The Triangle's 30 best restaurants, right now
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Ajja's seasonal heirloom tomato dish. Photo: Lucille Sherman/Axios
Keeping up with the countless openings and closings across the Triangle's excellent food scene can be overwhelming.
- With this guide, our goal is to help you find great places to eat.
Why it matters: Our vibrant culinary scene is one of our strongest assets, providing rich experiences for locals and shining a spotlight on the Triangle as our chefs rack up national awards.
Between the lines: On a mission to bring you a guide to the area's best restaurants, we dined across the Triangle, consulted industry leaders and got feedback from hundreds of readers.
How it works: In addition to considering quality of food, we factored in service, vibe, beverage offerings and how long an establishment has been open.
- We pay our own way and do our best to dine at restaurants across the region undetected so we're as neutral as possible in our assessments.
No. 30: Poole's Diner
A classic Southern menu that helped put chef Ashley Christensen on the map before she won the outstanding chef award from the James Beard Foundation.
- Poole's is known for its menu of upscale comfort food, especially its delectable macaroni au gratin.
Location: 426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh
Hours: 5-10pm Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday.
- 5-11pm Friday and Saturday.
No. 29: SAAP
Located just a step off Cary's gleaming new downtown park, SAAP is the first restaurant from former Brewery Bhavana and Bida Manda executive chef Lon Bounsanga.
- SAAP is a survey of Bounsanga's native Laos in Southeast Asia, featuring char-grilled tiger shrimp, Khua Mee noodles and coconut rice lettuce wraps.
- The standout, though, is the complex broths in dishes like the pork belly, coconut curry and egg drop soup.
Location: 370 South Walker St., Cary
Hours: 4:30-9:30pm Tuesday
- 11am-2pm & 4:30-9:30pm Wednesday-Sunday
No. 28: Merritt's Grill
Merritt's is proof that sometimes simplicity wins out.
- With just its famous BLT alone, Merritt's became a place that people will drive hundreds of miles to and leave completely satisfied and enough of a statewide touchstone that it was available at the 2024 U.S. Open in Pinehurst.
- But the sandwiches and burgers on the rest of the menu are criminally slept on — if you can bear not ordering a BLT while standing in line.
Location: 1009 South Columbia St., Chapel Hill
Hours: 7am-4pm Monday-Saturday. Closed Sundays.
No. 27: Brewery Bhavana
The immaculately decorated dining room at Brewery Bhavana and its dim sum menu continues to be one of the most popular places to eat every night of the week in Raleigh.
- The menu is so delicious, offering a plethora of baos and dumplings as well as delicate peking duck and a comforting rice congee, that you can sometimes forget its excellent in-house made beer.
- The restaurant's popularity has come with controversy, too, as its leadership resigned in 2020 due to allegations of sexual harassment.
- Brewery Bhavana is adding a second location in Cary's Fenton development.
Location: 218 S. Blount St., Raleigh
Hours: 11:30am-10pm Monday-Thursday
- 11:30am-11pm Friday-Saturday
- 11:30am-9pm Sunday
No. 26: Death & Taxes
Death & Taxes, another of chef Ashley Christensen's many downtown Raleigh restaurants, has earned its place as one of the go-to choices for special dinners or business meetings.
- The restaurant's space is ideal for disappearing into a corner, while Christensen's wood-fired grill delivers incredible cuts of steak, duck or whatever the market brought in that day.
Location: 105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh
Hours: 5-9pm Monday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday-Saturday
No. 25: Boulted Bread
Yes, we know this is a bakery, not a restaurant.
- The newly expanded Boulted Bread, however, is undeniably among the best places to grab a bite to eat.
- Boulted's pastries — both new and seasonally rotating — will leave you licking your fingers and wanting more. Stop by for a loaf of bread that will elevate any homemade meal and an espresso drink that is so well-made you might not want to drink coffee anywhere else.
Location: 328 Dupont Circle, Raleigh
Hours: 7am-4pm Tuesday-Friday
- 8am-4pm Saturday-Sunday
No. 24: Pizzeria Toro
With a dining room almost within arms reach of its wood-fired stove, Pizzeria Toro has become one of downtown Durham's most popular restaurants over the past decade.
- The heart of the restaurant will always be its wood-fired pizzas, featuring seasonally rotating toppings on red and white bases. But the other menu items, like the salads, burrata and Italian desserts are equally exquisite.
Location: 105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham
Hours: 11am-11pm, daily
No. 23: Angus Barn
A fixture of Raleigh's dining scene, Angus Barn is so treasured that its holiday season reservations used to book up a year in advance, until it changed its policy this year.
- Angus Barn's 60 years of finely grilled steaks and rare bottles from its Wild Turkey lounge and wine cellar has earned it a well-deserved loyal following.
Location: 9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh
Restaurant hours: 5-10pm Monday-Friday
- 4-10pm Saturday
- 4-9pm Sunday
No. 22: Hummingbird
Chef Coleen Speaks has something for everyone at this friendly, colorful space with New Orleans-inspired classic and creative dishes and service that rivals only dinner served by an old friend.
- Pro tip: It's worth sitting at the bar, where you'll be well taken care of and might just end up making friends with the bartenders. Also, don't sleep on the charbroiled oysters and ricotta fritters.
Location: 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., Ste. 111, Raleigh
Brunch hours: 10am-2:30pm Saturday-Sunday
Lunch: 11am-2:30pm Wednesday-Friday
Dinner: 5-10pm Wednesday-Saturday and 5-9pm Sunday
No. 21: Longleaf Swine
Longleaf Swine has thrived in the Historic Oakwood neighborhood — just across the street from Gringo A Go Go — since it opened in 2022.
- Longleaf is known for its whole hog barbecue, but it also offers melt-in-your-mouth brisket and pork spare ribs alongside killer accompaniments, including collards, pimento mac and cheese and esquites.
Location: 300 E. Edenton St., Raleigh
Hours: 11am-9pm or until sold out Monday-Thursday
- 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday
- 11am-9pm Sunday (brunch from 11am-3pm)
No. 20: Mateo Bar de Tapas
There's a reason Mateo remains a favorite of the downtown Durham scene more than a decade after it opened.
- Started by acclaimed chef Matt Kelly, Mateo continues to deliver Spanish classics in exciting ways.
Location: 109 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham
Hours: 5-10pm Tuesday-Saturday
No. 19: Gringo A Go Go
A reliably delightful Raleigh staple with the best service and best margaritas around.
- Gringo also offers vegan and vegetarian alternatives that even the meat-eaters in your life will love.
Location: 100 N. Person St., Raleigh
Hours: 11am-9pm Tuesday-Thursday
- 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday
- 10am-2:30pm Sunday
No. 18: Saltbox Seafood Joint
Chef Ricky Moore's seasoning must have some magic in it, because seemingly anyone who has tasted his fish has fallen in love with it.
- The James Beard award-winning chef originally started his restaurant a roadside shack in 2012, and has used his success to expand the restaurant and become a published author.
- While the fish rightfully takes center stage, the hush-honey hushpuppies will be among the best you've ever had.
Go deeper: Saltbox doesn't disappoint
Location: 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham
Hours: 11am-8pm Tuesday-Saturday
No. 17: Bluebird
When Chapel Hill chef Brandon Sharp decided to follow up his acclaimed debut restaurant Hawthorne & Wood, he went with a classic French bistro.
- It has proven to be a smart choice. Bluebird, which he opened in 2022, has quickly become a favorite of Chapel Hill diners.
- The menu does all the classics well, from the steak frites and duck confit to French onion soup and foie gras.
Location: 601 Meadowmont Village Circle, Chapel Hill
Hours: 5-9pm Tuesday-Saturday
- 10am-2pm Sunday
No. 16: Pizzeria Mercato
When Frank Bruni, the former New York Times restaurant critic, calls you his favorite restaurant in the Triangle, you know you're doing something right.
- The Neapolitan pizzeria, started by chef Gabe Barker, is a weekly haunt for many, attracting routine customers through its neighborhood charm and dedication to using the freshest ingredients from local markets.
Location: 408 W. Weaver St., Carrboro
Hours: Serving lunch 11am-2pm Thursday-Sunday
- Dinner served 5-8:30pm Thursday-Sunday
No. 15: Standard Beer + Food
Bring your neighbors, the kids and the dog along to Standard on a Friday evening after work, and you'll never want to kick off the weekend any other way.
- Standard's sizable outdoor space bordering Raleigh City Farm is large-party friendly and gives kids room to roam.
- The truffle tots, smashburger, fried fish sandwich and in-house brewed Standard light lager — try one with a salted rim, please — are just the right ingredients for the perfect laid-back, cool summer night.
Location: 205 E. Franklin St., Raleigh
Hours: 4-10pm Monday-Thursday (kitchen closes at 9:30pm)
- 11:30am-11pm Friday (kitchen closes at 10pm)
- 11am-11pm Saturday (kitchen 10pm)
- 11am-8pm Sunday (brunch runs until 3pm)
No. 14: Vin Rouge
Stepping in the door at Vin Rouge feels like stepping into your grandmother's kitchen — if your grandmother was a French art-lover and incomparable cook with an exquisite wine stash.
- This intimate French bistro is a favorite for celebrations and meals worth sharing with the people you love most — and would want to bring to grandma's house.
Location: 2010 Hillsborough Rd., Durham
Hours: Open for Sunday brunch 10:30am-2pm
- 5-9pm Tuesday-Sunday
No. 13: Mothers & Sons Trattoria
A loving homage to the Italian cooking of chef Josh DeCarolis' family, Mothers & Sons' handmade pastas, like its squid ink tonnarelli, are among Durham's most sought after dishes.
- Its rustic and narrow dining room, with tables huddled together, is one of the Triangle's coziest settings.
Location: 107 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham
Hours: Open for lunch 11am-3pm Monday-Friday
- 5-9:30pm Monday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday and Saturday
- Open for brunch 9am-3pm Saturday
No. 12: Viceroy
Decked out in the trappings of a modern British pub, Viceroy is delivering some of the best Indian cooking in the Triangle.
- The menu has an extensive list of curries and grilled kebabs as well as British favorites, like a curried sausage roll.
- The dish perhaps summing up the vibe the most is its London mixed grill, which brings together angara chicken kebabs, lamb chop, masala shrimp and onions over rice.
Location: 335 W. Main St., Durham
Hours: 5-10pm Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday
- 5-10:30pm Friday-Saturday
No. 11: Crawford and Son
This Person Street institution has been a crowd favorite in Raleigh for celebrations and special occasions of any kind since it opened in 2016.
- Crawford's ever-changing menu of unique dishes — often featuring North Carolina State Farmers' Market Produce — and artisan cocktails, plus hospitality that has earned the restaurant prestigious accolades, makes for a meal you'll never forget.
Location: 618 N. Person St., Raleigh
Hours: 5-10pm Tuesday-Saturday
No. 10: Bombolo
It can be hard to put your finger on what Bombolo is. The fresh-made pastas cause you to initially label it an Italian place, but then the menu makes peripatetic leaps around the globe, from New Orleans-style shrimp to Southeast Asian fish soup and even a schnitzel.
- All of it, though, is artfully done by chef Garret Fleming and pastry chef Eleanor Lacy — the brother-and-sister duo who have made Bombolo one of the area's most exciting young restaurants.
Location: 764 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
Hours: 5–9pm Thursday, Sunday and Monday
- 5-10pm Friday and Saturday
No. 9: Little Bull
At Little Bull, chef Oscar Diaz is making one of the most experimental menus in the region, combining the Mexican-American cuisine of his childhood with a whole host of influences.
- Take the birria dumplings, which drop slow-cooked Mexican goat and broth inside crescent-shaped potstickers most often found in Chinese cuisine. It's a combination that you won't find elsewhere.
- The experimentation continues on the ever-changing menu, including adventures into halal food, Korean barbecue and Thai ceviche.
Location: 810 N. Mangum St., Durham
Hours: Open for brunch 11am-2:30pm Sunday
- 5-10pm Sunday-Thursday
- 5-11pm Friday and Saturday
No. 8: Brodeto
One of the newest arrivals to the Triangle food scene, Chef Scott Crawford's latest venture is already one of the most beloved spots in Raleigh.
- Throw on a sundress and head to this crisp, light-filled and airy space with a dinner vibe rivaled only by the Croatian coast the eatery was inspired by.
- Brodeto's cocktails and wine paired with scrumptious seafood dishes and housemade breads and cheeses will leave you feeling full to the brim and still somehow refreshed.
Location: 2201 Iron Works Dr., Ste. 137, Raleigh
Hours: 5-10pm daily
No. 7: Hawthorne & Wood
Before returning to his native North Carolina, chef Brandon Sharp was earning Michelin stars at restaurants in California.
- Those deft cooking skills are on full display at his first Chapel Hill restaurant Hawthorne & Wood, an American-style eatery that feels like a neighborhood bistro with a side of fine-dining influences.
What's next: Sharp's third Chapel Hill restaurant, the Spanish-inspired Próximo, is expected to open on Franklin Street later this year.
Location: 3140 Environ Way, Chapel Hill
Hours: 5-9pm daily
No. 6: St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar
Chef Sunny Gerhart's marriage of New Orleans cuisine and North Carolina seafood, coupled with the candlelit restaurant's bluesy interior, is an irresistible pick for week-night dinners, elevated date nights and hungover weekend brunches that will bring you back to life.
Location: 223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh
Hours: Open for brunch 11am-4pm Saturday and Sunday
- 5-9pm Sunday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday and Saturday
No. 5: Nanas
Whenever you try to follow up a classic, expectations are high. That might be doubly true if you're trying to resurrect a fine-dining institution like Nanas, which had closed in 2020.
- But acclaimed chef Matt Kelly has succeeded in breathing new life into an old idea, with a chic dining room and refreshed classics like shrimp risotto; tender, dry-aged duck; and wood-grilled New York strips.
- Included on the menu, you'll also find a love letter to one of Durham's most beloved former restaurants — Magnolia Grill's twice-baked grits souffle.
Location: 2514 University Dr., Durham
Hours: 5-10pm Tuesday-Saturday
No. 4: M Sushi
The flagship of the M Restaurants empire of Korean- and Japanese-inspired restaurants, M Sushi has a maniacal focus on serving the best cuts of fish possible.
- Much of the sushi arrives from Japan and Korea, and each bite is an explosive adventure of taste and texture.
- Owner Michael Lee has used the success of his first M Sushi location as a springboard to opening six restaurants that take on different varieties of Japanese and Korean cuisines, including Korean bar food and a test kitchen full of experimentation.
Locations:
Durham hours: Open for lunch 11:30am-2pm Tuesday-Friday
- 5-9:30pm Tuesday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday-Saturday
Cary hours: Open for lunch 11:30am-2pm Monday-Saturday
- 5-9:30 pm Monday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday and Saturday
- 12-9:30pm Sunday
No. 3: Littler
Escape from the world for a little while with an intimate dinner at Littler, which re-emerged two years ago after closing during the pandemic.
- Enjoy beautifully crafted seasonal fish and vegetable-centric dishes on vintage plates while listening to a carefully curated soundtrack playing on a turntable.
Location: 110 E. Parrish St., Durham
Hours: 5-9pm Sunday-Thursday
- 5-10pm Friday and Saturday
No. 2: Stanbury
A neighborhood dinner spot you'll simply never tire of, and a hidden gem no longer.
- Stanbury delivers true Southern hospitality and a backyard dinner party-type feel while infusing dedication and care into every single one if its mouth-watering, rotating seasonal dishes.
- No reservations allowed, but you'll hardly notice the wait when you're throwing back oysters with an expertly crafted cocktail in hand.
Location: 938 N. Blount St., Raleigh
Hours: 5-10pm Tuesday-Thursday
- 5-11pm Friday-Saturday
No. 1: Ajja
At once an adventurous journey through the dishes of the Mediterranean and Middle East as well as a colorful refuge in the middle of the city, Ajja has quickly become one of Raleigh's most treasured spots.
- Ajja is chef Cheetie Kumar's comeback after closing the acclaimed Garland during the pandemic, and it's a more-than-worthy successor. Ajja, which means "come over" in Urdu, lives up to its name; you'll be hard-pressed to find a more joyful, welcoming restaurant in the Triangle.
- The menu, while ever evolving, is designed to match the environment, with cool spreads during the summer and warmer offerings in the winter. Always present, though, are delightfully grilled kebabs, complex dips and a fresh and juicy medley of vegetables.
Location: 209 Bickett Blvd., Raleigh
Hours: 5-9:30pm Wednesday-Saturday
- 4-8:30pm Sunday
