14 Best Restaurants in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

Stepping into this artisanal patisserie with attached wine bar feels like being in Europe, save for the Southern hospitality. Hungry customers line up for plump Valrhona chocolate croissants, slabs of burrata-dotted focaccia, and sandwiches made on fresh bread with locally milled grains. Bobby Boy exists in perfect harmony with Caviste Wine Bar; bakery customers enjoy sandwiches and coffee at the bar by day, then fancy bar snacks are made to pair with the natural wines at Caviste at night. 

Winston's hippest coffee joint is known for its biscuits and burgers (the chef behind Heff's Burger Club started out at Krankies) as much as its espresso. A warehouselike interior offers plenty of room to spread out, and ample outdoor tables fill with locals relaxing or working on sunny days.

The city's best food hall has a soaring ceiling with giant skylights, filling the room and its many stalls with natural light. Grab a hearty burrito, an empanada, or a sandwich from Benchwarmers Bagels, where heirloom grains and a wood-fired oven result in one of the Southeast's best.

A group of passionate bakers has built up this tiny neighborhood bakery over the past nine years, supporting it through a move and COVID closures. Boulted stone-mills their flour daily, with heirloom grains and local everything else, from eggs to dairy to chocolate.

North Carolina–grown and –milled flour, boiled and baked in the New York style, make these perfect bagels both local and authentic. Toasted and smothered with pimento cheese, bacon, and avocado, they're perfection.

Swing by this local favorite (also in Winston-Salem) for a café au lait and a chocolate croissant in the morning, and then visit again after dark for the decadent desserts.

Coffee and hot chocolate made with love, community, and the best intentions just tastes better. Cocoa Cinnamon and their in-house roasters Little Waves source coffee beans and ingredients from small and sustainable producers all over the world, and tell stories through their beverages. The rotating Wonder Menu features seasonal special drinks like I'll Be Your Mirror (latte with Nutella and black pepper) and Two After Midnight's Children, a drinking chocolate with hot peppers, honey, and sea salt. Three locations include the more laptop-friendly Old West Durham, the coffee roastery and fresh churros at Lakewood, and the original Old North Durham, each with distinct thoughtful design and local art.

This repurposed industrial-mod warehouse includes 10 counter-serve food and drink merchants, offering Neapolitan pizza, raw oysters, gourmet coffee, and more. The location, next to Durham Central Park and Farmers' Market and amidst a growing collection of apartment buildings, makes it a popular sport for families and singles on weekends.

The bold yellow-and-slate-grey color palette of this contemporary patisserie is a hint that this downtown bakery is anything but stuffy or staid, with candy-colored macarons in flavors like birthday cake and French toast, decadent baklava croissants, and desserts that reimagine old favorites like an apple tart with smoked vanilla Calvados mousse. Weekday afternoons bustle when ham baguette sandwiches and creamy tomato soup have office workers lining up. Christmas bûches de noël (jellyroll-style chocolate cakes) and mini Valentine's Day treats are hotly anticipated by regulars.

In the town of Davidson about 30 minutes from Charlotte, the Kindred family opened the comfortably elegant Kindred restaurant, beloved for many things including the pull-apart, pillowy milk bread that's served to each table. Spinning off their restaurant into a takeout-friendly concept, they opened Milkbread serving glazed donuts, fried-chicken sandwiches, and an all-day menu of salads and bowls. Order at the walk-up counter and try to find a seat on the busy patio to enjoy a coffee or glass of natural wine with your goodies.

The Triad's first food hall, Stock + Grain is next to Truist Point ballpark (home to the High Point Rockers pro baseball and Carolina Core FC soccer) and close to downtown showrooms, so it can be as busy or as quiet as the town of High Point. Expect to find vendors of burgers, pizza, sushi, barbecue, and coffee, plus a few wild cards. Order a beer from the 20 taps at Bevelry or a craft cocktail at Cahoots.

College kids, families, and visitors brave the lines for a breakfast sandwich at this long-standing biscuit institution. Fried chicken on freshly made biscuits and huge cinnamon rolls are served at the drive-thru window; you may also park and walk up to order. The original location in Louisburg (an hour east) has indoor seating.