It’s a great time for food in the U.S. right now, as daring and experimental chefs all over the country are opening up eateries that embrace the incredible variety of cultures and ingredients that characterize our nation. While stunning new restaurants are opening every day of the week, here are five that stand above the rest.

Mica
This French-influenced eatery located in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood has been wowing diners with spectacular cooking. The menu is tight and perfectly-composed, and don’t try any substitutions. Chef Chip Roman knows what he wants to serve.

Isa
Another restaurant with a tiny menu, New York’s Isa is a gorgeous paean to Mediterranean food that has eaters raving. The menu typically only consists of a handful of appetizers and two entrees, but everything is spectacular.

Picca
Shifting wildly in the other direction, Los Angeles’s popular Peruvian destination Picca has a menu that boasts over fifty dishes. Traditional classics like tart, flavorful ceviche share space with incredible potato cakes and dishes influenced by cuisine from all over the world.

Next
The new restaurant from Chicago super-chef Grant Achatz, you need to buy tickets to just get into this place. Each meal is a 29-course extravaganza, varying from tiny bites to entrees, and the lucky few who have managed to get in call it a one of a kind experience.

Ink
Michael Voltaggio’s Los Angeles restaurant fuses modern, minimal food styling with hearty, complex flavors to create a food experience that is unlike anything else being plated in America today. The winner of Top Chef’s sixth season is one of the next greats.