American restaurants: menu guide

The United States is a rich melting-pot of different cultures. This is clearly reflected in the food served in American restaurants. Ranging from the Mexican-influenced food of the south-west to the seafood of the north-east, American restaurants offer a variety of food to suit any palate...

Buffalo wings

Buffalo wings

  • Biscuits: Biscuits in American restaurants are rather more like scones, often drizzled with honey or buttercream.
  • Buffalo wings: These spicy treats served in American restaurants are actually chicken wings coated in a cayenne pepper sauce.
  • Cajun: A cuisine that originates from the French immigrants sent to Louisiana from Acadia in Canada. Cajun food served in American restaurants tends to be pleasantly spicy (thanks to the cayenne pepper).
  • Clam chowder: Recipes differ depending on where the chef of the American restaurant is from. If he or she is from New England, you'll be served white-coloured chowder containing potatoes, onion, bacon or salt pork, flour and clams. But if they're from New York, it'll be red in colour because of the added tomatoes.
  • Creole: This cuisine grew up in the Greater New Orleans area. Trying to accurately describe a common characteristic of Creole food in American restaurants is no easy task. Creole food blends the cuisines of French, Spanish, French Caribbean, African and Italian. With such variety, it's best just to try it!
  • Fried chicken: In American restaurants, if you order fried chicken, the chicken is normally covered in seasoned breadcrumbs and then deep fried.
  • Fries: What we know in the UK as chips. If you're in an American restaurant and ask for a burger and chips, you'll probably find some nachos on the side of your plate rather than hot potato snacks.
  • Jucy Lucys: These can be found in American restaurants, mainly in the state of Minnesota. It is essentially a cheeseburger but with a bit of a twist. Instead of the cheese being placed on top of the burger, it is inside the burger—bursting out when you bite into the meat!
  • Philly cheesesteaks: Although starting out as a street food, these have worked their way onto many American restaurant menus. They consist of a thinly-sliced steak with pieces of melted cheese served in a hotdog bun.
  • Pies: Pies are found on the menus of just about every American restaurant. But pies in American restaurants are sometimes uncovered and can be more like British cakes—for example the Mississippi Mud Pie.
  • Tex-Mex: The cuisine from the southern state of Texas. Because it's so close to Mexico, American restaurants in this area are heavily influenced by Mexican cuisine. American restaurants of this type are now found the world over.

All guides on Yell.com are provided for general guidance only, do not constitute legal or professional advice and are not intended to be exhaustive.


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