The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

A hot dog stand where the heads are just as hot as the dogs.

A place to eat for on-the-run agents and espionage enthusiasts.

This old-fashioned carhop restaurant gave the world the waffle cone.

Come for the Italian food, stay for the taxidermy and giant statues.

Crammed into several rooms of a Staten Island home, this museum is a vodka-soaked paean to the pleasures of drinking.

In the middle of suburban Staten Island, a nearly 150-year-old bakery is preserving the art of a disappearing New York treat.

These Benedictine nuns have been making artisanal cheeses since before it was cool.

While many places make the claim, the Library of Congress says this restaurant is the birthplace of the hamburger.

British troops and Prohibition couldn’t stop this spot from becoming one of the United States' oldest continuously-run taverns.

This small-town pizzeria won the Hollywood lottery.

The oldest still-operating tavern in the United States was once owned by a pirate.

The first ever diner included on the National Register of Historic Places is famous for its custard French toast.

This small shop walked so America could run on Dunkin'.

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.

The oldest Italian café in Boston, this spot also serves as a veritable museum of vintage coffee ephemera.

Try a classic Necco candy bar being resurrected in a small suburban shop.

One of the few brewers in the U.S. experimenting with hop-free beers.

Maine's oldest diner also happens to win acclaim for its elevated comfort food.

After giving up Michelin glamour for his Amish faith, one chef now makes stellar sausages in a small, off-the-grid shop.

This architectural onion has an original 1930's Jerry O'Mahony dining car at its core.

These light, hollow rolls have been linked to Acadia National Park since the 1890s.

For a brief moment, the world was given a flicker of the future of fast food, thanks to a visionary inventor.

Montreal's giant farmer's market is a foodie's best friend, especially in the winter months.