Special Report

These Are All of the Highest Rated Restaurants in North America

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There’s no American equivalent to France’s famed Guide Michelin, with its much coveted star ratings of restaurants and recommendations of hotels. Michelin itself does publish guides to Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City and Westchester County, and California as a whole (a Las Vegas edition was discontinued in 2009) — but ignores the rest of the nation.

There is one hotel and restaurant guide that spans the country, however, and also rates places in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (which are likewise bereft of Michelin coverage). It’s the Diamond Program listings, run by AAA — officially the American Automobile Association, but commonly known as “Triple-A.”

The organization, a lobbying and automotive and travel service federation of automobile clubs, began its Diamond Program more than 80 years ago. It sends inspectors all over North America to conduct in-person anonymous evaluations of restaurants and hotels, awarding one of four designations to those deemed worthy — Approved, Three Diamond, Four Diamond, and Five-Diamond. 

The inspectors’ recommendations are reviewed by a panel of experts, and all Diamond Program establishments are re-evaluated annually. Some 60,000 hotels and restaurants are included in the AAA assessments, of which almost 2,000 fail to meet the basic requirements each year. 

To qualify for the top-of-the-line Five Diamond rating, a restaurant must offer “Leading-edge cuisine, ingredients and preparation with extraordinary service and surroundings.” Not surprisingly, this definition encompasses a number of what other sources also consider to be the best restaurants in America.

AAA has just announced its annual Diamond Awards for North America, adding five new restaurants to the Five Diamond category. There are now 67 restaurants with that designation (along with 119 hotels). The eating places making their debut on the list this year are Smyth in Chicago, SingleThread Farm – Restaurant – Inn in Healdsburg (in California’s Sonoma County wine country), Providence in Los Angeles, Le Baccara in Gatineau (in Québec, Canada), and Ha’ in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.

Click here for all the highest-rated restaurants in North America.

This list isn’t very democratic. The vast majority of the restaurants included serve French or modern American food. Mexico and Italy are represented only occasionally, and Asian cuisines are honored mostly as accents at more eclectic places. Many of the restaurants are in hotels, and many of them serve only multi-course tasting menus, sometimes costing hundreds of dollars per person. (These are the kinds of places, in other words, where diners should certainly consider observing dining out etiquette rules that should come back.)

While it may lack a certain kind of variety, however, the AAA roster of Five Diamond establishments includes many of the very finest places to eat on our continent. They’re arranged here alphabetically by state for the U.S., followed by listings for Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

Courtesy of Kai

Kai
> Location: Chandler, Arizona, in the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2006
> Specialty: Local ingredients and influences from Native American foodways

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Courtesy of The Belvedere

The Belvedere
> Location: Beverly Hills, California, in The Peninsula Beverly Hills
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1995
> Specialty: Mediterranean-themed hotel dining featuring wild-caught seafood

SingleThread Farm – Restaurant – Inn
> Location: Healdsburg, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: Japanese-accented tasting menus with ingredients from the restaurant’s own farm

Courtesy of Providence

Providence
> Location: Los Angeles, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: Sustainable seafood in an elegant setting

Manresa
> Location: Los Gatos, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: Three-Michelin-starred New American cuisine

Courtesy of Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant

Erna’s Elderberry House Restaurant
> Location: Oakhurst, California, in the Château du Sureau
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1996
> Specialty: Modern American fare just outside Yosemite Park

The French Laundry
> Location: Yountville, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2005
> Specialty: Three-star French tasting-menu dining from famed chef Thomas Keller

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Courtesy of The Kitchen Restaurant via Yelp

The Kitchen Restaurant
> Location: Sacramento, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: Farm-to-fork New American tasting menus

Courtesy of D. T. via Yelp

The Restaurant at Meadowood
> Location: St. Helena, California, in the Meadowood Napa Valley
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2013
> Specialty: Local, sustainable California cuisine on the Michelin-three-star level

Courtesy of Addison Restaurant

Addison Restaurant
> Location: San Diego, California, in the Fairmont Grand Del Mar
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2008
> Specialty: Contemporary haute cuisine tasting menus.

Benu
> Location: San Francisco, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2012
> Specialty: Innovative modern American dishes on a $325 per person tasting menu

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Gary Danko
> Location: San Francisco, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2003
> Specialty: Classic French cooking based on local ingredients

Courtesy of Mona W. via Yelp

Saison
> Location: San Francisco, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2014
> Specialty: Wood-fire modern American creations based on local ingredients

Courtesy of The Penrose Room

The Penrose Room
> Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado, in The Broadmoor
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2007
> Specialty: Contemporary seasonal European cuisine with mountain views

Courtesy of Winvian Farm

Restaurant at Winvian Farm
> Location: Morris, Connecticut, in the Winvian Farm
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2010
> Specialty: Farm-to-table specialties in fire-lit 18th-century dining rooms

Courtesy of Pineapple and Pearls

Pineapple and Pearls
> Location: Washington, District of Columbia
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: “Elegant yet playful” tasting menus

Courtesy of Salt

Salt
> Location: Fernandina Beach, Florida, in The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2012
> Specialty: Coastal-inspired dishes with water views — and more than 40 kinds of salt from around the world

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Courtesy of Victoria & Albert's

Victoria & Albert’s
> Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2000
> Specialty: Modern American food with international ingredients

William Torrillo / Sea Island Resorts

The Georgian Room
> Location: Sea Island, Georgia, in The Cloister
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2015
> Specialty: French-inspired cooking plus a sushi lounge (closed until Mar. 16)

Courtesy of Chef Mavro via Yelp

Chef Mavro
> Location: Honolulu (O’ahu), Hawai’i
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2008
> Specialty: Contemporary Hawaiian regional cuisine by a French-born chef

La Mer
> Location: Honolulu (O’ahu), Hawai’i, in the Halekulani
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1990
> Specialty: Tropical ingredients in dishes inspired by the south of France

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Courtesy of Acadia

Acadia
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2013
> Specialty: Seasonal New American dishes with influences of coastal Maine

Alinea
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2006
> Specialty: Highly innovative three-star tasting menus by famed chef Grant Achatz

Oriole
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2018
> Specialty: “A thought-provoking and interactive experience,” tasting-menu style

Courtesy of Smyth

Smyth
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: Modern American tasting menus that sometimes change in the middle of service

Courtesy of White Barn Inn Restaurant

White Barn Inn Restaurant
> Location: Kennebunk, Maine, in the White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1992
> Specialty: Contemporary New England cuisine with coastal Maine ingredients

Menton / Facebook

Menton
> Location: Boston, Massachusetts, in the Wheatleigh
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: Chef Barbara Lynch’s modern take on fine dining

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Courtesy of The Portico by Jeffrey Thompson

The Portico by Jeffrey Thompson
> Location: Lenox, Massachusetts, at Wheatleigh
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2005
> Specialty: Modern French cooking with seasonal New England raw materials

Mari K. / Yelp

TOPPER’S
> Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts, at The Wauwinet
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: New England seafood and local produce on the Nantucket Bay waterfront

Joël Robuchon
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2006
> Specialty: Sophisticated French dining in the style of the late Robuchon, who had more than 30 Michelin stars

Courtesy of Le Cirque

Le Cirque
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Bellagio
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2003
> Specialty: Opulent French cuisine in this offshoot of the defunct New York City original

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Courtesy of Picasso Las Vegas

Picasso
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Bellagio
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2001
> Specialty: French fare with Spanish accents overlooking the Bellagio fountains

Courtesy of Tiffany L. via Yelp

Restaurant Guy Savoy
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Caesars Palace
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2008
> Specialty: Modern French food on the highest level from this outpost of the three-star Paris original

Courtesy of Twist by Pierre Gagnaire

Twist by Pierre Gagnaire
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2014
> Specialty: Classic French fare, contemporary style, at noted chef Gaignaire’s only U.S. restaurant

Atera
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2018
> Specialty: New American tasting menus in upscale surroundings

Courtesy of Lisa H. via Yelp

Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: Very pricey counter-service tasting menus inspired by Japanese cuisine and French technique

Courtesy of Restaurant DANIEL

Daniel
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1999
> Specialty: Refined French cuisine by one of New York’s best-known chefs

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Eugene Gologursky / Getty Images for GQ

Del Posto
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: Unique upscale Italian cuisine with a renowned wine list

Eleven Madison Park
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2012
> Specialty: Imaginative tasting menus in a beautiful dining room

Courtesy of Chloe’ L. via Yelp

Gabriel Kreuther
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2015
> Specialty: Upscale French specialties with a flavor of chef Kreuther’s native Alsace

Jean-Georges Restaurant
> Location: New York, New York, in the Trump International Hotel & Tower New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1998
> Specialty: Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s cuisine, full of French, American, and Asian influences

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Le Bernardin
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2012
> Specialty: An elegant seafood-focused menu from chef Eric Ripert

Marea
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: High-quality Italian seafood just across from Central Park

Courtesy of Per Se

Per Se
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2013
> Specialty: Finely crafted French and American cuisine at the East Coast counterpart to the French Laundry (see above)

Courtesy of The Modern at MOMA

The Modern
> Location: New York, New York, at the Museum of Modern Art
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2016
> Specialty: Contemporary American cooking, from casual to refined

Courtesy of J. L. via Yelp

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
> Location: Tarrytown, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: Imaginative, ultra-sustainable fare on a working farm

Courtesy of Cliff H. via Yelp

Herons
> Location: Cary, North Carolina, in The Umstead Hotel & Spa
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: 21st-century American dishes in an art-filled dining room

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Courtesy of The Fearrington House Restaurant

The Fearrington House Restaurant
> Location: Fearrington Village, North Carolina, in The Fearrington House Inn
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1995
> Specialty: Inspired seasonal menus often sourced from local farms

Orchids at Palm Court
> Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2014
> Specialty: Seasonal creations in Cincinnati’s most venerable old hotel

Courtesy of Lautrec

Lautrec
> Location: Farmington, Pennsylvania, in the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2007
> Specialty: European-American fare amidst original Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs

Courtesy of Te Restaurant

TȈ
> Location: Leola, Pennsylvania, in The Inn at Leola Village
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2015
> Specialty: “Formal” Italian food sourced from Italy and from local Amish farms

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Vetri Cucina / Facebook

Vetri Cucina
> Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: High-end Italian cooking in a historic townhouse

Courtesy of COAST Restaurant

COAST
> Location: Watch Hill, Rhode Island, in the Ocean House
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2018
> Specialty: Seasonal selections reflecting the culinary riches of the Rhode Island coast

Courtesy of McCrady's Restaurant

McCrady’s Restaurant
> Location: Charleston, South Carolina
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: Complex modern American dishes with a South Carolina flavor

Courtesy of The Inn at Little Washington

The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room
> Location: Washington, Virginia, in The Inn at Little Washington
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1988
> Specialty: Highly original (and expensive) tasting menus

Courtesy of The Herbfarm Restaurant via Yelp

The Herbfarm Restaurant
> Location: Woodinville, Washington
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2002
> Specialty: A single nightly nine-course dinner celebrating the Pacific Northwest

Deniz K. / Yelp

Eden
> Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada, in The Rimrock Resort Hotel
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2003
> Specialty: French cuisine, Canadian style, complete with mountain views

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Courtesy of Langdon Hall Dining Room & Terrace

Langdon Hall Dining Room & Terrace
> Location: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, in the Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2004
> Specialty: Canadian contemporary dishes, reflecting the local terroir.

Benek B. / Yelp

Le Baccara
> Location: Gatineau, Québec, Canada, in the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel and Casino
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: A wide-ranging choice of Canadian-French dishes

Courtesy of Restaurant Blue

Blue by Eric Ripert
> Location: Seven Mile Beach (Grand Cayman), Cayman Islands, in The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2007
> Specialty: Caribbean seafood as conceived by Eric Ripert of New York City’s Le Bernardin (see above)

Courtesy of Carolina

Carolina at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
> Location: Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico, in The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2010
> Specialty: Modern Mexican cuisine from a constantly evolving menu

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Courtesy of Fantino Restaurant

Fantino
> Location: Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in The Ritz-Carlton, Cancún
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2006
> Specialty: Mediterranean flavors with a contemporary sensibility

Courtesy of Le Basilic

Le Basilic
> Location: Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2007
> Specialty: Distinctive French Mediterranean cuisine

Courtesy of The Club Grill

The Club Grill
> Location: Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in The Ritz-Carlton, Cancún
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 1999
> Specialty: “Elevated Continental cuisine” based on local ingredients

Joanne B. / Yelp

Cocina de Autor
> Location: Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the Grand Velas Riviera Maya
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2013
> Specialty: Imaginative, playful interpretations of Mexican and Caribbean fare

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Richie W. / Yelp

Ha’
> Location: Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the Hotel Xcaret Mexico
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: A contemporary tasting menu by the first Mexican chef to win a Michelin star

Courtesy of Le Chique

Le Chique
> Location: Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancún
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2014
> Specialty: Multi-sensory modernist dining with a sense of spectacle

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