9 Noteworthy North Carolina Restaurants | Listen

Bombolo | Chapel Hill, North Carolina

“Ceci n’est pas un restaurant Italien” is written over the front windows at Bombolo: “This is not an Italian restaurant.” Siblings Garret Fleming (chef) and Eleanor Lacy (pastry chef) set out to create a restaurant with no boundaries but always delicious, globally inspired dishes. Fleming’s pasta skills are out of this world (ahem, pappardelle with rabbit ragu!) but when Korean-inspired bo ssam graces the menu for family meal night, we suggest hightailing it in.

Little Bull | Durham, North Carolina

“Little Bull is a restaurant where food is being made through the lens of first-generation and immigrant kids,” says chef and owner Oscar Diaz—and a place where minority chefs get to “put their flavors and ideas on the big stage.” Order whatever ceviche is on the menu and don’t sleep on the whole chicken (Diaz recommends eating it with your fingers) or the Shorty Pan (like cheesy bread with chorizo, giardiniera, and chimichurri).

Olivero | Wilmington, North Carolina

Chef Sunny Gerhart’s latest neighborhood concept, named after his grandfather Joseph Olivero, tells a story through food and design. Italian- and Spanish-inspired dishes with a nod to North Carolina and New Orleans are the norm. “We want to have fun and cook rad food,” says Gerhart, who always recommends an order of the sweet and spicy ‘nduja-stuffed dates. For co-executive chef Lauren Krall Ivey, it’s the housemade spaghetti with charred romesco, zucchini, and burrata.

Yokai | Greensboro, North Carolina

In Japanese folklore, yokai means strange, powerful spirits, and this is just the vibe owner Tal Blevins had in mind. Inside the izakaya-inspired joint you’ll find ramen, cheesy tteokbokki rice cakes, waffle okonomiyaki, and even bright neon-green pandan coconut doughnuts. Cocktails and beverages are both familiar and obscure: “Our take on a piña colada features nigori sake for creaminess and white miso to give this tropical drink a nice punch of umami and texture,” Blevins says.

Ajja | Raleigh, North Carolina

“I want Ajja to evolve without being tethered to Garland’s history or recipes,” says chef and owner, Cheetie Kumar, in reference to her other Raleigh restaurant. Kumar’s new iteration is neighborhood-y with a 70s-meets-The Jetsons vibe, with a spirited team and a vibrant Eastern Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-inspired menu. “There’s a wealth of diversity in this part of the world that goes way beyond falafel and hummus,” she says. While Kumar isn’t one to fixate on the lifespan of a dish, we cross our fingers the lamb croquettes, creamed feta (with brûléed grapes and spiced pecans), and savory Za’atartini (yep, gin with za’atar, vermouth, and bitters) never say goodbye.

Chai Pani | Asheville, North Carolina

Meherwan Irani’s James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-recommended restaurant serves delicious and affordable Indian street food, from okra fries to uttapam.