The 25 Best Stoner Dishes in America

Image via Complex Original

What makes something a stoner dish? It's hard to say. One needn't be a fan of kush to enjoy (or patent) that special heady conconction, assembled from disparate ingredients that somehow make for a winning combination.

Treats for tokers have come a long way from those emergency stashes of Bagel Bites: Last year, The New York Times observed a rise in haute stoner cuisine, with innovative top chefs unleashing dishes comprised of elements so surprising that one might suspect they'd been conceived after a trip to the dispensary.

But where to go for those eyebrow-raising dishes? That's where we come in. From low-end strokes of genius to edibles that put the “high” in high-brow, find it all and more on our list of The 25 Greatest Stoner Dishes in America.

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25. Chu-Don't-Know-Mang

Served At: A-Frame
Address: 12565 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles
Website: aframela.com

Resent being forced to make the impossible choice between churros and pound cake? Thanks to inventive Los Angeles eatery A-Frame, you no longer have to. Situated on one of the country's most-fun-to-read menus just above the “Thick Ass Ice Cream Sandwiches” are chef Ray Choi's much-loved churro-pound cake hybrids, which come fresh out of the kitchen with a helping of chocolate malted milk-covered vanilla ice cream. We can't decide which we'd enjoy more between savoring the dish and overhearing old-money types awkwardly trying to pronounce it. You be the judge.

24. Breakfast Burrito Pizza

Served At: Roberta's
Address: 261 Moore St., Brooklyn
Website: robertaspizza.com

Screw whoever says you can't eat pizza for breakfast. Instead of reaching for that tainted slice at the back of your fridge, catch an L train over to Roberta's in Brooklyn. Rather than green mold, you can enjoy a pie stacked with all the makings of your favorite morning meal. Infinitely better than that time you tried to crack an egg over some Ellio's after a Cypress Hill concert.

23. Country Breakfast Wrap

Served At: Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory
Address: 426 Ave., Jersey City, N.Y.
Website: brownstonediner.com

Speaking of unconventional breakfast wraps… While most people tend to order pancakes on the side of their egg dishes, the folks at The Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City seemed to take a “Hey, it's all going to end up in the same place anyway” approach to their egg, sausage, potato, cheese, and pancake hybrid. With breakfast served into the night, we can make an educated guess about what time of day most of the requests for these go down.

22. Banh Mi Poutine

Served At: The Gorbals
Address: 501 South Spring St., Los Angeles
Website: thegorbalsla.com

Was Top Chef alum and The Gorbals owner Ilan Hall under the influence when struck by the urge to perfect one of the first (well, that we know of) samples of fusion Vietnamese-Canadian cuisine? The world may never know. But who'd have thought the random-seeming regional delicacies of gravy fries and Asian sandwich fixings could pair so well together? Our guess: blazed kitchen staffers.

21. Dorito Tacos

Served At: Taco Bell
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: tacobell.com

Remember the day you discovered that Doritos have the ability to upgrade just about any sandwich? Well, the higher-ups at Taco Bell seem to have caught on (better late than never, guys) and applied that formula towards their namesake dish—only with a Nacho Cheese shell encasing the goods. What could be better at three in the morning?

20. Marrow Bone

Served At: Animal
Address: 435 North Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles
Website: animalrestaurant.com

Enjoy savoring every last bit of your entree? Down to the bone tissue? Well, that's just freaky. Fortunately for you, the creative minds behind Animal in Los Angeles get that about you, and they've spared you the trouble of polishing off the actual meat by getting right down to the good stuff. Scoop up a healthy serving with chimichurri and caramelized onions and spread it on the provided triangles of buttery brioche. Sexy.

19. Compost Cookies

Served At: Momofuku Milk Bar (NYC)
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: momofuku.com

While the pretzel, potato chip, chocolate and butterscotch chip, and coffee-packed baked goods may sound like something someone dug out of the garbage disposal and stuck in an oven, critics swear by Momofuku Milk Bar founder David Chang's heady treats, which have also earned him much love from the acclaimed James Beard Foundation.

18. Fried Twinkies

Served At: Chip Shop (NYC)
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: chipshopnyc.com

Nothing like a little deep-fried nostalgia to offset those hours at the gym. The brains behind Brooklyn's heavenly Chip Shop know as well as anyone that everything tastes better fried. And just think about it. When's the last time you actually had a Twinkie? Oh, 4:20 this past Sunday? Right.

17. Bacon Ice Cream Root Beer Float

Served At: Brookville Restaruant
Address: 225 West Main St., Charlottesville, Va.
Website: brookvillerestaurant.com

It's been said that esteemed Charlottesville chef Harrison Keevil's all-time favorite food is pork, which has a tendency of making cameos in his dishes (like his crowd-pleasing Sweet n' Salty Bacon Waffles.) His all-time favorite pastime? Well, we'd like to think it's hacky sack.

16. Krispy Kreme Milkshake

Served At: FLIP Burger Boutique (Atlanta)
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: flipburgerboutique.com

On the topic of memorable dessert drinks, feast your eyes on the Krispy Kreme Milkshake served at FLIP Burger Boutique. Cooled with liquid nitrogen, it comes as no surprise that these are a creation of Top Chef's Richard Blais (the guy that clearly should've taken the title in Season 4, but regrettably choked during the finale). A donut you can drink? Where have you been all our lives?

15. Pastrami Salmon

Served At: David Burke Townhouse
Address: 133 East 61st St., New York
Website: davidburketownhouse.com

Is it pastrami? Is it salmon? (Well, technically, it's “pastramied” salmon.) Served with a smear of cream cheese and broken bagel at David Burke Townhouse in NYC, you can think of this dish as a deconstructed version of your morning bagel and lox—only meatier.

14. KFC Double Down

Served At: KFC
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: kfc.com

“So meaty, there's no room for a bun” is how KFC's notorious bacon, cheese, and fried-chicken-in-place-of-bread sandwich bills itself. While one of these bad boys might be okay once in a blue moon (shockingly, it's only 540 calories—so they say), let's be perfectly clear; we wouldn't advocate downing one of these if you're trying to lay easy on the carbs. Truthfully, the bread won't bust your scale nearly as quickly.

13. Croque Madame

Served At: Hatfield's Restaurant
Address: 6703 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles
Website: hatfieldsrestaurant.com

In a haute twist on the French ham and cheese sandwich, L.A. chef Quinn Hatfield ditched the gruyere in favor of yellowtail sashimi, piled on prosciutto in place of regular ham, and topped the whole thing off with a sunny side up quail egg. Seussical, yet savory. We can get behind that.

12. Mac N' Cheese Pancakes

Served At: Shopsin's
Address: 120 Essex St., New York
Website: shopsins.com

Breakfast of champions. Champions that evade drug tests.

11. Pop Tart Sushi

Served At: Pop-Tarts World Café (Recently Closed)
Address: 128 West 42nd St., New York
Website: poptartsworld.com

Though the Pop-Tarts World franchise in NYC's Times Square was pretty much on death watch from day one, we didn't think they'd shutter quite so soon. Among our biggest regrets? Not getting over there in time to sample their acid trip of a sushi dish. Sure, it might look pretty questionable, but let's be real; marshmallow, Fruit Roll-Ups, and mashed up Pop-Tart probably aren't the worst things you've consumed together in one sitting.

10. Sriracha Bar

Served At: Chego
Address: 3300 Overland Ave., Los Angeles
Website: eatchego.com

If you identify as one of those eaters that can't get enough of the foodie condiment of choice—whether spritzed into soups or drizzled over rice—you'll be glad to know that there's now a dessert out there for you! At the Los Angeles-based restaurant, Chego, pastry chef Beth Kellerhals has patented a candy bar consisting of crisped rice, chocolate, spiced candied peanuts, and the capper: a sriracha ganache. It's like the Crunch bar of your dreams—or Snoop Dogg's.

9. Bacon Wrapped Matzoh Balls

Served At: The Gorbals
Address: 501 South Spring St., Los Angeles
Website: thegorbalsla.com

In what would undoubtedly take the prize in a Sacrilegious Jewish food competition, suspected weed enthusiast Ilan Hall once again marries unexpected ingredients to produce dishes guaranteed to awe and appall in equal measure.

8. Jon-Jon Deragon

Served At: Crif Dogs (NYC)
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: crifdogs.com

Those suffering from a case of the midnight munchies in NYC's East Village need look no further than Crif Dogs' eclectic menu of franks. Hard partiers from around the block (not to mention the adjacent speakeasy, PDT, where they're also served) can find solace in the fact that whatever they're craving, there's likely a hot dog for that. While the deep-fried Philly cheesesteak dog is worthy of honorable mention, it's the bagel-inspired Jon-Jon Deragon with cream cheese, scallions, and everything bagel seeds that makes us question whether the unconventional dish was conceived in the kitchen...or sitting Indian-style around a vaporizer.

7. Fried Cheese Melt

Served At: Denny's
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: dennys.com

We always knew our grilled cheese sandwiches were missing something. Thanks to Denny's, we now know what that something was: Mozzarella sticks. Why dunk them in marinara when you can apparently do so into a sandwich? But let's be real: As unpleasant as this looks, we bet nothing pairs better with a well-twisted j.

6. Snail and Oxtail Ravioli

Served At: PUBLIC
Address: 210 Elizabeth St., New York
Website: public-nyc.com

Ravioli stuffed with cheese? Pshttt. That's predictable. At Nolita's Michelin Star-nabbing PUBLIC, executive chef Brad Farmerie keeps diners on their toes with his hearty snail and oxtail-stuffed pasta, tossed with pickled shiitake mushrooms, oven dried tomatoes, pea shoots, and paprika oil for extra innovative measure. What were you expecting? Parmesan?

5. Rum & Coke Cupcake

Served At: Butch Bakery (NYC)
Address: Order Online
Website: butchbakery.com

Counting calories? Now you don't have to choose between booze and baked goods. David Arrick of Butch Bakery in NYC has taken all the guesswork out of how to enjoy both in one swoop. The company delivers the dessert men love, but feel uncomfortable enjoying in public, in an assortment of un-girly flavors. While the whiskey-infused Old-Fashioned jumped out at us right away, we couldn't help but admire the creativity behind the Rum & Coke cupcake, which features rum-soaked Madagascar vanilla cake topped with cola Bavarian cream. Alright, we'll open a tab for that.

4. Friendly's Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt

Served At: Friendly's
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: friendlys.com

Really? We need to tell you more about this?

3. Isis Salad

Served At: Romera
Address: 355 West 16th St., New York
Website: romeranewyork.com

It isn't so much the ingredients as it is the visuals that make Romera's Isis Salad an obvious choice for the list. Located in the new Dream Hotel in Manhattan, the restaurant specializes in “neurogastronimal” eats, or in other words, food prepared with the aim of stimulating the brain as much as the palate. Trippy. For the time being, however, getting off on neurologist-chef Miguel Sánchez Romera's food porn ain't cheap—the 11-course tasting menu currently runs at $245 a head.

2. Cheesecake Lollipop Tree

Served At: David Burke Townhouse
Address: 133 East 61st St., New York
Website: davidburketownhouse.com

No, you haven't hallucinated and found yourself in Wonka's factory. (Whatever buzzkill of a friend told you lollipops don't grow on trees was sadly mistaken.) Served with a side of bubble gum whipped cream, chef David Burke's whimsical Cheesecake Lollipop Tree is a dessert that delivers on taste long after the novelty has worn off. But onto more important matters: when will Burke's eatery be patenting the fizzy lifting drinks?! We need that.

1. Cereal Milk Ice Cream

Served At: Momofuku Milk Bar (NYC)
Address: Multiple Locations (Check Website)
Website: momofuku.com

Mmm. Who could forget those broke college days when cereal was less a breakfast item and more a lifestyle choice? Momofuku founding father David Chang certainly hasn't. For those that love to enjoy their Frosted Flakes at any given time of day—or can't afford not to—it's now possible to lap up the best part of the meal (the sweet, stagnant milk at the bottom of the bowl) in the form of an ice cream. Schwing!