16 Best Restaurants in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

Krankies Coffee

$ | Downtown Fodor's choice
Winston's hippest coffee joint is known for its biscuits and burgers 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.
Breakfast Lunch Quick Bite Southern $ Fodor's Choice
211 E. 3rd St., Winston-Salem, NC, 27101, USA
336-722--3016
krankiescoffee.com
Known For
  • a chicken biscuit marinated in honey and Texas Pete
  • miel iced coffee lattes, flavored with spices and honey
  • full bar to get your midday drink on
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.

Stamey's

$ | Coliseum Fodor's choice

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.

Transfer Co. Food Hall

$ | Oakwood Historic District Fodor's choice
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.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Beasley's Chicken + Honey

$ | Downtown

James Beard Award--winning chef Ashley Christensen (also behind Poole's Diner) 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.

Brandwein's Bagels

$ | Downtown
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.
Bakery Breakfast Lunch Quick Bite $
505 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA
919-240--7071
brandweinsbagels.com
Known For
  • house-made sweet and savory bagel spreads, including vegan options
  • hefty bagel lunch sandwiches like the Hot Honey Turkey
  • gluten-free bagel options

Bullock's BBQ

$ | West Metro

Durham's oldest 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.

Lunch Dinner Quick Bite Barbecue $
3330 Quebec Dr., Durham, NC, 27705, USA
919-383--3211
bullocks-bbq.com
Known For
  • a tradition since 1952
  • hearty Brunswick stew
  • photos of former presidents and celebrities dining here line the walls
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.

Cheesecakes by Alex

$ | Downtown
Swing by this local favorite for a café au lait and a chocolate croissant in the morning, and then visit again after dark for the decadent desserts.

Durham Food Hall

$ | Five Points
This repurposed warehouse includes 10 counter-serve restaurants, offering pizza, raw oysters, and gourmet coffee. The soaring ceilings and industrial-mod decor make it a pleasant place to explore and dine.

Grecian Corner

$ | Downtown

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.

Greek Lunch Dinner Quick Bite $
101 Eden Terr., Winston-Salem, NC, 27103, USA
336-722–6937
www.greciancorner.com
Known For
  • classic Greek dishes and wines
  • family-friendly service
  • the best gyro in the city
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., No credit cards

Hops Burger Bar

$ | North Metro
This Greensboro mainstay (now with two locations in town, plus a third in Winston-Salem) 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.
Burger Lunch Dinner $ Family
2138 Lawndale Dr., Greensboro, NC, 27408, USA
336-663--0537
hopsburgerbar.com
Known For
  • the "wall of fries," including a hearty mound of poutine fries
  • fried goat cheese balls with fig jelly
  • packed house on weekends

Lexington Barbecue

$

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.

Lunch Barbecue $ Dinner Quick Bite Family
100 Smokehouse La., Lexington, NC, 27295, USA
336-249–9814
www.lexbbq.com
Known For
  • pulled pork smoked over hickory wood
  • fruit cobblers for dessert
  • old-school barbecue-joint atmosphere
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.

Monuts

$ | West Metro
Whether you opt for a hearty avocado-stuffed breakfast burrito, go healthy with a granola bowl, or just stop in for a drip coffee, you'd be remiss to leave without one of the signature house doughnuts. Don't even try to fool yourself into just eating half.

Sam Jones BBQ

$ | Downtown
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 and grab a seat in the light-filled dining room or at a picnic table in the yard.
Lunch Dinner Barbecue $
502 W. Lenoir St., Raleigh, NC, 27601, USA
984-206--2555
samjonesbbq.com
Known For
  • slow-smoked pulled pork, eastern North Carolina style
  • local fried catfish
  • laid-back bar scene

Sweet Old Bill's

$
"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.

The Parlour

$ | Downtown
It's worth the line down the sidewalk for the house-made ice cream with seasonal flavors at this boutique spot with a dozen daily flavors.
Bakery Dessert Quick Bite $ Family
117 Market St., Durham, NC, 27701, USA
919-564--7999
theparlour.co
Known For
  • fun flavors like guava cheesecake
  • the chocolate habanero float, with spicy cold brew over vanilla ice cream
  • vegan baked treats
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.

Winkler Bakery

$

No trip to the Old Salem Museum & Gardens is complete without a stop at the Winkler Bakery, where you can buy bread and their pillowy, best-selling sugar cakes, baked in traditional brick ovens. Moravian ginger cookies, paper-thin and dense with spice, are a classic treat. You can also try them dipped in chocolate.