Restaurants in North America
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A
Joe Jack’s Fish Shack
Seafood aficionados flock to this joint for fish and chips, garlic shrimp, whole red snapper and great slabs of mahi mahi. Large groups are graciously accommodated on the pleasant rooftop terrace. The service is jovial and quick, and the music classic rock.
reviewed
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B
In-N-Out Burger
At California’s famous In-N-Out, where the beef patties are never frozen and the potatoes are hand-diced daily, there’s a secret menu. Ask for your burger ‘animal style’ (with mustard, an onion-grilled bun and extra-special sauce).
reviewed
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C
Montage
This beloved Creole nightspot under the Morrison Bridge has long, white-clothed community tables, aggressively oddball waiting staff, oyster shooters, streetwine cocktails and legendary macaroni and cheese.
reviewed
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D
Café du Monde
Du Monde is overrated, but you're probably gonna go there, so here goes: the coffee is decent and the beignets (square, sugar-coated fritters) are inconsistent. The atmosphere is off-putting: you're a number forced through the wringer, trying to shout over Bob and Fran while they mispronounce 'jambalaya' and a street musician badly mangles John Lennon's 'Imagine.' At least it's open 24 hours.
reviewed
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E
Stash Café
Hearty Polish cuisine is served up with good humor in a dining room with seats made of church pews and daringly low red lights illuminating the tables. Staff range from warm and gregarious to completely stand-offish, but the food is consistent, with quality fare like pierogy (dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese, with sour cream) and potato pancakes with apple sauce. An enthusiastic pianist hammers away from time to time.
reviewed
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F
Veselka
A bustling tribute to the area’s Ukrainian past, Veselka dishes out borscht and stuffed cabbage amid the usual suspects of greasy comfort food. The cluttered spread of tables is available to loungers and carbo-loaders all night long, though it's a favorite any time of day.
reviewed
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G
Afterwords Café & Kramerbooks
Generations of DC intelligentsia swear by this combination awesome bookstore and awesome squared brunch spot. Food is simple but very pleasing stuff, stick to your bones but pleasingly innovative – pecan-crusted catfish with hollandaise, anyone? Browsing the stacks before stuffing our guts is a favorite way to spend Washington weekends.
reviewed
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Restaurante Natura
Styled after the successful 100% Natural chain, this little bistro offers up a good mix of natural and vegetarian Mexican cuisine.
reviewed
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H
Eatery
Wooden booths, lava lamps and a neon ‘miso horny’ sign are all part of the ambience at this pop-culture reinvention of the traditional sushi joint. Bring your manga comic and dip into the giant, well-priced menu of soba bowls, curry-rice and several sushi combos, all washed down with a good selection of Japanese and Canadian bottled beers. There are plenty of vegetarian options, including some shareable platters for all those veggies who travel in packs.
reviewed
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I
360°
You don't need to tell us that dining at the top of the CN Tower is an obvious cliché, and it's damn pricey too, but come on, how can you compete with those views?! Even if the food was ordinary (which it most certainly isn't), there would be no better place in Toronto, if not Canada, for a high-class meal and a conversation about mankind's magnificent achievements. And the elevator ride is free!
reviewed
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J
Schwartz’s
Known far and wide, this old-time Hebrew deli is widely considered to serve the best smoked meat in Montréal whether it’s brisket, duck, chicken or turkey, all piled high on sourdough rye bread. The Romanian-style meat is cured on the premises and aged without chemicals. You can order it fat, medium (recommended) or lean. Expect long lines.
reviewed
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K
Bizzarro
With a name like Bizzarro you’d never guess that this Wallingford hotbed is an excellent neighborhood Italian cafe. When you learn that it’s actually someone’s garage crammed with kitschy art and weird antiques, the name makes sense. Deliciously buttery pasta dishes, a good wine list and frequent live music add to the experience.
reviewed
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L
Da-De-O
A classic diner restaurant serving Cajun food, Da-De-O competes for the prize of Edmonton's most memorable eating joint. With retro jukeboxes, art-deco lighting and some jazz etchings on the wall, the decor is eye-catching and interesting, while the food – oysters, jambalaya and filling po'boys – is the stuff of Louisiana legend. The perennial highlight is the spice-dusted sweet potato fries. Forget the Big Easy. Save the airfare and eat here.
reviewed
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M
Whole Foods Market
The flagship of the Austin-founded Whole Foods Market is a gourmet grocery and cafe with restaurant counters and a staggering takeaway buffet, including self-made salads, global mains, deli sandwiches and more.
reviewed
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N
Escape from New York Pizza
The Haight's obligatory mid-bender stop for a hot slice. Pesto with roasted garlic and potato will send you blissfully off to carbo-loaded sleep, but the sundried tomato with goat cheese, artichoke hearts and spinach will recharge you to go another round.
reviewed
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O
Salt Lick Bar-B-Que
It's worth the 20-mile drive just to see the massive outdoor barbecue pits at this park-like place off US 290. It's a bit of a tourist fave, but the crowd-filled experience still gets our nod. BYOB.
reviewed
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P
El Norteño
True Mexican - not New Mexican - cuisine is the thing here, with fantastic pollo norteño, chicken mole and the must-have cabrito al horno (oven-roasted goat).
reviewed
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Q
Barking Crab
Big buckets of crabs (Jonah, blue, snow, Alaskan etc), steamers dripping in lemon and butter, paper plates piled high with all things fried… The food is plentiful and cheap, and you eat it at communal picnic tables overlooking the water. Beer flows freely. Service is slack, but the atmosphere is jovial. Be prepared to wait for a table if the weather is warm.
reviewed
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R
Angeli on Decatur
Great philosophers have long debated one of the most pressing of human questions: what makes a late-night place great? We humbly submit: the food tastes as good sober as when you’re trashed at 3am. Enter Angeli: decked out with hipster art and patrons, the food here is wonderful no matter your state of mind/inebriation/whatever. It serves burger, pasta and pizza fare, but it’s top-of-the-line stuff, especially if you need to layer your tummy after a long night out. Early music sets by solid live acts are a good way to launch your evening, but bring cash – credit cards are not accepted. Good range of vegetarian dishes.
reviewed
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S
Naam
A rare and evocative relic of Kitsilano's hippie past, this vegetarian restaurant has the feel of a comfy, highly chatty farmhouse. It's not unusual to have to wait for a table here at peak times, but it's worth it for the hearty stir-fries, Mexican platters and sesame-fried potatoes with miso gravy. This is the kind of veggie spot where carnivores are also happy to dine. There's nightly live music, an array of great organic beers and a popular patio – it's covered, so you can cozy up here with a bowl of broth and still enjoy the rain.
reviewed
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Bridges
You'll easily spot this bright yellow bistro as you pass over the Granville Bridge on your way here. In summer it offers one of the best sunset patios in town from which to enjoy well-executed classics like seafood chowder, halibut and chips and thin-crust pizzas – the smoked-salmon variety is recommended. Also consider a pitcher of Granville Island Iced Tea (if you have enough friends to finish it). Diners can escape the patio clamor at the quieter, more upscale upstairs dining room (dinner only).
reviewed
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U
La Banquise
A Montréal legend since 1968, La Banquise is probably the best place in town to sample poutine (if you’ve never heard of this dish, see the boxed text, opposite). More than two dozen varieties are available, including a veggie poutine (peppers, mushrooms, sautéed onions) and straight-up classic poutine. There’s an outdoor terrace, a full breakfast menu and a selection of microbrews, plus the kitchen never closes.
reviewed
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V
Paillard Café-Boulangerie
This bright and buzzy space has high ceilings, huge windows looking onto the street and a long wooden table down the middle where diners tuck into tasty gourmet sandwiches (ham with green apples and brie; hot roast beef sandwiches with blue cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish), satisfying soups and fresh salads. The attached bakery with its displays of sweet temptation is too hard to resist. It’s a bit of a madhouse at lunchtime.
reviewed
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W
Katz’s Delicatessen
Though visitors won’t find many remnants of the classic, old-world-Jewish Lower East Side dining scene, there are a few stellar holdouts, among them the famous Katz’s Delicatessen, where Meg Ryan faked her famous orgasm in the 1989 Hollywood flick When Harry Met Sally, and where, if you love classic deli grub like pastrami and salami on rye, it just might have the same effect on you.
reviewed
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X
5 Spot
Top of the hill, top of the morning and top of the pops; the queues outside 5 Spot at 10am on a Sunday testify to a formidable brunch. The crowds mean a great atmosphere and the hearty menu, which has perfected French toast, huevos rancheros and plenty more American standards, will shift even the most stubborn of hangovers.
reviewed