The best way to discover restaurant favourites anywhere is to ask a local. We did!

The result? Our plate runneth over across America with these hot tips.

Close to the southern U.S. border, San Diego is the place for authentic Mexican dishes. Inside a century-old building, the outdoor grills at ¡Salud! tempt diners with aromatic smoke from sizzling meats and pollo. Specialties include tender carnitas with avocado crema on a handmade tortilla, or Pollo Asado—marinated chicken cooked over mesquite. Oscar’s Mexican Seafood is the go-to spot for fish tacos or the mixed-grill Fisherman’s Torta teeming with spicy shrimp and scallops.

Hot Tip: At ¡Salud! wander the Barrio Logan district and admire the colourful murals of Chicano Park.

The Florida Keys is ground zero for irresistible slices of Key lime pie and home to some of Florida’s best seafood. Where better to find fresh fish than  dockside? At the Backyard Café at Key Largo Fisheries locals line up for the Key Largo Lobster Philly made with thinly sliced steak, lobster and mozzarella, served on garlic Texas toast.

Hot Tip: Watch the sunset at Burdine’s Waterfront Bar & Grill in Marathon and dig into a slice of Fried Key Lime Pie.

In Utah, popular Indigenous tourism experiences include tasty culinary offerings from the state’s eight Native American Nations—each has its own contemporary and traditional lifestyles. The Navajo Taco, made with homemade fry bread, is a restaurant staple across the state from Navajo Hogan in Salt Lake City to Twin Rocks Café in Bluff, near Monument Valley.

Hot Tip: Traditional Navajo fry bread is thick and soft, revered by some as a symbol of Native pride and unity.

St. Petersburg, Florida’s walkable Edge District is loved by locals for food, drinks, nightlife and shopping. Drawing inspiration from Cuba to Puerto Rico, Bodega is a favourite cantina. The food shack with a chalkboard menu and paper dinner boxes is a come-as-you-are eatery renowned for its award-winning Cuban sandwich. Made with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo and mojo—it’s a meat lover’s dream.

Hot Tip: Pair a Bodega sandwich at the juice bar next door with a fresh smoothie like the Lola Rico, piled with pineapple and coconut.

Although Oregon is the largest producer of blackberries, boysenberries and black raspberries in the U.S., it’s the marionberry that’s in the hearts of locals. Visitors can sample the berries in a myriad of food and drink, including Salt & Straw’s ice cream and Hotlips Pizza’s marionberry soda.

Hot West Coast/East Coast Tip: Salt & Straw’s ice cream is found in Florida as well as Oregon and comes in a dizzying selection of flavours, including Carrot Cake with Praline Hazelnuts, and Marionberry Coconut Sherbet.

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For more U.S. travel information, see visittheusa.ca