Jenny Miller

It’s not easy to narrow down the best Mexican restaurants in America, so lucky are we to be saturated with the cooking of our South-of-the-Border neighbor in all its wonderful regional variety. But as any good mole- or taco-hound knows, some restaurants rise to the head of the pack, from the new-school, innovative cooking headed up by Rick Bayless at his Mexican restaurants in Chicago to the best burritos in San Francisco’s Mission District to out-of-the-way joints in the West and Southwest sure to inspire your next road trip to the best Mexican restaurants in L.A., including the killer Oaxacan cooking at Guelaguetza. Below, the best Mexican restaurants in America—ranked.

Japanese food seems to be available everywhere these days, at strip-mall restaurants offering lunchtime bento fixes and at trendy ramen joints in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin. (For our picks, check out our list of the best ramen restaurants in America.) On this list, we celebrate the very best Japanese food we’ve ever tasted: restaurants that serve incredibly fresh sushi and sashimi (for more, check our picks for the best sushi restaurants in America), often with innovative twists. They offer expertly crafted traditional dishes, as well as modern takes that fuse American techniques and flavors with ancient practices. And we love them a little extra if they serve great sake and Japanese craft beer. Join us in raising a glass (kanpai!) to the best Japanese restaurants in America.

It’s not easy to narrow down the best Mexican restaurants in America, so lucky are we to be saturated with the cooking of our South-of-the-Border neighbor in all its wonderful regional variety. But as any good mole- or taco-hound knows, some restaurants rise to the head of the pack, from the new-school, innovative cooking headed up by Rick Bayless at his Mexican restaurants in Chicago to the best burritos in San Francisco’s Mission District to out-of-the-way joints in the West and Southwest sure to inspire your next road trip to the best Mexican restaurants in L.A., including the killer Oaxacan cooking at Guelaguetza. Below, the best Mexican restaurants in America—ranked.

Not to be confused with old-school cafés, diners and luncheonettes, today’s so-called “third-wave” coffeeshops are all about micro-roasting, new brewing methods and sourcing directly from tiny, far-flung producers. Coffee connoisseurs also increasingly want strong, cold-brew iced coffee and innovative drinks that might be carbonated, shaken or otherwise messed with by the mad scientists who stand in for baristas these days. From NYC to San Francisco, the new crop of great American coffeeshops provides all this and more.

Okay, we’re wading into dangerous territory here: Declaring the best dim sum restaurants in America is a task sure to excite the same level of furious disagreement that we faced when we endeavoured to rank the best Mexican restaurants and best sushi restaurants in America. Because people are passionate about their dim sum. But so are we—nothing pleases us more than a steamer full of har gow straight from the cart—which is why we pushed forward with the task. From Chinatown in San Francisco to downtown Manhattan to Miami, Vegas, Portland and beyond, these restaurants do little-dishes-on-carts (and sometimes not on carts) better than the rest. They’re the best dim sum restaurants and, if you’re a dim sum lover, your foodie bucket list.

While imitation is the goal of many Neapolitan purists, who import their 00 flour and San Marzano tomatoes for Italian authenticity, the best pizza in America also spans regional styles like deep-dish Chicago pizza, Detroit’s square slices and New Haven’s coal-fired pies. We rank the country’s finest purveyors, from classic cheap pizza joints to gourmet eateries. So, for the best pizza in America, follow your nose to the pizzerias below. Follow Time Out USA on Facebook; sign up for the Time Out USA newsletter

Not to be confused with old-school cafés, diners and luncheonettes, today’s so-called “third-wave” coffeeshops are all about micro-roasting, new brewing methods and sourcing directly from tiny, far-flung producers. Coffee connoisseurs also increasingly want strong, cold-brew iced coffee and innovative drinks that might be carbonated, shaken or otherwise messed with by the mad scientists who stand in for baristas these days. From NYC to San Francisco, the new crop of great American coffeeshops provides all this and more. Follow Time Out USA on Facebook; sign up for the Time Out USA newsletter

While imitation is the goal of many Neapolitan purists, who import their 00 flour and San Marzano tomatoes for Italian authenticity, the best pizza in America also spans regional styles like deep-dish Chicago pizza, Detroit’s square slices and New Haven’s coal-fired pies. We rank the country’s finest purveyors, from classic cheap pizza joints to gourmet eateries.

It’s a bit of a stretch to call Bao & Noodle a dim sum restaurant. What it is though is a darn good newish creative Chinese restaurant in the Marigny, a key player in NOLA’s new-school Chinese boom (along with Red’s Chinese). A person could, however, arrive at lunchtime and cobble together a menu of snacks and small bites that would rival some of the country’s best dim sum joints, starting with scallion pancakes, a mock-duck curry bao and the Burmese tea salad. But that would missing out on the house specialty, hand-made noodles served with shrimp and XO sauce or cumin lamb, among other options. (But also, why not just have it all?)

You might miss the carts at Bubor Cha Cha, one of several great dim sum options in Boston’s Chinatown, but not only will the fun pictorial menu possibly entice you to try something new, the food at this student favorite arrives reliably fresh, since it’s cooked to order. On the dim sum menu, you’ll find all the classics, including great chicken feet in black bean sauce and steamed BBQ pork buns; be sure to also do as the regulars do and order the pan-fried stuffed eggplants.

This one’s not traditional dim sum, either—in fact, it’s not even Asian food (so throw all throw har gow you want at us for including it)—but Gunshow’s format is inspired by the serendipity of the Chinese brunch experience. Inside the raw, industrial space, which is dominated by an open kitchen and the restaurant’s name splashed in huge letters above that, chefs, including owner, Top Chef veteran and James Beard semifinalist Kevin Gillespie, make the rounds with trays or carts peddling the evening’s dishes as they’re ready. Small bites come first: perhaps breaded head cheese with mustard and pickles, then salads, followed by larger plates, everything from barbecue to foie gras. (We’re dodging those dumplings right about now!) Call the cuisine what you will—you’ll definitely call it delicious.

You’ll find Chinese families, hungover young people and anyone who likes a bargain crowding into this super-popular 82nd Avenue dumpling slinger, which opened five years ago but rivals the hood’s other longstanding favorites. On weekends, try to avoid the midday rush, since there’s nowhere to wait and you may be sent outside in Portland’s drizzle until your turn comes. During the week things are calmer, and cheaper—prices drop to $2.50 a plate for all items, including HK must-haves like shumai and turnip cakes.

Perhaps you’ve heard well-traveled foodie friends moan about this place when they dined there in Singapore or Taiwan? No need to book a ticket to Asia: Din Tai Fung has a growing number of U.S. outposts, including several in Southern California and two in the Seattle area—one in the University District and one in Bellevue. Soup dumplings, a.k.a. xiao long bao—or here, “juicy pork dumplings”—are the thing to order; these delicate teardrop-shaped pouches of tastiness are served in their metal steamer tray, ready to have their piping hot broth carefully slurped with a dash of black vinegar and a sliver of ginger, and the meaty filling coaxed out after.

Okay, yes, this Vegas Chinese favorite is located inside a casino, the Gold Coast, but it’s off the strip, edging in the direction of all the great Asian food in Spring Valley. Ping Pang Pong’s menu is designed for visiting Chinese (gambling) guests to find a taste of wherever is home in China—and that includes terrific Cantonese dim sum, including shrimp dumplings, eggplant with shrimp, and other small bites served in steamer baskets from pushcarts. At lunchtime, a.k.a. dim sum o’clock, you might find lines.

One type of Mexican food that shouldn’t be overlooked is the Ensenada-style fish taco, a hotly contested category in close-to-the-border San Diego. The debate about who does it best will never stop raging, but for many seafood lovers the answer lies at Chula Vista taco truck-turned-hole-in-the-wall Mariscos German, where the fish is breaded to an ideal golden brown crunchiness, then topped with chopped cabbage and creamy sauce. The menu features a other kinds of seafood, like shrimp and marlin, available as tacos, burritos, cocktails or tostadas. One impressive favorite is the tostada loca, a mix of marinated seafood accompanied by crispy tortillas.

This beloved restaurant in the Braintree neighborhood is generally regarded as the best Mexican food in Boston. Hearty dishes, including enchiladas in salsa verde and a house specialty of chicken or beef stewed with potatoes in a smoky chile ancho salsa, are some of the favorites on the from-scratch menu. There’s sangria to wash it down, and desserts like plantains topped with cajeta (a goat’s-milk caramel) are worth saving room for. A friendly staff and festive, inviting atmosphere, with traditional wooden chairs and colorful South of the Border tchotchkes have kept Bostonites coming back for nearly 30 years.