Non-Americans are revealing the American restaurants, cuisines, and dishes they're dying to try someday — and there were some big surprises.
It all started when a viral Reddit thread asked people who live outside the United States, "Which American restaurants have you always wanted to try?"
Here are some of the top-voted comments:
1. "As an Australian, Outback Steakhouse. I have no idea what it's about, how they represent the outback. We don't call things a 'steakhouse' here. I'm intrigued."
2. "Olive Garden. I work as a call center agent, and when I ask US customers the security question, 'What is your favorite restaurant?' everyone says Olive Garden. I've always been intrigued."
3. "A crab shack where the food is dumped onto the table to share."
4. "Not exactly a restaurant, but a hot dog cart/stand. The ones you see in detective TV shows, where they discuss whatever case they are working on while ordering a hot dog without ever eating it."
5. "Just any old-fashioned roadside diner. I can't wait for my trip around the country and the diner stops."
6. "I was an exchange student in high school and also hosted multiple students. All from Germany. All of them had an obsession with Wendy’s. I drove them after school every day. They also took like 5-pound bags of Skittles home from Costco and found the place to be astonishing. They kept calling it 'the food Ikea.'"
7. "Popeye's. The only one in Germany is located in Ramstein Air Base and not accessible to us puny mortals."
8. "Waffle House. Driven by them a thousand times, never got a chance to drop in."
9. "I just wanna try the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits."
10. "Not really a restaurant, but New York pizza of any kind. Also, the deli places. Shit looks amazing."
11. "I'm Mexican, and I'm very curious about Taco Bell, particularly because, it seems, it will never make it over here. But mostly because I want to try hard-shell tacos. In my mind those must be terrible, but I'm willing to be surprised."
12. "The Cheescake Factory. In my mind it's like Willy Wonka but for cheesecakes."
13. "An American McDonald's. Why? Because they are different than here in the Netherlands. I heard they have different things and bigger portions, and they are cheaper."
14. "How about just food items? I’ve seen Zombieland so many times, and it made me want to try Twinkies. I have tried to ask people who visited the US to bring me back some, but they always forgot or they didn’t want to. I also want to try deep-dish pizza and a Cubano sandwich."
15. "I'm a vegetarian and a Hindu, but if I ever get to eat an In-N-Out burger, I won't hesitate for a sec. That shit looks fucking delicious."
16. "If anyone sees this and is going to the States, do yourself a favor and drop by a county fair and go get whatever insane shit they are selling to eat. It is great."
17. "Not a specific restaurant, but I have always wanted to try soul food. Maybe one day if I get my chance to travel to the US."
18. "Every single restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!"
19. "I had a friend and her sister visit from Sweden, and while I was driving them from the airport, the sister saw a KFC and started yelling, 'Chicken in a bucket!' excitedly. She had seen families in movies and on TV eating it and thought it was the most exciting thing ever to drive by. We had a full bucket and all of the sides that evening, and they both acted like it was a 5-star meal. It’s one of my favorite memories of their trip."
20. "No specific restaurant, but I would like to see what 'biscuits and gravy' is actually like."
21. "White Castle. Harold and Kumar made it look so good."
22. "If there's one thing that America does very well, it's food. Personally, I've always wanted to try a genuine Philadelphia cheesesteak."
And finally...
23. "When I was in the States, I really just wanted to go to a Denny's. Went to a Denny's somewhere between San Fran and Vegas and got the smallest meal I could find. That was like three plates of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. And also the worst coffee I've ever had in my life. It came to a total of $11, and I was so astounded that I tipped another $15 because it felt like such a huge meal."
You can read the full thread of responses on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.