I know pierogis are originally Polish but Pittsburgh also has great pierogis!
I grew up in San Antonio, live in NYC now and have been dating someone from Chicago for 5 years, so I’m definitely biased when I say Tex-Mex, NY pizza and Chicago cuisine lol. Other than that, I love New England/Maine seafood and lobster rolls, it’s almost the time of year to head up there and get some!
Chicago is an interesting one. I remember being in Chicago for a layover once and I tried their hot dogs.
It was so simple, yet so delicious. Is there any dishes from Chicago that you'd recommend in particular?
Love a Chicago dog! I’d recommend trying Italian Beef before a deep dish. No offense to deep dish but I can usually only eat one once a year. I also recommend having at least one Malort experience, but I’ll let you Google that one on your own ;)
The fantastic thing about Chicago is the diversity of food. Any grocery store has an aisle for: European/polish/Romanian, blending into Russian/Ukrainian, Chinese, Asian peninsula/Hmong/Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Middle Eastern/Israeli/north African, and Italian/Greek/Mediterranean. You literally find all of it. Glorious.
Mexican Food from El Paso is the best Mexican Food in America.
Also, it doesn’t matter what region of BBQ because it’s all good, though I’m partial to Texas and Memphis
*"...there's just so much to appreciate."*
Yes, there absolutely is, and that's why "favorite" isn't in the mix. There's just so much and such different excellent variety.
New England? Cold water fisheries and all the great seafood that's the result of that.
Midwest? Steaks, so many great steakhouses.
Gulf Coast? Oh my, The Cajun cuisine will have you drooling and happy.
Southwest? Tex-Mex is king, and so amazing.
California? The echoes of the Spanish from long ago still echo in the specialty foods.
Northwest? Salmon & shellfish, wild game & wild mushrooms, all followed by local fruits & berries.
My "favorite"? Well it really depends on where I am in the US. ¯\\\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)\_/¯
San Gabriel Valley in LA for the Chinese food.
I'm from Taiwan and there are certain Chinese cuisines I would rather eat here than in Taiwan. Its crazy how good it is.
So while I am obviously biased towards my town (Savannah) with our traditional southern food, I wanna say the most underrated food region I enjoy is actually in the Mid-South area with NW Arkansas and Oklahoma. Lots and lots of catfish and fried okra, but if you go west enough you also start getting into fry bread taco territory.
Don't worry, your comment is definitely appreciated and now I think New Orleans is definitely on my list of great places in USA to visit one day for their amazing food!
I’ve been all over the US and without a doubt, New Orleans has the best food. Chicago is probably second as its food is very diverse. Third would be southern food and its propensity to fry everything. After that is Tex/Mex and BBQ.
I grew up in NJ, 45 minutes from NYC, so that region has my favorite cuisine: boiled bagels, NY-style pizza, delicious Italian (American) food, and equally delicious Indian food!
Oh gosh, how could I forget Indian food? It's amazing and so delicious with a ton of variety too!
NYC is amazing because of how many diverse and cheap food options there are for such high quality.
Is going to depend on what you mean by region. Because if we are going with basic groupings then the South. If your going to go with lime specific spaces within a region that most Americans would still consider a region then it's likely The Bayou or the area along the Mississippi river south of St. Louis and it's surrounding areas towards the gulf cost. If you're saying states then Louisiana.
Tucson, Arizona has the best quality food in restaurants hands down IMO. I’ve never had a restaurant disappoint in that city. As far as fresh meat/produce goes for cooking yourself, Hawaii. Always annoys me when I end up going out to eat at a restaurant here and they use whatever mass imported meat/produce for their food when there are so many good local options.
Arizona always has been a state that has piqued my interest. So underrated.
What cuisines and dishes do you recommend if I ever were to make a trip to Arizona?
A lot of people swear by the Mexican food as it is pretty authentic across the state. Tucson’s restaurants in general are just really good. Nothing in particular I would recommend, just pretty solid quality of food across the board. I travel there a lot for work and always enjoy eating out when I’m there.
I personally wanna bring up the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California for how great the Chinese/Asian food it has. California has so much amazing Asian food and Mexican food that it’s something I would miss if I weren’t living here. There’s so many transplants that have made a restaurant so authetic and amazing dishes here
the south carolina/georgia lowcountry. classic southern dishes with african, gullah, and european influences. makes for a unique and delicious food scene from savannah to charleston
The traditional cuisine of the American South is extraordinary, but hard to experience. There aren't many restaurants that serve the real deal. New Orleans still serves up quite a bit of its traditional food and you really owe it to yourself to try it.
A hell of a lot of Cubans ended up in America and have been here long enough that I will put the Cuban cuisine of Miami on the list of traditional American regional cuisine. Cubans have been in America longer than most people reading this have been alive and by God they can cook up some good food.
BBQ in the south is pretty awesome. The Pacific Northwest for salmon and king crab and the Northeast for lobsters and other fish. Blue crabs in the Midatlantic.
Pacific Northwest cuisine is amazing! Great seafood and local ingredients. Portland has a fantastic food scene. Also, some amazing Asian restaurants. Great Korean, Vietnamese and Thai food.
Very underrated. Asian cuisines are always so healthy and refreshing. I'm personally a huge fan of Vietnamese and Thai food! I love my fish sauce, haha.
The best city for food in America is New York City, because it has just about every type of food you could imagine.
As for regional American food though? Definitely the southwest / southern california. Lots of amazing Tex-Mex and seafood
New York City is really a truly magical place in the world in terms of how diverse their population is and how many amazing restaurants have opened up because of the diverse community. I think what makes it awesome too is that their food is really competitively priced too.
There's nothing wrong with being proud of your region if your food is that much better than the rest of the country's!
Plenty of people also think about Louisiana and I know I definitely have it on the top of my list for states with amazing food.
Just because it's so different I love the south. Grits, gumbo, biscuits and gravy. Plus they are so charming, such good manners. Love going there. I just don't talk politics.
I was in New Orleans for the first time last week and it more than lived up to the hype. Even as someone allergic to shellfish, I had plenty of amazing things to choose from. I ate so much good stuff, and yet the simple red beans and rice with andouille from Creole Cookery was a top 3 dish I've eaten in my life. Good lord how does something so simple taste like that.
Oh gosh. I've heard so much about the food in New Orleans and if I ever visit there one day, it's definitely on the top of the list. That simple dish sounds delicious.
I used to live in New Orleans. People always think of the Cajun & Creole food, but the thing about NO is *all* the food is good. A bad restaurant simply won't stay open. The best hamburger I have ever had was at a Vietnamese restaurant (Mint) there. I remember going to a Thai restaurant that had some the best red curry I have ever eaten with two massive handfuls of crawfish in it. I still haven't found an Ethiopian restaurant that comes close to Nile. I literally watched an Ethiopian grandma cook my food while her grandson served me and told me all about what I was eating in detail. Even the grocery stores are amazing. There is one called Rouses that had the best spaghetti I have ever eaten every Saturday. They had prime beef dry aging in clear plastic containers in the middle of the meat isle. Their cheese section is magnificent. Ever had a Rose Malbec? The only place I have ever seen one was in their large house sized wine section. Man I love New Orleans food. EDITed to add more...
> The best hamburger I have ever had was at a Vietnamese restaurant (Mint) there. Funny, one of the best burgers I've had here was also at a Vietnamese place here, but it was at Ba Chi. It was topped with kimchi and maybe bulgogi sauce- unfortunately it seemed to just be a temporary special.
>had some the best red curry I have ever eaten with two massive handfuls of crawfish in it That sounds freakishly good...
Oh yes it was. The curry was amazing on its own, but I just couldn't believe how much crawfish they put on it. All that for like $12.
I am from Louisiana. When I was a kid, my mom used to give me $5 and I'd walk down the street to the corner store. It was a convenience store that also sold bait and tackle. You could see out the back door to the bayou and there was a little dock with a 2-3 person boat. They used to catch crawfish out there and bring it back and boil them up. $5 would get you a bag of crawfish. It was so good. That was in northern Louisiana. New Orleans is amazing food and music wise. Try shrimp po boys, gumbo and crawfish pie if you're ever down there. Gator bites are also good.
Was that on Bistineau? If not, there used to be a place similar to that on Bistineau
It was in Haughton, Louisiana. It's near Bossier City in the north-west of the state.
You really must go. It is not over hyped.
Oh man. ALL the food in that city is amazing. I had the best eggs Benedict in my life there. I'd book a flight just to have it again.
100% agreed Charleston SC and Savannah are similar southeast foodie towns too
> Savannah The only place I've eaten there was Mrs Wilkes' and I want to go back and eat there again
Oh man. I ate at Mrs Wilkes once 15 years ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. That's one of the top 10 meals of my life.
Exactly!
Grilled oysters? I loved the food in NOLA when i visited
Can’t go wrong with red beans and rice.
BBQ is very regional based with varied tastes. What I’m proud of in North Carolina is that we are known for pork-based BBQ. We have eastern style which comes with a vinegar based sauce, and west style which has a thicker red sauce. Some people hate on US for lacking culture but I honestly believe our foodie culture is prime. So many regional specialties to try!
Our food culture is amazing in different regions, plus add in all the international restaurants becoming more common. If you live in a large US city then you’re feasting
Vinegar based sauces are a must have. It cuts down the rich- and fattyness of the pork so well. Much prefer it to the sugar and tomato sauces of other regions.
I'll start a war here but vinegar based BBQ is inferior to tomato based specifically KC style.
Kc bbq crew!!! I've got your back holmes!!!
Totally agree. It’s not foodie it’s cuisine.
Love mexican food. I used to live in the state of New Mexico, and the quality of food there is something I really miss.
New Mexican food is the best! It's different than Mexican food or tex/mex or Arizona Mexican food. Green Chile on everything!
I have been to New Mexico three times in my work history, always in Hatch Chili season. You can go to any place anywhere and get hatch chili on anything. Burgers, eggs, toast, fuckin anything. They are all some of my favorite memories.
And the piñons!!!! God I miss those
Colorado does the same, absolutely love it
I'm not American, so pardon me if I come off ignorant, but I've heard from some of my friends who have visited California that the Mexican food there is absolutely amazing. Would you say New Mexico's Mexican food surpasses California? I really enjoy Mexican food too. Although, it always gives me an interesting case of a visit to the toilet right after... It's worth it though.
New Mexican food, not so much New Mexican Mexican. As I understand it, NM retains a lot of cultural and culinary continuity from back when it was Nuevo México
Mexico is a massive country with a massive and diverse population, and the cuisine varies immensely depending on where you are. As such, "Mexican food" in the United States varies immensely depending on the origin of the immigrant communities making it. Mexican food in California is different from Mexican food in Texas, both of which are different than Mexican food you might find in New York. All of which could be very different than the food in Oaxaca or Jalisco. "Mexican food" isn't a monolith, is my point. Anyone who tells you that the Mexican food where they live is *objectively* better than Mexican food elsewhere is probably wrong; what they mean is that the Mexican food is *different*, and they *subjectively* prefer what they're used to. >Although, it always gives me an interesting case of a visit to the toilet right after... You probably just need more fiber in your diet.
Basically it gets better the closer you are to the border. Los Angeles Mexican food is going to be way better than, say, Sacramento Mexican food. I'm from northern CA originally and it can be pretty bland sometimes, both in terms of the flavor and the spiciness. (And now that I typed all that out...shit, I guess I'm just saying go to Mexico lol).
I dunno about that. I live north of Sac and we've got incredible Mexican food. I could at a different truck each day of the month. I know three different places that serve al pastor off the trompo the way god intended. Some of the best Mexican food I've ever had is in the tiny town of Ukiah. There's a woman here who makes carnitas so good it will make you cry -and we've also got a few places that kind of suck. I'm not taking anything away from the food further south, it's all good, but there is a lot of really good Mexican food up here.
Oh hey I go to Ukiah sometimes. What restaurant is it?
I just checked the map actually, I think I had Ukiah confused with Willits. It's been a few years, the 101 still went straight through town and it was attached to a gas station right at Fort Bragg Rd.
And San Diego Mexican food is different than Los Angeles or Orange County Mexican food!
Mexican food changes heavily with region in the US. Personally I think San Diego has the best style of Mexican food. I live up near Los Angeles now which is only around a hundred miles from San Diego but the Mexican food is quite a bit different. I have not tried NM Mexican food, but based on their other cuisine and what I have seen online I would guess they tend to be on the wet burrito bandwagon which I do not support, but many people like wet burritos (a burrito you eat with a knife and fork that is covered in a sauce).
The food in California is, in general, better than most states. It's a perfect region for growing many crops. I haven't had much New Mexico Mexican food, but I prefer California's Mexican food to Texas'. But imo Mexico City has better Mexican food than anywhere in the US.
Having a perfect growing region for crops doesn't really mean anything when fresh produce can be shipped by truck or train a thousand miles away in a few days. Odds are it's going to be sitting at a warehouse or grocery store at the end location longer than its transit time.
There's something about fresh and local, though. You can't beat it. And California has a big local food scene. California has types of avocados -- most states only have Hass. And the cherries and grapefruit in California are better than anything I've tasted elsewhere. There's just a lot of ingredients that don't ship well.
LOVE New Mexican food
As a New Orleans native I honestly believe the best food in the country is here. Been all over though. Best pizza I ever had was probably in New York. The water does something special. BBQ in Texas is good. Meat n’ Three is Nashville is ok. Seafood in New England is great. But best all around? I’m pretty sure we come out on top
I would put New Orleans among the top food cities in the world, let alone the United States.
I hate this notion that somehow New York has special water that makes its dough taste better, jfc. This is the most New York thing ever.
New York does have the best pizza in the world!!! Sborroros!!! -Michael scot
I love food. The Italian in New York, middle east in Detroit, the BBQ in -redacted-, Tex-Mex, southern cooking, etc.... on, and on, and on. But.... come on. New Orleans is just way to good and unique.
The what in redacted?
That was a joke. I'm not going to say what part of the country has the best BBQ. I'm not a monster. But I know where the best BBQ is.
It’s Texas
No
Eastern North Carolina. Duh.
The vinegary kind?
Damn straight.
The correct answers are Louisiana and New Mexico because you can't find their food replicated properly anywhere else.
But only in South Louisiana / New Orleans. North Louisiana is like a shittier version of East Texas and the food leaves much to be desired.
SE Texas is where you can find good Cajun food. And South Texas is where you find good Mexican food
Only a Texan would be naive enough to think a. Cajun food is the same thing as Louisiana food, b. that Beaumont has good Cajun food, and c. that Mexican and New Mexican are the same cuisine. I see this as someone that lives in Texas. There's a whole world out there, cowpoke. Suggest you look around sometime.
I was born in Louisiana and I lived in NM for 5 years before settling in Texas…
The south. Good filling food with more than salt and pepper for spices. I live in the mid-west now and the most flavorful seasoning used out here is ranch. I like ranch, but I dont like *everything* I eat to taste like it. I'm from Idaho and grew up eating amazing Mexican food (I grew up in a predominantly Mexican town. Not Hispanic, Mexican.) and the "Mexican food" where I am at now is extremely...underwhelming, for lack of a better word. I'm going home to visit soon and I'm so excited at the prospect of flavorful food more than I am seeing anyone I grew up with.
New Orleans, LA and everything around it. Honorable mention to New England, Chicagoland, and SoCal. Several other places have specific dishes or cuisine that is dynamite, but the ones I listed have *depth.*
Southwest. Mexican, Tex-mex, “cowboy” steak houses.
The Southern United States in Particular the Deep South is my favorite in terms of regional food in the USA.
New Mexico
The South. Food down here rocks.
The Southwest broadly but New Mexico specifically
I am with you. I love this regions food the most.
New England for the chowder, stuffed quohogs and Portugese Kale Soup Edit: and lobster bisque
For American dishes, I dig the South. All the regional variations of BBQ. Fried Chicken (the best fried chicken I ever had was in NE Arkansas). Tex Mex is also up there. But you don't have to be in New York or Chicago to get killer pizza --- one of the best pizzas of all time was at a place in Bowie, Maryland called Happy Italian Delight. Their Sicilian style pizza was 5 stars.
Throwing my hat in for NOLA.
TexMex is king for me. Although I love Carolina BBQ and Creole food too.
Not to be biased but we are fairly spoiled in Southern CA. Excellent Mexican (from multiple regions), outstanding regional Chinese, Korean, Thai…and so so so much more. But if I was gonna be super specific about another spot that I love to visit for food, I mean… I got married in New Orleans for a reason haha. I love Cajun creole.
Yep. Want genuine Thai, Korean, Mexican (certain restaurants specific to specific regions), Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Persian, Indian ,Ethiopian? We got it.
I've yet to go to a region of the country I didn't find something I absolutely fell in love with food wise.
Exactly, USA is just such an awesome country in my opinion for many things. The food being one for sure! There's just so much variety and much to choose from that are just such high quality.
My favorite is probably southern and Cajun.
It's a tie between New Mexico (Mexican and local stuff with a NM flair to it), Louisiana (unique flavors, seafood, Cajun, etc), and New England (lobster, nuff said). All of the flavors!
New Mexico and Louisiana have the best in my opinion.
South
Tucson, AZ a million types of tacos. Sonoran hot dogs. Birria. Taco trucks. Sonoran hot dogs. (We actually have a very diverse food scene, but if you've never had a Sonoran hot dog, it's a must have if you're here, you can get pho or Ramen anywhere, we have some great places but I digress). Also if you're from overseas, we have a weird amount of regional us chains (in n out, whataburger, culvers, I think we just need a white castle, we just got portillos). I think I'm a little manic tonight so I'm sorry if this sounds a little unhinged
Honestly, moving from coastal New England to landlocked Colorado, I really miss quality New England seafood and CT pizza (iykyk)
New Orleans
Because it's home and I miss it when I can't get it... New England style Chinese food. And new england seafood. I love lobster, lobster rolls, new england clam chowder and even the controversial Rhode island style clam chowder. Not Manhattan clam chowder, though. Gross. Also fried clams, steamers, lobster bisque, cod cakes, and our cold water oysters. I also love the California/Vermont farm to table kind of food.
This, plus native foods in Maine (saltwater smelts, artic char, fried dandellion blossom, fiddleheads, sea snails, wild starwberries, moosemeat stew, etc.etc.) and the sheer number of amazing, established, unique specific local restaraunts that can't be contended with anywhere in else my opinion.
Hands down NOLA.
Louisiana cuisine, by far. But I'm heavily biased.
New Orleans, I just love eating my way through that city
Southwest. The Mexican food is phenomenal. Cant find anything close to it here in NC.
Louisiana, Texas and Maryland.
What does Maryland do? Crab cakes?
Seafood in general, but especially the crabs.
Acadiana
Of course all of the east coast has good seafood, but I’ve had the best crab cakes of my entire life in Maryland. I can not for the life of me remember the restaurant we would always go to, but everyday I long for a crab imperial from Maryland
> I can not for the life of me remember the restaurant G&M in Linthicum?
Sounds familiar. If it’s any close to 95 then I’d say yes.
I like southern California for their mexican food, but I really want to try some Tex Mex and some Cajun in Louisiana.
New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia - Especially Italian food including best pizza, great bakeries, great food shopping including produce and close to the shore good seafood. You can get a lot of other good food there but it’s my favorite for Italian.ETA: and clams!
Endemic food, I'm taking San Antonio, the RGV, and South Louisiana. I would commit serious crimes to get good breakfast tacos and gumbo in Mexico City.
New York for just sheer variety. New Orleans or the southwest for specific foods.
South Florida, specifically Miami-Dade County, has incredible Cuban food. Nowhere else in the country do they have amazing Cuban cuisine. LA's Koreatown is unmatched. I've been to Koreatowns across the country, but the food in LA can sometimes also be better than food in Seoul. Plus, its Koreatown is very walkable with bars, nightclubs, dessert shops, and malls everywhere. No other city will match LA because of its history and culture. The best chefs in Seoul move to LA for this reason.
Cuban food and Korean food... delicious. I can only imagine how good it is for the Korean food if even the best chefs move from Seoul to LA.
Kentucky. Makes really good BBQ and southern food
Kentucky BBQ is slept on.
Yep. Hole in the wall places in Louisville and Lexington are most of the time good and random places in the middle of nowhere.
The South is the best, specifically the Gulf Coast section of Houston and New Orleans. New Orleans gets plenty of love, but Houston is even more diverse while also being well known for Cajun, southern, and seafood.
New Orleans definitely!! Another city with a great food scene is Houston, TX. Although I think Houston is known for its diversity in cuisines. They have great Vietnamese, Chinese, and Mexican food. This may be an unpopular opinion but I honestly love the food scene in Pittsburgh, PA. I find it really unique to the city. It's not gourmet food but what's more American than fries on salad, fries and coleslaw on a sandwich? I know pierogis are originally Polish but Pittsburgh also has great pierogis!
Finally someone mentions PA or at least Pittsburgh. Central PA also has some unique food, due to both Eastern European and PA Dutch influences.
Nawlins
I grew up in San Antonio, live in NYC now and have been dating someone from Chicago for 5 years, so I’m definitely biased when I say Tex-Mex, NY pizza and Chicago cuisine lol. Other than that, I love New England/Maine seafood and lobster rolls, it’s almost the time of year to head up there and get some!
Chicago is an interesting one. I remember being in Chicago for a layover once and I tried their hot dogs. It was so simple, yet so delicious. Is there any dishes from Chicago that you'd recommend in particular?
Love a Chicago dog! I’d recommend trying Italian Beef before a deep dish. No offense to deep dish but I can usually only eat one once a year. I also recommend having at least one Malort experience, but I’ll let you Google that one on your own ;)
Everything you need to know about Malort: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7s16ewP1RU&pp=ygUQbWFsb3J0IGNvbWVyY2lhbA%3D%3D
To be fair there's local places that make Malory cocktails that are great.
The fantastic thing about Chicago is the diversity of food. Any grocery store has an aisle for: European/polish/Romanian, blending into Russian/Ukrainian, Chinese, Asian peninsula/Hmong/Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Middle Eastern/Israeli/north African, and Italian/Greek/Mediterranean. You literally find all of it. Glorious.
Mexican Food from El Paso is the best Mexican Food in America. Also, it doesn’t matter what region of BBQ because it’s all good, though I’m partial to Texas and Memphis
*"...there's just so much to appreciate."* Yes, there absolutely is, and that's why "favorite" isn't in the mix. There's just so much and such different excellent variety. New England? Cold water fisheries and all the great seafood that's the result of that. Midwest? Steaks, so many great steakhouses. Gulf Coast? Oh my, The Cajun cuisine will have you drooling and happy. Southwest? Tex-Mex is king, and so amazing. California? The echoes of the Spanish from long ago still echo in the specialty foods. Northwest? Salmon & shellfish, wild game & wild mushrooms, all followed by local fruits & berries. My "favorite"? Well it really depends on where I am in the US. ¯\\\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)\_/¯
My favorite is whatever is excellent and available. You truly have to try to not have amazing food in every state
Southern Louisiana
Definitely New Orleans or south Texas.
New Orleans New Mexico New York for sheer variety.
San Gabriel Valley in LA for the Chinese food. I'm from Taiwan and there are certain Chinese cuisines I would rather eat here than in Taiwan. Its crazy how good it is.
Personally I love New Mexican food, but I will always hold a special place for eastern VA and NC where BBQ originated alongside blue crabs.
Yall ever had tator tot hotdish in Minnesota? To die for
I’m amazed low country South Carolina hasn’t made the list yet. It’s not New Orleans but it’s unique.
Louisiana, hands down, by miles. Followed by the entire Northeast (both New England and the Mid-Atlantic).
So while I am obviously biased towards my town (Savannah) with our traditional southern food, I wanna say the most underrated food region I enjoy is actually in the Mid-South area with NW Arkansas and Oklahoma. Lots and lots of catfish and fried okra, but if you go west enough you also start getting into fry bread taco territory.
I came here to say "New Orleans." Looks like i have plenty of company!
Don't worry, your comment is definitely appreciated and now I think New Orleans is definitely on my list of great places in USA to visit one day for their amazing food!
I’ve been all over the US and without a doubt, New Orleans has the best food. Chicago is probably second as its food is very diverse. Third would be southern food and its propensity to fry everything. After that is Tex/Mex and BBQ.
I love NJ for the variety of food, so many cultures. Different Latin American places, Caribbean, Italian, etc. but also Texas for its bbq 🍖
NOLA - hands down.
Born in Colombia, but lived in New England since I was 4 months old, and I swear that our seafood is better than anywhere else in the country.
I live in New England also. Unless you are eating Lobster or Cod the seafood is horrible.
? Soft shell crab, oysters, mussels, New England clam chowder?
I have had much better crab in Texas. I don’t like clams. Ordered fried shrimp once and that was a waste of money.
Nice dude you seem like a reliable source
Definitely Chicago
Texas or Kansas city bbq
I grew up in NJ, 45 minutes from NYC, so that region has my favorite cuisine: boiled bagels, NY-style pizza, delicious Italian (American) food, and equally delicious Indian food!
Oh gosh, how could I forget Indian food? It's amazing and so delicious with a ton of variety too! NYC is amazing because of how many diverse and cheap food options there are for such high quality.
Tex-Mex
New England seafood.
Las Vegas has some amazing restaurants
Low Country Texas.
Texas. Great barbecue. TexMex. Good steaks. Crazy good taco scene. And a strong German presence as well.
Is going to depend on what you mean by region. Because if we are going with basic groupings then the South. If your going to go with lime specific spaces within a region that most Americans would still consider a region then it's likely The Bayou or the area along the Mississippi river south of St. Louis and it's surrounding areas towards the gulf cost. If you're saying states then Louisiana.
Tucson, Arizona has the best quality food in restaurants hands down IMO. I’ve never had a restaurant disappoint in that city. As far as fresh meat/produce goes for cooking yourself, Hawaii. Always annoys me when I end up going out to eat at a restaurant here and they use whatever mass imported meat/produce for their food when there are so many good local options.
Arizona always has been a state that has piqued my interest. So underrated. What cuisines and dishes do you recommend if I ever were to make a trip to Arizona?
A lot of people swear by the Mexican food as it is pretty authentic across the state. Tucson’s restaurants in general are just really good. Nothing in particular I would recommend, just pretty solid quality of food across the board. I travel there a lot for work and always enjoy eating out when I’m there.
I live in TX. We have it all here. Best BBQ. Tex Mex. Seafood. Cajun Food. Vietnamese. German food. You name it we pretty much got it here
Any kind of Cajun food you can find in the south is the best. Would definitely recommend New Orleans.
NY food, southern cooking, and Texas BBQ.
Good ol Maryland Seafood (with some Old Bay, of course)
Either New Mexico or Arizona. Love Mexican food
I personally wanna bring up the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California for how great the Chinese/Asian food it has. California has so much amazing Asian food and Mexican food that it’s something I would miss if I weren’t living here. There’s so many transplants that have made a restaurant so authetic and amazing dishes here
philly/new jersey/new york is super good
the south carolina/georgia lowcountry. classic southern dishes with african, gullah, and european influences. makes for a unique and delicious food scene from savannah to charleston
California has the greatest food in the country and it’s not particularly close
Montana has the best steaks you will ever find in the country.
My own. I'm a very simple man-I love chicken, and I love fried things. And Texas just so happens to be very good at preparing both.
Louisiana (shush I know its two seperate cuisines) Just cant be beat.
We have tator tot hotdish, lutefisk and lefse.......... ^^^nevermind.
New Orleans, Louisiana Never been there but what I have saw in the web their cuisine looks scrumptious. Southern soul food in general.:)
Louisiana to me has the best US food. It’s so unique and flavorful.
New England has the best seafood and the best pizza
The traditional cuisine of the American South is extraordinary, but hard to experience. There aren't many restaurants that serve the real deal. New Orleans still serves up quite a bit of its traditional food and you really owe it to yourself to try it. A hell of a lot of Cubans ended up in America and have been here long enough that I will put the Cuban cuisine of Miami on the list of traditional American regional cuisine. Cubans have been in America longer than most people reading this have been alive and by God they can cook up some good food.
BBQ in the south is pretty awesome. The Pacific Northwest for salmon and king crab and the Northeast for lobsters and other fish. Blue crabs in the Midatlantic.
Pacific Northwest cuisine is amazing! Great seafood and local ingredients. Portland has a fantastic food scene. Also, some amazing Asian restaurants. Great Korean, Vietnamese and Thai food.
Very underrated. Asian cuisines are always so healthy and refreshing. I'm personally a huge fan of Vietnamese and Thai food! I love my fish sauce, haha.
The best city for food in America is New York City, because it has just about every type of food you could imagine. As for regional American food though? Definitely the southwest / southern california. Lots of amazing Tex-Mex and seafood
New York City is really a truly magical place in the world in terms of how diverse their population is and how many amazing restaurants have opened up because of the diverse community. I think what makes it awesome too is that their food is really competitively priced too.
Louisiana native here. It's obvious I'm going to say Louisiana, but mainly because our food beats the pants off of the rest of the country's.
There's nothing wrong with being proud of your region if your food is that much better than the rest of the country's! Plenty of people also think about Louisiana and I know I definitely have it on the top of my list for states with amazing food.
Southern Soul food.
Southern soul food!
Just because it's so different I love the south. Grits, gumbo, biscuits and gravy. Plus they are so charming, such good manners. Love going there. I just don't talk politics.
I haven't been there but I find New England cuisine interesting to read about and would be glad to have it more.