With Memorial Day and warm weather celebrations on deck, OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of Booking Holdings, Inc., recently released its list of the 100 Best Restaurants in America for a Big Night Out. The list features restaurants with not only exceptional food and drinks, but also vibrant bar scenes and lively atmospheres, allowing diners to take advantage of the summer evenings to celebrate life’s big moments with great dining and a night on the town. The Big Night Out list is also great year-round for anyone planning a celebratory evening out, whether it’s a girls’ night, milestone birthday, or anniversary.
Featuring restaurants coast-to-coast across 19 states and Washington, D.C., the list is culled from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of over 30,000 U.S. restaurants. From the star-studded crowd and killer cocktails at The Ivy in West Hollywood, Calif., to the outstanding wine program at Maple & Ash in Chicago, to TAO group’s Vandal in New York City, which doubles as a nightclub, the Big Night Out list has plenty of establishments that are the perfect backdrop for any night out.
California leads the list with 18 restaurants, and New York follows with 16. Illinois comes in third with 14 winners with all honorees located in Chicago — the most featured city on the list. Nevada and Pennsylvania follow close behind with 12 and 10 restaurants, respectively. Washington, D.C. has eight establishments, and Florida has seven. Additional cities among the honorees are Las Vegas, New York and Philadelphia. While American and contemporary American cuisine dominate the list with 26 restaurants, an array of international flavors are also highlighted, including Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Lebanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
“The list spotlights the restaurants that have all the ingredients for the perfect big night out — upbeat energy, innovative cocktails, robust wine lists, and, of course, outstanding food,” said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer at OpenTable. “Whether your ideal night out is at a bustling bar or a hot spot to see and be seen, you can count on any of these restaurants for a night of fun.”
The 100 Best Restaurants in America for a Big Night Out list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between March 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the sum of tags for which “hot spot” was selected as a special feature.
Based on this methodology, the 100 Best Restaurants in America for a Big Night Out according to OpenTable diners are as follows (in alphabetical order):
- Aba – Chicago, Illinois
- Al Biernat’s – Oak Lawn – Dallas, Texas
- The Apparatus Room – Detroit, Michigan
- Avra – Multiple Locations
- Balthazar – New York, New York
- Bavel – Los Angeles, California
- Beauty & Essex – Multiple Locations
- Bestia – Los Angeles, California
- The Boathouse – Lake Buena Vista, Florida
- Born & Raised – San Diego, California
- Brewery Bhavana – Raleigh, North Carolina
- Buddakan – Multiple Locations
- Café Ba-Ba-Reeba – Chicago, Illinois
- Carmine’s – 44th Street – New York, New York
- Catch – Multiple Locations
- Cecconi’s Dumbo – Brooklyn, New York
- China Live – San Francisco, California
- Coasterra – San Diego, California
- Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant – Multiple Locations
- Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse – Multiple Locations
- Departure Restaurant and Lounge – Portland, Oregon
- Double Knot – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Duck Duck Goat – Chicago, Illinois
- Eiffel Tower – Las Vegas, Nevada
- El Five – Denver, Colorado
- El Vez – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Farmers & Distillers – Washington, D.C.
- Farmers Fishers Bakers – Washington, D.C.
- Filomena Ristorante – Washington, D.C.
- Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck – Dallas, Texas
- Fleetwood’s On Front St. – Lahaina, Hawaii
- Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar – Memphis, Tennessee
- Founding Farmers – Multiple Locations
- The Gage – Chicago, Illinois
- Gallaghers Steakhouse – Manhattan – New York, New York
- Giada – The Cromwell – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse – Chicago, Illinois
- Girl & the Goat – Chicago, Illinois
- GW Fins – New Orleans, Louisiana
- Haywire – Plano, Texas
- Hell’s Kitchen – Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Henry’s Louisiana Grill – Acworth, Georgia
- Herb & Wood – San Diego, California
- House of Cards – Nashville, Tennessee
- House of Prime Rib – San Francisco, California
- Husk – Charleston, South Carolina
- International Smoke – San Francisco, California
- Ivan Ramen – New York, New York
- The Ivy – West Hollywood, California
- Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab – Multiple Locations
- Juniper & Ivy – San Diego, California
- Le Diplomate – Washington, D.C.
- Linger – Denver, Colorado
- Little Goat – Chicago, Illinois
- Louie Bossi Ristorante – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- The Love – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Mama’s Fish House – Paia, Hawaii
- Maple & Ash – Chicago, Illinois
- Mariposa – Sedona, Arizona
- Mastro’s Steakhouse – Houston, Texas
- Meril – New Orleans, Louisiana
- Mesa Grill – Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Momofuku – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Mon Ami Gabi – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman – Multiple Locations
- Mustards Grill – Yountville, California
- Nobu Fifty Seven – New York, New York
- The Olde Pink House Restaurant – Savannah, Georgia
- The Optimist – Atlanta, Georgia
- Oxford Exchange – Tampa, Florida
- Oyamel – Washington, D.C.
- Parc – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Perch LA – Los Angeles, California
- The Pink Door – Seattle, Washington
- Poor Calvin’s – Atlanta, Georgia
- Quartino – Chicago, Illinois
- Raglan Road Irish Pub – Lake Buena Vista, Florida
- Republique – Los Angeles, California
- RPM Italian – Multiple Locations
- RPM Steak – Chicago, Illinois
- Sampan – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Slanted Door – San Francisco, California
- The Smith- Lincoln Square – New York, New York
- Elmo Steak House – Indianapolis, Indiana
- Steak 44 and Steak 48 – Multiple Locations
- STK – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Sunda – Chicago, Illinois
- Suraya – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Talula’s Garden – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Tao – Multiple Locations
- Tavern on the Green – New York, New York
- Texas de Brazil – Las Vegas, Nevada
- The Tropicale – Palm Springs, California
- TWO urban licks – Atlanta, Georgia
- Uchi – Multiple Locations
- Ulele – Tampa, Florida
- Vandal – New York, New York
- Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Multiple Locations
- Zahav – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Zaytinya – Washington, D.C.
