Best Restaurants in Raleigh

Raleigh has quietly become one of the best food cities in the South. The restaurant scene has exploded over the last several years and there are now spots in this city that would hold their own in any major market. Here are some of the favorites.

Dos Taquitos

Dos Taquitos is a Raleigh institution. They have been serving Mexican food in the Triangle for decades and the food is consistently good. The margaritas are strong, the queso is excellent, and the fajitas are some of the best in the city. It is the kind of place that is always packed for a reason.

Daijobu Ramen

Daijobu brings serious ramen to downtown Raleigh. The broth is rich and deeply flavored, the noodles are the right kind of chewy, and the soft boiled eggs are perfect. It is the kind of ramen that earns repeat visits. The space is small and gets busy, so going earlier or later than peak dinner hours is a good strategy.

Press Crepes and Coffee

Press is one of the best breakfast and brunch spots in Raleigh. The crepes are thin, crispy at the edges, and packed with great fillings. They do both sweet and savory options and the coffee is excellent. It has the feel of a European cafe dropped into a great Raleigh neighborhood. The line moves fast and it is always worth it.

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar

St. Roch is one of the best bars and oyster spots in Raleigh. Located on South Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh, the space has a dimly lit, intimate feel with a long bar, great natural wine and cocktails, and a rotating selection of East and West Coast oysters. The raw bar is the main draw but the rest of the menu is worth ordering from too. It is the kind of place that feels like it belongs in a bigger city and is exactly what Raleigh's food scene has been moving toward.

St. Roch is best for a date night or a slow evening with good drinks. Go with an appetite and plan to stay for a while. Reservations are recommended on weekends.

Stanbury

Stanbury is one of the most consistently praised restaurants in Raleigh. Located on North Blount Street, it does the kind of focused, ingredient driven cooking that has earned it a loyal following and national recognition. The menu changes with the seasons and the bar program is one of the best in the city. It is the kind of place you go when you want a great dinner without any pretense. Book ahead, it fills up.

Bida Manda

Bida Manda is a Laotian restaurant near Moore Square that has been one of Raleigh's most celebrated spots for years. The pork belly fried rice, the larb, and the boat noodles are all essential. The space is beautiful, the service is sharp, and the cocktail program is worth its own visit. It is the kind of restaurant that puts a city on the food map.

Flour & Barrel

Flour and Barrel on West North Street in Glenwood South is one of the most fun spots to eat in Raleigh right now. Chef Katsuji Tanabe, known from Top Chef and Chopped, runs a kitchen focused on rustic Italian small plates and the food is as good as the room. The cocktails are creative and strong, the energy is high, and it works equally well for a casual dinner or a night out. Lunch and dinner daily.

Vidrio

Vidrio is one of the most visually striking restaurants in Raleigh. The dining room is lined with hundreds of hand blown glass bowls and orbs that make the space feel unlike anywhere else in the city. The menu pulls from Spanish, Greek, and Italian traditions, small and large plates built for sharing, and the wine list has won awards. Located on Glenwood Avenue, it is a strong choice for a date night or a group dinner.

Death & Taxes

Death and Taxes is Chef Ashley Christensen's wood fire focused restaurant on West Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh. The open kitchen and wood burning hearth are the centerpiece of the room and almost everything on the menu has some relationship to fire and smoke. The result is food that is deeply flavored and hard to replicate. One of the most important restaurants in Raleigh's food story.

Poole's Diner

Poole's Diner on South McDowell Street is Chef Ashley Christensen's flagship and one of the restaurants that put Raleigh on the national food map. It reimagines classic American diner food with serious technique, the macaroni au gratin is legendary and has been replicated everywhere, in a beautiful space that manages to feel both glamorous and comfortable. Dinner nightly. Reservations strongly recommended.

Jolie

Jolie is a Michelin Guide recognized French bistro from Chef Scott Crawford, tucked into a historic building on North Person Street in the Oakwood neighborhood. The cooking is classic French technique applied to Southern ingredients, the room is intimate, and the whole experience feels like a special occasion even on a Tuesday. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday. One of the best restaurants in the city, full stop.

Caffe Luna

Caffe Luna has been a downtown Raleigh institution since 1996. The menu is Tuscan Italian, handmade pasta, quality proteins, a wine list that takes Italy seriously, served in a warm, intimate room on East Hargett Street. It is the kind of place that has been around long enough to earn its reputation many times over. Dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday.

Second Empire

Second Empire is Raleigh's go to for special occasion fine dining. The restaurant is housed in the 1879 Dodd Hinsdale House on Hillsborough Street, a Victorian landmark that sets a serious tone before you even sit down. The food is contemporary American fine dining and the wine program has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence nine years running. A four time AAA Four Diamond award winner. This is the place for anniversaries, celebrations, and anything that calls for real elegance.

Bloomsbury Bistro

Bloomsbury Bistro has been one of Raleigh's best neighborhood restaurants since 1995. Located in the Five Points area on Whitaker Mill Road, the cooking is French inspired New American, seasonal, focused, and executed with real care. The room is cozy, the service is warm, and it consistently delivers the kind of meal that makes you want to come back. One of those spots that every Raleigh local has strong feelings about.

The Pit

The Pit on West Davie Street in the Warehouse District is the best sit down Eastern North Carolina barbecue in downtown Raleigh. They do whole hog pit barbecue the traditional way, slow cooked over wood, pulled by hand, finished with a vinegar based sauce, in a renovated warehouse that has the right amount of character. It has been recognized by the Michelin Guide and featured on the Food Network. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Longleaf Swine

Longleaf Swine on East Edenton Street near downtown has quickly become one of the most talked about barbecue spots in the Triangle since opening in 2022. The whole hog barbecue is done right and the sides hold up. The space is casual and welcoming and it has earned a loyal following fast. Open Wednesday through Saturday, get there early because it sells out.

The Irregardless Cafe

The Irregardless Cafe on West Morgan Street has been Raleigh's original farm to table restaurant since 1975. It sources from local Triangle farms, keeps a menu that works well for vegetarians and omnivores alike, and has been a community anchor in Raleigh for five decades. Named one of OpenTable's Top 50 Vegetarian Restaurants in the country. A piece of Raleigh food history that is still very much worth visiting.

NOFO at The Pig

NOFO at The Pig in the Five Points neighborhood is one of the more charming spots in Raleigh. The restaurant is housed in a beautifully restored 1930s Piggly Wiggly grocery store and serves Southern comfort food in a space that also includes a market and gift shop. The weekend brunch draws a crowd for good reason. It has been a beloved community gathering place since 2001 and it still earns that reputation.

Boulted Bread

Boulted Bread on Dupont Circle in Boylan Heights is one of the most acclaimed bakeries in the Southeast. They stone mill their own whole grain flours and the result is bread and pastry that tastes fundamentally different from what you get at most bakeries. The coffee is excellent and the pastry case is worth arriving early for. It doubles as a great casual breakfast or mid morning stop. Open Tuesday through Sunday.

Rosewater Kitchen and Bar

Rosewater Kitchen and Bar at North Hills in midtown Raleigh does a Sunday brunch that is one of the best in the city. The European inspired space and New American menu with Mediterranean touches make it stand out from the standard brunch crowd. Dinner is strong too, with a well built cocktail program and seasonal plates that reward repeat visits. Part of the North Hills dining destination cluster.

Vivace

Vivace in North Hills has been a Raleigh dining institution for years. It is an Italian restaurant that maintains its standard without coasting on its reputation. The pasta is made in house, the wine list is Italian focused and well curated, and the service is the kind of attentive that you used to take for granted at Italian restaurants. Located at 4209 Lassiter Mill Road. Book ahead for weekends.

Morgan Street Food Hall and Transfer Co.

Raleigh has two excellent food halls and both are worth knowing. Morgan Street Food Hall near the Warehouse District is compact and energetic, with vendors running from Korean BBQ to wood fired pizza to craft cocktails. Transfer Co. Food Hall on East Davie Street is larger and more polished and has become the go to for groups who want to sample the Raleigh dining scene in one stop. Both do weekend brunches that draw crowds.

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