Restaurants

The story behind Aleppo Sweets, a haven for homesick Syrians and one of our 50 nominees for America's best new restaurants

We keep seeing plush, soft blankets at restaurants for chilly customers. What does it all mean?

After we spent months traveling the country and eating ourselves into a state of jaded, overfed delirium, these 10 restaurants were the places that snapped us out of it. They reminded us that tasting menus can still inspire awe; that a classic steak tartare can taste brand-new alongside the right glass of cloudy Chenin Blanc; and that an egg salad sandwich lunch can be so damn good that you think about it while you’re eating dinner, and long after you’ve left town. These are the restaurants that reminded us just how special dining out can be.

The chef and owner behind our No. 2 Best New Restaurant in America, Khao Noodle Shop, shares his story.

It’s my favorite way to chill out on a Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn.

From the rich bowls of boat noodles to the crazy charcuterie boards to the spicy strawberry sotol, one thing is clear: Texas’ oft-skipped city is no longer skippable.

At Sandwich Hag, Reyna Duong leads a team of people with different abilities, including those with Down syndrome, and she’s paving the way for more restauranteurs to do the same.

From a quirky hand-roll counter in Seattle to a Providence café making the flakiest baklava, these are the places we can't stop thinking about.

This Seattle scoop shop makes an exceedingly creamy version, with not an ice granule to be found.

After four years, chef Brooks Headley is still making my favorite versions.

Come for the Western vibes, stay for the moules frites.

And it’s made with Michigan shrimp! I still can’t get over that.

It’s got the perfect amount of heat and tons of flavor.

At the Houston restaurant, actual brothers Robin and Terry Wong and pitmaster Quy Hoang bring their respective roots to barbecue.

Sorry, but it’s true.

Atrium is where it’s at.

Fat anchovy + briny olive + sharp guindilla pepper = perfection.

True story.

Flaky chapati FTW.

Hint: They’re hot, toasty, savory…and steeped in Atlanta dining history.

The housemade baked goods are worth the 45-minute drive—and getting over my fear of the ocean.

I ordered this drink based on the name alone. How could you not?!

The Dirt Bomb at Bantam Bread is a cinnamon sugar-dusted bundle of joy.

This decidedly not-spicy dish is the move at Denver’s Hop Alley.

Marrow only makes 10 sandwiches a day, so if you’re in Detroit, snag one.

It’s got oysters, tinned fish, refreshing wine, and, oh, caviar.

Pollo a la Brasa is always my first meal off the plane.

This delightful new Atlanta cafe mills its own grains, and would never make me wait two hours for a mostly-orange-juice mimosa.