best day of your life thrillist
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Sean Cowie/Thrillist

How to Actually Have the Best Day of Your Life in 15 Cities

What would you do on the Best Day of Your Life? Eat pizza, probably. A beer sounds good. But again, we're talking about the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE, so stopping there seems silly. 

On June 18th, we're throwing our annual Best Day of Your Life extravaganza in New York City, but you don't need to be there to make it a day for the ages. To help you find your Best Day, we've put together a group of our best stories from 15 cities that should help you get started planning your way around your town in the best-est fashion imaginable. Just don't forget the pizza/beer.

thrillist best day of your life new york
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
dos caminos
Dos Caminos

Maybe you like brunch, or maybe you're a terrible person who has no friends -- either way, if you're gonna do brunch, it damn sure better include bottomless boozing, especially since we almost lost our ability to do it at all. To wit: we found all of the never-ending drinking deals around Manhattan, tried all of them, took a nap, and then conveniently organized them neighborhood-by-neighborhood below. Read up on some brunching tips, and get involved.

pizza thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

In 2016, New Yorkers love their late-night slices as much as their Neapolitans, Sicilians, and even St. Louis- and Detroit-style pies. For the best of the ever-changing pizza landscape in NYC (plus some old reliables), consult this list of 22 outstanding pizzas.

new york best restaurants thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

You can spend pretty much every minute of every day chasing down something new to eat in NYC. We know, we do it. But that can get tiring... like, running-on-an-elliptical-set-to-difficulty-20 tiring, so, to make things easier, we present Eat Seeker: a list of our current favorite restaurants in the city -- new, old, whatever. When in doubt, these are the ones you need to get to.

los angeles best day of your life thrillist
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
best bloody marys los angeles
Flickr/Mark H. Anbinder

So, two years ago, we let you know about 60-something all-you-can-drink brunches in LA. Then last year, we found some more, and expanded the list. But this year we decided to remove the spots that closed (boo!) or decided not to do all-you-can-drink anymore (boo! Boo!!) and expanded the list yet AGAIN. So here it is: a cool 101 places to get all the booze you can drink at brunch, organized by neighborhood so you at least know where you've ended up before you Uber home.

Seventy7 Cocktail Lounge
Seventy7 Cocktail Lounge

With the recent blow-it-outta-the-water opening of Good Times at Davey Wayne's, "secret" and "hidden" bars are about to start coming up in every conversation again. To help ensure you've got your secret-bar basics down, here's a beginner's guide to every LA bar that's -- in some way (hidden entrance!) or another (no address!) -- secret. Shhhhhh.

Republique los angeles
Republique

Sure, every month, we tell you LA's best new openings. But "new" doesn't always mean "best." That's why we've dropped Eat Seeker, our list of the 20 best restaurants in the city right now (trucks were disqualified), which we'll update when there's something worth updating. The spots on it are both old (hellooooo, Animal) and new (hi there, Howlin' Ray's); essentially, they're the ones we recommend over and over (and over) again when we get texts that are like, "Where should I go for dinner tonight?" So stop texting, OK?

(Just kidding: you can still text. As long as we get the invite.)

chicago thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
El Mariachi Tequila Bar
El Mariachi Tequila Bar

Great boozy brunches are an elusive treasure in Chicago. Deals are changing all the time, which makes it hard to find a place to spend that ideal Sunday morning chasing away your hangover with a pitcher of bottomless breakfast cocktails. Luckily, we've done the fieldwork, and found 21 boozy brunch deals broken down by neighborhood so you can find the closest place to get your mimosa/Bloody Mary fix the quickest.

deep dish chicago
Mike Gebert/Thrillist

Critics tend to dismiss Chicago deep dish as overblown, casserole-like, and a monstrosity next to New York thin crust (we're looking at you, Jon Stewart). In fact, no one likes deep dish... except every tourist who comes here makes a beeline for Pizzeria Uno or Gino's or Giordano's, and staggers out two hours later as happy as a zombie on the Thanksgiving episode of The Walking Dead.

We surveyed the city far and wide to come up with our own list of the very best, leaving off some famous names and including some you've probably never heard of. Happy gorging, Chicago-style.

lula cafe
Lula Cafe

What you know: Chicago's a big, diverse city with a dining scene that showcases said bigness and diversity. What you might not know: which restaurants are worth hooking a reservation for immediately, and which are over-hyped and under-delivering. Use this list as your guidebook to some surefire places to dine in the Windy City right now and thank us later. From a Mag Mile resto with the answer to all your porcine needs to a hidden Lincoln Park sushi must-try, here are the best Thrillist-approved restaurants in Chicago right now.

san francisco best day of your life thrillist
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Park Tavern
Park Tavern

SF is great at a lot of things: iconic bridges, unreliable weather, Batkid. But if there's one thing SF is really, REALLY great at, it's brunches. And if there's one thing we're really, REALLY great at, it's putting together lists of the best brunches in SF. So here they are.

Little Chihuahua san francisco
Courtesy of Little Chihuahua

Food in San Francisco is a sacred art form. Words like "sustainable," "farm-to-table," "organic," and "local" get thrown around... a lot. We elevate food to its highest form and treat chefs like gods (for good reason, too -- they’re damn talented here).

But even the most highly trained chefs know there's only so much foie gras, agnolotti, and locally sourced pheasant one person can eat. Whether it's after a long shift, or as a much-needed hangover cure before stepping behind the line, sometimes, even the masters among us need a burrito. We surveyed executive chefs from some of the top restaurants around the city for their all-time favorite San Francisco burritos, and these made the cut...

octavia san francisco
Aubrie Pick/Courtesy of Octavia

We always round up the month's best openings in San Francisco for you, but last June, we also introduced Eat Seeker, a regularly updated list of the best restaurants in SF at this very moment. These places don’t have to be shiny and new to make the list; they just need to be spots we love, go-tos we recommend to friends, places that are perfect for the season, or occasionally, an eatery that's a total splurge. (Warning: there are few of those this month, but they're all worth it. Promise.)

houston best day of your life thrillist
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Down House Houston
Down House Houston

Any brunch that includes bacon and booze is pretty good. But while loading up on Bloody Marys and pig fat followed by mimosas is always fun, Houston's brunch game reaches a whole other elite tier in terms of quality. Fear not: most of them are still plenty boozy. To suit your weekend hangover/sustained buzz needs, these are the most delicious brunches Houston has to offer.

barbecue houston
Kimberly Park

When it comes to Texas BBQ, Hill Country, Austin, and the like get their share of well-deserved respect. But guess what, world? H-town is comin' at ya, and we play for keeps. Houston's been quietly stepping up its 'cue game, meaning that it's our time to shine... once we clean ourselves off with some napkins. Here are the 11 finest examples in town.

Killen's BBQ
Killen's BBQ

Since message board commenters can get really salty when you ask them where you should eat, we thought we'd help. Enter Eat Seeker -- a list we're updating with our picks for the 21 best restaurants in Houston at this very moment. A spot doesn't  have to be shiny and new to make the list; it just needs to be great to eat at right now, as all of these spots most definitely are.

new orleans best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Salon by Sucre
Courtesy of Salon by Sucre

Ever since our greatest scientists discovered a meal between breakfast and lunch, man has looked to the stars and wondered, "Where can I get the best boozy brunch deals in New Orleans?" Well, friends, you need wonder no more... we've rounded up the very best the city has to offer, all for your day-drinking pleasure.

Bourbon House
Bourbon House

If there's any city where an oyster happy hour makes sense, it's New Orleans (or maybe that city the Little Mermaid lives in). Nowhere else has this city’s bar culture, and nowhere else can you find the plump, salty Gulf oysters that our restaurants thrive on -- and as fall approaches, the cooler water will produce even more local pearl factories of superb quality, so naturally, it's imperative to know where to find them thrown into a bar’s happy hour...

Cochon Restaurant
Cochon Restaurant

Welcome to Eat Seeker, a list of the finest spots in the city at any given moment. We round up excellent new openings, old classics worth remembering, places that are getting their due hype, and underrated joints we just love. This page gets updated every couple of months to make sure it's always on point, so bookmarking it probably isn't the worst idea.

boston thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
boston brunch thrillist
Jacqueline Dole

Brunch: it's that meal you get when you don't quite want breakfast but you don't quite want lunch either. Or maybe you've already had breakfast and fully plan on having lunch, but you're just looking to slide something in between because you completely lack self-control. It's your world. Either way, when it comes to Boston's best hybrid morning-afternoon eating (and drinking!), you won't do better than these dozen spots.

lobster rolls boston
Dan Tobin

Our lobster rolls might not necessarily have the same reputation as Maine's, but then again, Boston reaps the benefits of having both lobster rolls AND more than just L.L.Bean outlets. It's about time to show any skeptical out-of-towners what the city's seafood scene is made of with any of Boston's eight best lobster rolls.

boston best restaurants
Kristin Teig

"Where are we eating tonight?" is an angst-riddled refrain. "Do we hit the cool new spot or grab our usual table down the street?" You can spend all your time chasing after the next big or undiscovered place to eat in Boston (we know we do), and honestly, the pressure sometimes overrides the pleasure of actually eating. Which is why we're introducing Eat Seeker: a list of our current favorite restaurants in the city -- new, old, newly discovered, whatever. When in doubt, these are the ones you need to get to.

las vegas thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
park on fremont
Park on Fremont

Brunch is more than just a way to cure a hangover after a long night of partying hard in Las Vegas. Let's take a look at the best places to combine breakfast and lunch (while enjoying a drink or two... or unlimited) in Sin City.

BLT Steak
Courtesy of BLT Steak

Here's the thing about steakhouses in Las Vegas: every major hotel and casino has one... and most of 'em are really, really good. (And that's not to mention all the ones that aren't in a hotel or casino.) Deciding on the perfect place to sink your teeth into a tender piece of meat can be tough. If somebody would just put together a complete guide to Sin City’s best steak spots... oh, wait!

Gordon Ramsay Burger
Gordon Ramsay Burger

From BBQ joints to Italian bistros, there are plenty of choices for great dining in Las Vegas... so many, in fact, that it's hard to narrow them down. But here's a list of some wonderful spots that have built a well-deserved buzz in recent years. These aren't necessarily the most expensive, most famous, or most iconic restaurants in the city, but they are indeed the best ones in Sin City right now.

atlanta best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Red Pepper Taqueria
Red Pepper Taqueria

Sure, Bloody Marys are pretty great, but you know what makes 'em even better? Getting bottomless and/or heavily discounted versions of 'em (or mimosas, Bellinis, and other AM-appropriate drinks) during brunch. It's so great that we rounded up every single such boozy brunch deal in Atlanta, and broke 'em down by 'hood, just for you.

chicken biscuit atlanta
Sebastian Davis/Thrillist

Typically, when you think Atlanta, you think BBQ. Or strip clubs. Or maybe Ludacris. But there's so much more than strip club BBQs that play Ludacris songs. In fact, Atlanta has one of the most diverse and delicious food scenes in the US, and we're about to prove it to you. The next time you find yourself scrambling for a phenomenal place to eat, bust out this list, pick one of the spots listed, and be exalted for the decisive restaurant-chooser you've morphed into.

the pinewood
The Pinewood

It seems like every weekend, a new bar or restaurant is opening in Atlanta -- especially in or around Ponce City Market. Because of this, we decided to locate the best drink specials in 11 ATL 'hoods. (Even Buckhead, where there are much better deals than a $10 Old Fashioned.)

san diego best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
bloody mary san diego
Sara Norris/Thrillist

Everyone knows San Diego loves a good brunch almost as much as it loves a good burrito. We've also been known to enjoy a drink or two or three or... how many was that again? Therefore, it stands to reason that when you combine brunch with killer (sometimes endless!) deals on booze, you've found our formula to true happiness. Here are 20 places, broken down by neighborhood, where you can get the most out of your brunch-drinking dollars.

burritos san diego
Ellen Wright/Thrillist

The only thing better than a California burrito is eating one with a view of California. Ranging from counter service to sit-down style, these seven San Diego restaurants serve up appetite-crushing burritos alongside some of the city's most scenic spots, from Balboa Park to the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy them with a burrito in one hand, and salsa in the other.

san diego eat seeker thrillist
Sara Norris/Thrillist

San Diego, you're a temptress. The food here continually gets better and more creative, even when we're talking about such staples as good ol' fashioned lobster rolls and pizza. In this round of Eat Seeker, we've updated our picks for the best restaurants in the city at this very moment. It's not that they're new -- these are just the places we love, that we salivate over in our dreams, and that we require regular fixes of so our bodies don't spasm from withdrawals. In short, we think you should love these places too. Without any further hesitation, here are the best restaurants in San Diego right now.

philadelphia thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar

Everyone knows that people in Philly love brunch almost as much as they love cheesesteaks, and enjoy adult beverages so much that people here actually order picklebacks. So obviously, the ideal meal involves both of them at the same time, and hopefully doesn't cost that much -- hence our 'hood-by-'hood breakdown of Philly's booziest morning (or afternoon!) eats deals.

Laurel Restaurant
Laurel Restaurant

The best thing about living in Philly has to be the abundance of BYOBs, right? Just ask your NYC friends how much drinks cost at dinner and laugh heartily as you saunter away while they mumble something about having some restaurants where they can bring their own still-overpriced booze. With too many to list, here are our picks for the best BYOBs in each neighborhood.

Revolution Taco
Revolution Taco

It is our duty to keep you up on what's good in Philly, but to help highlight our go-to food and drink destinations we've introduced Philadelphia Eat Seeker, a regularly updated list of the best restaurants in Philadelphia right now. Restaurants don't have to be brand new to make the list (though many might be). It could be a place that's rolled out a new menu, opened a space that's perfect for a certain time of year, or is simply a go-to recommendation that's exemplary of the food culture of our city.

Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Cultivate
Claire Hogan/Courtesy of Cultivate

Austinites take brunch very seriously, and our best restaurants are up for the challenge. Forget white toast and greasy hash browns; these best-of-the-best brunch menus are incorporating new and exciting flavors and techniques into our favorite meal of the week. Oh yeah, and cocktails! We've got those too. Happy brunching, Austin.

Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew
Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew

Austin boasts soooooo much good barbecue. But despite the saturation of old-school salt-and-pepper rubs, not every stack of post oak-smoked brisket is worth waiting in line for. To separate the moist from the lean, we've compiled a list of the 14 best barbecue joints in town. Naturally, these represent a spectrum of different experiences -- from revelatory bites worth 200 minutes of waiting, to late-night sandwiches that are best remembered "in the moment" -- and each of these establishments has been vetted as 'cue worth consuming. Go forth and gorge, but maybe lay off the barbecue sauce.

Emmer & Rye
Alicynn Fink/Courtesy of Emmer & Rye

Austin has a seemingly infinite number of spots where you can gorge yourself on barbecue, burgers, and Tex-Mex (queso is literally running through our veins at this point), but in the last few years, it's grown into a bona fide food city, with amazing eateries featuring a variety of cuisines opening all over the city almost, it seems, every day. And since we understand that all these options can be overwhelming, we're introducing Eat Seeker -- our list of the best restaurants in the city right at this very moment, which we'll be updating regularly so that you are never left wondering where to eat right now.

washington dc thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Farmers Fishers Bakers
Farmers Fishers Bakers

DC has a work hard/play hard attitude, and it plays PARTICULARLY hard when it comes to brunch. Case in point, these brunches where the booze involved will make sure working hard come Monday is something of a challenge.

El Centro D.F.
El Centro D.F.

Perhaps no city in America appreciates a good happy hour like DC. We work hard here, we need it! For those days when that first post-work drink can't come soon enough, here's your guide to happy hour all over the District, with the best pick no matter what neighborhood's most convenient for you.

Espita Mezcaleria
Espita Mezcaleria

OK, we're always stoked on DC's best new openings, but just because a restaurant isn't brand-spankin'-new, doesn't mean we should forget about it. Which is why we bring you Eat Seeker, a list we update throughout the year with our picks for the best restaurants in DC right this very second. Some may be new (Alfie’s, you've changed the Thai game); others might be old (Iron Gate, you're still gorgeous). Basically, they're the restaurants we always recommend to out-of-town friends (Bad Saint -- talk about unique!), that are our personal go-tos (Maketto), or the ones we dream about longingly (Kinship).

miami thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables
Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables

When it comes to the weekend you have two choices: 1) catch up on all the errands, housework, exercise, and family time you missed during the week, or 2) go to brunch and cross another item off your bucket list. Hey, this is Miami, we know which one you're picking, so to help you have a completely unproductive weekend, we found FIFTY-NINE brunches with unlimited booze and conveniently organized them by neighborhood...

Courtesy of Izzy's Fish and Oyster
Courtesy of Izzy's Fish and Oyster

In case you didn't notice, Miami is surrounded by a lot of water. Naturally, our local restaurants are all known for their great selection of wagyu beef. No, of course they're not... they're known for SEAFOOD, as in, every tourist who's ever hit you up for a restaurant recommendation says, "Where can I get some great seafood?" While this city is chock-full of great sushi joints and an avalanche of Peruvian places, we wanted to find out what the best pure seafood spots were in South Florida. From a tent behind a church in Brickell to a new spot at the Ritz-Carlton, here are the 13 best.

Blue Collar
Blue Collar

In Miami, 21 is an interesting number. In South Beach "21" just means "a girl who's attractive enough/guy who's rich enough not to get carded." If you play for the Dolphins, it means your wife is doing more for your jersey sales than you are. And if you're one of these restaurants, it means you've reached the pinnacle of Miami culinary stardom, a place on our list of the 21 best places to eat in the 305 right now.

dallas thrillist best day of your life
Sean Cowie/Thrillist
Filament Restaurant
Filament Restaurant

With the start of patio season, embrace that urge to rush forth and attack weekend brunches as though favorable weather patterns will never properly align again. We're jazzed that notable Dallas restaurants have graced us with hot new weekend breakfast services to which we have no choice but to raise a mimosa. Here are 10 great spots perfect for breaking your fast and/or recovering from your hangover.

Taco Diner
Taco Diner - West Village

The French may have been making cheese for centuries, but here in Texas, we've perfected it. Its name? Queso. Maybe it's the spicy chiles. Maybe it's the addictive creaminess. Maybe it's because it makes the perfect complement to a margarita or three. (All of the above and more? Probably.) Whatever you like best about the stuff, you know you can't get enough. Here are the best places in Dallas to do just that. 

Stock & Barrel
Courtesy of Stock & Barrel

We're serving up an update of the Eat Seeker, and it's a fresh batch of newbie eateries with a hefty helping of the classic spots that Dallasites return to for seconds. You won't go astray hitting up any and all of these reliable spots for some cuisine that defines the Dallas restaurant scene.

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