American gastronomy is an extraordinary patchwork of immigrant traditions, regional cuisines and modern innovation. Far from the sole fast-food and hamburger cliché, the US hosts one of the world's most creative culinary scenes — NYC, San Francisco, LA, New Orleans rank among planetary food capitals.
Regional cuisines structure culinary identity. New England carries clam chowder (creamy clam soup), lobster roll (brioche lobster sandwich, Maine), Boston baked beans. The South carries soul food (fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, cornbread, sweet potato pie, Afro-American heritage) and regional BBQ (Memphis ribs, Kansas City brisket, Texas brisket, Carolina pulled pork). Louisiana carries Cajun creole cuisine (gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée, po'boy, beignets, alligator) — one of the most distinct in the US, French-Spanish-African-Caribbean blend. Texas and Southwest carry Tex-Mex (tacos, fajitas, chili con carne, queso, margaritas) and beef barbecue. Florida carries Cuban cuisine (Cuban sandwich, ropa vieja, café cubano) and key lime pie. California carries farm-to-table (Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Berkeley), fusion cuisine (Mexican, Asian, Latin) and California pizza. The Midwest carries deep dish pizza Chicago, Coney Island hot dogs. New York carries thin pizza (Joe's, Lombardi's, Di Fara), bagels (H&H, Russ & Daughters), Jewish delis (Katz's pastrami, Carnegie Deli), steakhouses (Peter Luger, Keens).
Essential dishes: hamburger (from Shake Shack for the rushed traveller to chef gourmet smashed), hot dog (Nathan's Coney Island, Pink's in LA), pizza (NY-style by the slice, deep dish Chicago, California pizza), steak (Peter Luger Brooklyn, Mastro's, Bavette's), BBQ ribs and brisket (Franklin Barbecue Austin, Joe's Kansas City), gumbo and jambalaya (Dooky Chase, Commander's Palace New Orleans), soul food (Sylvia's Harlem), Tex-Mex (Mi Tierra San Antonio), Cuban sandwich (Versailles Miami), key lime pie (Joe's Stone Crab Miami), lobster roll (Red's Eats Maine), clam chowder in bread bowl (Boudin San Francisco), cheesecake (Junior's NYC), donuts (Voodoo Doughnut Portland), fried chicken (Howlin' Ray's LA, Hattie B's Nashville), pancakes and waffles at breakfast (IHOP, Waffle House in the South), apple pie à la mode.
Drinks: American coffee (Starbucks omnipresent since Seattle, Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Intelligentsia for enthusiasts), craft beer (3,000+ microbreweries, Portland Oregon and Denver craft capitals), California wines (Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Valley — Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel), Oregon wines (Willamette Valley Pinot Noir), Finger Lakes wines (NY State, Riesling), bourbons and whiskeys (Kentucky: Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace; Tennessee: Jack Daniel's, George Dickel), cocktails (Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Mint Julep, Margarita, Mai Tai invented at Trader Vic's, Moscow Mule, Cosmopolitan). Bar tipping is expected ($1-2 per drink, 15-20% on tab).
Read also
- East Coast — New York, Boston, Washington: the urban and historical heart of the US.
- California — Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego: cinema, tech, mythical beaches and spectacular nature.
- Western Parks — Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite: the world's greatest natural landscape reservoirs.
- Florida — Miami, Orlando, Keys: beach, Disney, Everglades and the Latin dimension of the South.
- Hawaii — Honolulu, Maui, Big Island: the most accessible US tropical archipelago.