Sampling local cuisine is a priority for most travelers, and there are certain foods that are so synonymous with their native cities that it ought to be illegal to visit without eating them. Eat your way through this mouthwatering list of 30 signature dishes to fill your belly with local flavor.
Where to try it: Tursi’s Latin King
In the heart of the heartland, you’ll find this uber-regional specialty that is flavorful and filling. Steak de Burgo is a beef filet topped with a sauce of garlic and Italian herbs. The origins of the name are a mystery, but its appeal is not.
Where to try it: Ben’s Chili Bowl
It’s fine and good to grab a dirty water dog in New York or a Chicago-style hot dog, but when you want to take your signature-city-sausage game up a notch, D.C. is the place to be. Pleasantly spicy half-smokes are usually composed of half pork and half beef, made from more coarsely ground meat, and are, as the name suggests, smoked before they’re grilled.
Where to try them: Lolita’s Mexican Food
Americans eat 4.5 billion pounds of French fries a year, and America’s Finest City ups the ante when it comes to betting big on the indulgence. Carne asada fries were invented in San Diego in the late 1990s, and locals and visitors have kept the party going ever since. Who wouldn’t prefer their fries piled high with steak, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, and pico de gallo?
Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall Mexican Restaurant in Every State
Where to try them: Anchor Bar
Often the origins of our favorite foods are lost to history. That’s not the case with Buffalo wings. They were invented — blue cheese, celery, and all — in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo of, you guessed it, Buffalo. You can still order them at the restaurant where this culinary milestone occurred.
Where to try it: Giordano’s
Invented in the 1940s, this Windy City take on pizza has a crust that’s between two and three inches tall. Warning: Having more than one piece of genuine Chicago deep-dish pizza may put you in a mozzarella-induced food coma for days, but it will be worth it.
Where to try it: Herkimer Coffee
Not technically a “dish,” but since a cup of joe is a consumable religion for Seattlites, (despite blasphemous reports that the city recently lost its spot as the country’s coffee capital), it deserves a nod here.
Related: The Coolest Coffee Shops in America
Where to try it: El Farolito
Named after the city’s Mission District, this beloved burrito stands apart for its colossal size and generous variety of scrumptious fillings. Hundreds of taquerias in the Bay Area can hook you up with the burrito of your dreams.
Where to try it: Crown Burger
The Crossroads of the West boasts a mountainous, meaty sandwich with a devoted following: the pastrami burger. That’s a cheeseburger topped with an ample amount of thinly sliced smoked beef, plus the area’s famous fry sauce.
Where to try it: Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe
An enchanting combination of condensed milk and lime juice are at the center of this signature Florida dessert. Much debate surrounds whether the pie should have a standard or graham cracker crust, or be topped with meringue or whipped cream. But really, it’s hard to go wrong.
Where to try it: Scott’s Pizza Tours
Pizza made its American debut in New York City more than 115 years ago, and the love affair is still going strong. If you want to sample some of the city’s best slices but are overwhelmed by the options, a pizza tour could be the ticket.
Where to try it: Omni Parker House
This iconic dessert is not a pie at all but a layered sponge cake filled with pastry cream, then covered in chocolate. The flavor combo is wicked good as a doughnut too.
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Where to try it: Pat’s or Geno’s
The City of Brotherly Love loves its No. 1 sammy: thinly sliced meat, perfected on the griddle, placed lovingly on a roll, covered in melty cheese (usually Cheez Whiz, sometimes provolone). Gotta know the lingo if you want to order right.
Where to try it: Cafe Du Monde
Speaking of sandwiches, New Orleans po’boys are, no doubt, incredibly popular. But we’re gonna give the Big Easy’s beignets the big honor of making this list. Who can resist the allure of these perfectly pillowy, powdery sweet treats?
Where to try it: Buddy’s Pizza
Detroit is all revved up with excitement over a recent honor: being dubbed the pizza capital of the country. Rectangular-shaped, thick-crusted, sauce-on-top-of-cheese is how they roll in the Motor City.
Where to try it: Skyline Chili
Best enjoyed on top of spaghetti and covered in a mound of shredded cheese, Cincinnati's signature chili is jazzed up with Mediterranean spices (even cinnamon and chocolate) and has a mild, yet irresistible, flavor.
Where to try them: The Original Ninfa’s
As one of the most diverse cities in the country, culinary treasures abound in Houston. (Visitors should definitely go for pho and sample some kolaches.) But Tex-Mex is arguably the city’s most iconic and craveable cuisine. Fajitas, sizzling platters of meat, peppers, and onion, were popularized in H-Town.
Where to try it: Ray’s Drive Inn or Henry’s Puffy Tacos
San Antonians are all puffed up about laying claim to the Alamo and the River Walk, but the puffy taco just might be their greatest claim to fame. Fresh masa dough crisping and expanding in the fryer creates the characteristic puffiness of the signature shell.
Where to try it: 5-8 Club or Matt’s Bar
The owners of two rival Minneapolis bars disagree about which one can rightfully claim the invention of this signature cheeseburger, with the cheese stuffed inside the patty itself. (They also disagree about the spelling.) As for whose version tastes better? Be their guests to find out.
Where to try it: Prince’s Hot Chicken
Tune into something tasty: Hot chicken is hotter than ever in Music City. With a major kick in both the fried chicken’s coating and its sauce, experts recommend having a glass of milk handy to battle the burn.
Related: The Spiciest Foods Around the World
Where to try it: Pappys Devil Crabs
Dense croquettes made with spicy crab filling are a favorite Floridian snack. The hand-held signature food was invented in Tampa’s Ybor City community, where some of the best deviled crab can still be found.
Where to try it: James Candy Co. (Fralinger’s)
Ten out of ten dentists would not recommend a trip to Atlantic City if you’re hoping to keep your fillings in place. The city’s signature sticky, stretchy sweet is notoriously tough to chew, yet very popular.
Where to try it: Hemenway’s
Just what are stuffies stuffed with? Onion, celery, green pepper, and quahog, the big daddies of the clamisphere. Everything is packed into the clam shell and is baked to perfection.
Where to try it: Snooze
Eggs, peppers, onions, ham, cheese and voila, you’ve got yourself a Denver omelette. The combination of ingredients is so simple, yet such a perfect Rocky Mountain pick-me-up. Definitely try one the next time you’re in Denver, or the next time you have the ingredients and a frying pan handy.
Where to try them: Bo Brooks Crab House
A steaming tray of blue crabs (turned red by the cooking process) is poured out onto a butcher-paper-clad picnic table. Mallets at the ready, locals and visitors alike are ready to live it up! Don’t forget the cold beer, corn on the cob, and Old Bay seasoning.
Where to try it: Big Orange
This one will, no doubt, offend all Texans, but Arkansas has a deep-rooted love of spicy Mexican-style melted cheese. Hey, queso by any other name is still ... one of the most glorious foods on the planet.
Where to try it: Sahm's Ale House
Hoosiers love to pig-out on pork that’s been pounded, battered, fried, and made into a sandwich. Low-end and high-end restaurants in and around Indy proudly offer their own special versions of this iconic menu staple.
Where to try it: Gilles Frozen Custard
Known as the frozen custard capital of the world for its concentration of custard shops, Milwaukee is the place to go if you like your frozen desserts extra eggy and excellent. Keep it simple, or opt for a sundae or make it a shake.
Where to try it: Gooey Louie
There’s nothing fancy about this sweet, signature dessert. It’s usually served right out of the pan, topped only with powdered sugar, but, oh, that gooey goodness is a winner. Shuffle over to the Show Me State to try some. Or you could always attempt to make it yourself.
Where to try it: Runza
If you’re looking for a city specialty that will satisfy your craving for ground beef and cabbage baked into a pocket of bread, walk, don’t run to Lincoln, Nebraska, to try a Runza. That’s Runza with a capital “R”; it’s a trademarked name of the regional Runza fast-food chain.
Where to try it: Mariano’s Hacienda
The perfect liquid lunch for a Texas fiesta, this signature drink was invented in Big D fifty years ago. Next time you’re enjoying a frozen margarita, raise a salt-rimmed glass to its creator, Mariano Martinez.
