The Best Restaurants in Raleigh, N.C, Right Now

Updated May 2026

It's no secret that the City of Oaks has a supercharged food scene—food and travel media haven't been shy about "spilling the tea" on good eats in Raleigh in recent years.

Some of the headlines? The Hottest Food City in the South; The Most Underrated Eats on the East Coast; A Surprising Destination for America's Rising Star Chefs; and so on—you get the picture. 

The numbers back up the hype. The Raleigh area is home to more James Beard chef and restaurant nominations over the last 20 years than anywhere else in North Carolina, and our 14 MICHELIN Guide restaurants rank Raleigh near the top of the list for decorated Southern cities.

As for what's hot right now? The restaurants below are our choices of the moment—a mix of essential mainstays and new arrivals that are defining food in Raleigh right now.

Mala Pata

^{MICHELIN Guide}

Before it could turn a year old, Mala Pata arrived on the MICHELIN Guide’s Bib Gourmand list (i.e. a great meal at a great value). But it took years of work for the Latin American restaurant to become an overnight success story—not only had Mala Pata been under development as a concept for several years, but the restaurant is the brainchild of Angela Salamanca, who runs downtown Raleigh’s decade-old Mexican restaurant, Centro, as well as industry veterans Eric Montagne, Zack Gragg and Marshall Davis.

Regulars swear by the yin and yang of the fried Colombian buñuelos (cassava-corn fritters) and light, cool aguachile verde with shrimp and serrano peppers to start the meal. You can’t go wrong on this menu—from the dry-rubbed matcha wings to the vegetarian enchiladas with Cheerwine mole—but save room for the distinctive desserts including the Choco Taco with corn ice cream from this masa-driven restaurant. The cocktails are among the city’s best, including the frozen banana painkiller or the Appalachian Sour.

• The Vibe: Modern Masa / High-Energy / Craft Cocktails
• Best For: A lively dinner with friends or a cool, casual date night.
• 2431 Crabtree Blvd., Ste. 102, Raleigh, NC 27604

^{Mala Pata (photo by Matt Ramey)}

Crawford and Son

^{MICHELIN Guide}

Scott Crawford is like culinary royalty in North Carolina, and it started at his namesake Crawford and Son restaurant. Here—in Raleigh’s Historic Oakwood neighborhood at the edge of downtown and buttressed by his French bistro Jolie and subterranean bar Sous Terre—the Southern-inspired menu is short but brimming with mouthwatering favorites that include a braised wagyu short rib, buttermilk fried quail and the Carolina Gold risotto. No detail is overlooked here, which makes sense given that the restaurant’s team was a recent James Beard Awards finalist for Outstanding Hospitality and Crawford himself a semifinalist himself for Outstanding Restaurateur.

If you’re still thinking about your dinner as you catch a flight home, stop into Crawford’s Genuine, the chef’s outpost inside RDU Airport, to hold you over until your next visit.

• The Vibe: Neighborhood Elegance / Refined / Detail-Oriented
• Best For: Celebrating a milestone or a high-end "everyday" luxury meal.
• 618 N. Person St., Raleigh, NC 27604

Ajja

After finding blockbuster success with her downtown restaurant Garland, acclaimed chef Cheetie Kumar opted to close down and offer herself a clean slate with Ajja. This time, she launched a neighborhood spot driven by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare. The vegetable-forward approach—which still includes its share of meat with the likes of braised lamb tagine and whole fried trout—makes sharing a swath of small plates more appealing, which is exactly what you’ll want to do after eyeing dishes that land on neighboring tables. Coffee roasted carrots with saffron yogurt or the ghee roasted delicata squash with honey-pomegranate molasses are among the standouts.

Kumar has seven James Beard nominations to her name, including a 2026 nod for Best Chef: Southeast. A visit to the joyful restaurant with a partial skyline view makes it easy to see why.

• The Vibe: Joyful / Vibrant / Mediterranean Garden
• Best For: Sunset cocktails and sharing small plates with a group on the patio.
• 209 Bickett Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27608

Tamasha Modern Indian

^{MICHELIN Guide}

This wildly popular fine dining restaurant in Raleigh’s North Hills neighborhood may have been named “One of America’s 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants,” but the food is just as visually gripping. Tamasha’s sleek interior provides a clean backdrop for its colorful, carefully executed dishes that are as moan-inducing as they look. No wonder then that Tamasha was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants and that chef Bhavin Chhatwani quickly received a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation for its Emerging Chef award.

The extensive menu includes a host of options that are rarely found elsewhere in this region, from the vegetarian tandoori mushroom dish to the snackable okra chaat. Spice lovers will rejoice in savory dishes like the Byadgi Chilli Shrimps or the Tamasha Fried Chicken with chilies and jalapeno. The show-stopper Yellow Tail Snapper Malabar Coast is the restaurant’s piece de resistance.

• The Vibe: Ultra-Sleek / Visual Spectacle / Modern Fine Dining
• Best For: An "impress the guest" dinner or a glamorous night in North Hills.
• 4200 Six Forks Rd., Ste. 130, Raleigh, NC 27609

^{Tamasha Modern Indian (photo by Harsha Sipani)}

Stanbury

^{MICHELIN Guide}

Ask Raleigh locals to name their favorite restaurant in town, and there’s a very good chance they’ll blurt out “Stanbury” without needing to think. The neighborhood restaurant, which doesn’t take reservations, is known for its irreverent-yet-intentional approach, simultaneously offering an elevated experience with ingredients and dishes that often can’t be found elsewhere. Patrons might encounter a playful pickle soup, monkfish milanesa, lamb tartare, crispy pig head with beluga lentils or an NC pork chop with Ethiopian collards and injera.

The upbeat environment feels like stepping into a large reunion party in progress, making it an ideal place for diners with experimental palates who want to let the good times roll.

• The Vibe: Irreverent / Culinary Adventure / Local Favorite
• Best For: Experimental eaters and those who love a bustling atmosphere.
• 938 N. Blount St., Raleigh, NC 27604

M Sushi

Prolific restaurateur Mike Lee might be the Raleigh area’s most unsung all-star chef. With a focus on technique and quality ingredients, M Restaurants—including flagship M Sushi within the Fenton shopping and entertainment district in Cary—always delivers a first-class meal befitting a business lunch or a romantic night out.

At night, the omakase menus take center stage, including the grand omakase with a range of nigiri, sashimi, chirashi, crudo and more. Or design your own evening with an assortment of nigiri and sashimi small plates or maki with ingredients like soft shell crab, panko crusted Japanese scallop, shrimp tempura and spicy tuna.

• The Vibe: Polished / Zen-Minimalist / Technique-Driven
• Best For: Romantic omakase dates.
• 4 Fenton Main St., Ste. 120, Cary, NC 27511

St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar

^{MICHELIN Guide}

Sunny Gerhart grew up on New Orleans’s St. Roch Avenue, across the street from St. Roch Park, not far from the famed Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods that front the Mississippi. Which is to say the downtown Raleigh restaurant comes by its New Orleans culinary roots honestly.

At St. Roch, the raw oysters come with fried saltines, the hushpuppies are stuffed with crawfish and the bolognese lasagna has alligator in it. Slide into a wooden booth for a hurricane and the Creole short rib or opt for the former Best Chef: Southeast contender’s take on gumbo with chicken and trout roe.

• The Vibe: NOLA Soul / Moody / Seafood-Centric
• Best For: A dozen raw oysters and a cocktail at a dim-lit table.
• 223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

^{St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar (photo via the restaurant)}

Poole’s Diner

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If you only have time to visit one restaurant in Raleigh, it might need to be Poole’s. Led by star chef and cookbook author Ashley Christensen, this reimagined Southern diner woke up the capital city’s dining scene when it opened in 2007. Poole’s has been a standard-bearer ever since, with Christensen going on to win two James Beard Awards and opening several other Raleigh restaurants, including the nearby Death & Taxes.

The famed macaroni au gratin is far from the only must-have on the menu. Look for heartwarming comforts like braised short rib pot pie, ricotta gnocchi with duck bolognese, PEI mussels with ciabatta, and the ever-popular pickle juice Caesar.

• The Vibe: Iconic / Retro-Cool / Modern Southern Comfort
• Best For: The "Essential Raleigh" experience and pre-concert comfort food.
• 428 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Brodeto

^{MICHELIN Guide}

If you’ve ever been on a vacation that you just can’t stop thinking about after returning home, then you can relate to the vision behind Brodeto. Inspired by chef Scott Crawford’s trips to Italy and Croatia, the suave restaurant inside the Raleigh Iron Works complex draws from the Adriatic Sea for this seafood-driven concept. The namesake brodeto dish includes a seafood medley inside a custom-made bowl, which regulars talk about just as much as the linguine al nero with sea urchin butter and the house-made gelato with olive oil and sea salt.

The MICHELIN recommended restaurant is one of several popular restaurants from Crawford, who also brags a half-dozen James Beard Award nominations.

• The Vibe: Adriatic-Chic / Coastal / Industrial-Suave
• Best For: Seafood lovers looking for a vacation vibe.
• 2201 Iron Works Drive, Ste. 137, Raleigh, NC 27604

Prime Barbecue

^{MICHELIN Guide}

Move over, Arby’s—Prime Barbecue has all the meats, smoked just the way we like them. Expect to wait in a line during peak hours, thanks to the reputation pitmaster Christopher Prieto has built since opening in 2020. Here, about 20 minutes from the heart of Raleigh, Prieto’s team steadily slings smoked meats ranging from North Carolina-style pulled pork to Texas brisket. Sold by the half-pound, as a plate with sides or on a sandwich, these slow-cooked specimens helped Prieto win several top honors: North Carolina’s 2025 Restauranteur of the Year award; MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand recognition; a Best Chef: Southeast semifinalist nod from the James Beard Awards; and being named No. 2 in Texas Monthly’s revered "United States of Texas Barbecue" list.

If you’re ordering in bulk, preordering is your best route, but consider sticking around and enjoying the sides and desserts. The creamy mac and cheese, green beans, banana pudding and Texas cobbler are the perfect complements.

• The Vibe: Modern Smokehouse / Family-Friendly / Craft BBQ
• Best For: A daytime pilgrimage for some of the best brisket in the South.
• 402 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale, NC 27545

^{Prime Barbecue (photo by ©AzulPhotography)}

Osha Thai Kitchen & Sushi

The appropriately-named Osha—which means “delicious” in Thai—is bathed in light. Literally: a massive bank of windows lets in ample sunlight, making it easier to appreciate the vibrantly colored cocktails, sushi rolls or som tum Thai shaved papaya salad in Osha’s modern dining room and bar. If it’s too cold to enjoy people watching under the patio’s market lights, warm up inside with the tom kha coconut milk soup with Thai chili and mushroom or the hearty, northern Thai-style kao soi with egg noodles and your choice of meat.

The ever-popular pad Thai, stir fries, and curries are crowd pleasers, but don’t overlook appetizers such as the crispy eggplant with sweet chili dipping sauce or crispy pork belly dish. If Japanese food is more your speed, Osha makes it easy to curate exactly what you crave with almost two dozen classic rolls and a diverse list of small bites ranging from bao buns with lobster and shrimp tempura to octopus nigiri.

• The Vibe: Airy and Bright / Contemporary Thai / Neighborhood Hub
• Best For: A fresh, vibrant lunch or a family-friendly sushi night.
• 242 S. Main St., Ste. 100, Holly Springs, NC 27540

Osteria G

Tucked into an unassuming shopping center just off the highway at the edges of Holly Springs and Apex, you’ll find some of the best Italian food in this part of the Tar Heel State. Credit that to the fresh, house-made pasta and to owner Gianni Cinelli, who’s had a hand in about two dozen restaurants in the area, including popular Raleigh restaurant Vivo.

Osteria G is driven by regulars who come for the rotating specials as well as staples like the burrata ala vodka with guanciale and bucatini, the black garlic shrimp over spaghetti, Grandma’s Chicken, or the unforgettable roasted duck pansoti with stuffed pasta and duck prosciutto.

• The Vibe: Unassuming / Authentic / Italian Scratch-Kitchen
• Best For: "If you know, you know" visitors looking for handmade pasta near Apex.
• 5160 Sunset Lake Rd., Ste. 101, Apex, NC 27539

Herons

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Elegant. Precise. Unforgettable. Herons is, in many ways, the crown jewel of both The Umstead Hotel and Spa and fine dining in the Raleigh area overall. Executive chef Steven Devereaux Greene is a repeat semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award for his consistent excellence at the helm of this MICHELIN recommended and Forbes Five-Star restaurant. Greene sources many of the ingredients for the a la carte and tasting menus from The Umstead’s farm, just another factor that sets Heron apart as a truly unparalleled experience.

The menu at Herons shifts seasonally and throughout the day, so come for a tasting menu dinner and lean into the top-tier service that begins with complimentary valet parking.

• The Vibe: Serene / Forbes Five-Star / Artful and Precise
• Best For: The ultimate "bucket list" tasting menu and quiet, world-class luxury.
• 100 Woodland Pond Dr., Cary, NC 27513

^{Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa (photo via the restaurant)}