8 standout restaurants worth visiting this summer
Cafés upending norms, a rooftop with natural wine and Sicilian eats and a Pacific Northwest bistro
![View through the gate of a multi-generational family dining at an outdoor restaurant](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ce8rjLo6hcQgnYudQfvVoM-415-80.jpg)
Come summer, one wants to eat well, of course, but not weightily. This assortment of restaurants across the United States knows how to meet cravings while not overwhelming. Well, you might be overwhelmed by their deliciousness. That's never bad, right?
Cullum's Attaboy, San Antonio, Texas
Imagine a Parisian café being airlifted into an American diner. If that sounds like a dream come to perfect life — and it should — Cullum's Attaboy is your kind of destination. The omelettes are sleek and taut and should definitively be gilded with the optional caviar add-on. Speaking of fish roe, order the blini and yet more caviar plus smoked trout roe. And for an animated reminder of the breakfast and lunch spot's Americana roots, order the Spudnuts, donuts made with the addition of potatoes.
Bev's Cafe & Market, Kennebunk, Maine
Annie Callan, former longtime pastry chef of San Francisco's legendary Zuni Café, and Nate Morris, former longtime chef of the same restaurant, moved east to Kennebunk, Maine a few years ago. Their new restaurant is a breakfast and lunch cafe, open Thursdays to Mondays. Quiche, big cinnamon buns drenched in icing, a take on a Whopper hamburger, endless uses of great local produce: Bev's is an easygoing spot well worth a detour.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meju, New York City
Korean food and all its blessed diversity is exploding across New York City lately. Meju, chef-owner Hooni Kim's eight-seat dinner lab for Korean-style fermentation, brings its own special vantage point. The menu is fixed and you prepay with Tock, the restaurant ticketing system. Much of the fermented components of the meal — the jangs (foundational sauces) and jeotgals (salted seafood) — are made in-house. Dinner at Meju will upend everything you think you know about Korean cuisine.
Ema, Houston
Stephanie Velasquez and Nicolas Vera run this brand-new cafe, a freewheeling exploration of Mexican cooking. Velasquez oversees the pastry program, and her conchas, in flavors like blue corn and chocolate, are already beloved. The savory side of Ema features plates like a Caesar salad with pumpkin seeds and masa croutons, roasted cauliflower in pipian rojo and carrot tacos.
Petite León, Minneapolis
A little French; a bit Mexican; a touch Italian: Petite León sprints across continents for its influences. At its core, the restaurant just aims to satisfy. For brunch, there is shakshuka and a tamal served like eggs Benedict. Come dinner, smoked salmon rillettes are served with Ritz crackers, and the steak frites is plated with both chile-laced bordelaise and chipotle butter.
L'Oursin, Seattle
A bistro that unabashedly embraces both the techniques of French restaurant cooking and the L'Oursin's Pacific Northwest locale. The drinks feature, say, Armagnac and pear brandy, and the food takes bistro classics like roast chicken and beef tartare and electrifies them with entrenched Washington State ingredients like nettles and mussels.
The Quinte, Charleston, South Carolina
Seafood is central to Charleston's cuisine; Jason Stanhope, after a years-long stint at the city's legendary Fig, is a chef staple of the Holy City. Put the two together at a new, mellow oyster bar with pickled littleneck clams, raw and broiled oysters and a drinks list heavy on bivalve-friendly cocktails and wines and all is going to be right with the world.
Irwin's, Philadelphia
Italian food is one of the great, familiar people-pleasers of eating out in the United States; natural wine continues to roll its trendy movement across the country. Irwin's merges the two in a breezy rooftop location. Crack open a bottle of orange wine, and snack on Sicilian-inspired snacks like eggplant caponata with semolina crackers and broccoli rabe with pecorino and anchovy.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Hocker is an award-winning freelance writer and editor at The Week Digital. He has written food, travel, culture and lifestyle stories for local, national and international publications for more than 20 years. Scott also has more than 15 years of experience creating, implementing and managing content initiatives while working across departments to grow companies. His most recent editorial post was as editor-in-chief of Liquor.com. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief of Tasting Table and a senior editor at San Francisco magazine.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
7 dreamy products to help you sleep better on vacation
The Week Recommends Don't snooze on these sleep aids
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary – an exhibition of 'unearthly delights'
The 'captivating' show features over 70 pieces spanning everything from paintings to tapestries
By The Week UK Published
-
Patrick Bishop picks his five favourite books
The acclaimed historian chooses works by Ernest Hemingway, Richard Cobb and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Lady in the Lake: 'brooding' murder-mystery casts 'a potent spell'
Natalie Portman gives a 'scene-stealing' show in period thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Have a seaside escape in Newport, Rhode Island
The Week Recommends For the quintessential New England experience, head to the Classic Coast
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Simone Biles: Rising – an 'elegantly paced and vulnerable' portrait of the gymnast
The Week Recommends Netflix's four-part documentary is more than a 'riveting comeback story'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published