The 50 best restaurants in America

We combined six noteworthy lists compiled by food critics, experts, and diners to come up with a definitive ranking of the best restaurants in the country.

The lists we used were The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America 2017, OpenTable's 100 Hottest Restaurants in America, The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the James Beard Foundation's 2017 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists, Eater's The National 38, and the Michelin Guide.

Read on to check out the best places to eat across America:

Talia Avakian and Emmie Martin contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

50. Next

Chef: Grant Achatz, Jenner Tomaska (executive chef), Ed Tinoco (chef de cuisine)

Location: Chicago, Illinois

The second Chicago restaurant from Grant Achatz, Next formats its menus according to a theme — like Paris 1906, Childhood, and Chicago Steak House — and completely changes its offerings every four months.

Similar to tickets to a concert or show, Next sells prepaid reservations to seatings that cost between $125 and $165. The current menu is one inspired by classic Hollywood movies.

49. Grace

Chef: Curtis Duffy

Location: Chicago, Illinois

At Grace, Chef Curtis Duffy puts high-quality ingredients front and center, showcasing each one's natural flavors in a variety of contemporary American-style dishes.

The three-Michelin-starred restaurant offers two nine-course tasting menus, called Flora and Fauna, for $235 per person. They feature selections like Alaskan king crab with cucumber and lemon mint, Australian black truffle with sweet corn and pecorino, and white asparagus with caviar and potatoes.

48. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare

Chef:

47. KYU

Chef: Michael Lewis

Location: Miami, Florida

At KYU, Chef Michael Lewis serves up a diverse menu inspired by his travels and Japanese grilling techniques.

Expect "chilled and refreshing" dishes like a tuna tataki served with fermented chili and citrus, as well as "smoked" offerings like a wagyu beef brisket served with black shichimi pepper.

46. Zuni Cafe

Chef: Gilbert Pilgram (executive chef), Rebecca Boice (chef de cuisine)

Location: San Francisco, California

Zuni Café has a seasonal menu that is often rotating, but it's perhaps best known for its roast chicken. Cooked in a wood-fired brick oven for 60 minutes and intended to be eaten by two people, it comes with a warm bread salad of scallions, garlic, mustard greens, dried currants, and pine nuts.

Don't miss the gâteau victoire for dessert.

45. Acquerello

Chef: Suzette Gresham

Location: San Francisco, California

For fine Italian food in the Bay Area, look no further than Acquerello's opulent dining room and delightful prix-fixe menu, which includes three to five courses of plates like Ora King salmon, squid-ink risotto, and hazelnut-crusted venison.

The restaurant has been a standout in San Francisco for more than two decades and now boasts two Michelin stars.

44. Herbsaint

Chef: Donald Link (executive chef), Rebecca Wilcomb (chef de cuisine)

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Featuring a menu that blends American and French influences, Herbsaint is one of the most beloved restaurants in New Orleans.

Highlights include a beef short rib starter that comes with potato rösti and salsa verde, as well as a duck confit served with dirty rice and a citrus gastrique for an entree.

43. FIG

Chef: Mike Lata, Jason Stanhope (executive chef)

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

Serving an upscale take on classic Southern dishes, FIG has been a large part of Charleston's growth into a culinary destination.

Expect appetizers like a chicken liver pâte with pickles and Dijon, and entrees like a fish stew provençal with shrimp, squid, mussels, and Carolina gold rice.

42. Roister (Chicago)

Chef: Grant Achatz, Andrew Brochu (executive chef)

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Roister, a more casual and hip option in the Alinea Group, was named a "restaurant of the year" by Food & Wine in May.

The menu consists of quirky takes on classic dishes, like a pasta and clam dinner that comes with green chili and limes rather than an Italian sauce. You should also consider ordering one of the ambitious meat dishes — ember-roasted ribeye steak, whole chicken and chamomile, or rohan duck — that are meant to be shared between two to six people.

41. Everest

Chef: Jean Joho

Location: Chicago, Illinois

At Everest, which holds one Michelin star, guests can choose between the seven-course degustation menu, the seven-course vegetarian menu, or three- and four-course prix-fixe menus. Each selection treats guests to elegant French dishes, like magret duck served with marinated turnips, or a filet of sea bass accompanied by potatoes and thyme.

The restaurant, located on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange, just celebrated the 30th anniversary of its opening.

40. Zahav

Chef: Michael Solomonov

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Zahav — which translates to "gold" in Hebrew — is the highly acclaimed creation of Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, who won the prestigious "Outstanding Chef" award from the James Beard Foundation for 2017.

The dinner menu is broken down into three categories: salatim and hummus, mezze, and grilled fish, meats, and veggies.

39. Babbo

Found on the roster of Mario Batali's many creations, Babbo is where you go when you're craving an authentic Italian dish. The focus is on simple but incredibly tasty regional dishes.

The restaurant imports its pasta, specialty cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, and items like balsamic vinegar and prosciutto from Italy, while most of its salumi is prepared in-house.

38. Pineapple and Pearls

Chef: Aaron Silverman

Location: Washington, DC

For a flat rate of $280 a person, including tax, tip, and drinks, diners at Pineapple & Pearls can enjoy an 11-course tasting menu. On offer are creations like a roasted potato ice cream topped with crème frâiche and Osetra caviar, and a chocolate soufflé with a honeycomb ice cream.

You can dine on the same menu at the Chef's Counter and the Bar, the latter of which costs $180 a person. The restaurant earned two stars in the first Washington, DC edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide in 2016.

37. Aureole

Chef: Charlie Palmer,

Location: New York, New York

Aureole, the flagship restaurant in the Charlie Palmer Group, is located inside the Bank of America Tower off of Bryant Park. At dinner, diners can choose between prix-fixe tasting menus of three and five courses.

Expect dishes like a seared Hudson Valley foie gras — served with cherry, turnip, and licorice — and a Moulard duck breast with apricot, chanterelle, and candied shallot.

36. Gotham Bar and Grill

Chef: Alfred Portale (executive chef), Livio Velardo (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

For over 30 years, Gotham Bar and Grill has brought the liveliness of a Paris brasserie to New York's storied Greenwich Village.

The Michelin-starred restaurant makes French food approachable through dishes like miso-marinated black cod with bok choy and roasted heirloom carrots with clementines and feta.

35. Marea

Chef: Michael White, Jared Gadbaw (executive chef), Molly Nickerson (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

Drawing its name from the Italian word for "tide," Marea serves up sophisticated Italian dishes with a strong focus on seafood.

Menu selections at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant include fusilli with red-wine-braised octopus, butter-poached lobster, and a variety of caviars and East Coast oysters.

34. Peter Luger

Owners: Amy Rubenstein, Jody Storch, David Berson (director of operations)

Location: Brooklyn, New York

A beloved Brooklyn institution, Peter Luger has been considered the city's preeminent steakhouse since it was founded in Williamsburg in 1887.

The Forman family has owned the Michelin-starred restaurant since 1950, and they still visit wholesale markets to select cuts of meat, which they age in tightly controlled temperature and humidity conditions in-house.

33. Frasca Food & Wine

32. Restaurant Gary Danko

Choose from seafood selections like horseradish-crusted salmon, or meats like juniper-crusted bison with mushroom and onions. You can enjoy three courses for $87 per person, four courses for $106 per person, or five courses for $124 per person.

31. Café Boulud

Chef: Daniel Boulud, Aaron Bludorn (executive chef)

Location: New York, New York

Just blocks from Central Park on New York's Upper East Side, Café Boulud exhibits proprietor Daniel Boulud's culinary inspirations — seasonal ingredients, vegetables, flavors of world cuisines, and classic French technique — in a four-part menu.

Dishes range from crispy octopus served with chili oil and a yogurt sauce to a nine-herb ravioli with ramps, mushrooms, and fava beans.

30. Spiaggia

Chef: Tony Mantuano, Joe Flamm

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Former President Barack Obama has dubbed the diver scallops at this romantic Italian restaurant one of his favorite things to eat in Chicago.

The Michelin-starred Spiaggia is also notable for its wine program — it's appeared on Wine Enthusiast's list of "America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants" several times.

29. The NoMad

Chef: Daniel Humm

Location: New York, New York

At The NoMad, Chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara — the talent behind the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park — blend influences from Switzerland, California, and New York.

Expect exquisite dishes like venison with roasted butternut squash, whole roasted chicken with foie gras and black truffle, or slow-poached eggs with quinoa.

28. Le Coucou

Chef: Daniel Rose

Location: New York, New York

Le Coucou is the creation of the French-educated chef Daniel Rose and famed restaurateur Stephen Starr.

Its interpretation of French classics — think duck with cherries, foie gras, and black olives, or a a quenelle de brochet with pike and lobster — has earned the restaurant numerous accolades, including this year's James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.

27. Blackbird

Chef: Paul Kahan (executive chef), Ryan Pfeiffer (chef de cuisine)

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Open since 1997, Blackbird has won its fair share of accolades over the years. It has one Michelin star, and its executive chef, Paul Kahan, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2013.

Diners can either order dishes à la carte or opt for the 10-course tasting menu, which costs $130 a person, plus a $70 wine pairing. An aged duck breast served with potato, spring onion, and lavender is among the highlights.

26. Gabriel Kreuther

Chef: Gabriel Kreuther

Location: New York, New York

James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Kreuther brings traditional French techniques from the Alsace region to his eponymous restaurant.

A four-course prix-fixe menu is available for $142 per guest, featuring dishes like a langoustine tartare with flying fish roe and an Australian lamb rack for two, served with parsley root and a fava bean ragoût. You could also upgrade to the chef's carte-blanche menu for $215 a head.

25. Oriole

Chef: Noah Sandoval

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Two-Michelin-starred restaurant Oriole is situated in an unlikely location at the end of an alleyway in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.

Diners can work their way through a 15-course, $190-a-person tasting menu that includes dishes like foie gras with scallop, dried wild blueberry, and oxalis, and a capellini with Australian white truffle, rye berry, and yeast. Executive Chef Noah Sandoval was named a "Best New Chef" by Food & Wine in April.

24. Rose's Luxury

Chef: Aaron Silverman

Location: Washington, DC

Locals line up for hours to dine at Rose's Luxury, Aaron Silverman's first restaurant in Washington, DC, near Capitol Hill. Barack and Michelle Obama have been known to stop by as well — the former president even celebrated his birthday here in 2015.

With standout dishes like a kung pao tofu with Virginia peanuts and broccoli, and a Thai-marinated pork blade steak with Nahm Prik slaw, all meant to be shared, it's clear where the buzz is coming from. Everything ranges from $13 to $16, save for a family-style grilled dorade that costs $37.

23. Coi

Chef: Matthew Kirkley, Justin Mauz (chef de cuisine)

Location: San Francisco, California

22. Momofuku Ko

21. minibar

Chef:

Location: Washington, DC

Minibar is all about pushing the boundaries of what food should be. Each dish seeks to surprise in its presentation, like "This is Not Carrot Cake," a mound of gingerbread with sorbet molded to look like carrots growing out of it, and another dish that requires using a spoon made out of parmesan.

You can dine either at the six-seat Chef's Counter or the even more private José's Table, but it'll set you back quite a bit — prepaid tickets cost $275 per person for a seat at the counter, while it costs $565 per person for the table.

20. Highlands Bar and Grill

Chef: Frank and Pardis Stitt

Location: Birmingham, Alabama

Savory dishes and impeccable service has made Highlands Bar and Grill a favorite in Birmingham since it first opened its doors in 1982.

The iconic spot shifts its menu daily to incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients — think summers filled with okra soft-shell crab and winters of root vegetables and venison — that merge French techniques with Southern flavors.

19. Topolobampo

Chef: Rick and Deann Bayless, Andres Padilla (chef de cuisine)

Location: Chicago, Illinois

A Chicago favorite since it opened in 1989, Topolobampo serves contemporary Mexican cuisine divided into three different tasting menus: the five-course "classic" and "seasonal options, and a special seven-course offering.

You'll see some interesting twists on Mexican classics, like a taco dish that comes with tongue cooked two ways: crispy braised and black pepper cured.

18. The Inn at Little Washington

Chef: Patrick O'Connell

Location: Washington, Virginia

With Chef Patrick O'Connell at the helm, what started as a simple country inn in a former garage in 1978 has grown into a culinary destination.

The two-Michelin-starred Inn at Little Washington serves modern interpretations of dishes from O'Connell's childhood, like a pan-seared Pekin duck breast served with a bundle of Montmorency sour cherries from the inn's orchards. The restaurant serves three tasting menus, each costing $218 per person plus $125 for wine pairings, though they do offer the choice to pick and choose courses from among them.

17. Masa

Chef: Masayoshi Takayama

Location: New York, New York

Expect the freshest fish at Masa, where Chef Takayama prepares each meal like a work of art. He keeps the sushi counter sparse of décor in order to create a blank canvas where the food can be the star.

The experience can get pricey, however, costing $595 per guest. Masa instituted a no-tipping policy last February.

16. Gramercy Tavern

Chef: Michael Anthony (executive chef), Howard Kalachnikoff (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

Restaurateur Danny Meyer opened the contemporary American restaurant Gramercy Tavern in 1994. In the years since, it's earned a Michelin star and spots on many national rankings of notable restaurants.

The focus is on seasonal, rustic ingredients, with entrees that include a cavatelli with pesto, pine nuts, and arrowhead spinach, and a pork belly fried rice with scallions, pepper, and broccoli rabe.

15. The Restaurant at Meadowood

Chef: Christopher Kostow, John Hong (chef de cuisine)

Location: St. Helena, California

The Restaurant at Meadowood

The standard tasting menu at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant costs $275 per head, and there's a counter menu available in the kitchen for $500 per person.

14. The Modern

Chef:

13. Jean-Georges

Jean-Georges blends French, American, and Asian influences to craft an ever-changing menu that focuses on ingredients from the local farmer's market.

12. Manresa

11. Benu

10. The French Laundry

Chef: Thomas Keller, David Breeden (chef de cuisine)

Location: Yountville, California

9. Cosme

Chef: Enrique Olvera, Daniela Soto-Innes (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

Cosme provides an avant-garde take on Mexican food staples. There's an $89 duck carnitas dish that takes nearly four days to prepare, topped with a mixture of sauteed onions, garlic, tomatoes, ancho chili peppers, orange, condensed and evaporated milks, and even Mexican coke.

The restaurant from Mexico City native Enrique Olvera cracked the World's 50 Best Restaurants for the first time this year, coming in at 40th.

8. Daniel

Chef: Daniel Boulud, Jean-Francois Bruel (executive chef), Eddy Leroux (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

At Daniel Boulud's namesake restaurant, Daniel, which boasts two Michelin stars, the chefs draw inspiration from the four seasons, which it translates into upscale French cuisine.

A sampling of dishes might include Long Island fluke with sea urchin and green apple, roasted duck breast topped with a dandelion-flower marmalade, or ravioli filled with braised rabbit and covered in chorizo cream.

7. Saison

Chef: Josh Skenes

Location: San Francisco, California

6. Per Se

Chef: Thomas Keller, Eli Kaimeh (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

5. Quince

4. Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Chef: Dan Barber, Nick Hukezalie

Location: Pocantico Hills, New York

Seated on a working four-season farm, Blue Hill at Stone Barns sources all of its ingredients from the surrounding land or other local farms, aiming to highlight the many flavors of its home in the Hudson Valley.

The farm-to-table spot offers no à la carte options, only the "Grazing, Pecking, Rooting" tasting menu for $258 a head, which highlights fresh, seasonal ingredients.

3. Le Bernardin

Chef: Eric Ripert, Eric Gestel (executive chef)

Location: New York, New York

A New York City classic since 1986, three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin uses French techniques to create exquisitely prepared seafood dishes.

Try the chef's tasting menu for $220 per person, or the Le Bernardin-branded tasting menu for $180 a pop, which include delicacies like seared langoustine foie gras and a crusted red snapper in a white balsamic-anticucho sauce.

2. Eleven Madison Park

Chef: Daniel Humm, Dmitri Magi (chef de cuisine)

Location: New York, New York

Eleven Madison Park continues to impress, earning three Michelin stars and the top spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list this year.

1. Alinea

Chef: