Traveling across the United States, we’ve made it our mission to try the iconic foods that represent each state. While we haven’t completed the list yet, we’ve tasted some truly amazing dishes and discovered a few hidden gems along the way. As we continue our journey, we’ll update this blog post with our experiences, ratings, and recommendations. Keep in mind, if a dish doesn’t have a rating, we haven’t tried it yet!
- Wyoming: Bison Burger (Snake River Brewery, Jackson) Rating: 2.5/5
- Wisconsin: Cheese Curds
- West Virginia: Pepperoni Roll Good Roads Bakehouse
- Washington, D.C.: Half Smoke
- Washington: Cioppino
- Virginia: Ham Biscuits Turner Ham House & Fulks Run Grocery – Fulks Run, Exchange Café, Batesville Market, Feast!
- Vermont: Grilled Cheddar Cheese (prohibition pig – Waterbury) Rating: 5/5
- Utah: French Fries with Fry Sauce (All American Diner, outside of Zion) Rating: 4/5
- Texas: Fajitas (La Playa Maya Hudson Oaks, right before we got to Shreveport) Rating: 4/5
- Tennessee: Smoked Ribs (Delauder’s BBQ) Rating: 5/5
- South Dakota: Chislic (Gaslight in the Black Hills) Rating: 4/5
- South Carolina: Shrimp and Grits (Bowens Island Restaurant, Folly Beach) Rating: (K)2/5 (A) 4/5
- Rhode Island: Calamari
- Pennsylvania: Tomato Pie
- Oregon: Marionberry Pie
- Oklahoma: Chicken Fried Steak Blue Bonnet Cafe (worst small-town diner EVER, BFE) Rating: 1/5
- Ohio: Skyline Chili
- North Dakota: Poutine
- North Carolina: Barbecue Pulled Pork (LouRedas, some sketchy small town) Rating: 2/5 Lexington BBQ (2021) Rating: 3/5
- New York: Bagel with Lox (Inwood Bagels, Manhattan) Rating: 3/5
- New Mexico: Green Chile Enchilada (Dick’s Cafe, outside of El Paso) Rating: 2.5/5
- New Jersey: Disco Fries
- New Hampshire: Fried Clam Strips
- Nevada: Shrimp Cocktail (The Barrymore, Las Vegas) Rating: 5/5 Closed now 🙁 Shucks Tavern Rating: 5/5
- Nebraska: Reuben Sandwich (The Crescent Moon, Omaha) Rating: 5/5
- Montana: Pickle Barrel Sandwich (Pickle Barrel Sandwich Shop, Bozeman) Rating: 5/5
- Missouri: Toasted Ravioli (Ten Place on the Hill, A Toast-Off/ Best Place: Zia’s Restaurant and Catering Seafood Ravioli) Rating: 4/5
- Mississippi: Mud Pie
- Minnesota: Tater Tot Hotdish
- Michigan: Pasty (Barb’s pasties, Detroit) Rating: 4/5
- Massachusetts: Clam Chowder
- Maryland: Crab Cakes
- Maine: Lobster roll (Side Street Cafe, Bar Harbor) Rating: 5/5 (Also got wild blueberry pie!)
- Louisiana: Beignets
- Kansas: Bierock (Reverie Coffee Roasters, vegan) Rating: 4/5 Gela’s Diner (not vegan) Rating: 3/5
- Iowa: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
- Indiana: Hoosier PieIllinois: Deep Dish Pizza (Louisa’s Pizza & Pasta, outside of Chicago) Rating: 5/5 Quatro’s
- Idaho: Finger Steaks (Scotty’s Drive-In, Idaho Falls) Rating: 4/5
- Hawaii: Poke (Foodland and Tobi’s Shave Ice North Shore) Rating: 5/5
- Georgia: Chicken and Dumplings
- Florida: Rock Shrimp
- Delaware: Scrapple
- Connecticut: New Haven style pizza from Modern Apizza
- Colorado: Rocky Mountain Oysters (CSU Nut Fry) Rating: 4/5 Bruce’s Bar and Restaurant
- California: Fish Tacos (Best Fish Tacos In Ensenada, LA) Rating: 5/5
- Arkansas: Possum Pie (Stoby’s, Russellville) Rating: 4/5
- Arizona: Sonoran dog (Aqui Con El Nene) Rating: 4/5 Fry Bread (on a reservation in Taos) Rating: 3/5
- Alaska: Reindeer Dog
- Alabama: Fried Catfish
Total: (25/51)
Rating System:
1/5 – Would never go back, not delicious
2/5 – Below average, would hesitantly go back if someone asked to
2.5/5 – Average
3/5 – Slightly above average, would go back if someone wanted to
4/5 – Pretty good, would go back if driving through area
5/5 – Amazing! Would drive directly there to in order to go back
Conclusion:
So far, we’ve tasted iconic dishes in 25 out of 51 states, and we can’t wait to complete the list! This journey has been an incredible adventure, and we’ve been lucky enough to try some truly delicious foods along the way. As we continue exploring the culinary delights of the United States, we’ll keep updating this blog post with our experiences, ratings, and recommendations. So, stay tuned and let us know if you have any suggestions for dishes to try in the states we haven’t visited yet! Happy eating!
