25 Top Eats & Nostalgic Treats That Americans Love
America has plenty of Michelin-star restaurants, but the true stars of food culture are in local diners, fast-food joints, and neighborhood hangouts. This list won’t cut the mustard with nutritionists, but no one’s recommending these favorites for every meal. Go ahead and have your kale salad, if you must, but let’s face it, when you really want to dig in, you aren’t counting calories.
In honor of declaring our independence from Britain and its cuisine (fried kippers and black pudding for breakfast, anyone?), here’s a salute to some truly tasty Americana and its establishments.
1 Big Macs
You may not recall where you parked, but you can likely recite the ingredients of a Big Mac. And guaranteed that anyone who’s ever worked under McDonald’s golden arches — about one in eight Americans — knows the answer is two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun.
2 PB&J
The noble, basic peanut butter and jelly sandwich should never be relegated only to kids’ lunch boxes. We’ll entertain crunchy over smooth, but maintain that grape jelly is the right one, though strawberry will do… if you’re in a jam.
3 Philly cheesesteak
Shaved ribeye and some melted goo, which may have a distant relationship to cheese (experts will argue Cheez Whiz vs. provolone vs. American when it comes to cheese), are topped with caramelized onions, then piled onto a heroically grease-absorbent hoagie. A massive meal is best not discussed with your cardiologist.
4 Hot dogs
A ballpark staple and an Independence Day contest like no other. Can you immediately place Joey Chestnut, but not your congressperson? Maybe if your elected official scarfed down 76 hot dogs (with buns) in 10 minutes at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, they’d be more memorable. Chestnut, who shot to fame at the Coney Island frankfurter paradise and its annual competition, is known as the world’s greatest eater.
5 Pizza
True, the Neapolitans invented it, but we took pizza to new heights. Pizza in the U.S. is a staple. It’s a billion-dollar industry in chains alone, from Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesars to Papa John’s, Papa Murphy’s, Sbarro, Jet’s, and even Chuck E. Cheese. Then there’s the regional styles: New York City’s home to thin-crust slices you fold in half; Chicago offers deep dish that requires a fork and knife; Detroit’s got the squared, thick crust; New Haven offers a little history baked into its coal-oven-fired bubble crusts. And California has its own style, be it goat cheese, avocados, chicken, or whatever.
6 Apple pie
Is there anything better and more American than apple pie? Stacked high in the pan, in a buttery, flaky crust, it feels patriotic just to eat a slice. Topped with some ice cream against the backdrop of exploding fireworks, it is among the joys of July 4.
7 KFC
Just like there are many types of burgers but one Mickey D’s, there are many versions of fried chicken, but only one Colonel Sanders. The company that began nearly 100 years ago with its secret blend of spices in Kentucky is now a global sensation (China boasts nearly 13,000 KFCs, which is three times as many as in the United States). It’s still finger-lickin’ good!
8 Mac & Cheese
You can make it yourself from scratch, go to some trendy restaurant where it’s jazzed up with truffles or lobster, or you can buy that little blue box from Kraft, add butter and milk, and stir in that neon powder. To each their own — but no food is more comforting than a good ol’ bowl of mac & cheese.
9 S’mores
There are other reasons for a campfire — warmth, cooking or light. But the best reason has to be singeing a marshmallow, pressing it between two graham crackers, adding a chocolate and sinking that gooey goodness in between your lips.
10 Biscuits and gravy
Dating back to the late 18th century, this low-cost staple, which originated in the South and consists of fluffy biscuits drenched in white gravy made from sausage drippings, spells comfort. Head a little deeper into cowboy country if you want yours with red-eye gravy — made with ham drippings and a splash of coffee.
11 Milkshakes
Some credit the drugstore Walgreens and a soda jerk in Chicago for inventing the “malted” milkshake by adding two scoops of vanilla ice cream to a malted milk drink, but wherever the fad started, it hasn’t slowed down. From the glory days of a convertible with a tray clipped onto the side, where a server on skates left your burgers and milkshakes, to the rise in Culver’s frozen custard around the States, Americans love their shakes.
12 New York deli staples
Katz’s, the oldest deli in New York City, is where Meg Ryan had that infamous fake “experience” in When Harry Met Sally…, where the woman next to her, played by Estelle Reiner, quipped, “I’ll have what she’s having.” You can (it was a turkey sandwich), but the pastrami on rye and a knish are guaranteed pleasure. New York also has Italian delis that offer pork products not found at the kosher-style Katz’s. And every couple of blocks is anchored by a bodega, for bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll and frozen candy bars, or you can hang out with the obligatory bodega cat, a ratter with attitude to spare.
13 Maine lobsters
How many foods can you eat as an adult wearing a bib, with no one judging you? In Maine, the lobster may have been scuttling in the deep before landing on your plate. Just make sure there’s plenty of butter.
14 New Orleans treats
Most cities have bragging rights to a signature food or a terrific restaurant, and then there’s New Orleans’ musts: beignets, po-boys, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, and gumbo. If you visit and don’t gain weight, you’re not trying.
15 Waffle House
Whether in the heart of the city or off some lonely rural turnpike exit, you can count on that yellow-lettered sign to deliver sweeter than sweet waffles and butter 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
16 Chicken and waffles
Granted, the ancient Greeks invented waffles, but it took the 17th-century Pennsylvania Dutch to cover them with stewed chicken. Frying the chicken made the bird-and-batter combo take off in Harlem during the 1930s, when hungry jazzmen finished their gigs too late for dinner but too early for breakfast. Putting the two together was natural.
17 Fried Oreos
Let’s not question how anyone looked at an innocent Oreo and, instead of separating it and scraping out the filling with their teeth, decided to dip it in a boiling vat of oil. Instead, take heart that these are sold at fairs and boardwalks, where a battered cookie may not even be the worst decision of the day. (Honorable mention: fried Twinkies.)
18 Campbell’s tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich
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It’s the perfect lunch, especially when home sick. It can be as simple as Campbell’s and American cheese on white bread, or as sophisticated as a homemade tomato bisque and brie on artisan sourdough. Either way spells comfort.
19 New England vs. Manhattan clam chowder
Asking a New Englander about this is like asking how they feel about the Yankees. (Not kindly.) Be prepared for that reaction over New England’s creamy soup versus N.Y.’s tomato-based version. It’s a never-ending feud.
20 Hushpuppies
This Southern staple’s history varies from Civil War soldiers tossing fried cornmeal to their dogs to stop them from barking to fishermen doing something of the same. Whatever the truth, these deep-fried balls of cornmeal complement many American faves, from fried chicken to catfish, and are served at some of the finest eateries.
21 BBQ
Hail the pitmaster and come hungry; just be aware that many states lay claim to “the best BBQ.” Why argue with Texans or Missourians, or get drawn into the ketchup, mustard or vinegar debate? Best to be polite and eat the brisket, ribs and chicken, wherever you are and however it’s sauced. Don’t forget the sides of coleslaw and potato salad.
22 Chocolate chip cookies
Created at Massachusetts’ Toll House Inn in the 1930s, they were given to World War II soldiers, so they’re not just for kids coming home from school and dunking them into milk. Chocolate chip cookies are so iconic that when tourists visit, they often snap selfies eating one in front of an American landmark.
23 Root beer
Pharmacists were known to whip up flavored tonics back in the early 1900s, so it’s no surprise that entrepreneur Roy W. Allen would purchase a formula and start selling cold mugs of his root beer concoction. Allen partnered with Frank Wright, and together they formed A&W Restaurants (using the first letters of their last names). By 1960, they had opened more than 2,000 locations across the country.
24 Doritos
America’s chip came into being the way so many great ideas do: The mother of necessity. At Casa de Fritos, a 1960s Disneyland restaurant, chefs were figuring out what to do with leftover tortillas. Dips have not been the same since.
25 Hidden Valley Ranch
Americans love their Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing and seasoning. Invented in 1954, that creamy sauce of buttermilk and savory herbs is no longer just for salads — it’s drizzled on burgers, pizza, nuggets and more. As Hidden Valley claims, it’s “more than America’s favorite ranch. It’s a way of life.” Even all the visitors from other nations for the World Cup can’t get enough of America’s favorite condiment.
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June 2023
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