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Neighborhood Restaurants

Eating out on a holiday isn’t the same as every other day of the year. Industry experts explain.

Andrea Strong

At Kismet Rotisserie in Los Angeles, chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson put a Mediterranean spin on their burnished bird.

Molly Baz

Since I was 10, I've spent my summers eating pizza, spaghetti & meatballs, and antipasto. I'm glad it's still the same.

Emily Schultz

I regularly fantasize about pizza with refried beans on it.

Ann Friedman

The real discovery of my 16-month road trip across the U.S.: Even the deepest “red” and darkest “blue” states contain endless diversity.

Ashlea Halpern

My wish for the Fillmore in light of its heartbreaking history and uncertain future? For all places to put as much craft into our community as go into their cocktails.

Shakirah Simley

The unassuming strip-mall joint where they know our family’s order by heart.

Lillian Li

It takes about .01 seconds inside the bakery to understand just how seriously these people take bread.

Genevieve Roth

“Very few people ever touch the laminated menus. They order what they’ve always ordered, what their parents ordered, what their grandparents did.”

Bret Anthony Johnston

Let’s just say no one’s going there for the tasting menu and wine pairings.

Kira Garcia

Maine is for lobsters and chowder...but also catfish tacos and pulled-pork mac and cheese.

Kate Christensen

My strategy at this Lebanese restaurant was to try and order one of everything. The owner noticed.

Rainbow Rowell

Worshipping at the altar of sweet tea and collards in southwest Atlanta.

Rembert Browne

There are a lot of Indian restaurants in Edison, but I’m loyal to Swagath.

Mayukh Sen

The Charleston restaurant has been passed down from mother to daughters, and their buzzing energy fills the room with love.

Chase Quinn

My first stop off the plane in Puerto Rico is the roadside kiosk where the fried food is crispy and the beer is ice-cold.

Laia Garcia

This diner with wall-to-wall carpeting lets me eat my home fries in peace.

Elaheh Nozari

All preconceived tourist trap or “Florida man” notions you might have of Orlando, and Florida in general, go out the window once you enter the restaurant.

Jason Diamond

A true story of my hapless dating life…and where I ate through it all.

Amanda Shapiro

An ode to Zippy’s, the island’s beloved restaurant chain

Elyse Inamine

Astronauts are hard to spot in the wild, but lunch hour is the great equalizer.

Alex Beggs

Big Chicks was an old-man bar on the north side of Chicago. Then Michelle Fire made it the place everyone went to drink, dance, and hook up in a dark corner.

David Tamarkin

When you want to actually dine in secret, you have to give up one tiny thing: the food.

Jenni Konner

Joe’s Bakery opened 56 years ago. Maggie Flores has been waiting tables there for 48 of those years.

Mike Sutter