The Ultimate North Carolina Dining Guide 2026

By: Jenn Rice

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Best Chef: Graham House

Luminosa at The Flat Iron Hotel, Asheville

Graham House champions modern Appalachian cuisine at Luminosa, where Italian technique meets hyperlocal ingredients in a wood-burning oven. Expect wood-fired pizzas, grilled puntarelle, and vibrant radicchio from farmer Evan Chender, bucatini with seasonal vegetables, and a bone-in pork chop with cherry mostarda. The restaurant earned both a MICHELIN Green Star and Bib Gourmand for its delicious zero-waste approach. “It’s the community—everyone is supportive and the access to farmers is unmatched,” says House. And don’t fret: The bone marrow tater tots will never leave the menu.

Graham House from Luminosa in NC — Graham House, Image courtesy of Andrew Cebulka

Graham House’s Recommendations:

Breakfast: The Med

The Med is an Asheville staple. My friend Eli Scott leads the kitchen there and does a great and fast breakfast—I always order the breakfast burrito or the fried chicken sandwich.

Lunch: Little Chango

Little Chango is one of my go-to lunch spots for arepas. Plus, it’s close to Luminosa, so it’s an easy and delicious midday stop.

Dinner: Good Hot Fish

If I’m eating dinner out, I go to Good Hot Fish for an early meal. Ashleigh Shanti is great and is doing some amazing things there.

Drinks: Shakey’s

I’m a dive bar guy. The workers at Shakey’s were my first friends in Asheville who weren’t farmers, and we are still close today.

Flat Iron Hotel Andrew Cebulka — Flat Iron Hotel, Image courtesy of Andrew Cebulka

Best Beverage Pro: Robby Dow

Bespoke, Wilmington

Robby Dow brought his talents from New York to Wilmington with Bespoke, an all-day café that transitions seamlessly into a cocktail bar. World- class espresso in the morning gives way to an Italian-inspired aperitivo program by evening including negronis on tap, North Carolina’s largest vintage amaro collection (think bottles from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s), and inventive cocktails. “Bespoke is an all-day neighborhood café and bar rooted in Italian aperitivo culture with the spirit of a classic American cocktail bar,” says Dow.

Robby Dow’s Current Favorites:

NORTH CAROLINA PRODUCT

Eda Rhyne fernet. We use this in our fernet flight, show- ing how dynamic the fernet classification is within the greater amaro category, and Eda Rhyne showcases a do- mestic product that deserves to stand beside the storied traditional Italian varieties.

BEVERAGE TREND

I am excited to see a move- ment towards serving excel- lent cocktails and spirits in more casual settings. The love for cocktails is never stronger, but guests want that experience with ap- proachable vibes, offerings, and price points.

DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE

I love the salty, fino sherry- laced martini at Olivero. Bold and dry, it is amazing alongside some tasty small plates and bar snacks.

The Best of North Carolina

Best New Restaurant: Peregrine, Raleigh

Co-owners chef Saif Rahman and artist Patrick Shanahan created a globe-trotting menu and soaring dining room that follow Rahman’s life journey. Start with the build-your-own old fashioned cart, then order the Bengali wedding chicken where a tender leg swims in rich, creamy, fragrant sauce—and don’t sleep on the pulao (with Carolina Gold rice, coconut, lemongrass, and curry leaf).

Best Culinary Hotel: The Fearrington House Inn, Pittsboro

Consider this Relais & Châteaux property your culinary playground. A few reasons why: Chef Paul Gagne’s MICHELIN- recommended tasting menu (featuring the legendary hot chocolate soufflé), savory cheese donuts at the bar, grilled pimento cheese with fried green tomatoes at The Belted Goat, wood-fired pizza nights, proper afternoon tea, farm-fresh breakfast, and wine director Troy Revell’s curated bottles at Galloway’s. Forty-eight hours is the minimum to conquer it all.

Best OG Spot for Seafood: O’Neal’s Sea Harvest, Outer Banks

Horse Shoe Farm food dish — Horse Shoe Farm

Right on the fishing docks since 1995, this family-owned spot serves whatever’s fresh off the boats that morning. The chalkboard menu changes daily—the soft-shell crab BLT is a tried-and-true you should never skip when it’s in season. Order at the counter (don’t miss the fried okra!), grab deck seating, and prepare for the freshest, no-frills seafood in the OBX.

Most Worth the Drive: The Silo Cookhouse at The Horse Shoe Farm, Hendersonville

Baby cabbage in creamy taleggio mousse with crispy garlic— unforgettable. Who knew cabbage could be this sexy? Chef Brett Suess turns local vegetables into crave- worthy magic: charred carrots with pistachio dukkah, grilled cauliflower with bagna cauda. Sure, there are proteins, but vegetables own this menu and we’re not mad about it.

Coolest (and Most Sustainable) Coffee Program: Cocoa Cinnamon, Durham

Leon Grodski Barrera and Areli Barrera Grodski are the caffeinated brains behind Durham’s three coolest coffee shops plus Little Waves Coffee Roasters, sourcing through direct relationships with women producers. Their rotating Wonder Menu features culturally inspired drinks like barista Luna Contreras’ Not Your Traditional Mexican Daughter, a latte with café de olla syrup, cayenne, and marigold petals that tells a courageous story in a cup.

Best Culinary Duo: Scott and April Franqueza of High Hampton Resort, Cashiers

Pastry chef April and executive chef Scott met at the Culinary Institute of America, and the rest is delicious history. Scott reimagines Southern favorites with Blue Ridge Mountain ingredients and showstopping vegetable-forward soups, while April’s grandmother-inspired coconut cake is so fluffy and irresistible, you’ll never stop thinking about it. Note: You’ll need to book a stay on the property to partake, but you’ll be in a food coma so we’d recommend it regardless.

Best Burger: Switchback at Cataloochee Ranch, Maggie Valley

Chef Jeb Aldrich’s double smash patties come from Cataloochee Ranch’s Black Angus herd, grass-fed with a final three-month feast of cracked corn and molasses that creates insane marbling. Piled high with melted onions, pickles, and a mountain of Gruyère, “it’s the kind of burger I want after a long day at the ranch,” says Aldrich. One bite proves why.

Best Gelato Outside of Italy: Geluna Gelato, Cary

Owners Diana Diaz and Warwick Sheehan trained at Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy and spent years researching gelato across the country—and it shows. This is the real deal, creamy and intensely flavored, made with Homeland dairy products using techniques that would make any Italian nonna proud. Always-loved flavors: stracciatella and sea salt caramel.