A whole head of cauliflower isn’t typically the sort of dish I lie awake thinking about. So imagine my surprise when I sliced into the one served at Portland, Oregon’s dazzling new Haitian restaurant, Kann. Rubbed with jerk spices, cooked over a crackling wood fire, and lazing in a cooling pool of sour coconut cream, it was one of the most exhilarating things I tasted all year. Little moments of joy and wonder like this one overwhelmed us as we ate our way across the country in search of the Best New Restaurants of 2023.
We savored the boat ride to an idyllic island off the coast of Seattle nearly as much as the seaweed focaccia and sugar kelp ice cream we ate once there. In San Francisco, we stepped into a psychedelic universe fueled by food waste and free-flowing natural wine. And in Oklahoma City, plates of paddlefish caviar and butter-soaked moon snails were all the proof we needed that an unforgettable seafood spot can exist in a landlocked state. We returned from each of these restaurants thrilled and invigorated.
With all of this in mind, we decided to make this year’s list longer than it has been in the past. The restaurant world is packed with creativity right now, and these 24 spots represent the very best of dining. So hop in the car, catch a ferry, or—if you’re lucky—simply walk down the block. Wherever this list takes you, we know that these restaurants will bring you as much joy as they’ve brought us. —Elazar Sontag, restaurant editor
