Thelife- Tripadvisor has released its ranking of the best "hidden gem" restaurants in the US.
- The list is topped by a Tennessee restaurant serving burgers, cookie dough, and dozens of milkshakes.
A Tennessee restaurant serving up burgers, cookie dough, and dozens of milkshakes is America's top "hidden gem," according to Tripadvisor reviewers.
The site releases its Travellers' Choice Best of the Best lists every year, covering tourist spots including restaurants, hotels, and beaches. The entrants are ranked based on the quality and quantity of their reviews and ratings.
The restaurant rankings are divided into a number of categories, like hidden gems, vegetarian spots, and fine-dining establishments.
Tripadvisor told Insider that its "hidden gem" tag was given to restaurants based on a combination of user reviews and feedback.
These are the top 10 hidden restaurant gems, per Tripadvisor's ranking.
10. Spice Symphony, New York City
Spice Symphony, which opened in 2012, focuses on Indian cuisine, serving a "wide range of dishes featuring unique and seductive spices and unusual ingredients." It sells a range of appetizers, curries, and tandoori dishes, as well as Chinese-Indian fusion food.
The restaurant told Insider that it had never done any paid advertising "so people are not aware of our existence," but that its customer-driven nature meant it ranked highly on Tripadvisor.
9. Cru Cafe, Charleston, South Carolina
Cru Cafe, which is open for lunch and dinner five days a week, describes its menu as "gourmet comfort food." Dishes include macaroni cheese, seafood risotto, salads, and sandwiches. Its owner also operates a catering company in the city.
8. Express Cafe, Kissimmee, Florida
Express Cafe, Kissimmee's top-rated restaurant on Tripadvisor, serves Latin and Caribbean food including arepas, empanadas, gallo pinto, and sandwiches. Located in a hotel complex, it's only a 10-minute drive from Disney World, too.
The cafe told Insider its success was down to a fusion menu, the customer service given by staff, and the quality of its ingredients. "We like to think that our small restaurant is a place to unite people … where people from around the world can share what we have in common and not what makes us different," owner Julio Conde said.
7. Piccola Cucina Osteria, New York City
Piccola Cucina Osteria opened in SoHo in 2013. As well as a selection of antipasti like arancini, burrata, and stuffed calamari, the Sicilian restaurant has pasta dishes, salads, and entrées including grilled sea bass and steak. Its owners have two other Piccola Cucina restaurants in New York, as well as one in Montana and one in Ibiza, Spain.
"Despite the group having many locations, Piccola Cucina Osteria is a quite small restaurant but, once you get in, you immediately feel the Sicilian warmth and you feel at home," a restaurant representative told Insider.
6. Katherine Meets Toni, New York City
Katherine Meets Toni serves Italian cuisine including pasta, pizza, and focaccia, alongside some Korean-inspired pizzas – think a pizza topped with bulgogi, truffles, and Buffalo mozzarella, or one with stir-fried kimchi and speck. Some 84% of Tripadvisor reviewers gave it a five-star rating, making it New York City's 15th-top rated restaurant of the nearly 7,000 listed. Reviewers praised its atmosphere and the friendliness of the staff.
5. Happy Fish Peruvian Fusion Restaurant, Tampa, Florida
As the name suggests, Happy Fish's menu focuses on Peruvian and Latin seafood, including rice dishes, stews, and fried fish. Many of the reviews compliment the ceviche, a Peruvian dish of raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice and seasoned. The restaurant also serves meat dishes and pasta, as well as a limited vegetarian menu.
4. Rendezvous Bar & Grill, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Rendezvous is a waterfront bar and seafood restaurant right next to Fort Lauderdale's marina. Seafood on offer includes amberjack, mahi-mahi, lobster, conch, and scallops. Reviews praise the quality of the service and the restaurant says it sources it seafood, meat, and vegetables locally.
3. Kaya Island Eats, Key West, Florida
Kaya Island Eats, located in the Florida Keys, has a menu full of Pacific and Caribbean dishes that it describes as "island fusion cuisine." Offerings include "rasta pasta" made with a macadamia nut jerk pesto, mahi-mahi tacos with key lime slaw, and shrimp skewers served with a passionfruit butter sauce.
The restaurant celebrated its ranking by hosting a Polynesian-style luau and raising money for the victims of the fires on Maui, Scott Taylor, the restaurant's owner and chef, told Insider. "We have always embraced being a 'hidden gem' and to be recognized as one of the best in the country was exhilarating," he said.
2. Riverfront Seafood Company, Kingsport, Tennessee
Riverfront Seafood Company in northeast Tennessee came second in Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice awards. Of the 2,050 ratings, more than three-quarters gave it a five-star rating.
Grilled seafood on the menu includes catfish, tilapia, swordfish, and sea scallops, while other seafood dishes include clam chowder, shrimp and sausage gumbo, oysters, and crab cakes.
As well as some classic American sides, like macaroni cheese, baked potatoes, fried pickles, and hush puppies, you can also get your hands on frogs legs and alligator.
1. Cookie Dough Monster, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Despite only being the second-best rated restaurant on Tripadvisor in Pigeon Forge, near Knoxville in central Tennessee, Cookie Dough Monster was ranked as the top hidden gem in the site's Travellers' Choice Best of the Best awards this year.
Its online menu features a choice of various flavors of cookie dough, available in bite-sized portions, as well as 40 milkshakes that cost $7 for a 16-ounce portion.
But, aware that its name may suggest it only sells desserts, the restaurant's tagline is "Yes, we sell food, too!." It serves an extensive range of burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and mac and cheese.
In a Facebook post, Cookie Dough Monster's owner said he was "thrilled" with the win and credited the restaurant's success to its staff.