Ah, bacon — a food that's been so sinfully delicious, so versatile, and so ubiquitous for so long that it transcends trendiness. Served across America with chocolate, piled high on burgers, and wrapped around everything from dates to quail legs, the endlessly creative presentations are both eye-popping and mouthwatering. A little bacon never hurt anyone, and these restaurants really bring it home.
Zazu Kitchen + Farm
Sebastopol, California
You can have a variety of bacon delicacies at Zazu Kitchen + Farm, a restaurant (currently the Black Piglet food truck) that specializes in all things pork related. But one of the most highly recommended options at this Sonoma County establishment is the Black Pig Bacon Caramel Popcorn. The crunchy yet fluffy snack is coated with caramel toffee glaze and sprinkled with bits of the restaurant's signature applewood-smoked uncured bacon. The resulting combination is salty and sweet.
Prime & Provisions
Chicago
Ordinary bacon dishes have a hard time measuring up to this dish served at the steakhouse Prime & Provisions in the Windy City. This meaty monstrosity involves a 7-ounce piece of bacon topped with Michigan maple syrup and dark chocolate. It's one of those dishes you have to try to truly understand the sweet and savory juxtaposition. While the restaurant is open, you can also order food for delivery.
J.T. Prime
Yuma, Arizona
J.T. Prime chef Alex Trujillo serves Medjool dates, a regional specialty item, stuffed with crispy bacon and blue cheese and finishes the masterpiece with a chipotle sauce. As the pop-up restaurant likes to say about this dish: Sharing is caring.
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Therapy
Las Vegas
In over-the-top Las Vegas, Therapy goes all in with the Devils on Horseback appetizer: soft truffled goat cheese and almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and served on Romesco sauce.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House
New York, Dallas, and 14 other cities
While Del Frisco's is best known for hand-cut steaks, the restaurant also has a special touch when it comes to bacon. Its not-to-miss bacon offering involves coating applewood-smoked bacon in a bourbon molasses glaze and topping it with thinly sliced pickled Fresno chilies. Some locations are open for indoors dining, so check the website.
Nose Dive Gastropub
Greenville, South Carolina
The bacon indulgence at Nose Dive involves warm, rich chocolate brownie topped with the salty and sweet taste of caramel popcorn and a chocolate caramel sauce and served with peanut butter ice cream.
Flour Shoppe Café
Rockville Centre, New York
There are BLTs, and then there's the Le Grande BLT served at Flour Shoppe Café. What makes this sandwich so special is its thick-cut bacon, which is slathered with maple syrup before being baked in the oven. In case that's not enough bacon, the sandwich includes bacon jam.
Fig Tree Café
San Diego
Sushi is probably not first thing that comes to mind when pondering creative uses for bacon, but at San Diego's Fig Tree Café, the Breakfast Sushi involves three thick bacon rolls (baked with brown sugar and paprika) filled with rice, scrambled eggs, and scallions.
Burntzilla
Irvine, California
Now for an entirely new take on the all-American hot dog. At Burntzilla, the Dogzilla combines an all-beef mini frank topped with avocado, grilled onions, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, furikake seasoning, and, most important, crispy bacon.
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The Patterson House
Nashville, Tennessee
The Patterson House is one of the most legendary cocktail bars in the country, and the Bacon Old Fashioned is a specialty, with maple-syrup-bacon-infused Four Roses bourbon and an orange rind garnish. They offer walk-in seating, but due to the pandemic they are currently taking reservations, too.
The Butchery
Orange County, California
Get the kids started early. The Butchery, with four locations in Orange County, serves gourmet sandwiches made to order. One of the most popular selections is the PB&J, with peanut butter, honey, pepper jam, and stacks of crispy smoked bacon.
Peter Luger Steak House
Brooklyn, New York
Peter Luger, established in 1887, is best known for huge porterhouse steaks that serve two or four people. Its by-the-slice bacon appetizer is cut extra-thick and hailed by diners as a “must.”
Fat Sal's
Los Angeles
Fat Sal's is a deli known for its giant bacon-filled sandwiches and over-the-top milkshakes. Its bacon cheeseburger fries are topped with chopped bacon and hamburger patties, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and creamy Fat Sauce for a treat of heart-stopping delight.
The Laundry
Fenton, Michigan
The Laundry does its best to emulate Paris in the middle of The Mitten. The pork 'n' porridge, breakfast pizza, and Applewood ham steaks may not be incredibly Parisian, but they're joined by a tempting menu of more than 110 cocktails. The award-winning bacon and brie pancakes are a nod to European flavor and slathered with praise by those who have ordered them. The Laundry is currently accepting online reservations.
Bacon
Boise, Idaho
Downtown Boise's Bacon offers five varieties of bacon and claims to move 8 tons of it each year in omelets, lasagna, and meatballs (and much else). Its signature macaroni and cheese dish, The MAC, has been hailed as among the best in the country by Food & Wine magazine. Its bacon shots and bacon bloody Marys, which come in regular, spicy, and ticked-off versions, also have a following. The restaurant is currently open for indoor dining, but carryout and delivery are also available.
The Nest
Bellflower, California
Located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles, The Nest serves breakfast fare, some gravy-laden comfort food and some healthier. On the former end is the standout Bacon Waffle, made of batter with bacon crumbles mixed in. The exclamation point of the dish is its bacon whiskey syrup. Not that hungry? There's a small-plates version, too. The restaurant is currently only taking to-go orders.
Related: 25 Places to Find Amazing Waffles Across the Country
Twisted Tails Pretzels
Pantopia at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida
Soft pretzels are one of the quintessential fair and theme park foods, but Twisted Tails Pretzels has figured out how to push the envelope, braiding a long soft pretzel around a couple of thick, juicy slices of bacon. Like all the best bad-but-oh-so-good fair foods, it comes on a stick for ultimate portability.
Hank's Haute Dogs
Honolulu and Lahaina, Hawaii
Gourmet twists are evident everywhere at Hank's, from the meat (wagyu and rabbit make it onto the menu) to the sides and desserts (including white-truffle mac and cheese and crème brûlée). On weekends you can get a lobster dog — a lobster, shrimp, and fish sausage seared in butter — and the Lobster Fat Boy, a bacon-wrapped lobster dog deep-fried and topped with garlic aioli, tomato, and lettuce. The restaurant offers online ordering for carryout, too.
Dr. Field Goods
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The sandwich features a 9-ounce ground bacon patty roasted in a wood-fired oven and served on house-made bread with mayonnaise, locally grown tomatoes, and lettuce. Dr. Field Goods encourages patrons to add a fried egg to this local favorite to complete the experience. The restaurant is currently taking online orders for curbside pickup.
Mission
New York City
This dish, made with rice cakes, tofu skin, fermented black beans, and bitter melon has become such a hit that chef Danny Bowien showed Jimmy Fallon how to make the dish on his late night TV show. The restaurant, which has a Brooklyn location and another in San Francisco, offers outdoor dining, but you're expected to clean up after yourself.
Cochon
New Orleans
This fried oyster sandwich on white bread is a familiar Cajun staple, but with a dose of bacon to ramp up the smokiness, this sandwich takes on a new layer of complexity. The restaurant is open and accepting reservations, but food can also be ordered for takeout or delivery.
The Roost
Greenville, South Carolina
While the biscuits and gravy are only offered on Sundays, it may be worth the wait. The biscuits and gravy get a boost from an injection of bacon, making the dish a little more savory in the process. The Roost is currently open for outdoor and indoor dining.
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