Amy C. Balfour

Raleigh flies under the radar as a U.S. culinary destination – and it shouldn’t. With James-Beard-nominated chefs expanding their culinary empires, old and new restaurants garnering national accolades, and locals enthusiastically promoting the city’s dining riches, Raleigh's restaurant scene will not be a “hidden gem” for long.

Raleigh is the North Carolina state capital, and its downtown Capital District is home to the capitol building and several top-notch museums, including the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Top dining districts downtown include Glenwood South and the Warehouse District while the nearby Five Points, Hayes Barton, and Oakwood neighborhoods are also restaurant hotspots.

James Beard Chefs

Named Best Chef: Southeast in 2014 and Outstanding Chef in 2019 by the James Beard Foundation, chef and restaurateur Ashley Christensen has accelerated Raleigh’s climb to the culinary big leagues. She currently oversees half a dozen restaurants and bars in the city; while many of the city’s top restaurants are helmed by her former employees.

Her flagship restaurant Poole’s Diner opened downtown in 2007. This intimately chic diner still brings in appreciative crowds for its modern take on comfort-food classics. Check the chalkboard to see what’s cooking. The three-cheese macaroni au gratin sprinkled with sea salt is always a good idea. Next door, Poole’side Pies serves Neapolitan-inspired pizza. Christensen recently launched BB’s Crispy Chicken, a chain of fast-casual fried-chicken restaurants.

A multi-year nominee for Best Chef: Southeast and a finalist in 2022, Cheetie Kumar is the mastermind behind Garland. The restaurant’s amazing “spice-forward” Indian and Pan-Asian dishes are served in an appealingly edgy space downtown. Kumar also plays electric guitar with the band Birds of Avalon.

A five-time semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, Scott Crawford impresses downtown diners at cozy, exposed-brick eatery, Crawford & Son. The seasonal, four-entree dinner menu prides itself on locally-sourced produce and a commitment to authentic flavors.

Oscar Diaz of The Cortez, known for its seafood-centric small plates, and Sunny Gerhart of St Roch Fine Oysters & Bar garnered Best Chef: Southeast semi-finalist nods this year.

Impressive, right? We think so.

Wine, Beer, Martinis, and Really Good Food

Complementing your dinner with just the right beverage can elevate a meal from memorably delicious to truly sublime.

Reaching sublime is not hard at the Angus Barn, an upscale steakhouse on US 70 that features an award-winning wine cellar, lounges, and a cigar bar. Ensconced in a sprawling red barn, the iconic restaurant opened in 1960. These days the family-owned restaurant serves more than 22,000 steaks per month. In the winter, the exuberant Christmas decorations – inside and out – celebrate the season with gusto.

Accessed by an impressive circular staircase – originally shoveled out by hand – the vast wine cellar has earned Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for 30 consecutive years. The wine cellar’s kitchen prepares meals for private parties in the cellar’s two dining rooms.

Excellent Belgian-style ales, $5 martinis, and one decadent pasta choice bring loyalists to Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie in Five Points on Wednesday nights. The rest of the menu at this cavernous indoor-outdoor brewery is appealingly eclectic and global, with duck poutine, fish & chips made with NC catfish, steak frites, and Thai coconut curry noodles among the options.

Innovative beers pair well with innovative gourmet pizzas on the patio at downtown’s Trophy Brewing, open since 2013 and one of the city’s most notable craft breweries. Their Farmers Market pizza is topped with hummus, grilled asparagus, and heirloom tomatoes. If it’s on tap, try it with the Blue Rabbit, a blend of sours conditioned on local rabbiteye blueberries. Beer selections are constantly changing, and consistently praised, so just dive in without fear.

Food Halls and Community Hubs

Two food halls have opened in Raleigh in the last five years, drawing acclaim and happy diners for culinary offerings that resemble a trip around the world.

Benchwarmers, an eatery at Transfer Co Food Hall, is popular for its wood-fired bagels and sandwiches, as well as its weekend pizzas. Slathered with a goat cheese spread, black garlic mayo, griddled mushrooms, and cheese curds, the delicious smashburgers are a hit at Mama Crows. Transfer Co, located inside in a historic coach house, is a 15-minute walk from the capitol.

The 19 vendors at Morgan Street Food Hall in the Warehouse District sell bagels, burgers, bubble tea, crepes, lobster rolls, pizza, tacos, and more. Gin connoisseurs should settle in for fine craft cocktails at Aunty Betty’s Gin & Absinthe Bar, which showcases an international line-up of gins.

Customers pay what they can at A Place at the Table, a cafe in the Warehouse District that serves diners who come from a cross-section of the community. Pay the suggested price, pay less, or pay more – everyone is welcome regardless of their ability to pay. Overpayments help support the homeless and the food-insecure. Stop by in the morning for huevos rancheros, a yogurt bowl, or a build-you-own biscuit. At lunch you'll find sandwiches and salads.

Hayes Barton Cafe and Dessertery evokes the 1940s with its photos of glamorous movie stars and WWII heroes. Classic dishes still hold up, with chicken salad croissants, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, and a fried oyster plate on the menu. What brings the biggest raves, however, are the decadent cakes, pies, and tortes.

Sweets, Pastries & Ice Cream

Amazing desserts aren’t limited to Hayes Barton. Decadent homemade desserts are accompanied by creative craft cocktails at Bittersweet, a downtown bar and lounge with indoor and outdoor seating. Try the Derby Pie or the Salty Chipwich Ice Cream Sandwich – it's so popular you're only allowed one per night! Gin is their favored cocktail ingredient.

Beans are sourced from Central and South America by growers who earn fair trade wages at Videri, a red-brick chocolate factory in the Warehouse District. Chocolates for sale at this civic-minded shop include chocolate bars, bon bons, chocolate drinks, and ice cream. Take a self-guided tour Tuesday through Saturday.

Layered Croissanterie, also downtown, calls its croissants “blankets of buttery goodness” – and who are we to argue? They also come with flavor-forward fillings like peanut butter, strawberry jam and dark chocolate. Danishes, buns, donuts, and sandwiches are sold too.

From its humble food truck beginnings in 2015, Two Roosters Ice Cream has quickly strutted to fame, opening several brick-and-mortar ice cream shops across Raleigh. It has also earned “Best Ice Cream'' awards across the state and the U.S. Original flavors include Sea Salt Chip Cookie Dough and Blackberry Hibiscus. Their fun “Kid Chef Series” lets 4th and 5th graders concoct tasty flavors like chocolate peanut butter cup s’mores!

Tasty Trips: Raleigh, NC