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.
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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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
Providence
> Location: Los Angeles, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: Sustainable seafood in an elegant setting
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Manresa
> Location: Los Gatos, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: Three-Michelin-starred New American cuisine
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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The Kitchen Restaurant
> Location: Sacramento, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2011
> Specialty: Farm-to-fork New American tasting menus
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
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
Saison
> Location: San Francisco, California
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2014
> Specialty: Wood-fire modern American creations based on local ingredients
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
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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
Pineapple and Pearls
> Location: Washington, District of Columbia
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: “Elegant yet playful” tasting menus
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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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
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)
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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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
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Smyth
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2019
> Specialty: Modern American tasting menus that sometimes change in the middle of service
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
> 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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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
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
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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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
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
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
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Atera
> Location: New York, New York
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2018
> Specialty: New American tasting menus in upscale surroundings
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
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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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
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
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)
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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
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
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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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
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
TÈ
> 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
> Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: High-end Italian cooking in a historic townhouse
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
McCrady’s Restaurant
> Location: Charleston, South Carolina
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2017
> Specialty: Complex modern American dishes with a South Carolina flavor
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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
The Herbfarm Restaurant
> Location: Woodinville, Washington
> First year of Five-Diamond recognition: 2002
> Specialty: A single nightly nine-course dinner celebrating the Pacific Northwest
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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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.
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
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)
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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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
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
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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
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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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
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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