TRACK DOWN A UNIQUE EAT
Plan a Unique Eats restaurant road trip, starting with breakfast at VooDoo Doughnut.
FEAST YOUR EYES 31 Photos
See the best Unique Eats from across the country. Warning: pictures will induce hunger.
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See Episode GuideSouthern Favorites
We highlight some of the most unique takes on Southern home cooking. From fiery hot chicken in Brooklyn and Southern heavies that are actually light and healthy to a decadent Southern Sunday brunch in Portland, OR, and a "Meat and Three" supper in Atlanta you'll want every night of the week.
Wine Country Weekend
Excite your palate with a gastronomical weekend in California Wine Country. Indulge in fried chicken at the more casual sister restaurant of a local legend, twirl your fork through unique pasta dishes, make room for amazing Mexican fare done right and find out how a "Truckstop Deluxe" fits right in, even in Napa Valley.
Drinks
Check out creativity at its best at these eateries where it's not just about the food, but also the unique drinks. Visit a java boutique where coffee drinks come in the most unique flavors, a brew pub where the beer menu reads like a book and the ales are used in the dishes too, a Mexican eatery shaking up margaritas and mezcals in unusual combinations and a prohibition-style gin joint where even the ice is carefully crafted.
Pubs
Pull up a barstool at these unique pubs where the food is delicious and daring. Step into Joe Beef in Montreal for their signature creamy lobster spaghetti, rich Swedish Meatballs and indulgent Foie Gras. Visit Double D. Longman and Eagle in Chicago where there is a critically acclaimed gastropub downstairs and a cozy inn upstairs. Go to Citizen Public House in Boston for the Carpetbagger, a filet mignon with fried oysters and oyster butter. And, it's a step back in time at Henry Public in Brooklyn for pre-prohibition cocktails and comfort foods like braised turkey sandwiches and made-to-order doughnuts.
Bar Food
When you're out having a drink, you gotta have food to soak it up. So why not dig into something beautifully prepared and utterly unique, yet still sinfully delicious? Taste a devilish concoction called The New Luther, a hearty and addictive steak and kidney pie, a total twist on chicken wings and a curious bar snack called Num Nuts.
Philadelphia Weekend
Spend a weekend in the city of Brotherly Love and discover some truly unique eats. From exciting Spanish tapas and gut-busting Philly-style sandwiches to an osteria creating inventive Italian classics and an eatery dedicated to fried chicken and doughnuts, you'll feel as though you have tasted your way across the world.
Modern Italian
These restaurants are putting their modern spin on some Italian classics. Parm in New York's Little Italy dishes out classic Italian-American sandwiches and brings out the kid in all of us with their colorful ice cream sandwich cake. Italian comfort food is paired with beer at gastropub Alla Spina in Philadelphia, while Superba Snack Bar in Venice, California, crafts their own pastas using unusual ingredients and cooking techniques. City House in Nashville puts a Southern twist on Italian sausages and seafood and uses leftover pizza dough to create gnocchi.
Brooklyn Rising
The borough of Brooklyn is the new rival to Manhattan on New York's dining scene. Celebrated chef Elizabeth Falkner makes her New York debut with her pizzeria Krescendo, which has grabbed the city's attention with creations like Finoccio Flower Power Pizza. Court Street Grocers takes the deli sandwich and raises it to new heights. La Vara is owned by a husband-and-wife team who turned to Brooklyn to open their most imaginative take yet on Spanish food. And Brooklyn's diversity even makes room for Southern hospitality at Pies-n-Thighs, a down-home fried chicken joint in the shadows of the Williamsburg Bridge.
Delis
We're checking out some of the most unique delis in the country. Deli by day, intimate restaurant at night, Torrisi Italian Specialities in New York's Little Italy neighborhood is celebrating Italian-American food but peppered with many modern and delicious twists. Joan's on Third is the go-to gourmet deli in Los Angeles where you can rub elbows with celebrities while devouring a grilled cheese short rib sandwich. The humble hot dog gets a culinary upgrade at Neal's Deli in North Carolina, and for Jewish delicatessen classics just like bubby used to make, step into Eleven City Diner in Chicago.
Houston Weekend
Spend 36 hours in Houston with us for a unique culinary tour of the most innovative restaurants. Whether it's big Texas beef plates or spicy Tex-Mex mashups, this is a feast that will have you booking your ticket to the Lone Star State right away.
Queens
Taste your way through Queens, New York, and experience something culturally diverse and utterly unique. Check out Egyptian clay pot cooking, Mexican delights from scratch, grilled cheese in all of its gooey glory and Korean dishes where the atmosphere experience is just as thrilling as the food.
Chi-Town
Chicago continues to draw hungry foodies from all corners of the country with their innovative restaurants. Publican Quality Meats sells farm-raised meats and housemade charcuterie from their butcher counter, but the real draw is the hearty, meat-filled sandwiches. Yusho creates a buzz with their creative Asian-inspired street food. Antique Taco in Wicker Park offers authentic Mexican tacos and classic American comforts foods with a Mexican twist. Familiar brunch dishes get a fine-dining makeover at the Trenchermen.
Vegas
Everyone knows Las Vegas for its bright lights, humming slot machines and big shows. But if you play your cards right, you can also eat at some of the most interesting, delicious and unique restaurants. We're going on and off the strip to discover those eateries. After this, you'll be convinced to spend an evening outside of the casino.
Seafood
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to dive into some of the most unique seafood dishes. A traditional oyster roast and seafood boil prepared right on the water in Charleston, S.C. A New York restaurant that features twenty five different mussel pots, complete with French fries and bread to sop up all the unique flavors. A cozy restaurant in the heart of Boston's North End where you can get two different lobster rolls and lobster spaghetti. And Montreal, Canada, where a Texas chef adds global flavors to his seafood menu.
Ethnic Eats
Authentic global flavors can be savored right here in America. Folks craving Mediterranean and Israeli food flock to charming Balaboosta in New York. Popular Nashville food truck Riff's Fine Street Food marries Caribbean and Asian flavors. At Cook's Torta in Los Angeles, there's always a crowd for their Latin-style sandwiches, while Pecking Order in Chicago serves Filipino-style chicken that comes roasted, grilled or fried.
Italian
Classic Italian meets passion, authenticity and innovation at these noteworthy restaurants. Vetri has been called one of the best Italian restaurants in America, presenting simple, fresh and authentic Italian dishes in utterly unique ways. Chef Nate Appleman brings gourmet savory and dessert pizzas to Pulino's from brunch to late night, while Porchetta's Sara Jenkins draws a steady stream of the hip and hungry to the Lower East Side with her drop-dead-delicious pork.
Comfort Foods
We take you to some of the most unique eateries in New York City that are serving up their twists on comfort food staples. A rowdy meatball joint on the Lower East Side, a bustling restaurant serving knockout chicken and waffles in Brooklyn, an eco-friendly hot dog haven where the chef makes the condiments from scratch and a burger and fries shack in the middle of the city that boasts lines down the block every day.
Innovators
These innovative chefs are creating uniquely modern food across the country. In Austin, Chef Paul Qui is keeping it weird and uniquely delicious at East Side King. In New York City's Atera, Chef Matt Lightner and his kitchen are the stars of this jewel-like culinary theater. A well-known Philadelphia innovator keeps it kosher while wowing the crowds, and in Los Angeles, a couple has gone from illegal dinners in their apartment to a full-fledged restaurant serving irresistible Pan-Asian fare.
Mash-Ups
We're celebrating the best of all worlds with restaurants that mix different ethnic traditions to create new and unique flavors. A chef in Houston combines Texas tradition with Italian standards. In Las Vegas, burgers are flavored with Asian ingredients, while Japanese-Peruvian dishes are all the buzz at a Los Angeles hot spot. It's a mouthwatering journey of culinary mashups.
Dirt Cheap & Delicious
You don't need to sacrifice taste to eat cheap at these joints. We're off to Cleveland for a pulled pork PBLT and squash dumplings, Brooklyn for an outdoor food market with a bevy of satisfying barbecue and biscuits, Washington, DC, for spicy Asian fare and finally Austin, Texas, where the weird tastes wonderful.
Guilty Pleasures
We feature restaurants that are pushing the envelope on some of America's beloved comfort foods. Plan Check in Los Angeles offers the most indulgent burgers, fried chicken and pastrami sandwiches, plus a unique towering doughnut dessert. A food truck in Nashville uses big, fat biscuits for hearty sweet and savory sandwiches. Cold fried chicken and baked potatoes are transformed into imaginative pizzas at Pete Zaaz in Brooklyn. And, in Atlanta, guilty pleasures can be found in creative hot dogs, sausages and fries at HD1.
Global
We travel across the country to taste our way across the globe. From New York to Las Vegas, we meet chefs who are creating extraordinary dishes that make you feel as though you've traveled to another continent.
Modern Italian
These restaurants are putting their modern spin on some Italian classics. Parm in New York's Little Italy dishes out classic Italian-American sandwiches and brings out the kid in all of us with their colorful ice cream sandwich cake. Italian comfort food is paired with beer at gastropub Alla Spina in Philadelphia, while Superba Snack Bar in Venice, California, crafts their own pastas using unusual ingredients and cooking techniques. City House in Nashville puts a Southern twist on Italian sausages and seafood and uses leftover pizza dough to create gnocchi.
Mexican
We discover amazing Mexican food with a twist. Dive into a Mexican brunch in Boulder, Colorado. Find out how one chef in New York is really breaking the mold. Feast on small delicacies in Washington, DC, and then head to Cleveland for a grocery store-turned Mexican food hot spot.
Hotlanta
Atlanta is a hotbed for unique eats. Heirloom Market BBQ brings together Korean and American barbecue in a quirky roadside eatery. Seafood dishes are brought to delicious new heights at swank newcomer The Optimist, while cozy corner restaurant One Eared Stag serves edgy American food. And Abattoir adds global touches to its Southern dishes.
Craving Comfort
Dive into the most unique variations of your favorite comfort foods. Double the fun with a pie filled with macaroni and cheese, crunch on nachos with a Japanese twist, indulge in doughnuts filled with jelly and foie gras or end your meal with a good old-fashioned chocolate cupcake -- with bacon.
