Top 220 Most Beloved Local Businesses Across the U.S. [2025 Survey]

We all have “that place” in our town - the bakery that still wraps things in wax paper, the bookshop that smells like dust and vanilla, the barbecue joint that hasn’t changed since your grandpa’s prom. 

But when we asked 3,004 Americans to name their favorite classic, locally owned business, some surprising patterns emerged. 

Here are the full rankings:

Local Legends

The below ranking shows the top 220 small businesses across America that locals love the most.

Ranking	Business	City	State
11	Blue Bonnet Café	Marble Falls	Texas
12	Tom’s Restaurant	Brooklyn	New York
13	White Horse Tavern	Newport	Rhode Island
14	Payne's Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain	Scottsboro	Alabama
15	Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese	Los Angeles	California
16	Mars Cheese Castle	Kenosha	Wisconsin
17	Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro	Boise	Idaho
18	Jones Bar-B-Q Diner	Marianna	Arkansas
19	Awful Awful Burger at the Little Nugget Diner	Reno	Nevada
20	Salty Dawg Saloon	Homer	Alaska
21	Dick’s Drive-In	Seattle	Washington
22	The Bread Basket Bakery	Cheyenne	Wyoming
23	Na Mea Hawai‘i	Honolulu	Hawaii
24	Economy Drug & Old Fashioned Soda Fountain	Ely	Nevada
25	Dakota Drug Soda Fountain	Stanley	North Dakota
26	The Arcade Restaurant	Memphis	Tennessee
27	The Tomato Head	Knoxville	Tennessee
28	The Varsity	Atlanta	Georgia
29	Dog Ears Bookstore & Café	Buffalo	New York
30	Carolina Cider Company	Yemassee	South Carolina
31	The Horseshoe Restaurant	South Hill	Virginia
32	Saxapahaw General Store	Saxapahaw	North Carolina
33	King Arthur Baking Company	Norwich	Vermont
34	The Western Café	Bozeman	Montana
35	Wheat Montana Bakery & Deli	Three Forks	Montana
36	Helvetia General Store	Helvetia	West Virginia
37	Bertha’s Kitchen	Charleston	South Carolina
38	Cowley Mercantile	Cowley	Wyoming
39	Poor Richard’s Bookstore	Colorado Springs	Colorado
40	Harwigs	Steamboat Springs	Colorado
41	The Beacon Drive-In	Spartanburg	South Carolina
42	Doumar’s Cones & Barbecue	Norfolk	Virginia
43	Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Café	Phoenix	Arizona
44	Dutch Eating Place	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
45	Prairie Lights Books & Café	Iowa City	Iowa
46	Amana Meat Shop & Smokehouse	Amana	Iowa
47	Bear Paw Café	St. George	Utah
48	Schmidt’s Sausage Haus	Columbus	Ohio
49	Louie Mueller Barbecue	Taylor	Texas
50	Frontier Restaurant	Albuquerque	New Mexico
51	The Apple House	Linden	Virginia
52	Crown Candy Kitchen	St. Louis	Missouri
53	Allie’s Donuts	North Kingstown	Rhode Island
54	Red Arrow Diner	Manchester	New Hampshire
55	Blue Bicycle Books	Charleston	South Carolina
56	El Bolillo Bakery	Houston	Texas
57	Ruth’s Diner	Salt Lake City	Utah
58	Me and McGee Market	North Little Rock	Arkansas
59	Petersen Rock Garden & Museum	Redmond	Oregon
60	The Blossom Shop	Columbia	South Carolina
61	Green Dirt Farm Creamery	Weston	Missouri
62	Tops Diner	East Newark	New Jersey
63	Knapp’s Farm Market	Rocky Ford	Colorado
64	Margie’s Candies	Chicago	Illinois
65	Springdale Candy Company	Springdale	Utah
66	Mickies Dairy Bar	Madison	Wisconsin
67	Stripling’s General Store	Bogart	Georgia
68	Pheasant Restaurant & Lounge	Brookings	South Dakota
69	Ward’s Supermarket	Gainesville	Florida
70	Di Palo’s Fine Foods	New York	New York
71	Click’s Steakhouse	Pawnee	Oklahoma
72	Clark Flower & Gift Shop	Clark	South Dakota
73	Long’s Bakery	Indianapolis	Indiana
74	Busy Corner Restaurant	Goodfield	Illinois
75	Reading Terminal Market	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
76	Cathedral Café	Fayetteville	West Virginia
77	The Blue & White Restaurant	Tunica	Mississippi
78	The Bookworm	Omaha	Nebraska
79	Kroll’s Diner	Fargo	North Dakota
80	The King’s English Bookshop	Salt Lake City	Utah
81	Tomaro’s Bakery	Clarksburg	West Virginia
82	Elk River Books	Livingston	Montana
83	Harold’s Koffee House	Omaha	Nebraska
84	Nelson’s Hall Bitters Pub	Washington Island	Wisconsin
85	Anderson’s Bookshop	Naperville	Illinois
86	Russ & Daughters	New York	New York
87	Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que	Kansas City	Kansas
88	Komoda Store and Bakery	Makawao	Hawaii
89	Al’s Breakfast	Minneapolis	Minnesota
90	John K. King Used & Rare Books	Detroit	Michigan
91	Village Lights Bookstore	Madison	Indiana
92	Tiger’s Tap Room at the Hotel Congress	Tucson	Arizona
93	The Butcher Block	Milton	Delaware
94	Full Circle Bookstore	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma
95	Mammy’s Cupboard	Natchez	Mississippi
96	Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry	Cleveland Heights	Ohio
97	Wall Drug	Wall	South Dakota
98	Elliott Bay Book Company	Seattle	Washington
99	Mike’s Pastry	Boston	Massachusetts
100	Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse	Santa Fe	New Mexico
101	Red Hen Baking Co.	Middlesex	Vermont
102	Delullo’s Trattoria & Italian Market	Schererville	Indiana
103	Baker & Spice	Portland	Oregon
104	Books on the Square	Providence	Rhode Island
105	Luxury Diner	Cheyenne	Wyoming
106	Wind City Books	Casper	Wyoming
107	Olneyville New York System	Providence	Rhode Island
108	Jackson Drug	Jackson	Wyoming
109	The League of NH Craftsmen	Meredith	New Hampshire
110	Blue Ridge Pig	Nellysford	Virginia
111	Rainbow’s End Quilting	Clearwater	Florida
112	Taos Cow	Arroyo Seco	New Mexico
113	Primanti Bros.	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania
114	Nichole’s Fine Pastry	Fargo	North Dakota
115	Bear Pond Books	Montpelier	Vermont
116	The Warren Store	Warren	Vermont
117	Tobie’s Restaurant & Bakery	Hinckley	Minnesota
118	Otis Café	Otis	Oregon
119	Phoenicia Diner	Phoenicia	New York
120	Eagle Eye Book Shop	Decatur	Georgia
121	Tally’s Silver Spoon	Rapid City	South Dakota
122	Embers Bakery & Café	McCook	Nebraska
123	Al’s French Frys	South Burlington	Vermont
124	The Buttonwood Tree	Middletown	Connecticut
125	Zingerman’s Delicatessen	Ann Arbor	Michigan
126	Calef’s Country Store	Barrington	New Hampshire
127	Corrado’s Market	Clifton	New Jersey
128	Taylor Books	Charleston	West Virginia
129	Manderfield’s Home Bakery	Appleton	Wisconsin
130	Fountain Bookstore	Richmond	Virginia
131	Cloverleaf Creamery	Buhl	Idaho
132	Common Good Books	St. Paul	Minnesota
133	Payson Market	Payson	Utah
134	Biedenharn Coca‑Cola Museum (Biedenharn Candy Company)	Vicksburg	Mississippi
135	MacAlpine’s Diner & Soda Fountain	Phoenix	Arizona
136	Alger Hardware	Grand Rapids	Michigan
137	Parnassus Books	Nashville	Tennessee
138	The Bread Peddler	Olympia	Washington
139	Heath Ceramics	Sausalito	California
140	J.S. Dorton Arena	Raleigh	North Carolina
141	Scialo Bros. Bakery	Providence	Rhode Island
142	American Spoon	Petoskey	Michigan
143	Powell’s City of Books	Portland	Oregon
144	Liuzzi Gourmet Food Market	North Haven	Connecticut
145	Twede’s Café	North Bend	Washington
146	Johnson’s Orchards	Yakima	Washington
147	El Paragua Restaurant	Española	New Mexico
148	The Midtown Scholar Bookstore	Harrisburg	Pennsylvania
149	Ritch’s Pharmacy	Mountain Brook	Alabama
150	Breitbach’s Country Dining	Balltown	Iowa
151	Jack’s Outback II	Yarmouth Port	Massachusetts
152	Knead Community Café	New Kensington	Pennsylvania
153	Tidal Wave Books	Anchorage	Alaska
154	Chaucer’s Books	Santa Barbara	California
155	Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café	Asheville	North Carolina
156	BookPeople	Austin	Texas
157	Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace	Minneapolis	Minnesota
158	Zandbroz Variety	Sioux Falls	South Dakota
159	Tri State Outfitters	Moscow	Idaho
160	Pride Dairy	Bottineau	North Dakota
161	Harney County Library	Burns	Oregon
162	WordsWorth Books	Little Rock	Arkansas
163	Hamura Saimin Stand	Lihue	Hawaii
164	Rockin Rudy’s	Missoula	Montana
165	Gibson’s Bookstore	Concord	New Hampshire
166	Willey Farms	Townsend	Delaware
167	Browseabout Books	Rehoboth Beach	Delaware
168	Prospero’s Books	Kansas City	Missouri
169	Vicente’s Supermercado	Stockton	California
170	Hatch Show Print	Nashville	Tennessee
171	New Pioneer Food Co-op	Coralville	Iowa
172	Robert Is Here	Florida City	Florida
173	McGuckin Hardware	Boulder	Colorado
174	The Electric Fetus	Minneapolis	Minnesota
175	Ballek’s Garden Center	East Haddam	Connecticut
176	Standard Furniture	Bay Minette	Alabama
177	Savenor's Butchery	Cambridge	Massachusetts
178	The Martin Hotel	Winnemucca	Nevada
179	Lovera’s Market	Krebs	Oklahoma
180	Holsten’s	Bloomfield	New Jersey
181	Lemuria Books	Jackson	Mississippi
182	Glur’s Tavern	Columbus	Nebraska
183	Duran Central Pharmacy	Albuquerque	New Mexico
184	Priester’s Pecans	Fort Deposit	Alabama
185	Aglamesis Bro’s	Cincinnati	Ohio
186	BookTowne	Manasquan	New Jersey
187	Arkansas Yarn Co.	Malvern	Arkansas
188	Steuben’s Uptown	Denver	Colorado
189	Hoffman’s Home Made Ice Cream	Westminster	Maryland
190	The Book Mill	Montague	Massachusetts
191	Eischen’s Bar	Okarche	Oklahoma
192	RJ Julia Booksellers	Madison	Connecticut
193	Rein’s Deli	Vernon	Connecticut
194	Rediscovered Books	Boise	Idaho
195	Faidley’s Seafood	Baltimore	Maryland
196	Lehman’s	Kidron	Ohio
197	Paul’s Meat Market	Ville Platte	Louisiana
198	Olsen’s Grain	Chino Valley	Arizona
199	Lagomarcino’s	Davenport	Iowa
200	Nagley's Store	Talkeetna	Alaska
201	Zaharakos	Columbus	Indiana
202	Wagner’s Pharmacy	Louisville	Kentucky
203	The Book Escape	Baltimore	Maryland
204	Carriage Crossing Restaurant & Bakery	Yoder	Kansas
205	Dooky Chase’s Restaurant	New Orleans	Louisiana
206	Bay Country Antiques	Cambridge	Maryland
207	Fleurty Girl	New Orleans	Louisiana
208	The Dusty Bookshelf	Manhattan	Kansas
209	Lea’s Lunchroom	Lecompte	Louisiana
210	Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops	Bar Harbor	Maine
211	McCutcheon’s Apple Products	Frederick	Maryland
212	Bobo’s Drive-In	Topeka	Kansas
213	Blue Cypress Books	New Orleans	Louisiana
214	Harlan County Beer Company	Harlan	Kentucky
215	Bauer’s Candies	Lawrenceburg	Kentucky
216	Burke's Bakery & Delicatessen	Danville	Kentucky
217	Red’s Eats	Wiscasset	Maine
218	Joseph-Beth Booksellers	Lexington	Kentucky
219	The Barnacle Candies	Ogunquit	Maine
220	Morse’s Sauerkraut	Waldoboro	Maine

Methodology: Online panel survey of 3,004 respondents based on age, gender, and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. We used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting. August 2025.

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Key Findings:

Alabama absolutely shows up. 

The state landed not one, not two, but four spots in the top 200, including Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, which clinched the #1 position overall. 

Clearly, there’s something sacred about sauce down south.

Hawaii punches above its weight. 

Despite its small population, Hawaii placed three businesses in the top 25 - from the misty artist haven of Volcano Garden Arts (#2) to the homey noodles at Hamura Saimin Stand in Lihue. 

Touristy, yes - but this list proves it still has deep local soul.

Alaska makes waves - twice.

Two Sisters Bakery (#6) and the Salty Dawg Saloon (#20), both in Homer, placed highly. 

It’s rare for two top picks to hail from the same small town - but cinnamon rolls and sea shanties seem to be a winning combo.

Old Vegas still matters. 

In a city known for constant reinvention, Gambler’s General Store (#3) is a nostalgic anchor. 

People may come to Vegas for the lights, but they stay (or at least shop) for the dice.

The power of pancakes. 

Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH, ranked #8, and several other top scorers - including Blue Bonnet Café (TX) and The Blue & White Restaurant (MS) - revolve around breakfast. Turns out, people are loyal to their flapjacks.

Barbecue is a unifier. 

BBQ joints showed up across the map - from Parker’s Barbecue in North Carolina (#9) to Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Arkansas and Louie Mueller Barbecue in Texas. 

Even in a divided country, we agree on smoked meat.

Small towns dominate the top ranks. 

While big cities like New York and L.A. made the list (Tom’s Restaurant in Brooklyn at #12, and Larchmont Village Cheese & Wine in LA at #15), the top 10 is largely rural. Nostalgia thrives where neon hasn’t taken over.

Double trouble states. 

Several states had multiple cities in the top 20 — Nevada (Vegas and Ely), Hawaii (Volcano and Honolulu), Alaska (Homer twice), and Alabama (Decatur and Scottsboro). Seems local pride isn’t limited to capital cities.

The rise of hybrid shops. 

Some of the most loved spots combine functions — Cops & Doughnuts is both a precinct and a pastry shop. 

Dog Ears Bookstore in Buffalo is also a café. And Economy Drug in Ely doubles as an old-school soda fountain. The more, the merrier.

Bookstores quietly crush it. 

While not flashy, indie bookshops are everywhere on this list - especially in smaller towns. 

From The Book Mill in Montague, MA, to Village Lights in Madison, IN, they’re proof that community and curiosity still go hand-in-hand.

Final Thoughts

This list isn’t just about businesses. It’s about belonging. These places anchor our memories - the first root beer float, the Saturday-morning pancake ritual, the novel that changed your summer. 

They're part of the emotional architecture of hometown life. And while they may not have apps, algorithms, or sleek branding, what they do have is harder to replicate: heart.

Methodology

Online panel survey of 3,004 respondents based on age, gender, and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. We used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting.

Respondents are carefully chosen from a geographically representative online panel of double opt-in members. This selection is further tailored to meet the precise criteria required for each unique survey. Throughout the survey, we design questions to carefully screen and authenticate respondents, guaranteeing the alignment of the survey with the ideal participants.

To ensure the integrity of our data collection, we employ an array of data quality methods. Alongside conventional measures like digital fingerprinting, bot checks, geo-verification, and speeding detection, etc. each response undergoes a thorough review by a dedicated team member to ensure quality and contextual accuracy. Our commitment extends to open-ended responses, subjecting them to scrutiny for gibberish answers and plagiarism detection.