Inside look at how USA TODAY chose its Restaurants of the Year for 2025
The USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2025 list was a great collaboration — and it's one we're thrilled to share with you.
Here's how we did it.
Hundreds of journalists across the country contributed. This is not your usual best-of list, where food writers fly in for a whirlwind weekend of eating and drinking, often relying on the institutional knowledge of the locals who know the scene best.
This list, instead, comes from our own locals. Food writers who know their beats best. They live there. They work there. They eat there. That's what makes our list stand out.
These writers nominated restaurants from across the country, and a team of exceptionally talented editors with superb and discriminating taste whittled them down to 44.
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Each writer and photographer and editor contributed to the main story — the big list — but also wrote local stories for their own sites and newspapers. From Phoenix to Austin to Detroit to Savannah, these are not your usual suspects. They're restaurants our writers love.
The restaurants are places we frequently recommend, places we take friends and family. These places are so lovable, we're often planning our next visit while sitting at the table finishing dinner there.
"This list is a love letter to restaurants and the people who delight in them," said project leader Liz Johnson, a senior director at The Record and northjersey.com and a former food writer. "We're letting you in on our favorites, from the down-home barbecue joints and roadside hamburger stands to fine dining stalwarts and the hippest local spots in town."
How many have you been to?Check out USA TODAY's 2025 Restaurants of the Year.
You'll notice our list doesn't skip flyover country, like many do. Yes, you can get a great meal in Los Angeles or New York, but you also can have excellent dining experiences in Selma, Alabama, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
With more than 200 sites in 42 states, the USA TODAY Network's roots run deep. We tapped into that expertise, asking our writers to share their favorites, the best of the best from the towns and cities they cover. We received more than 150 nominations.
Our team of seasoned editors and writers then culled the list to 45, looking for places with consistently great service, unique atmospheres and food that never fails to delight.
We also looked for a rich buffet of flavors, and we found it — from a third-generation taqueria in Lubbock, Texas, to an international tasting menu by a James Beard-nominated chef in Columbus, Ohio.'This list of best restaurants across the country creates a roadmap to some of the tastiest places to eat in America,' said Susan Stapleton, who writes about restaurants in the Des Moines, Iowa, metro and across the state. The former James Beard Award nominating committee member in Nevada and Iowa is one of the writers who helped choose and edit our Restaurants of the Year. 'The restaurants chosen reflect the rich tapestry of cuisines, chefs, and restaurateurs found nationwide, from a little Thai restaurant making killer dishes in Indianapolis to a Des Moines couple rocking out New American cuisine that can stand toe-to-toe with any restaurant in New York City or Los Angeles. Our nationwide team of culinary experts reached deep into their knowledge of their local dining scenes to pull out the best for you to sample as you travel across the United States.'
Now, we invite you to dig in and enjoy our USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2025.
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