Famous dave’s rib rub

Iconic dishes are the ones that we make pilgrimages for, the ones that are on the Great Foodie Bucket List, the ones that you can’t leave a town without trying. They’re the dishes that really famous dave’s rib rub that good. In other words, they’re dishes that you almost have to try at some point, and we’ve rounded up 101 of the most iconic dishes in America. In order to limit our list to just 101 dishes, though, we had to set a few boundaries.

So what, exactly, makes a dish iconic? If it’s been around for decades, if the definitive version is still served at the restaurant that created it, and if it’s earned legions of loyal fans, then it might be an icon. If it’s so good that it’s put the restaurant that serves it on the map and influenced others, it might be an icon. If it’s a rendition of a classic food, like fried chicken or pizza, that’s considered to be so astoundingly delicious that pilgrims come from miles around to taste it, it might be an icon.