Where to Eat at America's 11 Best Road Trip Attractions
By Megan Alagna
The car is packed, and you’re ready to take the ultimate road trip. Seriously, we’re talking a massive drive circling the contiguous United States, making 50 stops, each one at a national natural landmark, national historic site, national park, or national monument. That’s one stop in each of the lower 48 states plus D.C. and an additional stop in California. That’s big.
No, we didn’t map this out. As geography savvy as we are here at The Daily Meal, this route was computed by data tinkerer Randy Olsen and his algorithm. And while we didn’t cook up this extreme road trip, we did put together a list of what’s cooking so your adventure can be a culinary extravaganza of regional cuisines from around the U.S. No rest stops or fast food burgers here. We’ve pulled together a list of 11 stops with standout food and restaurants for your journey.
We covered a lot of ground with this list — national parks and big cities, regional specific cuisines and upscale New American menus. We highlighted some Daily Meal favorites, like Detroit-style pizza, and got down and dirty with some Memphis-style barbecue and soul food.
So take a little trip through American cuisine to see what’s in store for when you take the plunge on the ultimate road trip.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Photo Modified: Flickr / Sarah Nichols / CC BY-SA 4.0
A trip to Acadia National Park, encompassing much of Maine’s Mount Desert Island, is as much about fresh, local seafood and wild Maine blueberries as it is hiking Cadillac Mountain. Take a midday lobster stew break at Jordan Pond House, the only restaurant in the park, which has been serving afternoon tea and popovers since the 1890s. Or head into the picturesque, romantic town of Bar Harbor, where the food never disappoints. Enjoy breakfast of blueberry pancakes or lobster eggs benedict at Café This Way, and later, grab an outdoor seat with a waterfront view for dinner at Stewman’s Lobster Pound (photo above), where you’ll find all the traditional ingredients — lobster, steamers, mussels, clam chowder, and blueberry pie, the official state dessert of Maine. Not to be confused with the official state treat, the whoopie pie.
Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Memphis, Tenn.
Photo Modified: Flickr / Noel Pennington / CC BY 4.0
When you’re driving up to Elvis’ Memphis mansion blasting “Suspicious Minds,” and you have your heart set on his favorite peanut butter and banana sandwich, make a pit stop at Rockabilly’s Burger Shop on the Graceland premises. Once that’s out of your system, it’s time for some Memphis-style barbecue and soul food. Rendezvous is the spot for pork shoulder, dry-rub ribs, and other quintessential Memphis barbecue, while Ellen’s Soul Food is a local favorite that adventurous non-Southerners will love. One more standard not to miss: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.
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Fox Theater, Detroit
Photo Modified: Flickr / DDohler / CC BY 4.0
You may not be familiar with Detroit-style pizza, but if you’re making the Fox Theater stop, that’s what’s to eat. Similar to Sicilian-style, this square pizza has a thick deep-dish crust, but is served with the marinara sauce across the top of the cheese. Detroit-style pizza’s square shape and crunchy-yet-still-chewy crust comes from being twice-baked in a butter- or oil-brushed steel pan. The pans used to bake the first Detroit-style pizzas were often not pizza pans, but small industrial parts trays from auto plants. Stop into Buddy’s, where it supposedly all started, for a cheese pizza — even New York and Chicago natives won’t be disappointed.
French Quarter, New Orleans
Photo Modified: Flickr / alaina buzas / CC BY 4.0
Whether you roll into the French Quarter just after midnight or with the morning sun, your first stop is going to be Café Du Monde for café au lait and beignets. Their legendary 24/7 French Quarter original location serves no more than that, but is still the best way to start — or end — your day. But New Orleans has much more to offer than coffee and pastries. Try Cochon, just outside the Quarter, for Cajun- and Creole-inspired dishes like catfish courtbouillon, rabbit and dumplings, or an oyster and bacon sandwich. Stroll the cobblestone streets for a French Quarter pub crawl, hitting up Erin Rose, which has a great po’boy shop in the back, and Pat O'Brien’s for the original Hurricane.
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Grand Canyon, Ariz.
Photo Modified: Flickr / Pete Watters / CC BY 4.0
Make your reservations well in advance for Phantom Ranch Canteen. If you’re sure you can make it, that is. An oasis situated on the floor of the Grand Canyon, the sole food stop below the canyon rim, it can only be reached on foot, by mule, or by rafting the Colorado River. Well worth it for their all-you-can-eat, family-style Hiker’s Stew dinner — and you’ll want to share, considering six onions and a carafe of Burgundy go into it — between trekking the inner gorge. But don’t forget: you hiked in, so you’ll have to hike back out.
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Hoover Dam, Nev.
Photo Modified: Flickr / Airwolfhound / CC BY-SA 4.0
En route from the San Andreas Fault, less than 10 miles from the Hoover Dam, just a quick detour off 93 will take you to Coffee Cup. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Boulder City’s breakfast joint offers the Guy Fieri-tested pork chile verde omelette.
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Mount Rushmore, S.D.
Photo Modified: Flickr / H. Michael Miley / CC BY-SA 4.0
When you visit Mount Rushmore to behold the faces of four U.S. presidents carved into over 1,200 acres of granite, it’s only fitting that you stop by Memorial Ice Cream for a “Monumental Scoop.” Aside from his presidency and authoring the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the first written recipe for ice cream to the U.S. — and Memorial serves vanilla based off of TJ’s original recipe from 1780.
San Francisco Cable Cars, San Francisco
Photo Modified: Flickr / Kārlis Dambrāns / CC BY 4.0
San Francisco is the birthplace of everything from Mission Chinese to sourdough bread to steam beer, so when you come to ride the cable cars, there’s a quite a variety of cuisine to choose from. Try the daily-changing Mediterranean menu at Zuni Café, with brick-oven-roasted specials and possibly the best burger in San Francisco. Since no trip to SF would be complete without a food truck meal, The Chairman’s pork belly bun and Senor Sisig’s burrito are musts, both ranking in the top 10 of our list of the 101 Best Food Trucks in America. These trucks are on the move, so check their websites for locations.
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Statue of Liberty, New York City
Photo Modified: Flickr / Pietro & Silvia / CC BY-SA 4.0
Hopefully, you’ve got a few days to spend in NYC when you’re visiting the Statue of Liberty. Even still, you won’t make a dent in the tens of thousands of restaurants, delis, and food trucks that make up New York City’s dining scene. But here’s the quick roundup of traditional New York fare all visitors must try: Start your morning with coffee from Everyman Espresso and a bagel. Lunch is a mile-high corned beef sandwich at Katz’s. Head uptown in the evening — put your name on the hour-plus wait list at Serendipity 3, go across the street to Patsy’s for pizza, then come back and, if you’re lucky, your name will be up, so you can squeeze in for a frozen hot chocolate or $15 ice cream sundae.
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White House, Washington, D.C.
Photo Modified: Flickr / Bossi / CC BY-SA 4.0
While you’re in our nation’s capital visiting the national historic landmarks, hit up one culinary D.C. landmark: Ben’s Chili Bowl. For an inexpensive meal or late-night eats, Ben’s is a favorite of locals, celebrities, and even the occasional U.S. president, all of whom know to order the original chili half-smoke, a spicy, smoked, half-pork, half-beef sausage. Looking for more upscale American cuisine? At the Red Hen, chef Michael Friedman serves up a seasonal menu of Italian-influenced American fare, like grilled octopus, salt cod brandade, and charred beef short ribs, in a cozy, rustic space, complete with wood-fired grill and leather-topped bar, where you can sip one of their orange wine selections.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.
Photo Modified: Flickr / Yellowstone National Park / CC BY 4.0
Get the ultimate cowboy experience at Yellowstone National Park’s Old West Dinner Cookout. After riding to Yancy’s Hole on a horse or in a covered wagon, you’ll find coffee brewing over the campfire. When the dinner bell rings, line up for steaks, potato salad, cornbread, and their signature Roosevelt baked beans, all the while listening to Western songs sung by their resident cowboy.
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