In today ’s ultra - competitiverestaurant biz , postulate a hairbrained , potentially genius thought from conception to reality is exceedingly bad – specially when that construct involve attempting to blend two altogether separate culinary traditions into a single harmonious card . And , as diner can bear witness , sometimes fusion joints end upterrible , but sometimes , just sometimes , they ’re matted - out amazing .
Do n’t get it twisted – I ’m not talkingCronuts , here ( though they are delicious ) . A top - notch culinary mash - up consists of thoughtfully composed hybrid dishes that respectfully and creatively suck on New cooking ’s global thawing wad . And the 10 eatery on this list represent the next generation of fusion pioneer - turned - household name in the style ofSpago’sWolfgang Puck andNobu’sNobuyuki Matsuhisa .
< h2> Mexican - Chinese: <a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat up / new - House of York / eatery / missionary work - cantin … ; target="_blank”>Mission Cantina
Flickr/T.Tseng
< em > New York , NYRestaurant - goers brave enough to wade through the ever - present , cocktail - sipping crowds at Danny Bowien ’s two - yr - old Lower East Side hotspot are rewarded with the celebrity chef ’s undisputedly gifted glide slope to lowbrow , hipster - well-disposed cooking . Fat Mission - style burritos reveal crispy , peppery General Tso ’s chicken , tacos are dotted with everything from prawn and beef trumpery to chicken and octopus , while the helianthus come guacamole does a great job of balance buttery aguacate with a comforting , nutty crunch.As with Bowien ’s first venture , Mission Chinese , the street food - inspired lineup has little in common with push - cart Leontyne Price , but what Mission Cantina miss in affordability it assuredly makes up for in fresh , bold tone .
< h2> Korean - Polish: <a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat / chicago / eating house / kimskis" ; target="_blank”>Kimski
< em > Chicago , ILWhite Sox fan , rejoice ! As of May 2016 , historic Southside fixture Maria ’s Community Bar is now home to Kimski , a free-and-easy articulation serve up a odd assortment of Korean - Polish hybrids to athirst ( and thankful ) Chicagoans.To bring this wacky estimate to fruition , the 30 - class - old , Polish - run taproom collaborate with chef Won Kim and each point on the shiny novel eatery ’s menu is specially craft to reward each culture ’s distinctive culinary art . Tangy , savory kimchee pierogies rub human elbow with tater - leek quesadilla and thick Polish sausage cover in soju mustard , a sauerkraut - kimchee blend , and scallions , just to name a few . And , of course , everything is imply to be enjoyed in the company of a nice cold beer .
Flickr/T.Tseng
Irish-Eritrean:EireTrea
San Francisco , CAIf the bare construct of " Irish - Eritrean cuisine " has your head spinning , you ’re far from alone . This mad ( and madly appetizing ) San Francisco food motortruck pull on Anglo staple like corn gripe , stewed dinero , and pork barrel sausage and wed them to Eritrean ( think : Ethiopian ) specialties like chicken doro wat and alecha , much of it wrap in traditional injera shekels and spice with lots and lashings of berbere ( peppiness , garlic , chili ) . Like it or hate it – theVillage Voiceslammed the popular Bay Area frontier settlement in a 2012 revaluation titled " Weirdest Food Truck Ever " – EireTrea ’s idiosyncratic culinary angle is anything but ordinary .
< h2 > Korean - Colombian : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat / los - angeles / restaurant / escala" ; target="_blank”>Escala
< em > Los Angeles , CAKorean - born , Colombian - raised LA faithful OG Chino has been seamlessly fusing classic Asian and Latin flavors at this Koreatown favorite since 2012. Slow - roasted , Korean - fashion beef costa are paired with sweet guava BBQ sauce and presented on a dreamy , tropically sweet-scented seam of coconut creamed corn . The steaming - hot empanadas come filled with kimchee and chorizo fried Elmer Reizenstein , served on a shareable denture next to a ramekin of kimchee - spiked aioli sauce . And Chino , a DJ and lifelong hip - record hop top dog , is responsible for Escala ’s vivacious , whimsical decor , a style that playfully complements the mash - up - heavy menu – what might look unbalanced on paper tastes mean - to - be on the palate .
Flickr/Gary Stevens
< h2 > Japanese - Judaic : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / rust / new - york / eatery / shalom - japan&q … ; target="_blank”>Shalom Japan
< em > Brooklyn , NYSince coming onto the scene recently in 2013 , Shalom Japan has been softly taking over the Williamsburg restaurant scene with some of the strange , most fondly executed bad-tempered - cultural cuisine in New York City . Co - owners Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi merged their respective culinary traditions ( and their lives – the two are married ) to make a shockingly fluid carte that includes strange - yet - yummy jazz band like challah bread made from rice beer yeast , matzoh egg ramen garnished with a foie gras dumpling , and a mind - meltingly satisfying lox bowl swarm with Sir Tim Rice , cucumber , Japanese pickle , avocado , and salty Salmon River roe .
< h2 > Korean - Puerto Rican : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / eatery / belly - shack" ; target="_blank”>Belly Shack
Flickr/T.Tseng
< em > Chicago , ILHusband - and - wife team Yvonne and Bill Kim are the family line behind Chicago ’s best ( and peradventure only ) Korean - Puerto Rican eating place , a cozy patch nestled underneath the Blue Line in < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / eat / chicago / logan - square / best - eating house - in- … ; target="_blank”>Logan Square . Belly Shack ’s air is just as fun and inviting as its food , with bright level - to - roof windows , sleek repurposed fixtures , and psyche - soothing quilt dishes like the Boricua sandwich ( fried plantain tree , tender Korean BBQ beef ) and the Belly Dog , an all - beef wienerwurst strangle in crunchy egg bean , kimchee salsa , and pickled green papaya and snuggle up to a hatful of fiery togarashi fries . With a menu like this , it ’s no wonder Belly Shack has become a cultus favourite amongst even the most chi - chi Logan Square epicure .
< h2 > Japanese - Burgers : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat up / las - vegas / restaurants / fukuburger&q … ; target="_blank”>Fukuburger
< em > Las Vegas , NVAs one of Las Vegas ' most beloved solid food trucks , Fukuburger stay on to enchant the late - dark Sin City crowd with its twisted roll of Japanese - influenced " all - American hamburger . " The lineup includes bowel - break pilot like the Buta Burger , where its signature " Fuku cake " ( a secret portmanteau word of top - quality gripe and Asian spices ) is stacked with miso - glazed Viscount St. Albans , melted American cheese , Allium cepa , and pickled powdered ginger , then drenched in Japanese BBQ sauce . And an edict of spicy togarashi garlic fries , served with banana cetchup and odoriferous Thai chili - mayo " crack " sauce , is a must with any sandwich .
Belly Shack
< h2 > North African - Mexican : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / rust / los - angeles / eating house / rotation … ; target="_blank”>Revolutionario
< em > Los Angeles , CAL.A. Taco ’s 2016 Taco Madness champ Revolutionario is just one in a seemingly endless descent of baller SoCal nuclear fusion reaction joints . Inside his nondescript food hand truck perpetually parked on USC ’s sprawling campus , Gallic - Algerian chef Farid Zadi zest up burritos , bowls , and taco with distinctly North African element like black - eyed pea plant falafel , vegetable tagines , halal smoked lamb and duck haschisch , and shakshuka , a lush mix of poached eggs atop a cumin - deep Lycopersicon esculentum - chili sauce . well yet , Revolutionario also offers a $ 2 note value computer menu of sample - sized munchies to keep the hungry college students a - callin ' .
< h2 > Japanese - Latin : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / japaneiros - sushi - bistro - latin - grill-77 … ; target="_blank”>Japaneiro ’s Sushi Bistro & amp ; Latin Grill
Flickr/kennejima
< em > Sugar Land , TXA suburban strip mall might not sound like the idealistic mise en scene for one of Greater Houston ’s most innovative eateries , but Sugar Land ’s Japaneiro ’s is sic on win over the sceptic with its bizarrely approachable Japanese - Latin cuisine.The menu move from mash - up appetiser ( liquefied mashed tater inside battered and fried tempura balls , do with a side of garlic chimichurri ) to a massive selection of smart sushi . The Ensalada roll is packed tight with crisp Japanese vegetables , jalapeños , sweet-smelling Musa paradisiaca , and kaiware sprout , then top with avocado , sesame seeds , and a garlic Chinese parsley sauce , and the menu is polish up out with Texas - sized pepitos sandwich , filled with everything from juicy cheesesteak to tempura peewee .
< h2 > Korean - Mexican : < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat up / new - york / restaurants / kimchi - grill & … ; target="_blank”>Kimchi Grill
< em > Brooklyn , NYKimchi Grill began as a single taco truck in 2011 and quickly blossomed into a multi - location Brooklyn mainstay . in the end able to properly showcase his unique take on Korean - infuse Mexican street food , conceiver Phillip Lee hold borough habitant feed and felicitous with a carte du jour of queerly familiar Frankenfoods like crispy kimchee rice ball meet with kimchee ( manifestly ) , gooey queso Oaxaca , and Parmesan ; Korean BBQ beef- and spicy pork - topped nachos ; and the lolly - wrap up Ssam burrito ( kimchee fried rice revolve with two different kind of kimchee , Allium porrum , and a traditional Korean chilli library paste cry ssamjang ) . Simply put , Kimchi Grill is the material of morning - after greatness , each serve up a hangover - cure mix of fermented condiment and just - greasy - enough slow - cook meats .
Flickr/T.Tseng
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