Best Eats in the USA

~ Carmen

The United States is a melting pot of cultures.  You may think of hot dogs and apple pie, but there are a variety foods that are specialities of certain cities and states.  I recently asked other travel bloggers for some of their favorite foods from their hometowns and road trips.

Here is the collection of the best USA eats!


Chicago, Illinois Deep Dish Pizza:

Best Eats in the USA

Chicago, IL Deep Dish Pizza

We love pizza, so imagine how excited we were when we headed to Chicago.  The deep dish pizza is served up throughout the city, with even a mini deep dish available at the Wrigley’s Baseball Stadium.  We loved the graffitied restaurant of Gino’s East and the pizza was simply incredible!  ~ Katie

Read more: Best Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago Gino’s East

Denver, Colorado Farm-to-Table:

Best Eats in the USA

Denver Farm-to-Table

 The Denver food scene can be categorized by three main things: farm-to-table (they love anything with the buzzwords “local and sustainable”), green chile, and pho.  The best way to try a variety of dishes is to take advantage of the many food halls around town like Avanti Food & Beverage, the Source and Denver Central Market.  ~Lauren

Kansas City, Kansas Barbecue:

Best Eats in the USA

Kansas City Barbecue

One of the most popular dishes across America is barbecue, and it is made in several different styles.  This past summer on a road trip I passed through Kansas City and of course had to try Kansas City-style barbecue!  Kansas City-style barbecue is slow-smoked over a variety of woods and then covered with a thick tomato and molasses based sauce.

It’s the barbecue sauce that sets Kansas City-style barbecue apart.  The style can be traced back to Henry Perry, the “father” of modern day barbecue, who, in 1908, began selling slow-cooked ribs out of a trolley barn in Kansas City.  His ribs became so popular because of the method he used, that the practice soon spread to other meats and, well, the rest is history. The one place to go in Kansas City is Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.  ~Carrie & Albert

Read more: Kansas City BBQ

Memphis, Tennessee Pork Barbecue:

Best Eats in the USA

Memphis Pork Barbecue

We live right outside Memphis, Tennessee.  Whenever we have friends or family visit, we always tell them you have to try the barbecue!  Memphis Barbecue means pork cooked low and slow with a sweet and tangy sauce.  Whether it’s ribs, pulled pork, or barbecue nachos, Memphis barbecue is best eaten on a hot summer evening with coleslaw, baked beans, and a cold beer.
At any one time there are at least one hundred restaurants in Memphis specializing in pork barbecue.  We spent four months visiting twenty of the top rated Memphis BBQ joints and never got tired of this must-eat meat treat! ~ Carmen & Joe

Nashville, Tennessee Hot Chicken

Best Eats in the USA

Nashville Hot Chicken

Nashville is well known for its hot chicken, which is a marinated breast, thigh, or wing caked in a cayenne pepper paste before frying and served on white bread with pickle chips.  Hot chicken is widely purported to have originated as an act of revenge within the Prince family, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in the city, when a girlfriend of Thorton Prince III, the original owner of the Shack, was angry about his womanizing and exacted her revenge by making him fried chicken with extra pepper.  
Her plan, however, backfired.  Thorton ended up loving the chicken so much, he and his brothers developed their own recipe and went into business, or so the story goes. The place to try it is Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish! Make sure you have a drink and listen to their advice regarding the spicy-ness of the chicken. It’s HOT!  
~ Carrie & Albert
Read more: Nashville Weekend

 Portland, Oregon Food Carts:

Best Eats in the USA

Portland Food Carts

Food carts are important to Portland’s culture because each cart represents a fusion of cultures in every bite. Portland truly is a mixing pot of diversity. The city also supports local businesses over chain restaurants. Owning your own food cart is a great achievement here. We ate our way through the 5 neighborhoods of Portland, known so by the locals: Mississippi-Albina in North Portland, Alberta Arts in Northeast Portland, Belmont of the Southeast area, Clinton-Division, and downtown Portland.  ~Maegan

Read more: Drinking Your Way Through Portland, Oregon

Raleigh, North Carolina Shrimp & Grits:

Best Eats in the USA

Rayleigh Shrimp & Grits

A few years ago I made the decision to split my time between the NY tri-state area and Raleigh, North Carolina. I love the south – the pace of it, its food, its moderate climate, and the friendly people. Every time I see this item on a menu, which is often, I joke it’s why I made the move: Shrimp ‘n Grits! This southern favorite is a specialty of the area and North and South Carolina do it best.
The creaminess of the grits, the punch of bacon that’s often added or some sort of delicious broth for gravy, and properly cooked shrimp make this a favorite. Top it with green onion for extra yummy seasoning and you have a delicious taste of the south all in one dish. Because the Carolinas are close to the coast/Atlantic ocean, the addition of shrimp to such a southern staple as grits is truly the icing on the cake!
~ Mikkel @ sometimeshome.com

St. Louis, Missouri Brunch:

Best Eats in the USA

St. Louis Brunch

St. Louis has made itself a reputation on pizza, toasted ravioli, and that oh so delicious gooey butter cake. But something else they’re known for is brunch. St. Louis is the KING of brunch. With many different restaurant styles and places to choose from you’re sure to have your weekends full of awesome food. Hiro Asian Kitchen offers unqiue menu options such as Green Tea Waffles and even Breakfast Ramen. Scape, another popular spot, has a create your own Bloody Mary bar and gives each patron complimentary beignets as they wait for the main course. If you find yourself in St. Louis for a weekend sure, get the toasted ravs, but don’t miss out on brunch!  ~ Logan & Kallsy

Read more: St. Louis, Missouri

 

So do you have a favorite USA food?  Please share by commenting below!  

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Best Eats in the USA

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