Discover where North Carolina eats, drinks & connects.
Restaurants, cafés, lounges, bars and local favorites across North Carolina.
Our Food
Where North Carolina is eating right now.
Editorial imageOak & Ember Kitchen
$$$Raleigh • Wood-fired Southern
Wood-fired Southern cooking from a chef who trained in New Orleans and came home to build.
Editorial imageSable Supper Club
$$$$Cary • Modern Southern tasting
A seated tasting format built for anniversaries, closings and long Saturday nights.
Editorial imageHayti Hot Fish
$Durham • Fried seafood
Whiting, croaker and hushpuppies, fried to order in a room that has not changed in 30 years.
Editorial imageFranklin Street Brunch House
$$Chapel Hill • Brunch
A long-table brunch room built for the slow end of a Chapel Hill weekend.
Our Drinks
Cocktails, coffee, breweries, bars, lounges and places worth staying awhile.
Editorial imageThe Velvet Room
$$Raleigh • Cocktail lounge
Low light, high-end cocktails and a Thursday residency that fills up by ten.
Editorial imageThe Listening Room
$$Durham • Vinyl bar
Vinyl bar with a no-phones policy after 9pm and a serious rare-groove wall.
Editorial imageWest End Provisions
$$Charlotte • Caribbean-Southern
Caribbean-Southern plates and rum punch on a patio that stays busy until close.
Editorial imageCamel City Rooftop
$$$Winston-Salem • Rooftop bar
Skyline seating, a short cocktail list and a sunset crowd that arrives early.
Coffee & Cafés
Coffee roasters, bakeries, tea shops and breakfast spots across North Carolina.
Editorial imagePersimmon Coffee Co.
$Raleigh • Coffee & pastry
Single-origin pours, sweet potato lattes and the best corner table in the neighborhood.
Editorial imageParrish Street Provisions
$Durham • Bakery & breakfast
Morning bakes, drip coffee and a reading table that turns strangers into regulars.
Editorial imageGantt & Grain
$Charlotte • Roastery & bakery
Roastery and bakery counter with pastry that sells out before noon.
Editorial imageAggie Avenue Coffee
$Greensboro • Coffee & study bar
A campus-adjacent coffee bar that fills with students by nine and stays full.
Brunch
North Carolina brunch destinations worth waking up for.
Editorial imagePersimmon Coffee Co.
$Raleigh • Coffee & pastry
Single-origin pours, sweet potato lattes and the best corner table in the neighborhood.
Editorial imageParrish Street Provisions
$Durham • Bakery & breakfast
Morning bakes, drip coffee and a reading table that turns strangers into regulars.
Editorial imageFranklin Street Brunch House
$$Chapel Hill • Brunch
A long-table brunch room built for the slow end of a Chapel Hill weekend.
Editorial imageGantt & Grain
$Charlotte • Roastery & bakery
Roastery and bakery counter with pastry that sells out before noon.
Black-Owned Food & Drink
Restaurants, bars, lounges, coffee shops, bakeries, food trucks and catering businesses owned by our people.
Editorial imageOak & Ember Kitchen
$$$Raleigh • Wood-fired Southern
Wood-fired Southern cooking from a chef who trained in New Orleans and came home to build.
Editorial imagePersimmon Coffee Co.
$Raleigh • Coffee & pastry
Single-origin pours, sweet potato lattes and the best corner table in the neighborhood.
Editorial imageThe Velvet Room
$$Raleigh • Cocktail lounge
Low light, high-end cocktails and a Thursday residency that fills up by ten.
Editorial imageSable Supper Club
$$$$Cary • Modern Southern tasting
A seated tasting format built for anniversaries, closings and long Saturday nights.
New & Notable
Openings, new bars, seasonal menus and dining news we are following across the state.
Editorial imageThe Velvet Room
$$Raleigh • Cocktail lounge
Low light, high-end cocktails and a Thursday residency that fills up by ten.
Editorial imageSable Supper Club
$$$$Cary • Modern Southern tasting
A seated tasting format built for anniversaries, closings and long Saturday nights.
Editorial imageQueen City Curb Kitchen
$Charlotte • Food truck
A rotating-route truck that posts its stop the morning of and sells out by dark.
Editorial imageCamel City Rooftop
$$$Winston-Salem • Rooftop bar
Skyline seating, a short cocktail list and a sunset crowd that arrives early.
Food & Drink stories
Reporting from Drake Magazine kitchens, counters and dining rooms.
Drake Magazine listings use verified details where we have them and clearly marked editorial placeholders where we do not. We never publish menus, hours or reviews we have not confirmed. Corrections and additions: contact our team.
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