Twenty-five years ago, OpenTable revolutionized the restaurant industry, putting the power of booking a table into diners’ hands with online reservations. Now, it’s analyzed 12 million of its verified reviews to reveal the Top 100 restaurants in the U.S. for 2023 — with California topping the list with 14 top establishments.
Los Angeles restaurants receiving honors include Bavel, Bestia, Musso & Frank Grill, Pizzeria Bianco, Providence, and Saffy’s, while other Golden State spots include Animo in Sonoma, Beachcomber Cafe Crystal Cove in Newport Coast, House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, Kokkari Estiatorio in San Francisco, The Dock in Newport Beach, The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley’s Rutherford, and Youngblood in San Diego.
Florida also had a strong showing with seven dining establishments: Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, Buccan in Palm Beach, Latitudes Key West on Sunset Key in Key West, Lilac in Tampa, Llama Restaurant in St. Augustine, Savour in Tallahassee, and Stubborn Seed in Miami Beach.
In New York state, only one Manhattan restaurant made the cut: Bad Roman. Also on the list are Del Vino Vineyards in Northport, Lucia’s on the Lake in Hamburg, River Cafe in Brooklyn, Sushi on Me in Jackson Heights, and The Farm Italy Restaurant + Bar in Huntington.
But if you’re looking to truly travel for good food, Chicago and Las Vegas each had six places honored. In the Windy City, Aba, Alla Vita, Girl & the Goat, Maple & Ash, North Pond, and Rose Mary are favorites, while Vegas’ picks are Eiffel Tower, Golden Steer Steakhouse, Hell’s Kitchen Caesars Palace, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Partage, and Restaurant Guy Savoy Caesars Palace.
Asian establishments, in particular those focused on Japanese cuisine, were notable in the Top 100, such as Whisky & Ramen in Anchorage, Alaska; Gi-Jin in Pittsburgh; Noko in Nashville; Uchi Austin in Austin; and Sushi Kashiba in Seattle. (In fact, OpenTable is partnering with Asian American cultural community organization Gold House to launch its first Gold Chef Prize to honor the next generation of Asian Pacific chefs in the country.)
“This year’s Top 100 list features neighborhood gems, hotspots like Bad Roman, Michelin-starred venues like Jeune et Jolie, and restaurants new to the list from coast to coast,” OpenTable CEO Debby Soo said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. “We also see representation across the culinary spectrum, with cuisines like Mediterranean, French and Japanese included.”
To come up with the Top 100 restaurants, OpenTable looked at diner feedback and metrics, including ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, and five-star reviews. The list comes out just in time as three of the top five biggest dining days of the year for groups of six or more happened in mid-December last year, according to company data, marking Dec. 10, 16, and 17 as the top dates.