Places Edited by Sam O'Brien

A California city claims to be the home of a fast-food classic.

A former department store turned into a quirky restaurant.

A giant time capsule not scheduled to be cored until 2040.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

This grinning pup statue is all that's left of what was once a ubiquitous Bay Area diner chain.

This restaurant has been a haven for D.C.'s LGBTQ community since the 1950s.

Try your hand at old-fashioned coffee growing at this museum devoted to one of the world's most coveted beans.

A wonderland of folk art including the World’s Largest Grit. 

The oldest pastificio in Queens offers visitors fresh noodles and a peek inside the macaroni-making magic.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

Rare moles meet activism at this Oaxacan eatery.

Deliciousness abounds at a Guatemalan restaurant masquerading as a pizzeria.

A 22-million-year-old sandstone cave is a natural habitat for award-winning cheese.

A basement pool hall is the front for some of the best Dominican food in New York City.

In the main dining room, a nine-ton boulder caps the fireplace designed by local architect Earl Young.

This last stalwart of the now-forgotten feminist restaurant movement served food in an activist atmosphere since 1977.

The flagship building of an early national restaurant chain is a superb example of terra cotta art.

Tucked inside a South Bank bar is an epic expressionist chronicle of the 20th century.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

Men and special assistants stand by the road to sell the day's catch in this lakeside village.

This speakeasy continues the Prohibition-era legacy of Harlem's jazzy Swing Street.

This old-school café is famous for serving coffee, chilaquiles, and the Cuban Revolution.

An arcade packed with a rotating collection of unique independent video games.

In the middle of one of South America's most historic walled cities lies a bar with an enormous collection of Soviet memorabilia.