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[JayhawkCO]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.

[kphoger]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.

At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago.  Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream.  Pizza was just that normal.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.

At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago.  Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream.  Pizza was just that normal.

But West Virginia? Delaware?

[kphoger]

I don't know?  Are there a lot of Casey's there?

[Rothman]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.

At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago.  Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream.  Pizza was just that normal.

But West Virginia? Delaware?

There's that weirdo place in Wheeling where they don't bake the cheese with the rest of the pizza.

Yeah, that trend hasn't spread much far outside of that area.

And WV's attempts to sell itself as a good hot dog state are so pathetically adorable.

[Mr_Northside]

There's that weirdo place in Wheeling where they don't bake the cheese with the rest of the pizza.

I've heard that referred to as Ohio Valley style.
There is a place - Beto's - along Banksville Ave in the southern part of Pittsburgh that does that as well.   
Was there once on a "pizza tour" with friends, and have no desire to ever go back.

[skluth]

Something interesting from The Washington Post: The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery

Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.

[paulthemapguy]

Something interesting from The Washington Post: The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery

Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.

RIGHT???Why the hell is "bar" excluded, but whatever the hell "pub" is comprises ten states!? 

[1]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.

There are a whole bunch of non-chain pizza restaurants, mostly takeout/delivery, in this area.

[JayhawkCO]

Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.

My guess is that bar just includes stuff like nachos and wings whereas pub is burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc.

[webny99]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.

There are a whole bunch of non-chain pizza restaurants, mostly takeout/delivery, in this area.

Same here, along with many regional chains. The demand for pizza from somewhere other than a nationwide chain is seemingly much greater in the Northeast/Great Lakes than elsewhere in the country. This has been discussed in a few other threads here, can't remember which at the moment.

[Road Hog]

I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.

Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too? 

Arkansas has had a long tradition of successful Mexican restaurants going back to Mexico Chiquito founded in the 1930s. The state now has its share of immigrants to expand the genre.

[jgb191]

Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?

That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.

[Road Hog]

Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?

That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.

Still gotta ask. The question remains.

[Bruce]

A quick survey of restaurants in my exurban neighborhood, generally within a half-mile of I-5:

9 fast food joints
2 fast casual restaurants
5 sit-down chain restaurants
3 American restaurants (including BBQ)
6 pizzerias (including chains)
5 sandwich shops
1 Mexican restaurant
9 Asian restaurants (2 Korean, 2 Japanese, 2 Chinese American, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Thai, 1 Mongolian)
- includes 3 teriyaki joints and 2 sushi restaurants
4 delis and eateries inside supermarkets
7 coffee shops and espresso stands (including 4 Starbucks)

[GaryV]

And they exclude "American", but include fast food? 

[kphoger]

Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?

That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.

Still gotta ask. The question remains.

You can buy tacos and quesadillas at Taco Bell;  those two items are not only authentically Mexican food, but even ubiquitous in Mexico (although quesadillas are generally regarded as kids' food there).

Burritos are Tex-Mex, and I've seen them in far northern Mexico but only rarely farther south.

Chalupas and gorditas are authentic Mexican food, but they're not quite the same thing as what Taco Bell sells;  gorditas, especially, are quite different in Mexico.

So it depends on what you're ordering.

[jgb191]

^  There is a clear difference between Mexican tacos and American tacos. 

Mexican tacos are soft corn tortillas with shredded or sliced meat filling, and salsa topping -- a staple street food in Mexico.  This is my go-to homemade semi-daily lunch, I don't think I'll ever get tired of eating them, and very easy to prepare.

American-style tacos are the all-too-familiar crispy hard corn shells filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar.  While these are found nationwide in the USA, I don't believe you'll find very many of them in Mexico.

Taco Bell like to twist the other items like gorditas, chalupas, tostadas, etc into something totally Americanized.

Authentic Mexican food are items like flautas, tortas, menudo, tamales, etc.  Also chocolate was invented in Mexico by one of their ancient civilizations.

[kphoger]

Mexican tacos are soft corn tortillas with shredded or sliced meat filling ...

American-style tacos are the all-too-familiar crispy hard corn shells filled with ground beef ...

I cannot agree with your assessment.

Mexican tacos use various types of tortillas, depending on region and personal preference.  They're certainly not all corn.  I've eaten countless tacos in Mexico on flour tortillas—many more than I have on corn tortillas in Mexico.  Last time I was in Mexico (March), I found myself chatting in the kitchen while a local woman prepared flour tortilla dough;  she had done this so many times that she didn't have to measure anything—just mixed it by hand until it felt right.

Also, ground beef tacos exist in Mexico;  the meat just tends to be seasoned differently and maybe even have some extra goodies mixed in.  If you've never had a picadillo taco, for example, then you've been missing out.  Delicious!  And most commonly made with ground beef.

As far as American-style hard shell tacos go:  yes, the type you can order from Taco Bell is an American invention, and in fact Taco Bell was largely responsible for its nationwide ubiquity.  But frying a taco's tortilla until it gets a little crispy isn't exactly unheard of in Mexico.  When they're rolled up and fried, they end up being called flautas or tacos dorados or taquitos, but—hey, wait, taquitos just means "little tacos" anyway, right?  Hmm...  But, beyond that, they aren't always rolled up to begin with;  I've been served un-rolled-up tacos on pan-fried tortillas in Mexico before.  Not exactly the tortilla chip-like things you can get at Taco Bell, but definitely a fried corn tortilla.