Unknown must visit restaurants in your city

[Gildwulf]

Toronto:

There is this sushi place that opened up around the corner from my apartment building (on Church street in the Gay Village below Bloor) called Asahi. It is amazing sushi and it is practically empty; I make a point to go there at least twice a week. We know the owners by now and they give regular customers tons of comps; every time I go in I get free miso soup and salad, a free appetizer and free desert and sometimes an extra roll if it's a big group of people.

Best sushi in Toronto, great atmosphere, friendly staff and is not in any guidebook.

I also find that a lot of the places that are typically the best sushi in Toronto are popular because they are cheap and fast. Usually they are minimal on presentation, ambience, and inventiveness which I think are super important for dining out.

[nyc999]

NYC - Not sure how known or unknown, but they're definitely not considered "top" restaurants in the city.

Rocking Horse Cafe Excellent, excellent Mexican restaurant. It's in Chelsea on 8th avenue between 19th/20th.

The Neptune Room - I've mentioned this restaurant before on 2+2...IMO, the best seafood in NYC. On Amsterdam around 84th

Mama's Food Shop - Great home-cooked food. You get a huge meal for very cheap and the sides are awesome (especially mashed potatoes). On 3rd street between A+B

San Loco - Cheap mexican food, but sooo great, especially after a night of drinking. I recommend the Guaco Loco, which is a two-layered taco. It has a hard-shelled inside and has a soft tortilla wrapped around it. It has guacamole smothered in-between layers. There are a few in the city (and I think one in South Beach), but the only one I have ever been to is on Ave. A around 10th street.

[sean c]

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But that does raise a decent enough question: is this place supposed to be unknown by locals, or just not a place a tourist would normally find?

If it's the latter, I'll say Kincaid's Hamburgers for Fort Worth. Old-timey grocery store where you stand up to a counter to eat your burger. Best damn burgers ever, but almost every local knows the place so I don't know if that's what we're looking for.

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I grew up in Mansfield and have never heard of this place. I will have to check it out the next time i am in town.


I live in Oklahoma City and about 30 mile northwest of town there is a little bar called Eischens that has the best fried chicken/fried okra. It is well known in the state. No silverware you get chicken, okra, bread, pickles and onions. I love this place.

[SL__72]

Minneapolis/St. Paul:

Al's Breakfast... tiny little hole in the wall, just a bar with seats at it, they can probably sit like ~15 people at a time but they make the best pancakes and amazing other breakfast food. I love their hashbrowns...

Mickey's Diner... its moderately famous and super classic. Their food is really good in that unhealthy greasy diner sort of way. Plus they are open 24/7.

Town Hall Brewery - Best brewpub in town imo... although I haven't been to Barley John's yet, I think Town Hall edges them out on the brewing side of things anyway. I think this place is literally in an old Town Hall building...

[AZK]

We need a thread for each city to do this right, and then just have them archived so that when you are going on a random trip you can look it up and go.

[SL__72]

Couldn't you just pull up this thread in flat/show all mode and do a find for whatever city you are going to?

[Kintamayama]

Off the top of my head my unknown favorites for San Diego would be:

El Cuervo - Good, cheap Mexican
Sushi Deli - Good, cheap sushi
Emerald or Jasmine - Good, cheap dim sum
K's Sandwiches - Good, cheap, Vietnamese sub sandwiches
Tajima - Authentic Japanese teishoku dining

[ahnuld]

Guys, make sure you list the city and some sort of address when you list these restaurants. If its not in the guidebooks, its going to be har to find them by name!

but some good suggestions so far, keep them coming.

[oneeye13]

on the off chance any of you are ever in norwich vt, you must go to the pub in the norwich inn. balanced english-style beers brewed in small batches (in some cases with hops grown in the inn yard), new american-style food, meats smoked by the brewmaster, menu changes often.

i think my favorite individual item i've had there was pulled pork johnnycakes with firecracker slaw.

[Your Mom]

Omaha, NE:

Mahogany - 140th and Dodge
Omaha Prime - Old Market, 11th and Howard/Harney