One Stop Shops
This list is for cities where I could not find enough noteworthy spots to justify their own city page. However, if I return to these cities, I would love to add more and create a city page if possible. While some of these spots are in cities/towns that are so small, I have little faith there are other noteworthy joints besides the ones I have listed. I hope you can find some food for yourself all over the country here.
BBQ/Ribs
Rank: 4
Easily the highest-ranking meal on this entire list and one of the best on my overall list as well. Pappy’s provides an elite meal; the ribs are the killer here. The rest of the meat and selections are great, but the ribs are EASILY the best option on the menu. The original BBQ sauce at Pappy’s will most likely soon cover most of your rack, or two if you are as daring as I am. The BBQ sauce is absolutely killer, and combining it with these amazingly tasty ribs is surely one of the best meals I have had in my life. The last time I was at Pappy’s, I ate two racks of ribs. It took me about an hour (gotta enjoy these ribs!), and I got looks like I was a monster, like people were proud of me, and like people were just plain disappointed. I, of course, did not give a shit about any of that as I was fully entrenched in my position, devouring these ribs. Going out of your way for Pappy’s ribs is a must, and I highly recommend it before and/or after seeing the arch. to me, it is the most important must-see in the city. These ribs are the best ribs I have had outside of Texas (and the best meal I have had outside of Texas), and by god, that does not disappoint whether you are a Texas BBQ truther, a southern BBQ lover, a BBQ lover in general, or just a flat out meat enthusiast.
Other reccs in St. Louis(haven’t been to): World’s Fair Donuts, John Donut, Bogart’s
Pizza
Rank: 53
Natives from Chicago will not be pleased that their city does not have its own page. And while I apologize for that, I truly hope the ranking of Giordano’s can provide some solace. Giordano’s is one of the best pizzas I have ever had in my life, and while some may argue that it is not pizza, I will say it is for the sake of my rankings. Giordano’s is absolutely fabulous, it is a massive and beautiful undertaking downing one of these pies by yourself, and by god, I love it every time. This pizza is to die for, so please enjoy it while you are in the windy city.
Pizza
Rank: 63
Alright, hopefully, another appeasement to Chicago will be another high ranking of yet another Chicago staple. Lou’s coming in just outside the top 50 of my overall rankings just to show you how great the OG deep dish is in Chicago. My god, Lou’s is tasty as hell, and you need to try both Lou’s and Giordano’s when you are in the city because, by golly, Chicago natives love to fight over which is better. Lou’s, while not up near Giordano’s for me, still ranks extremely high and is so damn good. I mean, come on, this pizza is just killer, and if you don’t think so, I just doubt you have eaten this heavy pie from heaven. I hope you can snag yourself a pie when you are in Chicago, there are plenty of Lou’s around, like Giordano’s and that should help ease the burden of having to go too far out of your way to get a taste of the Chicago feud over pizza.
Indian/Chicken Shwarma Wrap
Rank: 91
The second installment in our trio of restaurants in Salt Lake City. Curry Fried Chicken is damn delicious Indian food, and while all of their menu is fantastic, there is a clear stand-out. And why you may think it would be the Curry Fried Chicken, it is the Chicken Shwarma Wrap.
This wrap is heads and shoulders above the rest of the offerings at this spectacular Indian restaurant. The wrap is perfectly cooked and compliments the shawarma so well. The chicken is seasoned as perfectly as you could imagine, and their house sauce in the wrap is just so good. The wrap is not that spicey so no need to worry about that too much. And, of course, a house salad is lobbed into the beautiful wrap that far more people should devour. It is just an ideal wrap you can grab and go or sit and devour.
Mexican/Queso Fries
Rank: 108
Andele’s Dog House is a fantastic, small joint in Las Cruces that provides top-tier Mexican food. The best food on the menu was easily the queso fries, and while the rest of my meal here was fantastic, the queso fries definitely stood apart. The atmosphere in this classic hole-in-the-wall is absolutely amazing, and the damn queso fries are the best fries I have had in my life. While I do not know if it counts as a “standard fry” since it is covered in cheese and meat, it is tasty. These fries are the gold jewel here, and I definitely recommend picking some up if you are anywhere near Las Cruces.
Bakery/Traditional Cuban Meat Pie
Rank: 110
Holy hell this bakery slaps all over the menu. The items here are fantastic, from pastries to macarons to superb Cuban meat Pie. I will get to the meat pie in a second, but I want to make a special note of the heavenly macarons I enjoyed here. While the meat pie I enjoyed more, the macarons were also noteworthy and should be ordered alongside the meat pie. But back to the business at hand. These meat pies are heavenly! It is a flaky pastry with a little crunch, but also soft. That is encasing a meat pie of pork, tomatoes, olives, sofrito, and, well, a bunch of other amazing ingredients. It is just a delectable pie that has meat seasoned to perfection in a pastry that is cooked beautifully. This is a must-stop in Salt Lake City; check out my live reaction here.
Brunch
Rank: 115
The highest-ranking food in Fort Lauderdale is an amazing brunch spot that also has fantastic pastries. Top Hat has such an amazing array of brunch options that I simply cannot recommend anything to ensure you have while you are here. Everything is so tasty here that you cannot go wrong. Get whatever you want and devour it! The only thing is a must: sample a few of their pastries while you wait for your food and then bring some home afterward. The pastries here are just damn delicious, and their cookies are also great. Enjoy great brunch options here, and get ready for some amazing pastries as well.
Pizza
Rank: 119
Blue Pan Pizza makes an fabulous pie in Denver, specializing in the Detroit Style. Denver is a great city with many sites to enjoy, but Blue Pan is where you want to make a special trip to snag their pies. The Brooklyn Bridge is what I had, and I recommend it, but their whole menu looks exceptionally delicious. Blue Pan is one of the best pizzas I have had, and if you take NYC and Chicago out of the equation, Blue Pan is the third-best pie I have had the pleasure of devouring. I hope you can do the same thing at either of their two locations in Denver.
Bakery/Donuts
Rank: 123
There are two Long’s Bakeries in Indy, and I’d bet all the money I have that both always have a line out the door. These lines are there rightfully, so up until I visited Portland (seemingly the donut capital of the world), these donuts were right up there and were the best I had eaten. And while they have fallen off that pedestal, they still are delicious. Getting a hot dozen yeast glazed here early in the morning is a killer way to start the day, and I can think of a few better starts to my days. Long’s is an amazing bakery that has a wide array of donuts and various pastries, and while everything made here, I am sure, is top-notch. The donuts are what I had and most recommend, and I will say no different: come get the donuts and leave as satisfied as anyone could be.
German Deli/Pork Leg
Rank: 176
The final installment from my time in Salt Lake is a fantastic little German Deli in downtown Salt Lake. This little shop has great Reubons and schnitzel, and their pork leg is their headliner. The meat here is so tender and juicy and is seasoned so beautifully. The reasons are damn delicious, but their pork leg should be ordered in advance unless you like living on the edge. They run out of the pork legs, and calling ahead to secure one is what I would do. However, I was lucky enough to get there last one when I went, and whew they are damn delicious.
Fries
Rank: 206
French Fries at the beach have a different meaning when you can have Thrasher’s. I must say this is the only place on my list where I need to give you specific instructions so you can fully experience the deliciousness of Thrasher’s.
You MUST, I repeat, MUST smother these fries in salt AND vinegar. They will have it on the side, and you have to ask for more; you need all of the vinegar and the salt. These fries should be drenched and dripping when you eat them, a pool of vinegar at the bottom of the bucket means you are doing it right. And equally as much salt to accompany that vinegar will be what you must do. Without doing both of these steps correctly, you simply will not understand the flavor potential of these fries.
Now that the instructions are out of the way, you can devour the best fries, which are just the fries I have had, and I simply don’t understand how they could be topped. While I have said that before about my food ultimatums, and I love to be proved wrong on those. For now, these fries are in a tier of their own for stand-alone value as a fry. Simply put, if you smother these fries properly, there are no other fries I would rather have by themselves. I have gone to get these fries on a cold day in January on the boardwalk, a hot sunny day in July, and a brisk day in March. And it was just as good every damn time. Smother them properly, and you will not be disappointed.
Pizza/Diavola
Rank: 219
While I only have one noteworthy place for those of you in Flagstaff, Pizzicletta will not disappoint. The Diavola pizza here is simply a must, a little bit of kick with a little bit of honey always seems to go a long way on a pizza, and this pie is no different. I tried another pie here, and unfortunately it was not noteworthy, and that is why I definitely recommend including the Diavola in the array of pizzas you choose to devour while in Flagstaff.
BBQ
Rank: 224
Jack Stack BBQ is showing up for Kansas City and putting their BBQ on their map in my rankings. While I know there are a plethora of BBQ joints you can go to in KC, Jack Stack is where I went while traveling through. Of course, I had a platter of ribs, burnt ends, pulled pork, and brisket. The favorite here was actually the burnt ends, and they showed a nice mix of crunchy and delicious juice. The burnt ends were moist and had just the right amount of black on the end.
The rest of the platter was good, the ribs and brisket were definitely in a league above the pulled pork, and I would say are easily worth devouring at Jack Stack. However, I believe the pulled pork here was worth skipping over in favor of more burnt ends.
Jack Stack is an attempt at making BBQ fancy, and while it succeeds in its lofty goal boasting a fancy BBQ joint that has the atmosphere of a date night vibe. The BBQ is good enough for anyone to forget that this could be a fancy date meal. Jack Stack is a great spot for some killer BBQ, and stopping in for some amazing meat here is a must when in KC.
Cuban
Rank: 235
A Cuban restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, say less! Once again, I have nothing specifically to recommend here, as it is all fantastic. The waiters will most likely come up to you speaking Spanish, expecting you to be able to order in Spanish. However, it is not a requirement as most of the staff seem to speak English as well. But that is just a beautiful sign when you walk into a restaurant, and you will know it is authentic Cuban as soon as you take a bite of whatever you order. Everything here is fantastic, so definitely make sure you come by and enjoy it while in Fort.
Pizza
Rank: 258
Mario’s is a beautiful place to snag a pie in St. Paul! Their square pies are perfected with cupped pepperonis that a man dreams of, and their sauce is absolutely delicious. However, I believe the highlight at Mario’s is the crust. It is perfectly crunchy and fluffy and just all-around delectable. Mario’s is a must if you are in the Twin Cities looking for a pizza.
Burgers
Rank: 264
Red Cow is a very popular place to snag a burger in Minneapolis, and you will see why as soon as you take your first bite. I only had one burger here, the double barrel, however I have confidence whatever burger suits your fancy will hit the spot for you. The double barrel is nothing fancy when it comes to burgers, however Red Cow’s special sauce is clearly the standout here. It is simply a smash burger that will always hit the spot when you are in the mood for a quality burger.
Italian
Rank: 289
Mama Carolla’s is a nice, fancy, Italian joint that serves killer dinners for date night or like me a night out for yourself on a food tour. I was recommended the chicken rigatoni by multiple waitstaff and told to add sausage to it for a stellar meal. And I could not deny the waitstaff, and they were not wrong. This meal was a glorious feast that I absolutely loved. The whole menu looked damn good, and I wholeheartedly believe you could not go wrong with anything on the menu. This rigatoni itself takes it to 73 on my overall list, and I believe you could definitely stray from my specific recc here and enjoy anything on this fantastic menu. I must also say the atmosphere at Mama Carolla’s was amazing.
Another recc in Indy(They were out of dough) King Dough Pizzas
American Grill/Headwiches
Rank: 328
Pittsburgh makes a surprise entry on the list as Steel City has a grill on the South Side with iconic sandwiches, AKA Headwiches. These Headwiches are the best item on the menu at Fat Head’s. The expert pastrami is my personal favorite, and my runner-up is Mark’s Mighty Fine Bovine. Both of these Headwiches are stacked with meat, sauce, and an array of condiments. The bread is also a nice compliment to the rest of the Headwich.
The Headwiches here my get overshadowed by the infamous sandwiches with fries in them right across the street. But Fat Head’s easily makes a superior sandwich. Primanti’s is a Pittsburgh staple and must be had while in the city, but do not expect it to be nearly as tasty as Fat Heads, or even worthy of mentioning in more than passing here.
Fat Head’s is in an exquisite location where many of the best bars in the city are located, and starting off with some great beer and food at Fat Head’s will surely lead you down a path to a great night.
German & Czech/Schnitzel
Rank: 331
Little Gretel is a great little German and Czech restaurant outside San Antonio, and boy does it get German food right. The Schnitzel here is tremendous. I had the Rahm Schnitzel, and it was extremely good. I know coming it at 90 on my almost 100 rankings list may seem rough. But if Little Gretel were not noteworthy, it would not be on the list at all. I fully believe the rest of the menu here would not disappoint, and I definitely think all of the German and Czech specialties offered here are great options after the experience I enjoyed. I hope you can make a trip out to Little Gretel to enjoy a uniquely German experience that serves killer grub.
Burgers/Fries
Rank: 344
Now, Nook may have a fairly low ranking overall, but that should not deter you from coming here. This is actually a stop that I would say is a must when in the Twin Cities for vibes alone. It seems like a bar however Nook has a bowling alley underneath where you can bowl and eat some delicious food and have a drink or two if you are up for it. While the “stuffed” burgers are their specialty here, I would not say that is a must-try as the burger was pretty average, in my opinion. That being said, the highlight of Nook is its fries. These fries are damn good and are an amazing snack to have while you bowl. So definitely come by Nook for an amazing time whenever you are in the area.