Food specialities to try out in the United States

There are many food specialties to try out in the United States, so I’ve made you a list of the most famous ones and some places to try them out ! 

If you are coming to New York or any other big city, you cannot miss the food culture there. 

I’m from France, so we are quite used to fine and gourmet cuisine on a daily basis, but sometimes it’s nice to experience less refined, more indulgent and confort food, like a juicy burger or a super sweet deep fried donut !

So whether it is huge tasty burgers, mac & cheese or doughnuts, I’ll list here what specialties you can find and where to try them.

The savoury food you’ll find on every menu in the United States are burgers. From ground beef to chicken filet, with bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, sometimes with sweet buns, there is an infinite number of variations !

Also very present in the American food culture : Hot dogs ! This sliced bun with a grilled sausage can be found around every street corner.

If you are in New York, a specialty there is the pastrami sandwich : a decadent amount of sliced pastrami between two slices of rye bread.

Another specialty in New York is the bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, perfect for a fresh summer lunch !

However on the West Coast of the United States (Seattle, San Francisco…), asian food will be in the spotlight, as well as seafood, due to the Ocean proximity.

Wherever you are in the United States, you cannot miss trying out a pizza slice. Very thin slice with cheese and pepperoni, you can buy a slice no matter where you are.

Some other heart-warming food includes clam chowder (a thick soup with clams, potatoes, onions, salt pork), mashed potatoes with gravy or mac and cheese (cooked macaroni pasta with a cheese sauce).

Check out the last section of this article for recommendations on where to try all those specialities.

How can you come to the United States without trying all the sweets ?

Start with the cheesecake, this cake with a crushed crackers crust topped with a hefty amount of soft fresh cheese, sometimes decorated with a fruit or caramel coulis.

Another unmissable : donuts ! Those ring-shaped leavened fried dough are the perfect snack if you are craving a little something sweet.

There’s also the pumpkin pie, the pecan pie, apple pie, the S’mores (toasted marshmallow and chocolate square sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker), the brownies, blondies, cookies, brookies and anything with peanut butter !

Now that I’ve listed the best food specialities to try out in the United States, here are some addresses to eat them !

Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend going to expensive restaurant or even try to find an italian pizza or a french onion soup. The flavours are not the same in America (at least from an European perspective), so I’d rather stick with their specialties !

First of all, if you want to try good burgers, there are almost all delicious !

If you are in NY, check out this list (Five Napkin Burger, Corner bistro…).

In Seattle try the famous Dick’s Drive-In, they are really cheap and tasty.

Otherwise they are some good burger chains such as Shake Shack (3rd picture below – love their brioche buns), the Fat Burger (1st picture below – huge burgers and awesome fries), the In-N-Out is also quite famous…

Sometimes just try one from a food stall in the street or a food truck (try Alder food truck pod in Portland). One of the best burger I had was a 4$ one from a street vendor (2nd picture below) !

If you are on the hunt for a hot dog, try any blue-and-yellow umbrellas on busy streets in NY.

For a bagel with cream cheese and lox try Russ & Daughters, and if you are in Seattle you have to try the salmon at Pike Place Market (and a clam chowder as well !).

I didn’t try any pastrami sandwich as I thought it would be too much for me, but a great address in New York would be Katz’s Delicatessen on East Houston Street.

The most famous place to grab a pizza slice in New York would be Joe’s pizza, but frankly they all look good and quite similar, so choose one around you when you are hungry !

To end with the savoury spots, if you want to try a good mac & cheese, head to Beechers in Seattle. They make their own cheese and the sauce is really creamy and tasty (2nd picture below).

Now onto the sweets ! For a very good cheesecake try The Confectional in Seattle. They serve mini cheesecakes, which is nice if you want room for something else and the flavors are really good (2025 update : this place is now sadly closed).

For donuts, I would have to recommend the well-known Voodoo Donuts in Portland (now open in many different locations including Seattle, Chicago, Hollywood and many more across the US). They have a lots of choice and the flavors combinaisons are quite unique (like the maple bacon below). I didn’t try any in New York so I’d suggest looking at this well-made list.

And last but definitely not least, try the best cookies in the world at Levain Bakery in New York.

Finally, I would indulge in trying some basics snacks but which are american staples : S’mores, popcorn, Reeses, Hershey’s and M&Ms… You don’t get to go in the M&M’s or Hershey’s store everyday !

That’s it for my recommendations on the food specialities to try out in the United States !

We had a wonderful time trying all the best food specialties in the US and I’m sure you will too ! 

If you plan on visiting New York, Seattle or Portland any time soon, check out the related itinerary articles if you are looking for some tips before coming.

If you plan to travel to the United States, check out this article, detailing what to know before your US vacation !

If you need a personnalized itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll find you the best accommodations, flights and itinerary !