There seems to be a never-ending stream of new restaurant openings in the USA, whichever state you're in. We've gone coast to coast to discover the tastiest new bites in America, from fancy contemporary spots to food-trucks-turned-hip-hangouts. Read on to find the best new restaurant in your state in 2022. Due to COVID-19, it's best to check state travel advisories and individual restaurant websites for the latest information.
You'll get to taste the whizzy creations of a new generation of chefs at 1856, the 'teaching restaurant' at Auburn University’s Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Sciences Center, slated to open in summer 2022. Diners can expect eclectic menus that shift with the current chef in residence, who'll tutor the university's chefs. You can watch your dishes whipped up in an open kitchen and choose bottles from a two-storey wine room.
Alaska got its first 100% vegan restaurant with the recent opening of Preference in Anchorage. Plant-based Preference began life as a food truck before moving to a small bricks-and-mortar location on Boniface Parkway at the end of 2021. Come by for a big menu of vegan burgers, hoagies, grilled sandwiches and mac 'n' cheese, all made with plant-based ingredients.
Pop-up roadside stand Hope's Frybread has already earned an army of loyal followers and the first permanent location is due to open in downtown Mesa in 2022. The concept is from namesake Diné chef Hope Peshlakai, who lovingly prepares food from her indigenous culture. As the name suggests, the star offering here is 'fry bread' – a kind of deep-fried dough often used for soaking up meaty stews – and on the new menu will be hearty fry-bread sandwiches and burgers, plus spicy Navajo-style tacos.
A buzzing music venue and a top spot for American comfort food rolled into one, Tin Roof is a Nashville original that now has locations in cool cities including Memphis, Detroit and Baltimore. Latest on the hit list is Fayetteville, where a new outpost is set to open in summer 2022. Punters can tap their feet to country classics and indie jams, as they feast on bites like chicken tenders with crinkle fries and signature honey hot sauce (pictured).
Los Angeles' Arts District is packed with stellar restaurants, and Yangbanla Society is a new must-visit for gourmands in the neighbourhood. Opened in January 2022, the place is primarily a Korean-American deli and market that serves such dishes as a rice bowl with bulgogi beef and spicy gochujang sauce and pork belly stew with aged kimchi. Behind the menu is cheffing duo Katianna and John Hong, inspired by their own Korean heritage.
The Mile High City has great restaurants in spades – from sleek spots plating up New American food to trendy burger joints – and new French brasserie Chez Maggy is one of the most exciting new places on the scene. Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre is the brains behind the restaurant, whose menu is centred on French fare made with local Colorado ingredients. Opened in February 2022, it's located in new hotel Thompson Denver.
You'll find Ruby & Bella's at SaksWorks, a sophisticated co-working space along Greenwich's main street. The stylish restaurant, whose soft opening was in December 2021, has proved an immediate hit. The interior has the feel of a cosy family living room with a book-lined fireplace, exposed beams and dark-wood furniture. When it comes to the menu, it's all about contemporary American food, from a lobster club sandwich to filet mignon with fries.
The Starboard – a chilled-out bar and restaurant in oceanside Dewey Beach – is already one of the best-loved places in town. And, happily for fans of the original location (and current offshoots like Starboard Raw), new venture Starboard Claw should debut in late summer 2022. It's expected to serve many Starboard classics like brisket, ribs and crab as well as deliciously sloppy and cheesy burgers like the one pictured here.
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Florida's capital has a slew of great restaurants and the eagerly anticipated Leon's at Lake Ella will join the scene in the summer (after a soft opening at the end of 2021). Focused on Southern cuisine with global influences, social media–savvy chef Leon C. Brunson is the brains behind the restaurant, and he typically shares his culinary creations with his followers on Facebook and Twitch. Favourites expected to grace the menu include crab cakes, ramen with collard greens and Moroccan lamb and grits.
It's a double whammy at The Point, a new development in southwest Atlanta that welcomes two restaurants by esteemed chef Deborah Van Trece in 2022. She's already the brains behind Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, which focuses on Southern food with global accents. The first of her new ventures, Oreatha's at The Point, opened in March 2022 and serves up comfort food dishes inspired by mums around the world. Highlights include this smoked duck pot pie, pictured. Serenidad, due to open later in the year, focuses on elevated Latin soul food.
One of Honolulu's newest restaurants, Hook’d Pan Roast wanted to bring Las Vegas' traditional 'pan roasts' – creamy, spicy, tomatoey stews packed with seafood like clams – to Hawaii. Other menu highlights include golden-fried shrimp and succulent lobster piled on pillowy buns, while the dining room is fuss-free with a friendly vibe.
Describing itself as "the best steak and seafood in the West", Rib & Chop House is well-established in Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Now the down-to-earth chain has come to Idaho, opening in Idaho Falls in early 2022. It's a family-friendly place with TVs, a well-stocked bar and a menu of American classics like chicken wings, ribs, New York strip and gumbo. Kids' meals come served in a little car too.
Michelin-starred chef Daniel Rose (pictured) has enjoyed great success in New York with elegant French restaurant Le Coucou and his new Chicago venture – due to open in summer 2022 – is being celebrated as a homecoming. Rose grew up in the suburbs of the Windy City and Chicagoans can expect more of what the chef is known and loved for: refined French fare served in a buzzy, brasserie-style venue.
The folks behind CALLE are being very tight-lipped, but Evansville locals are eagerly awaiting the opening of this Mexican spot. The food is set to be inspired by Baja California, the Mexican state and peninsula immediately south of the Golden State. You can expect flavour-packed tacos served up in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bettendorf, a relatively small city in eastern Iowa, has some serious foodie credentials. There are plenty of hip burger joints, taprooms and cosy neighbourhood Italian spots, and an exciting new opening for 2022 is Yoso Modern Japanese. The slick steakhouse and sushi bar will focus on traditional robata-style grills using an open flame. There's a huge patio for long summer evenings too.
Wichita's dining scene is coming on leaps and bounds and DŌMA is a great example of what the city has to offer. Opened in January 2022, it's a chic spot focusing on contemporary American small plates lifted with Asian and Latin twists. The menu changes with the seasons but tasty example dishes include soy-glazed pork belly bao and crab dip with herby bread.
Elaborate custom charcuterie boards are the speciality of company Board & You, and now it's launching a brand new café in Louisville's Norton Commons area. It's tipped to open in summer 2022 and it'll offer bistro-style dishes like salads and sandwiches, plus wine and cocktails and, of course, beautiful charcuterie boards.
Hot Tails is already a hit in the Louisiana city of New Roads, where it has been spearheaded by chefs Samantha and Cody Carroll for more than a decade. It specialises in the state's classic cuisine, from po' boy sandwiches and gumbo to fried Cajun crawfish and étouffée, and a brand new location opened in Prairieville in early 2022. Menu highlights include this tempting fried oyster po' boy and crawfish croquettes.
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Portland's stellar food scene is no secret and it's looking forward to another glittering addition in summer 2022. Revered New York City chefs Colin Wyatt and Daniel Gorlas are heading into the city to open Twelve, a contemporary American restaurant dedicated to championing Maine ingredients. It's planned for the waterfront Foreside neighbourhood and it's even been named among Vogue's most anticipated restaurants of the year.
A new hangout will come to Harbour East, a waterfront neighbourhood in Baltimore, in summer 2022. Kneads, a café and bake shop, is an offshoot of the family-owned H&S Bakery and it's set to sell artisan breads, sandwiches and pastries. The interior promises to be modern and lounge-like with comfy sofas, pendant lights and giant windows, and there'll also be a ‘BakeLab’ for events and baking classes. Expect hearty soups in bread bowls, tasty things on toast and perfect bagels like this one, pictured.
Gordon Ramsay describes Boston as "a premier dining destination in the country" and the British chef made his debut in Beantown in January 2022. His sleek, self-named restaurant opened in the upscale Mandarin Oriental hotel and is all about local flavours with global influences. In true Boston style, seafood is the focus and the restaurant features a raw bar plus a menu of French classics like bouillabaisse packed with Maine lobster, clams, mussels and shrimp.
Royal Oak is less than half an hour outside of Detroit and its dining scene is well worth taking some time out for. Chic Pastaio has already earned fans in Florida's Palm City (location pictured) and it's now coming to the Motor City suburb. The dining room is all low lighting, dark wood and hanging plants and the menu is focused on handmade pasta, brick-oven pizzas and craft cocktails.
The most anticipated Minnesota restaurant opening of 2022 isn't in the Twin Cities (buzzing Minneapolis or capital St. Paul). Instead, it's in the quaint city of Marine on St Croix. Lawyer-turned-restaurateur Änna Hagstrom, who shifted her career goals during the pandemic, will open Änna’s Bistro in 2022 in the city's charming and historic Lumber Yard building, pictured. The menu will be centred around a wood-fired oven and the whole concept is inspired by the French tradition of apéro: unwinding over a cocktail or two and some snacks for grazing.
I-Ho's Korean Grill is a favourite with Bozeman locals and is known for its miso soup, kimchi fried rice and teriyaki chicken. And, happily for its fans, the beloved restaurant has just had an upgrade. In early 2022, the restaurant moved into a brand new location in downtown and added more delicious treats to its menu. The main addition so far is a series of flavour-packed Korean barbecue dishes.
Meridian's Threefoot Hotel – part of the Marriott portfolio – has been spruced up with renovations recently, and a highlight is The Boxcar, a glossy rooftop bar and restaurant that opened in January 2022. The sleek, lounge-like space offers panoramas over Meridian's historic downtown, plus a menu of modern American small plates, artisan cocktails and craft beer.
Chefs Marc Del Pietro and Brian Doherty already have two successful St Louis area restaurants: The Block (pictured) and 58hundred. Both are imaginative and meat-focused with menu items like braised beef, pork chops and rib-eye steaks. Diners will be able to enjoy more of the same at new St Louis spot Cleaver & Cocktail, tipped for a spring opening. You can enjoy dinner on a deck overlooking a lake too.
Omaha locals love Dirty Birds for its funky decor and – more importantly – for its overflowing buckets of fried, on-the-bone chicken, its hearty sandwiches and its pillowy waffles. It currently has a space at the hip Switch Beer and Food Hall, and it's set to open a glittering second location towards the end of 2022. The new, bigger joint will be in Omaha's historic Flatiron Building.
Born in a small town in Japan and arriving in Australia in his twenties, Michelin-starred chef Tetsuya Wakuda is known for upscale ventures including Tetsuya's in Sydney and Waku Ghin in Singapore. He'll make his US debut in summer 2022 with self-named Wakuda, which will be located within landmark Las Vegas resort The Venetian. It'll continue his tradition of creating fine Japanese cuisine and promises to be a high-end affair.
STREET is a top place for brunch in Portsmouth, pulling in punters with classic dishes like huevos rancheros and sausage, biscuits and gravy, plus innovative options such as scrambled eggs with sticky rice and sesame oil. And brunch lovers in Exeter will now be able to frequent STREET too. The new venue is set to open in spring 2022 with more great brunch options, as well as Asian-inspired lunch and dinner feasts like bibimbap bowls and bánh mì sandwiches.
Refined, seasonal, American dishes with global influences are on offer at Agricola in Princetown, and there's a new location coming to Morristown too. The brains behind the new restaurant promise more "rustic American cuisine" and a friendly vibe. Diners will graze on creative dishes like chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, seared ahi tuna and duck confit flatbread.
Tula's Kitchen is a brand new offering from the folks behind Dion's (pictured), a popular and casual restaurant serving pizzas, subs and salads. The new spot is set to open in summer 2022, and it'll be a family-friendly place serving grilled sandwiches, salads and desserts, plus beer and cocktails. The founders have said they want to create a space where people can get together and "connect with one another over the dinner table".
Beloved Ipanema – a Portuguese and Brazilian restaurant in Midtown Manhattan's Little Brazil – was a casualty of the pandemic. It retained a presence in Norwalk, Connecticut for a period, but it's returning to the big city for 2022. The restaurant will reopen in a new location in Little Brazil and will continue to serve menu staples such as moqueca, a traditional seafood stew.
There was a hole in Charlotte's brunch scene when Uptown Yolk closed due to the pandemic in March 2021. The restaurant, spearheaded by husband and wife team Greg and Subrina Collier, was focused on tasty breakfast and brunch dishes – think French toast, fried chicken sandwiches and shrimp and grits. Now, happily for its long-time fans, it's set to make a comeback in 2022. Uptown Yolk will open with a new bar and some tasty menu updates.
It's a good year for fans of Mexican food in North Dakota. Plaza Azteca, which already has a location in Fargo, is opening a second location in the city’s south side – while the company’s new concept, Mas Tequila, is also opening in 2022. The latter, in West Fargo, is described as a celebration of Mexican gastronomy and tequila, with food and drink pairings and dishes that incorporate the spirit. Pictured is the bar area.
Cleveland is the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so it's a fitting place for this music-themed restaurant. With walls entirely covered in music prints and a long bar lined with leather seats, Indie opened in January 2022. The food hits all the right notes too. Tuck into warming dishes like chicken and waffles, seafood boils and chilli-laced mac 'n' cheese. There's a long list of music-themed cocktails on offer too.
Chef Andrew Black has many a feather in his cap – he's worked everywhere from Memphis' Peabody Hotel Group to the Ritz-Escoffier in Paris, and his ventures include upscale restaurants like Oklahoma City's Grey Sweater. His latest project is Gilded Acorn, a high-end restaurant and patisserie set to open in 2022. It'll be tucked on the ground floor of the First National Center skyscraper and will serve small plates, Champagne and high tea.
Portland's food scene is among the country's most dynamic and, right now, the most talked about addition is an upscale, sustainably focused restaurant from Top Chef alumni Gregory Gourdet. Slated for a 2022 opening, Kann will pay homage to Gourdet's Haitian heritage. The Caribbean country is known for its spicy dishes like the punchy, squash-packed soup joumou.
From old-school spots to fine dining venues, Philadelphia is blessed with many first-rate Italian restaurants. Among them is Wm. Mulherin's Sons (pictured), an industrial-chic space serving wood-fired pizzas and elevated Italian dishes. Its sister restaurant, Mulherin’s, is set to open in Philly's Midtown Village in late 2022. Diners can look forward to more gourmet pizzas and veggie small plates.
If you're craving pizza and craft cocktails, Brick Pizza Co. is the place. The Bristol spot, opened in January 2022, has stylish brick-and-beam interiors and specialises in pizzas with elevated toppings: think Portuguese chourico sausage or buffalo-spiced chicken. There's a great selection of local beers too.
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Luxurious new boutique hotel The Pinch opened in Charleston in early 2022, and its crowning glory will be The Quinte Oyster Bar. Expected to open in summer 2022, the restaurant will be modelled on a traditional turn-of-the-century oyster bar, albeit with modern twists like slinky wooden bars stalls and leather seating. The menu will focus on sustainably sourced seafood and craft cocktails.
You can get a taste of Louisiana in Sioux Falls at Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen, which moved to a new, bigger space in downtown Sioux Falls in February 2022. The Southern joint has added a bar, expanded its menu – thanks to a bigger kitchen – and spruced up its new space with colourful, Mardi Gras–inspired decor including a bold mural. The style of cooking, with Cajun blackened shrimp, catfish tacos and jambalaya, remains the same.
The city of Franklin, half an hour from Nashville, is stepping into the spotlight with plenty of cool spots to grab a bite. The latest on the scene is Burger Dandy, a gloriously retro joint that doles out hearty burgers and chicken sandwiches with tempting toppings like Coca-Cola onions and a mouthwatering signature sauce. The creamy milkshakes, made with a pound of ice cream and whole milk, are top-notch too.
The Grey, in the charming Georgian city of Savannah, already has a cult following. It's the vision of James Beard Award-winning chef Mashama Bailey, who has now brought two sister restaurants to Texas' cool capital: The Diner Bar and The Grey Market, both located on the ground level of the also new Thompson and Tommie Hotels. The Diner Bar serves the type of imaginative seasonal cuisine the Savannah spot is known for, while the market (pictured) has hearty Southern breakfasts, burgers, grab-and-go salads and delights like Sunday fried chicken.
One of the swishest spots in Salt Lake City, Pago already had a location in the buzzy 9th and 9th District – and a second has opened on Main Street. According to the folks behind the restaurant, "the closer we are to the wild, the fresher the food" – so diners will be treated to modern American dishes whipped up using local farm-fresh ingredients. Come for brunch and feast on brioche French toast or smoked trout kedgeree. Pictured is a dish of seared North Atlantic scallops with saffron risotto.
Opened in January 2022, Butter Bar and Kitchen is located in Burlington's New North End and is the brainchild of locals Tom D'Angelo and Chelsea Morgan. On the menu is elevated American comfort food from homemade pretzels with marrow butter to disco fries smothered in mozzarella, gravy and aioli. There are good options for veggies too. Try the buffalo seitan or the roasted acorn squash.
One of Virginia's newest gourmet offerings, Ada's On The River – named in honour of 19th-century mathematician Ada Lovelace – makes the most of Alexandria's waterfront location. Diners can look over the Potomac River from the patio or, inside, slip into a bold patterned booth or prop up the bar for a cocktail. Many of the modern American dishes are cooked on a wood-fired oven, with ingredients like jumbo lump crab and tri-tip steak. Elevated sides include lobster mac 'n' cheese and whipped mash potatoes with Gruyère.
Dough Joy in Seattle – opened in January 2022 – is about as cute as a place can be. Located in Capitol Hill, it's all decked out in pastel pink, bright neon, wooden beams and plants, and it's the city's first all-vegan doughnut shop and café. Creative flavours range from banana French toast to peanut butter and Oreo. The 'Cookie Butta' hot chocolate is irresistible too.
Hello Vietnam, which opened in January 2022, brings a taste of Southeast Asia to the West Virginia city of Bridgeport. It's locally owned and run and is focused on traditional dishes, from hot and spicy soups and meat-packed bánh mì to classic bubble teas. Expect a laid-back vibe and friendly service.
Dave's Hot Chicken started out in a parking lot in Los Angeles and is gradually spreading its wings across the USA. One of its latest restaurants, opened in January 2022, is in Wisconsin. The place is loved for its bold, bright murals, its hip vibe and, of course, its crispy fried chicken, whose recipe was perfected by co-founder and chef Dave Kopushyan, who trained under The French Laundry's Thomas Keller. Tenders come with pickles, bread and signature sauce, and you can choose your spice level from 'lite mild' to 'reaper'.
Fast food chain Runza is well-loved in Nebraska and over the years it has been spilling out of its home state, now with locations in Colorado, Kansas and Iowa. Its latest opening is in Cheyenne, Wyoming, so locals can feast on its classic burgers, ground beef sandwiches and chicken tenders.