These Are The Most Famous Restaurants In America

With so many incredible restaurants from coast to coast, it can be difficult to stand out. It certainly helps if the establishment is where one of the most famous movie scenes of all time was shot. Worldwide, Katz's Deli is best known as the location where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal filmed the "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally.

But Katz's shouldn't only be known as a movie trivia answer. Opened in 1888, the iconic deli has remained as popular as ever due to its delectable food. The most notable items on its menu are the pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. These overstuffed sandwiches are made with meat that is cured up to 30 days, giving it a flavor you simply won't find at your local corner deli.

If you're visiting the famous spot, you'll want to get there early. It's not uncommon for lines to stretch out the door. Once inside, guests can sit at the same table where Meg and Billy once sat or gaze at the cornucopia of memorabilia and photos around the restaurant. But if you can't make it to New York, you're in luck — Katz's ships nationwide.

The modern fine dining scene in the United States can likely be traced back to the mid-1990s in Napa Valley. That is when and where chef Tom Keller opened The French Laundry. Since then, the iconic location has widely been considered to be not just one of the best restaurants in the country but one of the best in the world. In fact, it has twice been named the best restaurant in the world, both in 2003 and 2004.

The Michelin Guide has awarded the French Laundry three stars, its highest rating, every year since 2007. In its review, the guide states that the California eatery "may be known as the greatest cooking space in America."

So what makes the dining experience so special? Each night, two tasting menus are offered, including a vegetarian option. These menus are based entirely on what fresh ingredients the restaurant has acquired that day. Often, the products come from boutique purveyors. Dinners can last up to three hours and cost more than $300, but customers keep showing up to this rustic restaurant for a once-in-a-lifetime feast.

St. Elmo Steak House has been standing in the same spot in downtown Indianapolis for more than a century, a fact that makes it the city's oldest steak house in its original location. It's such an iconic establishment it made national television when it was featured on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.

While customers certainly come for the steak, the restaurant's must-have menu item is its shrimp cocktail. St. Elmo refers to it as "world famous" on its menu and reminds patrons that most meals at the establishment begin with an order of the four jumbo shrimp and a spicy signature cocktail sauce.

Every entrée at St. Elmo Steak House comes with either a glass of tomato juice or a bowl of Navy Bean soup, consisting of beans, ham, tomatoes, and parsley. Since the restaurant has been around so long, no one is entirely sure where this peculiar tradition originated. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Ask any New Yorker the first place they think of when they hear "steak house," and they will invariably answer "Peter Luger."

The iconic Brooklyn steak house's history dates back to 1887, when it opened as "Carl Luger's Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley." Peter Luger owned the restaurant, while his nephew Carl managed the kitchen. Following the elder Luger's death, the establishment fell into disrepair. Fortunately, a patron by the name of Sol Forman entered an auction to purchase Peter Luger's. He won largely because he was the only one to bid.

The restaurant was quickly back up and running. Three generations later, it's still owned by the family and reigns as one of the best-known New York steak houses. Zagat Survey has rated it the best such restaurant in the city for three straight decades, and it even earned a Michelin star. It has since opened a second location on Long Island.

Ironically enough, Peter Luger's most famous dish may not be a steak but instead its offering of thick-cut bacon. "Thick-cut" is an understatement — it's closer to the size of a pork chop. Fortunately for those outside of New York, the restaurant's famous bacon is available at grocery stores and shipped nationwide.

Louis' Lunch is one of the numerous establishments that boast to be the birthplace of the hamburger, but it's the only one whose claim is supported by the Library of Congress. It's this fact that has made it one of the most famous restaurants in the country.

The New Haven, Connecticut outpost is so proud of its creation that it still makes it the same way it did a century ago. At Louis' Lunch, which opened in 1895, burgers are cooked on cast iron grills that date back to the 19th century. They are served on white toast with only cheese, onion, and tomato — no ketchup or mustard allowed!

Whatever it's doing is working. Louis' Lunch has been in business for more than 100 years while only having hamburgers, potato salad, potato, and pie on its menu.

One thing that has changed about Louis' Lunch is its address. It was threatened with demolition in the 1970s. The neighborhood came together to devise plans for its preservation. To save the building, it was lifted up, loaded onto a truck, and driven away to its current location.

Alone, these restaurants are the two most well-known cheesesteak outposts in the cheese steak's capital city. Together, they form one of the most famous culinary destinations in the country. (It helps that they're located directly across the street from each other.)

Debate has always swirled around where these two sandwich restaurants stand in the evolution of the cheese steak, not to mention which one is better. But here's what we know is true: Nearly a century ago, Pat Olivieri was operating a small hot dog stand in Philadelphia. One day, he decided to try something new for lunch and cooked some chopped meat on his grill, threw it on an Italian loaf, and topped it with onions. The "cheese steak" was born.

Fast forward 36 years when Philadelphia native Joey Vento opened Geno's Steaks across the street. According to Vento, it was he, not Pat's, who first added cheese to the steak sandwich.

Precisely how it came to be is a moot point now, as the cheese steak is synonymous with the City of Brotherly Love. Both shop's sandwiches are fairly similar: strips of rib-eye steak, melted cheese, and grilled onions on an Italian loaf. The main difference is the type of cut — believe it or not. Pat's steak is chopped, whereas Geno's slices their steak.

There are countless fine dining restaurants in the United States, many of which are considered among the best in the world. What separates Alinea and puts it atop any foodie's bucket list is its whimsical nature. Simply put, dining at the Chicago destination is unlike any other restaurant outing you'll ever have.

Eating at Alinea is an immersive experience. The three-Michelin-starred outlet describes its meal as a "multi-sensory 16-to-18 course menu [combining] fine dining with experimental moments." If you're looking for an example of the food you may be getting, know that the restaurant's most famous dishes include an edible, helium-filled, floating balloon and a dessert that is painted on the table.

All this worked has made Alinea one of the most talked-about and influential restaurants in the country. In turn, it has gotten a lot of press, being named best restaurant in America, North America, and the world by different outlets. Head chef Grant Achatz, meanwhile, has been bestowed the title of Best Chef in the United States by the James Beard Foundation and one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine. If that weren't enough, Achatz and Alinea were featured on Netflix's hit series Chef's Table.