This Best Restaurants issue is our annual tribute to the people who make that culture hum. A friendly competition, where our readers—who eat and drink with zeal—name their favorites. And Troy Johnson also puts out his list of the places that really blew him away in 2023. This is the list he sends to friends when they ask, “Coming to your city, where should I eat?”

On the cover: a freshly shucked oyster from Mabel’s Gone Fishing. We apologize if you’re suddenly craving something briny.⁠