30 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. 

An Old North Durham mainstay for more than a dozen years alongside Fullsteam, Motorco, Cocoa Cinnamon, and King’s Sandwiches, this neighborhood gastropub is becoming more dwarfed by big buildings by the day as construction of mixed-use apartment buildings transforms the city. Always reliable, friendly, and unpretentious, diners can enjoy a variety of burgers and sandwiches, salads, and simple Southern-style plates at communal picnic tables on the covered patio or inside in a converted garage with exposed brick walls and bold local artwork (some of it by the artistic staff). Chef-owner Andy Magowan regularly pays homage to classic Chinese dishes and Mexican cuisine with menu specials and theme weeks. Sunday brunch is less inspired but still popular.

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.

House-made pasta, innovative bruschetta with 'nduja (spreadable pork sausage), and roasted vegetables and meats are the stars of this sophisticated Italian spot. By day, the Alimentari side serves lunch and brunch, as well as pasta and provisions to go. Chef Josh DeCarolis brings his passion for his Sicilian heritage and expertise in Italian cooking, while his partner Matt Kelly has contributed significantly to Durham's culinary scene next door at Mateo tapas, French classics at Vin Rouge, and the highly anticipated reopening of Nana's Rockwood.

This Greensboro staple (for nearly a century) is a pilgrimage spot for barbecue lovers from across the state. The chopped, Eastern-style pork is mostly shoulder meat already sauced in the kitchen, though there's also plenty of vinegary Stamey's Secret Sauce at your table. If you're looking for something other than straight pulled pork, try the Brunswick stew, a traditional Southeastern, thick, tomato-based stew. There's a second location on Battleground Avenue north of town.

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.

Known as Hillsborough's living room since 2003, this neighborhood pub has grown from an intimate nine-table bar and restaurant to a multilocation gathering space for craft beer and farm-to-pub grub. Folks of all stripes crowd in for a burger made from humanely raised cows from their own Wooden Nickel Farms, baskets of wings tossed in their choice of hot-as-you-can-handle sauce, and a pint from the rotating guest menu of craft beers from all over the world. The busy, friendly bartenders are as much of a draw as the food, and will happily recommend a beer (if you can flag them down). The James Pharmacy building next door holds a bottle shop and weekend bakery, while the Wooden Nickel Mebane opened in late 2023, 10 miles from Hillsborough.

James Beard Award–winning chef Ashley Christensen (also behind Poole's Diner and Death & Taxes) opened this hip fried chicken spot, which serves the namesake dish as well as modern takes on Southern classics. Sit at the bar and wash down the restaurant's hearty cuisine with a craft cocktail or glass of champagne. Brunch is also a hit on the weekends.

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.

Durham's oldest-operating restaurant sticks to the finely chopped vinegar barbecue that made it an institution. Pair a sandwich or platter with a bowl of beans or mac and cheese and you'll be in hog heaven. It's cash only, so head to an ATM before you arrive.

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.

A well-established wine bar with small plates, pasta, and classic American dishes, Foxcroft feels like dining in a cozy wine cellar with a private chef. More than 40 wines are available by the glass or taste, with flight samplings built around bubbles, Italian wines, Cabernets, and more. If you fall in love with a wine in the retail shop, the price is the same to enjoy at the table. There are additional locations in Charlotte and Greenville, with the original near Southpark. 

Approachable and surprising, Freeman's is a neighborhood bar with a satisfying food menu heavy on the smoked barbecue and meaty sandwiches, but with veggie versions, sides, and hearty salads too. Cocktails are mixed with their own infusions like banana bourbon and rosemary-and-garlic vodka. Less than a year after Freeman's was taken over by two of their former bartenders, the pub was voted in the top 100 of restaurants in the country by Yelp users. The new owners have kept the popular poutine with brisket gravy, Brussels sprouts in brown butter, and Mexican street corn side on the menu.

Wine lovers can enjoy a Mediterranean-influenced meal of pan-seared scallops, Lyonnaise salad, or braised short rib along with their glass. More than 25 wines are offered by the taste, glass, or flight, mostly European with a few from New Zealand and South Africa, and more than 300 different bottles are available to take home. Provisions from the pop-up Cheese Shop are in store Wednesday to Saturday, with a large selection of cut-to-order cheese and charcuterie to pair with your wine. 

In a series of connected rooms and outdoor spaces of a 1900-era mill house, Goodyear serves elevated comfort food, like shrimp and grits, French fries shaken in togarashi (a Japanese spice blend) seasoning, and Malaysian-inspired golden chicken, along with updated classic cocktails and local beer. The restaurant name refers to the higgledy-piggledy shape of houses expanded ad hoc as families had a "good year." The size and variety of seating makes it great for groups, but also chaotic at busy times.

In an austere building underneath the highway, this out-of-the-way eatery has dished up gyros and souvlaki since 1970. Patrons, including workers at the nearby hospital and local families, enjoy the friendly service and ample portions of moussaka, spanakopita, and salads, plus more familiar fare like hamburgers and pizza. The wine list includes Greek reds and whites.

Having built a following for his food at Krankies, Winston-Salem local Justin Webster took his smash burgers from pop-up to James Beard–nominated restaurant in his first year. Justin and his wife Heather (nicknamed Heff) focus on accessible but high-quality food, in a fun, eclectic environment that's heavy on nostalgia. All ingredients on the simple menu are NC-sourced—the furthest is brioche buns from Asheville—and highlight favorite regional flavors like pimento cheese and Cheerwine soda. Order a Ladykiller with white American cheese, black garlic sauce, pickles, and onions, with a side of crinkle-cut fries, while you peruse the pop-culture stickers and snacks in the vending machine.

This Greensboro mainstay (now with two locations in town) was early to the gourmet burger bandwagon. They keep up their sterling reputation with a commitment to well-sourced ingredients and inviting offerings like the North Carolinian (bacon, fried green tomato, pimento cheese, and a fried egg). There's a quality selection of local beers to wash down the caloric overload.

The town of Lexington is the base for Carolina's sweet, red-sauce style of barbecue. At this mainstay where locals line up daily for takeout, meat is pulled from smoked pork shoulders and served up as a sandwich in a soft bun topped with red slaw. Finish with a traditional fruit cobbler.

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 Jones family have been smoking whole hogs in the Carolina Piedmont for three generations, so Raleigh urbanites greeted Sam's chopped pork and slow-cooked ribs with open arms. Order a platter and a craft cocktail (rare for a barbecue restaurant) and grab a seat in the light-filled dining room or at a picnic table in the yard.

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.

"SOB" dishes out a mean pulled-pork sandwich, but it's not your typical barbecue joint—the varied menu also includes grilled salmon with chimichurri and an array of gourmet burgers. Tables out front fill up on weekends—it doesn't hurt that it shares a wall with Brown Truck Brewery, whose fresh IPAs and lagers are a perfect accompaniment to the elevated pub grub.

This restaurant's full name is Sweet Potatoes (Well Shut My Mouth!), and once you have a taste of these Southern classics, you'll know why. Expect friendly service and more food than you could possibly eat.