Since almost every good food from all around the world is reachable in US, what is your favorite my American friends?
Posted by LordFordZord@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 298 comments
camsle@reddit
Thats like asking which child is your favorite.
trampolinebears@reddit
I don’t care for Gob.
LeGrandePoobah@reddit
Amen
tychobrahesmoose@reddit
Summer!
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
My comfort food is New England style Chinese and I love a lot of Mexican food.
bbii511@reddit
Yesss!! I just posted the same thing!
-PiesOfRage-@reddit
New Jerseyan here - what’s NE style Chinese?
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
It's just how the Chinese that came here and opened restaurants subtly changed it - probably based on available ingredients and customer preferences.
When people move away, it one of the things they miss.
There's at least one company that ships from the restaurants to you. I know folks in Florida that have got it shipped to them from Mass.
DukeofBraintree918@reddit
I'm from Massachusetts and whenever I meet people who moved out of New England the number one thing they tell me they always miss is the Chinese food
Now I don't think I've ever really had Chinese food outside of New England
But from my anecdotal experience it's definitely a thing
7GrenciaMars@reddit
Yes, for example egg rolls down here just don't have quite the right ingredients. So even basic parts of what we think of as Chinese food (although it's generally not what Chinese people eat). And spare ribs just aren't the same, and there's some stuff you can't get at all, or the quality is just poor--it's like a shadow of what the food is like in the NE of the States. (I'm in S Florida.)
Historical_Tax6679@reddit
When this Midwestern girl goes to Boston, I think about the fresh seafood - not Chinese food. But now I'm intrigued! Next time I'm in Boston, I'll be trying the Chinese food there.
theMightBoop@reddit
I have travelled and lived up and down the east coast. When I was stationed in CT the Chinese was next fucking level. Now I am living in the south and it fucking sucks.
pinniped90@reddit
I had no idea...next time I'm in Boston, I want to try the Chinese to see how different it is from Kansas.
I think I just assumed Chinese populations in the US just gradually westernized food as they opened restaurants, and what we know today is pretty similar everywhere in the US.
DukeofBraintree918@reddit
Whenever I travel outside New England (now that I think about it I did grab Chinese in Chinatown in New York City but that's barely out of New England) I always want to try it just to see
But I end up getting barbecue or something else local to the area I'm in and never can convince myself to try Chinese that I'm told is worse lol
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
Yeah, one thing is lots of Chinese restaurants in the South are run by non-Chinese folks. I really think the Chinese here is just better - fresh, cooked well. Then the dishes are a bit different.
carsandgrammar@reddit
I live in South Florida and the transplants (New Yorkers in particular) terrorize us about how the Chinese food isn't as good. Some people get really irritated by it, but it just makes me chuckle.
-PiesOfRage-@reddit
What’s your go to order when you take out? I might be up by Mansfield in a few weeks and will go out of my to try see if there is a difference from what I love here in NJ!
dwintaylor@reddit
I used to live in Mansfield, there’s an excellent Chinese restaurant there called Cheng Du in the little downtown area. I grew up eating NE Chinese and this was a great spot back in the day. I’ve also heard they don’t do Scorpion Bowls outside of NE so that would be worth trying.
-PiesOfRage-@reddit
If I end up in Mansfield, I’ll be about 10 mins away from Chang Du so I’ll definitely try them out!
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
I do think NJ and NY have good Chinese but here goes.
Chicken fingers, beef teriyaki, Peking ravioli, crab rangoon, lo mein, pork fried rice, boneless spare rib, sesame chicken, beef and broccoli.
Ask around what place is best and there is often the debate as hot as what city has the best pizza.
-PiesOfRage-@reddit
The Peking ravioli sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the suggestion!
chimugukuru@reddit
What’s New England style Chinese like? Are there any particular dishes that are unique or different from other Chinese American cuisine?
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
There's a few differences obvious like Duck Sauce and Chicken fingers but lots of it is subtle tweaks I think. Every town here (even small) has a Chinese family that runs a restaurant. I think when this started in the 1920s the Chinese just changed things a bit based on ingredients and customer preferences.
Growing up here - Chinese food was the special occasion restaurant. After prom or graduation or a big birthday for gram. They had back rooms with big tables and it's a pretty nostalgic food. Weekends they always had bands in their cocktail lounges and dancing.
I lived in a small (city 30k)in the middle farmy/mill new england and there were two huge Chinese restaurants along with a bunch of smaller ones.
JeanBonJovi@reddit
Just about everyone I knew went to Kowloon's after semi formal dances or proms! Then after they got some food went to the parties after.
Stop_Drop_Scroll@reddit
Kowloon is opening a spot on revere beach this spring. Probably because the main one is shutting down eventually, but I’m pumped I can now walk to Kowloon from my house lol
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
Kowloon was a biggie!
TillPsychological351@reddit
Confirming this, I live in a rural Vermont town of barely 2K people, and even we have a pretty good little Chinese restaurant. It operates out of the basement of a Masonic Lodge, and it's a classic "don't judge a book by its cover" type of place.
TillPsychological351@reddit
When I lived in Germany, the only "American" food I really missed and couldn't find or replicate in my kitchen was US-style Chinese. I love most of the food in Europe, but Chinese food adapted for European tastes is just not good.
Helpful-Winner-8300@reddit
Chinese food in Italy is also bad. Not as terrible as "Mexican" food in Italy, though.
Odd_Mathematician654@reddit
I'll be NE next month. I am going to find some to try.
CuriousExpression876@reddit
I 100% agree. I spend most of my life in rural northern New England, and moved to upstate NY. Even the small Chinese restaurants in middle of nowhere New England are exponentially better than anything I’ve had in NY or elsewhere.
jbonejimmers@reddit
I live in New England and am equally intrigued by this thread because I don't know what this means.
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
If you move to Florida you'll know!
Check out this article in Salon
"The cult of New England Chinese food A fiercely loyal regional cuisine — sweet, saucy, nostalgic — shaped by immigrants and beloved beyond New England"
But I do think the food is different but also way better quality than about 75% of the country. Every single Chinese restaurant I've been in is owned and run by Chinese family. It's not that way every where.
designhelpme@reddit
Florida has the worst Asian food in the country, I’ll die on this hill
bbii511@reddit
Chinese food, especially the way its made in New England. Followed closely by Thai
Wonderful_Purple4096@reddit
Bermese fermented tea salad!
ColdNotion@reddit
We need a nation wide effort to get everyone eating Laphet Thoke!
evaj95@reddit
Italian! But only my grandmother's cooking. None of the restaurants even compare
lil_bruiser@reddit
Chinese.
raindorpsonroses@reddit
Authentic Japanese and Italian food always have my heart.
jmc1278999999999@reddit
If we’re talking an overall cuisine then it would be Mexican. If we’re talking about where my favorite dishes are from then it’s Chinese.
dth1717@reddit
American Chinese or real Chinese?
ColdNotion@reddit
Not to be a pain, but I would try to avoid the whole real/fake thing. American Chinese food isn’t fake, it’s a sub-cuisine that developed based on local ingredients and taste preferences. That’s actually a super common process, and is how you eventually get new cuisines. It’s younger than some other Chinese cuisines, but that doesn’t make it fake or worse.
Proof-Emergency-5441@reddit
I love American Chinese for what it is. It's like gas station pizza- I know what I'm getting into, and I can appreciate the finer versions of this knockoff.
michelecw@reddit
For me it’s Mexican food for sure! I love it!
CosmicWy@reddit
American Chinese dude.
once you leave the confines of NY, South Beach, and LA, the fake Chinese American food disappears and you have to hunt it down like a pig sniffing truffles.
Americans love to lament the availability of "good" pizza. I'm in Albuquerque and there's amazing pizza here.
there are two acceptable Chinese takeout spots in a sea of like 30 take out spots.
TheGrog@reddit
General Tso was invented in Taiwan bruh.
Ti_Cocodrie@reddit
I lived in Hong Kong for a bit and, I know this is anathema, but I prefer Chinese-American.
hnglmkrnglbrry@reddit
Real Chiinese. Sichuan. There's a place by me that does this crispy chicken in a spicy garlic sauce that is amazing. Skin is super crispy and meat falls off the bone. I don't know how they do it!
DisastrousSir@reddit
If its ever slow while you're in, just ask them. I'm sure theyd be more than happy to talk about it if you show enthusiasm and appreciation
EagleCatchingFish@reddit
First one, then the other, I say. Panda Express orange chicken is a comfort food for me. Fu chi fei pian, hot pot, grilled lamb skewers, blanched bok choy, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, it's all good. I really like Sichuanese food. Cantonese food a little less, but it's all good. I don't think I've had any of the other regional cuisines like Shandong or Fujianese.
renegadecoaster@reddit
I live in Chicago, one of the great food cities in the world, and I still regularly crave shitty orange chicken from Panda. It's definitely a thing.
dth1717@reddit
I've never had real Chinese as the closest one is on the other side of Detroit about 30 miles away
EagleCatchingFish@reddit
Dang. I found a list of good Chinese restaurants in Detroit. Are any of them closer than that? Lao Pot and Kung Fu Noodle House are two I'd try if I were in the area.
Lao pot would be "hot pot." Hot pot is really fun if you have a group of three or four people They have a stove at your table where you have a big pot of very flavorful broth, and you cook little slices of meat, meat balls, different types of tofu, and vegetables at your leisure. It's a fun sit and talk sort of activity. You can also usually order dishes from the menu as well, so it's not just soup.
mst3k_42@reddit
We love hot pot so much we bought the supplies to make it at home. Probably will be dinner tomorrow.
EagleCatchingFish@reddit
Heck yeah. I bought a butane stove, a pot and some little sheep hot pot base for my friend and his half-Taiwanese wife as a housewarming gift. They never ended up using it!
I've wanted to do it at my house, but haven't done it yet. How do you get the ingredients? Do you buy one of those trays of pre-sliced meat at the Asian grocery store, or do you just buy a chunks of the different meat you want and cut it yourself?
dth1717@reddit
Ty, I saved it so I'll try some eventually. But north of Detroit is well to do and extremely ethnically diverse compared to south of Detroit. South of Detroit is very blue collar very... American food oriented, except Dearborn and that's some crazy good middle east food there.
EagleCatchingFish@reddit
I'm so envious of your middle Eastern food. I went there for work once but didn't get a chance to try any. There were some Lebanese food carts by my university in Portland, and we have a handful of restaurants throughout the city, but nothing like what you guys have. Same with barbecue and soul food. I'd have to drive 20 miles to get real barbecue (there's a Texas bbq joint in North Portland) and then probably about 10 more to get good soul food.
We've got decent asian food and Mexican food on my side of town. There are half a dozen serviceable pho places within 10 miles.
jmc1278999999999@reddit
Both. But my absolute favorite dish is Peking duck
nope-its@reddit
And Mexican really differs based on what state you’re in.
I love Mexican in the state I was born and lived until I was 30. Always go to eat it when I go to visit.
The state I’m in now I’ve tried at least 20 restaurants and it’s never better than average. It IS better than the three Mexican restaurants I’ve been to in Europe which were an abomination (for example, turkey was used in a lot of recipes in one of them?)
BurritoDespot@reddit
I mean “Mexican” varies significantly depending on which state in Mexico you’re in. Makes sense that it would vary in the US too.
nope-its@reddit
Oh yeah I know - it’s just the state I lived in was much closer to the food in Mexico that I’ve had (and of course some Tex mex stuff too) but now it’s just…wrong.
witchy12@reddit
Southeast/East Asian cuisine is my favorite, and I'm being general because I genuinely like the cuisine from most, if not all, of the SE/E Asian countries; Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.
AstraeaOfJustice@reddit
Vietnamese, Thai, and Afghan. But Cornish pasties are also incredible. It's so hard to pick one.
CompanyOther2608@reddit
Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Vietnamese, Ethiopian…so hard to choose!
meltingintoice@reddit
Belgian dark chocolate. Literally nothing beats it. There is one mid-scale Belgian chocolate chain that operates in the US and that's the only place I will get chocolate now.
People say the Swiss, Dutch, and Germans make good chocolate, and they do, but the best Belgian chocolate can't be beat anywhere in the world.
Impedimentita@reddit
Lebanese. Give me all the garlic.
7GrenciaMars@reddit
This I have not had yet, but if they have all the garlic, then that's what I want. Anything in particular you recommend? I am omnivorous but no so fond of innards and most squashes.
lyndachinchinella@reddit
Oh yes this is my favorite too! Im in Michigan and Dearborn has a ton of Lebanese restaurants. Yum!
my-coffee-needs-me@reddit
Hey, almost neighbor! I'm in Ypsilanti and we have some good Lebanese food out here, too.
ZombieLizLemon@reddit
Hey, neighbor! My favorite is Malek al-Kabob, but there are SO many good choices here. We're lucky.
IKnowAllSeven@reddit
Lebanese food reminds me of home! Dearborn Michigan represents!
ZombieLizLemon@reddit
Hey, neighbor!
No_Waltz1538@reddit
Ethiopian/Eritrean
7GrenciaMars@reddit
All. Of. Them. Seriously, any time someone wants me to try a cuisine from somewhere I haven't tried yet, I am all for it!
ASU_SexDevil@reddit
Cajun, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Venezuelan
Stop_Drop_Scroll@reddit
As someone who is married to a Venezuelan: the food generally is… ok. My wife feels the same and she grew up on it lol a nice stuffed arepa, cachapas, and tequeños are good, but overall it’s a bit boring.
ASU_SexDevil@reddit
I’m just a HUGE arepa fan. I’ll be honest that’s about the extent of my Venezuelan pallet
Stop_Drop_Scroll@reddit
Try tequeños, basically a Venezuelan mozzarella stick
Wide_Breadfruit_2217@reddit
Its hard to find but Indonesian. And I wish there was more middle eastern-specifically Turkish.
Two-Complex@reddit
Thai…and I’m lucky enough to have a really good Thai restaurant in my town…and another in a nearby town. Thai yellow curry…I also love Vietnamese and one of my favorite meals is a vegan Channa Masala from a place about an hour away from me.
I’m so lucky to have all of this nearby. All of the restaurants I love are run by people directly from the country - the owner of my favorite Thai restaurant visited her family in Thailand and brought me (and my mother!) a little gift back. ❤️
Malicious_blu3@reddit
Love Indian and Japanese.
ljlkm@reddit
mx-raebees@reddit
Peruvian
Ok_Challenge_5176@reddit
Top three: Korean, Ethiopian, Vietnamese. No particular order because that would be cruel.
beardiac@reddit
Chicken parmesan, hibachi steak & scallops, bangers & mash, tandoori chicken, birria tacos, and General Tso's chicken (yes, I know that one isn't so authentic, but when done well it's delicious).
Prestigious_Author16@reddit
Mexican hands down!
Sad_Investigator6160@reddit
Indian
KalamityKait2020@reddit
Mexican, Italian, and Thai
Amarastargazer@reddit
Indian and Mexican. I grew up going to a lot of parties with Indian food as a kid, so it is very nostalgic for me. Also grew up learning Spanish and gained a real appreciation for Mexican food.
dontkillmysoul@reddit
Japanese, Mexican, Italian, American
Lady-Kat1969@reddit
Depends what I’m in the mood for. I’m good with authentic or Americanized, as long as it’s done well. I love finding a good restaurant that’s dedicated to one particular culture’s food, but I also like finding unapologetic mashups. I miss the Japanese food court in Porter Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Scandinavian bakeries in Portland and over in New Hampshire. I love getting to the Italian bakery that’s about an hour away from me, and there’s an excellent Chinese restaurant in the next town over. But sometimes you just want a fast food hamburger, and there’s nothing wrong with that either.
patticakes1952@reddit
Mediterranean and middle eastern.
qu33nof5pad35@reddit
Any time of Asian cuisine
HarlequinKOTF@reddit
Mexican is the most reliable.
But my tastes sometimes pull me to Chinese, Thai, Italian, German or Indian food.
Of the more "niche" foods I've tried and liked probably Filipino (but it's much better in the Philippines) and Greek.
SingingNina@reddit
Greek. Fresh Mediterranean cuisine!
Apprehensive-Ant2141@reddit
Korean by a long shot.
msklovesmath@reddit
Peruvian, Persian, vietnamese
IllSlice1289@reddit
we have a lot of mexican refsturants
Brennisth@reddit
For going out to eat? Ethiopian. I just cannot figure out how to make proper injera, and it's delicious.
ScarInternational161@reddit
Korean, Japanese, Southeastern Mexican.
Quirky-Invite7664@reddit
Afghan and Middle Eastern, followed by Thai and Indian, followed by Japanese. There’s also a great Cambodian restaurant near me.
There used to be a Dutch restaurant in Philadelphia and a Russian restaurant in DC that were both excellent. Sadly, they closed. I miss them!
Remember-2-Forget@reddit
Korean fried chicken
FarFarAway7337@reddit
I'm an American now living in a certain Central European country. I absolutely miss a Szechuan Chinese restaurant I used to go to in my native New Jersey. The area has a large Chinese population and there are some mighty good Chinese restaurants there because of it.
Rescuepets777@reddit
Yellow Thai curry
Remember-2-Forget@reddit
Korean fried chicken
MustacheSupernova@reddit
A lot of people going right to the more exotic cuisines like Thai, but the truth of the matter is that the most accessible, and most consistently well executed and delicious international food here in the US, is without a doubt Italian cuisine.
Japanese is probably number 2.
Mexican food is great, but in most restaurants it’s done in a pretty boring fashion. Same with Chinese, and we all know you’re not really getting authentic Chinese cuisine, you’re getting an Americanized version.
Thai is great, but I can’t eat that every single week. And forget Indian, I don’t like being tethered to the toilet for three hours after I eat.
So yeah, Italian food.
Odd_Mathematician654@reddit
Most of the Italian your getting us Americanized. In my area I have access to a ton of authentic Thai, Vietnamese, and 5 or y regional Chinese restaurants. Italian that isn't Americanized is much harder to find.
MustacheSupernova@reddit
That may well be true, but it doesn’t really change the fact that many people consider Italian, whether it be authentic or not, to be their go-to or favorite cuisine. Things like Thai and Vietnamese for me are just a once in a while fling. But Italian food and I have something real. 🥰
Also, don’t be fooled. A lot of the things on your Asian menu are also Americanized, and not regularly found in the countries they claim to be from. Every nationality that owns restaurants here caters to the American palate
Odd_Mathematician654@reddit
After I posted, I realized I did so from the perspective of someone living in a major metro city with large immigrant population. Many of the restaurants cater to those immigrants or one generation removed. They might have a dish more approachable to the American palate but that is not their focus. But as you said, most American's do not live in areas with as much cultural diversity with first and second generations.
Helpful-Winner-8300@reddit
I agree with the conclusion that the most widely accessible and well executed international cuisine is probably Italian. I would add the caveat though that we need to clearly distinguish also between Italian-American cuisine, which has its own distinct traditions and is more widespread, from restaurants doing cuisine more representative of contemporary Italian-Italian (including different regions).
MustacheSupernova@reddit
It’s impossible to classify Italian cuisine at this point. They are one of our longest standing immigrants, and the cuisine has definitely been Americanized in many ways. A real Neapolitan probably wouldn’t recognize half of the things on your average pizza parlor menu.
I’m just chiming in to say that it’s probably many people‘s favorite, but they don’t even consider it international cuisine anymore because it’s so common place.
Mysterious_Luck4674@reddit
Ethiopian
TelephoneDiligent671@reddit
This. I'm lucky to live in an area with a huge Ethiopian population, so the choices are plentiful. I could eat injera every day.
StopNowThink@reddit
God I need to try this. Any dish recommendations?
Unfortunately the closest place is over an hour away in Boston.
YOLTLO@reddit
Ethiopian food is the bomb
backin45750@reddit
Their injera is so good! And the spices are great!
Hyperdragoon17@reddit
Ramen
StopNowThink@reddit
Surprised at so little Japanese being mentioned. Specifically sushi for me.
Due_Composer_1501@reddit
Korean pork belly in Mexican Tacos - a fusion we should all get behind.
designhelpme@reddit
If you’re ever in Austin, Ramen Del Barrio fuses Mexican and Japanese and it is SO good.
I think they ended up getting a nod from the Michelin guide even though they were a small place inside an Asian grocery store
eugenesbluegenes@reddit
I feel like burria ramen has been hot recently.
StruggleFinancial407@reddit
I shall have to try this… what part of Austin? So I can plan a weekend trip from Houston.
designhelpme@reddit
The grocery store closed down due to like arson? Or something crazy. So now Ramen Del barrio is moving to a permanent location/brick and mortar and I think they’re temporarily closed during this time.
I googled and it says their new location will be off Kramer, so north central Austin. Like 2 min from the Q2 soccer stadium
amazingtaters@reddit
There's a small chain in Chicago and St. Louis called Seoul Taco that does Korean-Mexican fusion. Absolutely bomb tacos.
maimou1@reddit
The food of my grandfather's land.. Greece.
shit_i_overslept@reddit
My current favorite cuisines are Thai, Mexican, and Indian - I love me some spice!
AndreaTwerk@reddit
I also love Indian food but recently learned that 90% of the Indian restaurants in my city are actually owned by Nepali people. They serve the usual Indian dishes but also Nepali ones. I'm addicted to paneer and spinach momo.
Similarly a lot of Thai restaurants are owned by Vietnamese people. Americans are just more familiar with Thai menus but they are starting to add more Vietnamese dishes.
dangerrnoodle@reddit
Where I live it is almost exclusively Punjabis, so amazing North Indian food. We did finally get one South Indian spot that’s fantastic.
N_Huq@reddit
these are mine too!
Diana_FooFoo@reddit
Yep, these are my favorites. Please don’t ask me to whittle it down to just one. And just to clarify— real Mexican, not Tex-Mex, which is its own cuisine, but I don’t like it.
Academic-Contest3309@reddit
Same for me. Its so hard to choose.
hisamsmith@reddit
I love Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisine and have since the first time I ate it in 4th grade (92-93). I love Thai food too. However the most accessible food I can get in the Midwest where I love 95% of everything I’ve tried is Greek food. Gyros, pastitoto, dolmades, baklava, avgolemono, tzatziki, etc. I love everything except mousaka but I don’t like baked eggplant.
Throwaway-ish123a@reddit
Mediterranean. Kabob, döner, any kind of grilled protein with garlic yogurt and pita and I'm all about it. That and baklava. I was a happy camper when I visited Turkey. Their cuisine is a whole universe.
duensuels@reddit
You're so right, their food is fantastic
Durango_41@reddit
Greek!
Hm: Japanese
steely_92@reddit
I go through phases. Right now, it's west African. The past three weeks we've gotten west African as our Friday night takeout.
But Chinese American takeout will always be my comfort food takeout. General Tso Chicken and fried pork dumplings have gotten me through many sad times.
eugenesbluegenes@reddit
Now I want some jollof rice.
ahfuck0101@reddit
I can destroy some general tso chicken. I don’t want the rice and veggies, just a container full of chicken lol
ImNotToby@reddit
Scam post, wasn't written by a foreigner because they are admitting to us having culture or good food.
myfourmoons@reddit
This is so hard.
My favorite food is a roast dinner with a soup and salad.
DeltaFlyer0525@reddit
Any Asian food, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian are all great, but very hard to get quality wise in my rural area. I do my best making things at home. Luckily my second favorite is Mexican and that is plentiful here.
pillingz@reddit
Ethiopian
Free_Four_Floyd@reddit
Mexican food is my favorite American food, followed closely by Italian food
MadDocHolliday@reddit
Cajun/Creole food is probably my favorite. Étouffée, jambalaya, gumbo, Andouille sausage.....
Otherwise, it's either Italian or Mexican.
malibuklw@reddit
Top three cuisines: Indian, Thai, and Mexican.
LordFordZord@reddit (OP)
Can you give me names of some best dishes please, never had any Thai or Indian cuisine?
kippen@reddit
I can't believe no one has said Khao Soi yet. Best Thai dish out there IMO.
SparklingSaturnRing@reddit
Please try Thai tom yum soup, I prefer it with shrimp but is often prepared with other proteins
It’s lemony, spicy, and delicious
Stop_Drop_Scroll@reddit
Delicious. I’ve also started getting Kua Gai, Thai spicy level. My toilet hates me in the morning lol
confan415@reddit
Pumpkin curry (Thai) and Mattar Paneer (Indian)
gurlzdontpoop@reddit
Palak Paneer is my favorite, Chicken Tiki Masala is what people recommend for first timers. Choose your own spice level
raynicolette@reddit
For Indian, murgh makhani is chicken in a tomato cream sauce. One of the world’s great dishes, not to be missed. Rogan josh is a classic lamb curry. Biryani is a seasoned rice dish with vegetables and/or meat. A perfect comfort food. The kebabs are all great. Tandoori chicken is putting whole marinated chicken pieces on a skewer and cooking it in a clay oven. On the veg side, there are a lot of great lentil dishes — dal makhani is the classic, but I like peeli dal even better. Chana masala is spicy chick peas. Palak paneer is soft cheese and spinach. Naan is a fluffy bread that is great with all of the above.
(That’s really North Indian food. South Indian food is its own thing. North Indian is what’s most common in the west.)
combabulated@reddit
So where are you located OP?
LordFordZord@reddit (OP)
Eastern europe
MuppetusMaximusV2@reddit
My favorite Thai dish is Panang Curry.
My favorite Indian dish is Saag Paneer
NelPage@reddit
Italian
S_Wow_Titty_Bang@reddit
My favorite is probably Thai (so spicy, so fresh!) but I live in an area with great Ethiopian food, so that's a frequent choice when we go out.
Impossible_Kick616@reddit
Greek
Ti_Cocodrie@reddit
Of course I'm biased, but I think Louisiana has the best food. That being said, I love any Thai and Indian curry. Huge Spanish, Japanese, "Greek and Lebanese", Tex-Mex, and Chinese-American fan.
my-coffee-needs-me@reddit
Mexican, Indian, Americanized Chinese, Thai, Lebanese.
Birdywoman4@reddit
Persian foods and dishes
ZombieLizLemon@reddit
Mexican, Indian, and Lebanese. I've also greatly enjoyed the couple of E. African cuisines I've been able to try (specifically Ethiopian and Burundian).
QuarterNote44@reddit
Merican BBQ.
Other than that, I really love Greek food.
Helpful-Winner-8300@reddit
Burmese is not super common, but if you find it it will blow your mind. Combines all the best characteristics of Thai, Indian, and Chinese. Hope you like fish sauce!
Also Cuban And Dominican are amazing.
schonleben@reddit
Ethiopian, Indian, or Mexican.
Super_Bob@reddit
"...every good food from all around the world is reachable in US"
It's true and an embarrassment of riches, and also why we are all so fat.
madogvelkor@reddit
It usually depends what I'm in the mood for but I never really turn down Japanese.
saltporksuit@reddit
Vietnamese. In college, I ate at my local Viet place so much they started sending me holiday cards.
Loud_Inspector_9782@reddit
I like everything. That is why it’s great to live here.
steveofthejungle@reddit
Honestly I may have to say sushi. Or ice cream. My two favorite foods haha
Weird-Bluebird-132@reddit
Favorite cuisine? American, because Detroit-style pizza is an American food.
Favorite food? Detroit-style pizza.
As I'm not a teenage, mutant, ninja turtle, I do enjoy lots of other things. The question is almost unfair, because there's so much very good food.
Guanajuato style Mexican food, and Sonora-style (vastly different). The former is homey comfort food, the second is a night out.
Sichuan-style Chinese food, and Yunnan Style (vastly different).
Rayong-style Thai food.
Southern- and Northern-style Indian foods (they're distinct).
Lebanese food, and regional variations thereof.
French-traditional food.
Northern- and Southern-style (separately) Italian food.
In smaller doses, German and Polish food.
Catalonian-style Spanish food.
Brazilian food.
Argentinian food.
mealteamsixty@reddit
I can't choose a favorite. You cannot compare Italian to Ethiopian, Mexican to afghani, French to Indian. I'm so grateful i live in one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the US, I've got so many fantastic options for any type of cuisine within a 25 mile radius, at every price point.
It does wreak havoc on my bank account though. Although the flip side of that is that its improved my own cooking tenfold
Certain-Monitor5304@reddit
Mediterranean. I grew up eating authentic Northern Mexican Food, Americanized Italian, and Chinese.
Flat-Sun7050@reddit
Korean.
mst3k_42@reddit
Szechuan Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, authentic Mexican.
304libco@reddit
Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
That’s tough. I like Mexican, Italian, French, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese off the top of my head.
AshDenver@reddit
Dark chocolate TimTams from Australia as a specific product.
I also enjoy my proximity to an H-Mart (Asian supermarket) as we regularly cook Chinese, Japanese. Korean, Thai and Vietnamese food at home.
The items for our Italian, French, Polish, German meals are also easily found and made.
Barron1492@reddit
Mexican and Italian. We live in a large metropolitan area with a lot of diverse options.
Old-Wolf-1024@reddit
True Texas BBQ
itcheyness@reddit
Mexican and Indian!
scottwax@reddit
I think pho may be the most delicious thing ever invented.
BizarroMax@reddit
Mexican and Korean. We also have Mexican-Korean fusion. Bul go gi burrito with gochuchang? Dear Lord in heaven!
HangInTherePanda@reddit
Egyptian and Mexican are my favorites
elyh83@reddit
Vietnamese
Stn1217@reddit
My all time favorite food, other than American is Indian. I also enjoy Korean, Italian, Chinese, Thai and French.
JustAudra@reddit
I don't think I can choose, and as others have said, it depends on my mood. Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, Pakistani, Greek, Moroccan, Italian, I love them all!
Hello_Hangnail@reddit
I want to dive into a pool filled with havarti dill like scrooge mc duck
MattieShoes@reddit
For me, it's usually more about the particular restaurant than the country of origin. Like I used to go to a great tapas place in the worst location -- like literally across from a mortuary in a sketchy part of town. I'd go there 100 times out of 100, but I'm not hitting up every tapas place I find.
iraven_mccoy@reddit
Korean
ahfuck0101@reddit
Spicy chicken bimimbap bowl with gochujang sauce and sweet potato noodles… so good.
killingourbraincells@reddit
Puerto Rican.
I love all other foods but nothing in the world quite compares to picking up about four meals worth of food from a local lechonera for $8.
Major_Enthusiasm1099@reddit
Mexican food, or Pizza
02C_here@reddit
ATM I am having a love affair with shakshuka which I newly discovered.
Ambitious-Ocelot8036@reddit
I live in Generia. It's a suburb of Megapolia in South Florida. I have every burger, chicken, pizza, fried seafood, sub, rib, Asian and fun eatery franchise known to man from a mile away to 50 miles away but the best food is at the Mexican, Guatamalan, Peruvian, Columbian restaurants. The Cubans are ok too. Those are all Mom and pop shops that really care about the food and the community.
swarmofhyenas@reddit
Palak paneer. Dolma. Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Pea salad. Bahn mi. Tacos Al pastor. I guess that’s my death row dinner lol.
ZieAerialist@reddit
Greek, and most Mediterranean cuisines as well.
Zenthane@reddit
Mexican, indian and Americanized Chinese are probably my favorites, but I'm willing to try other things
Several-Buy-3017@reddit
Popeyes fried chicken, spicy, all white meat. With mashed potatoes and a large Diet Coke!
Porchmuse@reddit
Northern Italian.
gdubh@reddit
Vietnamese
Completerandosorry@reddit
Indian/pakistani for sure. Just amazing stuff.
TillPsychological351@reddit
German, which is actually much harder to find these days in the US.
raspberryswirl2021@reddit
Mexican, Italian, then Island food and Chinese are tied for me
Fun-Spinach6910@reddit
Still Italian.
Cowboywizard12@reddit
Mexican
jakerooni@reddit
For me, it's seafood. Whether it's presented as a shrimp burrito at my favorite local Mexican dive, or at an Italian-inspired downtown restaurant.
meganemistake@reddit
One of the top dishes of all time is a good seafood pho, imo, and that variety of spring roll or whatever they call it where it's like, cold shrimp and vegetables in a papery rice wrapping? Those lettuce wraps with the chicken or whatever? Bahn mi are lit... I like Vietnamese restaurants a lot
Absolute hoe for both most Japanese food and Japanese themed food lol (Japanese themed is what I'm calling the deep fried sushi rolls with jalapenos and stuff involved, hell yeah brother)
And honestly I can't not mention both like authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines without pissing off every branch of family to come before or hang with me 🤙
I'm willing to try any food at least once so i have a pretty decent palate and that makes a potential list of honorable mentions a mile long if I got into specifics
MrHandsRadDay@reddit
Pho
BigE6300@reddit
Barbecue.
skilletjlc4@reddit
Mexican and Italian but the American versions
CountChoculasGhost@reddit
I’ll pick a few of my favorite specific dishes:
Vietnamese: Bò lá lot and pho
Mexican: basically all Mexican, but love cochinita pibil and al pastor tacos
Chinese: basically anything Szechuan. Dan Dan noodles are one of my favorites though.
sadthrow104@reddit
I gotta say this, I think that our country’s polarizing food culture (where the fast food, 7-11 truck stop slop pushes itself as the cover of the book and all the amazing stuff we see in this comment section is hidden in the pages) needs to slowly start getting inverted. It’s a shame that McDonalds and Burger King are still the dominant kings of the cover page
PureYouth@reddit
Chinese, Japanese and Italian
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
Mexican, and Irish.
These-Ad2374@reddit
Off the top of my head, my favorite cuisines are Mexican, Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Honduran, Tex-Mex, Egyptian, Palestinian, Ethiopian (in no particular order)
MarkTheDuckHunter@reddit
Jamaican, Non-TexMex Mexican, Thai
WaldoJeffers65@reddit
I would have to go with either sushi or Mexican
DianneNettix@reddit
I grew up in the Bay Area and I miss getting to house an entire dungeness crab for dinner.
lucifersperfectangel@reddit
God that's such a hard choice, it really depends on how I'm feeling that day/week
The one's ig that are the most popular for me are Mexican and Indian. We have a large population of both around my area and there are so many small mom and pop restaurants. They are absolutely fire 🔥 I love spice too, so both are right up my alley. Unfortunately I'm the only one in my household who likes Indian, so I don't get it as often
burningmanonacid@reddit
Overall, Indian. I eat curry maybe once a week or every other. There basically isn't a food that I've had that I don't like or wouldn't try. I would love to do a food tour of India.
I would want to say Vietnamese, but I don't eat pork so some of them are off limits to me. Also with Mexican, I hate creams on things and avocados so I think that disqualifies me. Lol. But I generally love those too.
-Boston-Terrier-@reddit
I don’t have a clear favorite but pizza, tacos, sushi, and some kind of coconut curry are all in the conversation.
neovenator250@reddit
Korean, Japanese, Greek, and Italian
Lefty9000@reddit
Xi'an Chinese food. Pork Burgers, green onion pancakes, and handpulled noodles with lamb, drenched in fragrant chili oil! I despise "American Style" Chinese food. I grew up in Montana, that's all we had. Once I moved to the Bay Area in Cali, a whole new world opened up.
DarwinGhoti@reddit
It’s a toss up between Japanese and Indian for me.
Having said that, American style pulled pork is right up there (particularly Carolina style).
MissMurderpants@reddit
Thai and Mexican.
Thai because I worked with a crew in Vegas that was full of Thai folks and they had the best food.
Mexican cause 1/2 my family is from Guadalajara and my cousins are fantastic cooks. I especially love the take they all do on family dishes. The old school Eastern European ones.
tangledbysnow@reddit
Korean is my current favorite. Though I crave pho sometimes and nothing else will fix it except a bowl of it. Especially when I don’t feel well.
I also have a thing for Syrian. I’m going some place with Uyghur soon and I so excited to try it. Never had Uyghur but the menu is like all the best bits of Middle Eastern and Chinese.
DamnGrackles@reddit
Cuban is my #1. Indian and Greek fill out the top 3.
wowbragger@reddit
German beer, anything curry related, proper Mexican food, and deep pizza (which is surprisingly not international, I guess).
JeanBonJovi@reddit
Really tough to choose but Chinese would win for me due to the sheer amount of diversity in the cuisine.
Close ones would be Japanese, Thai, Mexican and Italian.
Ancient-Parfait6106@reddit
Mexican, Indian, Moroccan
Legitimate-Fox2028@reddit
Mexican and Indian food! I've made Mexican food for the last 3 days for dinner lol
kshucker@reddit
Never met anybody that hates pizza.
Porcupine-in-a-tree@reddit
Currently Nepalese is my favorite for restaurants, home cooking favorites are French and Italian inspired
Fancy_Sleep6093@reddit
Thai & Italian
secrerofficeninja@reddit
Thai food is really good. I also enjoy good Chinese food (real ones, not panda express at the mall). Sushi is great but not at every restaurant.
Most often we will eat Italian though. They’re everywhere.
Oh! There’s a middle eastern place near me that’s fantastic.
Of course Mexican. We get Mexican maybe once a week from local place.
GladChef1206@reddit
Thai style curry. The lemongrass, the ginger, the galangal, kafir, peppers. yeah everything about that. I guess curry in general because Massaman curry is fire too.
MissFabulina@reddit
Thai. I could eat Thai every day and be a happy camper. I was very upset when I moved to a new area and found that there were no Thai restaurants nearby. Now instead of ordering it a couple of times a week, I have to make plans to go to an area where there is a Thai restaurant...as often as possible.
Ningy_WhoaWhoa@reddit
I can eat Indian food every day. I haven’t gotten tired of it in the 20+ years i started eating it
smhlolfml@reddit
Arepas
Lojackbel81@reddit
Mexican food is my favorite followed closely by Mediterranean/Greek food. I used to live on Long Island which has a large population of Greeks but now l live in North Carolina so good food is harder to come by. Luckily where I live now has a large population of Mexican and South Americans so great food is readily available.
Few_Crow3662@reddit
Scottish.
Just kidding.
Imaginary_Ladder_917@reddit
It depends on my mood
pinniped90@reddit
I love almost everything but if I have to pick 3 I'm going with Indian, Tex Mex, and Japanese.
Really good Tex Mex from the southwest wins by a nose over actual Mexican for me, but they're both really good. The problem is that a lot of places only have Tex Mex and it's easy to find a bad restaurant.
Lovemybee@reddit
Pasta and sauce and meat. Almost infinite combinations available.
cat_prophecy@reddit
I love Japanese food and American-Japanese food. My area is very blessed with food ramen and sushi shops.
Sheegssternator@reddit
Philly Cheesteak.
TheBimpo@reddit
Vietnamese
bippityboppityhyeem@reddit
Korean or Middle Eastern
Zestyclose-Fig8583@reddit
Indian, French and Italian
Prize-Definition730@reddit
I like Vietnamese the best!
jrc_80@reddit
Mexican food hits like no other. Next for me is Szechuan, than Cantonese in a close third.
dstrenz@reddit
Italian, Mid Eastern, Mexican
thisislyncanthropy@reddit
I would say Mexican.
Since we are talking about foods in general my favorite fruits tend to be from Asia… wish they weren’t so expensive. I understand why they are but still 😭
hypnoticbacon28@reddit
My favorite cuisine is Mexican, you get so much tasty variety with it. Can’t go wrong with tacos made with made with hot tortillas, fresh pico, some cilantro, radish slices, and squeezing some lime wedges on them, either.
Favorite dish, though, that’s a hard one to choose! Pizza is a good choice. And pad Thai is a really nice dish for when you crave something Asian. And I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of gyros with lots of tzatziki. I hate cucumbers but freaking love that sauce, go figure!
Snoo_50786@reddit
I love pork buns - they're kinda hard & expensive to get in my area of the US but they taste amazing.
IceManYurt@reddit
Yes
Imbrex@reddit
Man I really want a good bahn mi but there is t a good place near me anymore...
YOLTLO@reddit
Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian
wyomingtrashbag@reddit
bulgogi bibimbap! I literally go to Korean spas partially for the food
Hawk13424@reddit
Mexican and India.
Also love Texas BBQ and Cajun/creole.
Radiant_Maize2315@reddit
I love good Greek food, but bad Greek food is pretty common. Italian never fails. Japanese, Indian, Mexican are all tasty. I am personally not as big on Thai because they use so many bell peppers and I find it a bit sweet, even when I get it spicy. But that’s personal preference
EagleCatchingFish@reddit
If I'm going out, a good street taco. I also really like Sichuanese food. A good bowl of pho with beef tendon is good.
At home, I make a lot of Korean food. Their stews are excellent and mostly cheap to make.
Strict-Finger1238@reddit
Polish or middle eastern. Detroit has so many places to die for in these regards.
hoggmen@reddit
South East asian, lately specifically Vietnamese and Thai. Been getting into Sichuan lately too, yum
Ebemi@reddit
Noodles - it doesn't much matter the country. Udon, ramen, pasta with red sauce, Mac and cheese, lo mein..... its all good.
DukeofBraintree918@reddit
Its a close tie between Italian and Mexican for me.
SlippingAwayWith@reddit
Korean
ClassieLadyk@reddit
Well being a black woman from the south, Im gonna gonwith soul food. Put some smothered pork chops and some greens in front of me right now.
as1126@reddit
There is a Nepalese/Indian place that makes great dishes near me and I can’t recreate at home. It’s our favorite local. I cook mostly Italian at home.
FinanceGuyHere@reddit
Are you asking which foods I like to have shipped to America or which foreign restaurants I like best?
Like others said, Mexican is as close to a staple along with Italian (pizza) or some kind of Asian in my weekly diet. French restaurants are usually a special occasion because the decent ones are hard to find and a bit expensive. I’ve got one French diner for crepes but everything else is a sit down meal. German is also a special occasion meal where I am (New England).
In terms of food I ship in from other countries, it’s probably cheese from Europe or olive oil from Italy or Greece
Key-Candle8141@reddit
Indian food
Everything I've tried has been amazing
My British fiancé wondered how I'd never had it before we dated 🤷♀️ idk just never was exposed before
Glenn_Maffews@reddit
To eat, to cook, in cold weather, in hot weather, for feeling fancy, for feeling full, for a snack, for spicy flavor, mild flavor, sweet, savory?
Thats the great part about having every good food from around the world.
MrLongWalk@reddit
I like simpler stuff, roast chicken with potatoes, steak and greens, etc.
vashtachordata@reddit
Vietnamese and Thai.
tuna_safe_dolphin@reddit
Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopean and Armenian/Middle Eastern. My wife is Armenian and there's a lot of overlap with other Middle Eastern cuisines, but definitely a few uniquely Armenian dishes.
It's not really foreign per se, but I love a classic Thanksgiving dinner. I realize that Thanksgiving itself is kind of a fucked concept but I love the food.
dpk794@reddit
Thai rolls
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
Mexican
InvincibleChutzpah@reddit
Mexican. Carnitas, al pastor, barbacoa. All that long slow cook stuff that is a pain in the ass to make yourself at home. Fortunately, every taco stand makes it and it's readily available. These are the things I miss most about Mexican food now that I live in Europe. I've found some decent taco joints in Scotland. Most are fusion or with a bit of a twist. That's totally fine. I ate as Mexican fusion placed all the time in the US too. I would kill for some al pastor right now though. It's a shame that with all the doner places around me. No one is making al pastor. I feel like it wound sell really well here if people knew about it.
jwbourne@reddit
Sushi roll just beats out a really good chorizo torta.
apealsauce@reddit
Mediterranean! With Korean being a close 2nd
amoryblainev@reddit
There’s a family-owned Cambodian restaurant in my city that’s incredible (they were nominated for a James beard award). It’s the only Cambodian food I’ve had, but I dream about it.
Otherwise, Mexican. I live in Japan now and the Mexican food I’ve had here so far is pretty terrible.
Aerycks2010@reddit
Tapas, Italian, and Mediterranean.
redditsuckspokey1@reddit
Goof indian food. Theres a buffet not too far called flame india and I swear they have the best indian cuisine. Its so rich that after a few bites my stomach just cant take it anymore.
gobblegobblechumps@reddit
Omg a good khao soi
Bstallio@reddit
I think most regions have atleast 1-2 foods I fw heavy, hard to really pick a favorite though, maybe Jamaican jerk?
KevinDean4599@reddit
I can't pick one but my favorite foods are Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Italian, Greek and middle eastern. I can get pretty good food where I am.
ArtDecoNewYork@reddit
Mexican is my favorite overall, but I would say that my best individual meals have been Indian
I also love Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Thai
epicenter69@reddit
For foreign cuisine, beef bulgogi from Korea. Unfortunately, I can’t find any good bulgogi within an hour of home.
For American cuisine, barbecue ribs, smoked with a dry rub.
NoelleDash@reddit
Indian, Thai, Mexican.
Physical-Incident553@reddit
Middle Eastern
labdogs42@reddit
Italian, Mexican
thedustyones@reddit
In my area we have some amazing Japanese and Korean food that I could have every day
AnybodySeeMyKeys@reddit
Italian and Mediterranean.
Styx_Renegade@reddit
Soul and Mexican are my favorites
Fuunna-Sakana@reddit
Thai food doesn't get nearly the love it deserves
Ok-Wave7703@reddit
Mexican and Thai